The city of Miskolc, once a center of heavy industry under socialism, has become well known for its Bartók + ... opera festival, which it will organise for the eighth time this year. Bartók is always on the festival bill, but a different composer or theme shares the spotlight each year.
The famous Georgian bass Paata Burchuladze will launch the festival with a solo evening. A production of Swan Lake by Kiev's Taras Shevchenko Opera and Ballet has been booked for two performances - both are expected to be sold out. The Hungarian State Opera will perform Janacek's Jenufa, with the German singer Anja Silja in the lead, as the Hungarian Éva Marton will be unavailable. The Koice State Opera will perform Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet as well as Dvorak's Rusalka. Moscow's Helikon Theatre will bring Mussorgsky's Boris Godunov and Shostakovich's Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk. Bratislava's Slovak National Theatre will perform a production of Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin by the German director Peter Konwitschny. Debrecen's Csokonai Theatre will perform Smetana's Bartered Bride under the direction of Andrei Rubien. The Music Faculty of the University of Szeged will bring Rimsky-Korsakov's rarely performed Sadko. The students of the Liszt Academy of Music will perform Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf, narrated by Pál Mácsai. A production of Stravinsky's The Soldier's Tale, choreographed by György Krámer, will be performed by the Miskolc National Theatre. An evening of song will be presented by László Polgár and Ilona Tokody. Festival-goers will also be able to enjoy screenings of opera films, puppet shows and open-air performances.
