Budapest Opera House - in the ghostly presence of Franz Liszt, Gustav Mahler, Otto Klemperer and past celebrities

A highlight of Budapest is to visit the Opera House – in the daytime, but if possible to attend a performance. Our excellent guide, during the morning walk of the city, had the Opera House as the first stop. In the relatively dim interior, as none of the main lights were on, one discerned the grandeur of the place. We were only allowed to see the entrance foyer as we were not part of the formal guided tour. 

We were keen to see a performance here – I was certain the main hall would be really worth seeing. That evening was Ariadne in Naxos and next evening was a Ballet performance. The latter was preferred but we were on a full day tour of Danube Bend and returning late; so we settled for Ariadne with some concerns as Greek mythology was involved. 

We arrived early as I wanted to see the whole inside of the building. There were four floors… on inquiry, I found a lift (elevator) hidden away by the side and unless you asked, you would never have seen it !

Straight up to the top – there is a large bar cum catering area. Superb paintings on the ceiling and gold work through out. What an atmosphere !  I went out to the balcony and saw the whole avenue across.

Walking down the majestic staircase, with the huge chandeliers casting a warm yellow glow all over, seeing the crowd entering below was interesting. Everyone was well dressed.

I had selected our seats carefully -   by the entry point aisle and at the rear so that we had a clear view and quick exit if required.  The empty Royal Box was behind us to our right. The Opera House had the Orchestra in the pit by the stage. Unfortunately the Conductor’s podium light faced at an angle directly hitting my eye so I had to use the person in front of me as a shade !!  

Our experience at the Opera was most unusual.

Here were two relatively well educated Indians, familiar with the English language who went to see an opera in Budapest, Hungary. The story was of Ariadne in Naxos, an ancient Greek mythological tale spoken by the actors in German because the opera was written by Richard Strauss. However, for the local audience we had Magyar script projected on a screen just above the theatre’s curtain.

The opera was far too modern and totally incomprehensible – I am sure to the sophisticated local audience too, unless one had read the whole long synopsis in the programme. However, surprise surprise, to add to your woes, there was no physical programme – you had to scan a QR Code which was displayed by the entry door and download the whole programme of some 10 pages of information on the Opera’s mythological history, the author’s raison d’etre for writing it, the details of the cast, comments of various writers on the opera etc. Totally impossible to appreciate all this on a 4 or 5” cell phone screen. This is really taking modern technology to unrequired heights and at its worst.

We left after the first act. Our visit was not wasted as we did enjoy the glory of the whole building which was our intention. 

                    The view from the balcony at the very top 

The ceiling of the Bar cum Catering area. 

To better appreciate the visuals of my blog, I felt that you could refer to basic information on the building – what better than straight from Wikipedia.

“Originally known as the Hungarian Royal Opera House, it was designed by Miklós Ybl, a major figure of 19th-century Hungarian architecture. Construction began in 1875, funded by the city of Budapest and by Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria-Hungary, and the new house opened to the public on the 27 September 1884. Before the closure of the "Népszínház" in Budapest, it was the third largest opera building in the city; today it is the second largest opera house in Budapest and in Hungary.

Touring groups had performed operas in the city from the early 19th century, but as Legány notes, "a new epoch began after 1835 when part of the Kasa National Opera and Theatrical Troupe arrived in Buda". They took over the Castle Theatre and in 1835, were joined by another part of the troupe, after which performances of operas were given under conductor Ferenc Erkel. By 1837 they had established themselves at the Magyar Színház (Hungarian Theatre) and by 1840, it had become the "Nemzeti Színház" (National Theatre). Upon its completion, the opera section moved into the Hungarian Royal Opera House, with performances quickly gaining a reputation for excellence in a repertory of about 45 to 50 operas and about 130 annual performances.

Today, the opera house is home to the Budapest Opera Ball, a society event dating back to 1886.

Many important artists were guests here including the composer Gustav Mahler, who was director in Budapest from 1888 to 1891 and Otto Klemperer, who was music director for three years from 1947 to 1950.

In the 1970s the state of the building prompted the Hungarian State to order a major renovation which eventually began in 1980 and lasted till 1984. The reopening was held exactly 100 years after the original opening, on the 27 September 1984.

It is a richly decorated building and is considered one of the architect's masterpieces. It was built in neo-Renaissance style, with elements of Baroque. Ornamentation includes paintings and sculptures by leading figures of Hungarian art including Bertalan Székely, Mór Than and Károly Lotz. Although in size and capacity it is not among the greatest, in beauty and the quality of acoustics the Budapest Opera House is considered to be amongst the finest opera houses in the world.

The auditorium holds 1,261 people. It is horseshoe-shaped and – according to measurements done in the 1970s by a group of international engineers – has the third best acoustics in Europe after La Scala in Milan and the Palais Garnier in Paris. Although many opera houses have been built since, the Budapest Opera House is still among the best in terms of the acoustics.

The decoration of the symmetrical façade follows a musical theme. In niches on either side of the main entrance there are figures of two of Hungary's most prominent composers, Ferenc Erkel and Franz Liszt. Both were sculpted by Alajos Stróbl. Liszt is the best known Hungarian composer. Erkel composed the Hungarian national anthem, and was the first music director of the Opera House; he was also founder of the Budapest Philharmonic Orchestra.

Each year, the season lasts from September to the end of June and, in addition to opera performances, the House is home to the Hungarian National Ballet.

There are guided tours of the building in six languages (English, German, Spanish, French, Italian and Hungarian) almost every day.

The foyer has marble columns. The vaulted ceiling is covered in murals by Bertalan Székely and Mór Than. They depict the nine Muses.

Wrought-iron lamps illuminate the wide stone staircase and the main entrance. Going to the opera was a great social occasion in the 19th century. A vast, sweeping staircase was an important element of the opera house as it allowed ladies to show off their new gowns.

The main hall is decorated with a bronze chandelier weighing 3050 kg. It illuminates a fresco by Károly Lotz, depicting the Greek gods on Olympus. The central stage proscenium arch employed the most modern technology of the time. It featured a revolving stage and metal hydraulic machinery.

The royal box is located centrally in the three-storey circle. It is decorated with sculptures symbolizing the four operatic voices - soprano, alto, tenor and bass”. 

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