Among the cancellations are a concert by the New Liszt Chamber Chorus to have taken place on June 12, a production of Kodály?s Háry János by the Miskolc Wondermill Puppet Theatre and ? the most painful, according to the festival?s managing director Tamás Bátor ? a performance by Bulgaria?s National Opera and Ballet. The company from Sofia was to have performed Massenet?s Don Quixote.
Changes to the programme lineup had to be made in addition to the cancellations. The Kosice State Theatre of Slovakia will now perform Tchaikovsky?s Swan Lake instead of Bartók?s The Wooden Prince.
The festival organisers applied for, and basically won, HUF 100 million in support from Hungary?s central budget, said Bátor. But just HUF 27 million of this amount has been paid out, and there is no hope the rest will arrive before the festival starts on June 9, he added.
In spite of the cancellations and changes, festival-goers can still attend more than 60 events at this year?s festival, including 16 operas, five ballets and 23 concerts.
Miskolc, once a centre of heavy industry under communism, has become well known for its Bartók + ... opera festival, which it is organising for the tenth year in a row. Bartók is always on the festival bill, but a different composer or theme shares the spotlight each year. Verdi and Puccini will share the bill in 2011 and 2012, respectively.
Source: Hungarian News Agency (MTI)
