Hungarian State Opera House Audio Guide

Hungarian State Opera House: what does the audio guide cover?

1. 01

   Welcome to the Hungarian State Opera House

   Welcome to the Hungarian State Opera House, a historic opera house in central Budapest, standing on Andrássy Avenue, one of the city's great boulevards. Originally it was called the Hungarian Royal Opera House, and the man who designed it was Miklós Ybl, a major figure of nineteenth-century Hungarian architecture. Look at the building before you think about stepping inside. Its style is neo-Renaissance, with Baroque touches, and the roof is lined with sculptures. In front of the building you will find statues of two musical giants: Ferenc Erkel and Franz Liszt. Liszt is the best known Hungarian composer, so he makes a fitting doorkeeper. This is not among the biggest opera houses in the world in size or capacity. Its reputation rests on two things, its beauty and the quality of its acoustics, and we will come back to both. For now, take a moment on the pavement and let the facade settle in.

2. 02

   A Capital With Something to Prove

   The story begins in 1872, when Baron Bódog Orczy, director of the National Theater, proposed building a permanent opera house. Construction took place between 1875 and 1884, right on Andrássy Avenue. Historians read the building as more than a stage. It served as a potent symbol of Budapest's effort to overcome what is described as an inferiority problem compared with the Habsburg capital, Vienna. Architecture can be a way of establishing standing, and an opera house is a very elegant way to do it. The opening in 1884 was held with great ceremony, attended by Emperor Franz Joseph the First. Once the opera company moved in, performances quickly gained a reputation for excellence, with a repertory of about 45 to 50 operas and about 130 performances each year.

3. 03

   Ybl's Design and the Art Within

   Miklós Ybl, who lived from 1814 to 1891, was one of the greatest Hungarian architects of his century, and this opera house is regarded as his most famous work. He also designed buildings such as the Palace of Customs, Károlyi Palace and Saint Stephen's Basilica. The interior was designed to rival the grand opera houses of Paris and Vienna, with marble, gold leaf and red velvet. The ornamentation includes paintings and sculptures by leading figures of Hungarian art, among them Bertalan Székely, Mór Than and Károly Lotz. If you take a break during a performance, visit the buffet. It is a splendid sight in itself: on the ceiling you can admire main events from the life of Dionysos, and landscape paintings by Árpád Feszty decorate the side walls. If you join a tour, the marble Main Staircase is a highlight, and tours start at the main entrance.

4. 04

   Sound, Stars and the Opera Ball

   Now to the acoustics. The auditorium is horseshoe-shaped, and in measurements made in the 1970s by a group of international engineers it was found to have the third best acoustics in Europe, after La Scala in Milan and the Palais Garnier in Paris. Many opera houses have been built since, yet this one is still among the best in terms of sound. The house has also drawn remarkable people. The composer Gustav Mahler was director in Budapest from 1888 to 1891, and Otto Klemperer served as music director for three years, from 1947 to 1950. Today the building is home to the Budapest Opera Ball, a society event dating back to 1886. The house also had its time of renewal: a reconstruction between 1980 and 1984 restored its original splendour in time for the hundredth anniversary of its opening.

5. 05

   Before You Head Off

   The opera house sits in an easy part of Budapest to explore. The metro station called Opera, on the first line, is right opposite, and Saint Stephen's Basilica is about five minutes away. The Danube is a few hundred meters to the west. Along Andrássy Avenue, lined with sycamore trees, you can admire fine villas and elegant palaces, and there are plenty of cafés for a hot drink with a cake. Opposite the opera house stands the beautiful Drechsler Palace, which used to be home to the Hungarian Ballet Institute. Perhaps the best way to finish is to come back after dark, when the facade is lit up, and ask yourself which of Ybl's details you missed the first time. Or follow the avenue toward Heroes' Square and see what else the boulevard has to tell.