Feb 19, 2026

Anna Netrebko, Judit Kutasi, Anita Rachvelishvili, Rolando Villazón, Thomas Hampson, Diana Damrau, Corinne Winters, Lawrence Brownlee Headline Hungarian State Opera’s 2026-27 Season

The Hungarian State Opera has announced its 143rd season, featuring 10 new productions, 500 performances across its two venues, and a landmark Kodály centenary celebration. Here is a look at the operatic offerings.

New Productions

The season opens with a world premiere of “Kodály Háry Jancsika,” a new children’s version of the beloved singspiel performed by the OPERA Children’s Chorus, conducted by Nikolett Hajzer and directed by Mária Harangi.

Performance Dates: Sept. 19 – Oct. 10, 2026

The centenary new production of Kodály’s “Háry János” — marking 100 years since the opera’s 1926 world premiere — is conducted by Péter Halász and directed by Attila Béres. Csaba Sándor sings the title role opposite Gabriella Balga as Örzse.

Performance Dates: Oct. 17 – 25, 2026

Tamás Novák’s documentary-drama double bill “Kádár’s Record” / “The Last Speech of Kádár “ pairs a new pseudo-documentary film with a reimagined staging of Novák’s chamber drama about Hungary’s former Communist leader — incorporating Schönberg’s “Ode to Napoleon” — marking the 70th anniversary of the 1956 revolution. The production moves from the Opera House basement to the full Bánffy Stage at the Eiffel Art Studios. Performers include János Bán, Bálint Bán, Zsolt Trill, and Zoltán Bezerédi.

Performance Dates: Oct. 22 – Nov. 1, 2026

Léo Delibes’ “Lakmé” returns to the OPERA repertoire for the first time since 1959 in a new “Opera Gyros” format: a narrated highlights production directed by and featuring János Szemenyei, with comedian Dániel Mogács, and conducted by Ádám Cser. Klára Kolonits sings the title role alongside Melinda Heiter and Gergely Boncsér.

Performance Dates: Jan. 16 – 31, 2027

Richard Strauss’s “Salome” receives a new production directed by Máté Szabó and conducted by Principal Conductor Martin Rajna. Nicole Chevalier and Polina Pasztircsák alternate in the title role opposite Károly Szemerédy as Jochanaan, with Gerhard Siegel and Tibor Szappanos sharing the role of Herod.

Performance Dates: Feb. 20 – March 5, 2027

A landmark triple bill brings the staged world premiere of Liszt’s “Sardanapalo” to the Opera House — the first institution to receive staging rights for the unfinished opera-fragment, prepared from Cambridge scholar Dr. David Trippett’s edition. The evening pairs Liszt’s one-act with Debussy’s cantatas “L’enfant prodigue” (last staged by the OPERA over a century ago) and “La damoiselle élue” (its first-ever OPERA staging). All three are directed by Péter István Nagy and conducted by János Kovács. László Boldizsár sings the title role in Sardanapalo. The production will be available on OperaVision.

Performance Dates: March 6 – 13, 2027

The world premiere of Máté Bella’s “Passió,” an opera-oratorio in two parts, receives its staged world premiere. The libretto by Artistic Director András Almási-Tóth — who also directs — unfolds the Passion narrative in reverse, from the Crucifixion back to the Last Supper. Conducted by Ádám Cser, the cast includes Botond Pál as Jesus and Zsolt Haja as Pilate.

Performance Dates: March 21 – 27, 2027

Balázs Szálinger’s “Krizantémok” (Chrysanthemums, or The Death of Liù), a chamber tragedy with music exploring the scandal surrounding the death of Puccini’s maid, is revived in a new immersive staging by András Almási-Tóth at the Bánffy Stage. The play is paired with Szálinger’s companion piece, “Siegfried Idyll,” or the “End of a Friendship,” presented as a memorial to the late director Péter Kálloy Molnár.

Performance Dates: April 3 – 11, 2027

Verdi’s “Il Trovatore” receives a new production conducted by Martin Rajna and directed by Gergely Kesselyák. The cast features Simone Piazzola and Mihály Kálmándy alternating as Conte di Luna, Anita Rachvelishvili and Erika Gál as Azucena, and Yusif Eyvazov and Boldizsár László alternating as Manrico.

