BUDAPEST - fapipa

Foyer Murals
Painted by Bertalan Székely and Mór
Than, the foyer’s sensational murals (above)
cover the entire ceiling and depict the nine
Muses and other allegorical scenes.
Main Staircase
A red carpet covers
the marble stairs (below)
beneath a huge chandelier
in another of the State
Opera House’s classic set
pieces. The gilded panels
of the ceiling contain
nine paintings by Than,
showing the awakening
and triumph of music.
Chandelier
Above the auditorium,
a 2,722-kg (3-ton) Mainz
chandelier (above) illuminates
a magnificent
fresco by Károly Lotz of
the Greek gods on Olympus.
The chimney above
it facilitates ventilation.
Main Stage
During the building
of the Opera, the Vienna
Ring Theatre was destroyed
by fire. As a safety
measure, an iron safety
curtain, all-metal stage
hydraulics and a sprinkler
system were installed,
making the Hungarian
Opera the most modern
theatre in the world.
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Royal Box
Ybl always insisted
that the Royal Box was
his finest achievement.
Decorated with sculptures
symbolizing the four
operatic voices – soprano,
alto, tenor and bass – it is
in the centre of a circle of
three-tiered boxes.
Museum
The museum (above)
houses memorabilia of
famous performers who
have graced this stage.
Sándor Svéd, a renowned
Hungarian baritone, who
performed at New York’s
Metropolitan for years,
features prominently.
Bánk Bán
Hungary’s most famous
opera, Bánk Bán, was
written by Ferenc Erkel
and premiered in 1861.
The story begins with
Otto, brother of András
II, who plans to seduce
the wife of a faithful
Hungarian viceroy, Bánk
Bán. The knight Biberach
tells Bán of Otto’s dastardly
scheme, and Bán
decides to join a rebellion
against the court.
Rarely performed today,
it was turned into a film
by Csaba Kael in 2001.
Check The Budapest Times (see p105) for opera schedules.
Budapest’s Top 10
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