The Miskolc Opera Festival or International Opera Festival of Miskolc (Miskolci Nemzetközi Operafesztivál) is a cultural event held every summer in Miskolc, the capital of Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén county, Hungary. The event offers a selection of opera performances with the participations of famous artists from all over the world and was created by Péter Müller Sziámi, the former art director of the National Theatre of Miskolc in 2001.
The main venue is the National Theatre of Miskolc, the current building dating from 1847. The main auditorium (capacity 687), the summer theatre (500) and chamber theatre (270) are used for stage works. Concerts also take place in the Ice Hall (winter sports hall), the House of the Arts and churches such as the Protestant Church, Kossuth u, as well as in public squares.
It is also called "Bartók + ... Opera Festival", because each year the festival focuses on the works of Bartók plus another composer or composers. There are chamber recitals alongside the operatic performances as well as events for children and films.
Some productions are from visiting companies; in 2009 Moscow Helikon Opera, Szeged National Theatre and Latvian National Opera were among these.
During festival time MVK Rt. operates a veteran tram which stops outside the theatre, where regular trams do not stop, and is free for festival patrons with tickets.
Since 2001, festivals have had as their theme;
- 2001: Bartók + Verdi;
- 2002: Bartók + Puccini;
- 2003: Bartók + Mozart;
- 2004: Bartók + Tchaikovsky;
- 2005: Bartók + Bel canto (Rossini, Bellini and Donizetti);
- 2006: Bartók + Verismo;
- 2007: Bartók + Paris;
- 2008: Bartók + Slav composers;
- 2009: Bartók + Vienna; covered Gluck (Le cadi dupé), Haydn (La canterina, L'infedeltà delusa), Mozart (Apollo et Hyacinthus, L'oca del Cairo, The Marriage of Figaro, The Magic Flute), Strauss (Ariadne auf Naxos), Berg (Wozzeck, Lulu), Schoenberg (Moses und Aron);
- 2010: Bartók + Europe;
- 2011: Bartók + Verdi;
- 2012: Bartók + Puccini; themes are rotated from now on
Read more about Miskolc Opera Festival: Classical Rock Shows
Famous quotes containing the words opera and/or festival:
“Opera once was an important social instrument—especially in Italy. With Rossini and Verdi people were listening to opera together and having the same catharsis with the same story, the same moral dilemmas. They were holding hands in the darkness. That has gone. Now perhaps they are holding hands watching television.”
—Luciano Berio (b. 1925)
“Don’t you know there are 200 temperance women in this county who control 200 votes. Why does a woman work for temperance? Because she’s tired of liftin’ that besotted mate of hers off the floor every Saturday night and puttin’ him on the sofa so he won’t catch cold. Tonight we’re for temperance. Help yourself to them cloves and chew them, chew them hard. We’re goin’ to that festival tonight smelling like a hot mince pie.”
—Laurence Stallings (1894–1968)