Performance Dates: May 8 – 23, 2027

A new production of Puccini’s “Madama Butterfly,” co-produced with the Grand Théâtre de Genève, is directed by Barbora Horáková with video design by Armenian-American artist Diana Markosian. Conducted by Cornelius Meister, the cast stars Corinne Winters and Lilla Horti alternate in the title role, with Szabolcs Brickner as Pinkerton.

Performance Dates: June 12 – 27, 2027

Standard Repertoire

“Le nozze di Figaro” is conducted by Gábor Káli and directed by Judit Galgóczy, with Polina Pasztircsák as the Countess, Krisztián Cser as Figaro, and Emőke Baráth and Anija Lombard alternating as Susanna.

Performance Dates: Sept. 20 – Oct. 11, 2026

“Die Entführung aus dem Serail” is presented in a Hungarian-language production directed by Miklós Vecsei H. and conducted by Tibor Bogányi, with Renáta Gebe-Fügi as Konstanze and Artúr Szeleczki as Belmonte.

Performance Dates: Oct. 17- 24, 2026

The staged oratorio production of Verdi’s “Requiem” is conducted by Gergely Kesselyák and directed by Ádám Tulassay, featuring Zsuzsanna Ádám, Atala Schöck, Adorján Pataki, and Krisztián Cser, with the Hungarian National Ballet.

Performance Dates: Nov. 2 – 6, 2026

Calixto Bieito’s production of “Carmen” is conducted by Gábor Hontvári, with Jolana Slavíkova in the title role, Szabolcs Brickner and Boldizsár László alternating as Don José, and Tommaso Barea as Escamillo.

Performance Dates: Nov. 14 – 29, 2026

“Nixon in China” is conducted by Gergely Vajda and directed by András Almási-Tóth, with Károly Szemerédy as Nixon, Klára Kolonits as Pat Nixon, and János Szemenyei as Mao Tse-tung.

Performance Dates: Nov. 20 – 24, 2026

The Szinetár production of “Die Zauberflöte” is conducted by Péter Halász and Dárius Teremi, with Krisztián Cser as Sarastro, Tetiana Zhuravel and Regina Koncz alternating as the Queen of the Night, and Csaba Sándor as Papageno.

Performance Dates: Nov. 29, 2026 – May 15, 2027

The classic Nádasdy–Oláh production of “La bohème” is conducted by Martin Rajna and Sámuel Csaba Tóth. Anna Netrebko, Gabriella Létay Kiss, and Polina Pasztircsák alternate as Mimì, with Gergely Boncsér, Boldizsár László, and Andrei Danilov sharing the role of Rodolfo.

Performance Dates: Dec. 13 – Jan. 16, 2027

“Dido and Aeneas” is directed and choreographed by Dóra Barta and conducted by Dániel Erdélyi and Augustin Szokos, with Kinga Kriszta as Dido and Zsolt Haja as Aeneas. The production is paired with a Handel program including excerpts from Water Music, Music for the Royal Fireworks, Rodelinda, Serse, and Giulio Cesare.

Performance Dates: Jan. 12 – 15, 2027

“Die Walküre” is conducted by Ulf Schirmer and directed by M. Tóth Géza, with István Kovácsházi as Siegmund, Mihály Kálmándy as Wotan, Zsuzsanna Ádám as Sieglinde, and Csilla Boross as Brünnhilde.

Performance Dates: Jan. 23 – 31, 2027

“Bluebeard’s Castle,” directed by Kasper Holten and conducted by Péter Halász, is paired with Marianna Venekei’s choreography of “The Miraculous Mandarin.” Judit Kutasi sings Judith opposite Mikhail Petrenko as Bluebeard.

Performance Dates: Jan. 30 – Feb. 4, 2027

The Litkai–Dömötör opera-mix “Figaro³” — combining Rossini, Mozart, and Milhaud — is conducted by Ádám Cser and directed by András Dömötör, with Krisztián Cser as Figaro and Zsolt Haja as Almaviva.

Performance Dates: Jan. 30 – Feb. 14, 2027

Poldini’s “Farsangi Lakodalom” (Love Adrift) is conducted by Szabolcs Sándor and directed by András Almási-Tóth, with Csaba Szegedi and Adrienn Miksch leading the cast.

