In 1844, following on the heels of his triumph in the competition to set Ferenc Kölcsey's Himnusz – today the national anthem of Hungary – to music, Ferenc Erkel set about looking at the possibilities for using József Katona's much-attacked drama Bánk bán as the subject for an opera. History made the period of composition a lengthy one: first came the Hungarian War of Independence of 1848/49, and censorship by the dictatorship that followed meant that the audience would have to wait until 9 March 1861 before the work could be performed in its entirety at Pest's National Theatre. As a result of, or in spite of, the high-level additions and revisions, the remarkable aspect of the following performances of the ever-acclaimed Bánk bán is the fact that the text and musical material were created using both the work's original version and the 1939 revision – the one best know to the wider audience – credited to Kálmán Nádasdy. The storyline thus most closely mirrors the thinking of original playwright József Katona, without forcing us to dispense with the now-timeless grand aria "Hazám, hazám" ("My homeland, my homeland").
Hungarian State Oper Frequently Asked Questions
What shows are coming up next at Hungarian State Oper
Carmen (3/25-4/4)
A Streetcar Named Desire (6/9-6/12) Snow White and the 7 Dwarfs (6/11-6/21) L’elisir d’amore (The Elixir of Love) (7/23-7/23)
Where is Hungarian State Oper located?
Hungarian State Oper is at Andrássy út 22, Budapest.
What shows have played recently at Hungarian State Oper
Aida (2/19/2020-3/1/2020)
Die Fledermaus (The Bat) (12/13/2019-1/5/2020) The Nutcracker (11/29/2019-1/5/2020) Porgy and Bess (11/20/2019-11/28/2019) Girls in Focus (9/12/2018-4/13/2019) Bánk Bán – Beregszász Arena (9/1/2018-9/1/2018) Rigoletto (8/3/2018-7/28/2019) THE GYPSY BARON (7/27/2018-7/27/2018) Die Frau ohne Schatten (The Woman without a Shadow) (6/3/2018-6/12/2018) Dialogues des Carmélites (Dialogues of the Carmelites) (5/31/2018-6/15/2018)
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