Performance Dates: Feb. 13 – 27, 2027

“Hunyadi László” is conducted by Zsolt Hamar and directed by Szilveszter Ókovács, with Szabolcs Brickner as László Hunyadi, Klára Kolonits as Erzsébet Szilágyi, and Krisztián Cser as Gara.

Performance Dates: March 6 – 21, 2027

“János Vitéz” is conducted by Dániel Erdélyi and directed by Máté Szabó, with Gergely Boncsér in the title role and Boglárka Brindás as Iluska.

Performance Dates: March 13 – 20, 2027

“Parsifal” is conducted by Péter Halász and directed by András Almási-Tóth, with István Kovácsházi in the title role, Mihály Kálmándy as Amfortas, Albert Pesendorfer as Gurnemanz, and Andrea Szántó as Kundry.

Performance Dates: March 26 & 28, 2027

“Turandot” is directed by Dóra Barta and conducted by Gergely Kesselyák, with Csilla Boross and Szilvia Rálik alternating in the title role and Boldizsár László as Calàf.

Performance Dates: April 3 – 18, 2027

“Il Barbiere di Siviglia” is presented in Hungarian, conducted by Sámuel Csaba Tóth and directed by Csaba Káel, with István Horváth as Almaviva, Laura Topolánszky as Rosina, and Zsolt Haja as Figaro.

Performance Dates: April 10 – 25, 2027

“Maria Stuarda” is conducted by Kálmán Szennai and directed by Máté Szabó, with Klára Kolonits in the title role and Gabriella Balga as Elisabetta. Edgardo Rocha sings Robert Dudley.

Performance Dates: April 17 – May 2, 2027

“Székely Fonó” (The Spinning Room) is directed by Michał Znaniecki and conducted by Dénes István, with Erika Gál and Kinga Kriszta in the leading roles. Tickets are available at a 50% Hungarian repertoire discount.

Performance Dates: April 17 – May 9, 2027

Boito’s “Mefistofele” is conducted by János Kovács and directed by Balázs Kovalik, with Gábor Bretz in the title role, Gaston Rivero as Faust, and Orsolya Sáfár as Margherita/Helena.

Performance Dates: May 22 – June 5, 2027

“Nabucco,” directed and conducted by Gergely Kesselyák, features Alexandru Agache and Mihály Kálmándy alternating in the title role, with Eszter Sümegi and Csilla Boross alternating as Abigaille and Krisztián Cser and András Palerdi alternating as Zaccaria.

Performance Dates: June 26 – July 15, 2027

“La Traviata,” conducted by Giampaolo Bisanti and directed by Ferenc Anger, features Polina Pasztircsák and Orsolya Sáfár alternating as Violetta and Mihály Kálmándy as Giorgio Germont.

Performance Dates: July 17 – August 5, 2027

“Gianni Schicchi” closes the season in August as part of the “Best of Puccini” program, conducted by Levente Török and directed by Attila Toronykőy, with Csaba Szegedi and Attila Mókus alternating in the title role.

Performance Dates: August 7 – 19, 2027

Opera in Concert

A concert performance of Verdi’s “La Traviata” opens the season at the Eiffel Art Studios, featuring Plácido Domingo as Giorgio Germont, with Orsolya Sáfár as Violetta and Szabolcs Brickner as Alfredo, conducted by Dénes István.

Performance Date: Sept. 23, 2026

“Cavalleria Rusticana” is conducted by Gergely Madaras, with Adorján Pataki as Turiddu and Gabriella Balga as Santuzza.

Performance Dates: March 27 – April 1, 2027

A concert performance of “Aida” is conducted by Péter Halász with Gregory Kunde as Radamès, Zsuzsanna Ádám as Aida, Gábor Bretz as Ramfis, and Mihály Kálmándy as Amonasro.

Performance Dates: June 11 & 13, 2027

Star Recitals

René Pape opens the Stars’ Recitals with Piano series in an evening of opera arias and song at the Opera House.

Performance Date: Oct. 19, 2026

Andreas Schager appears in the second installment of the Stars’ Recitals with Piano series.

Performance Date: Nov. 15, 2026

Thomas Hampson also appears in recital.

Performance Date: April 11, 2027

Rolando Villazón takes the stage for an evening of arias and song.

Performance Date: May 23, 2027

Diana Damrau closes out the Stars’ Recitals with Piano series.

Performance Date: June 2, 2027

Concerts

The Marton Competition Gala opens the season with an opera gala featuring the finalists of the Eva Marton International Singing Competition.

Performance Date: Sept. 6, 2026

The International Music Day Festive Concert features Mahler’s Symphony No. 8 (“Symphony of a Thousand”), conducted by János Kovács. Soloists include János Kov´åcs, Zita Szemere, Lilla Horti, and Zsuzsanna Kapi, among others.

Performance Dates: Oct. 1 & 4, 2026

The Opera Stars’ International Gala in Memoriam Georg Solti is a festive gala evening honoring the legacy of the legendary Hungarian-born conductor.

Performance Date: Oct. 25, 2026

The “Best of Kodály” concert presents excerpts from Háry János alongside the Hungarian Christmas program, featuring the Opera Orchestra and Children’s Chorus, conducted by Gábor Hontvári and Nikolett Hajzer.

Performance Date: Dec. 18, 2026

Bach’s “Magnificat” and Händel’s “Messiah” are presented in a baroque double bill in Latin and English, with the Opera Orchestra and Chorus. Vocal soloists include Rita Rácz, Andrea JörösBrassói, Atala Schöck, Tibor Szappanos, and Miklós Sebestyén. Benjamin Bayl conducts.

Performance Dates: Dec. 20 & 23, 2026

The “New Year at the Opera House” concert features a program of Beethoven–Mahler and Haydn, welcoming 2027 with the Opera Orchestra. Vocal soloists include LIlla Horti, Atala Schöck, István KOváchsházi, and Krisztián Cser.

Performance Dates: Jan. 1 & 3, 2027

The “Best of Händel” orchestral concert pairs Händel’s “Water Music,” “Music for the Royal Fireworks,” and excerpts from “Rodelinda,” “Serse,” and “Giulio Cesare” with Purcell’s “Dido and Aeneas.”

Performance Dates: Jan. 12–15, 2027

The “Golden Age: Wagner & R. Strauss” orchestral concert features the overture and Dutchman’s monologue from “Der fliegende Holländer” alongside the symphonic fantasy from “Die Frau ohne Schatten.”

Performance Date: Feb. 14, 2027

The “Rákosi 60/75 Retrospective Gala,” conducted by Gábor Csiki, revisits the era of Hungary’s Stalinist dictator through music performed in 1952 to mark Rákosi Mátyás’s 60th birthday — a pointed historical reckoning.

Performance Dates: March 7, 14, 2027

The “Best of Puccini” evening pairs an aria concert with the comic opera “Gianni Schicchi 2.0,” conducted by Levente Török with the Opera Orchestra and Chorus.

Performance Dates: April 9 – Aug. 19, 2027

The Csillagóra (Night of Stars) 2027 season-closing gala features Kodály’s Symphony, “Hymn to King Saint Stephen,” “Dances of Galánta,” and the “Budavári Te Deum,” conducted by Sámuel Csaba Tóth and hosted by General Director Szilveszter Ókovács.

Performance Date: June 16, 2027

BMW Vocal Concerts

The “BMW Vocal Concerts” series presents Hungarian singers in piano-accompanied aria and song programs spotlighting the composers who dominate the season’s main stage. The series opens with “Háry100: Hungarian Singers Present Folk Songs,” a morning concert of Kodály folk songs marking the Háry János centenary.

Performance Date: Oct. 18, 2026

“Háry100: Hungarian Singers Present Kodály” continues the centenary celebration with an afternoon of Kodály songs and arias, with piano accompaniment.

Performance Date: Oct. 23, 2026

“Hungarian Singers Present The Ring” offers an afternoon of popular excerpts from Wagner’s “Ring cycle” performed by the house’s Hungarian soloists with piano.

Performance Date: Jan. 24, 2027

“Hungarian Singers Present R. Strauss” presents an afternoon of Richard Strauss songs and arias performed by Hungarian singers with piano accompaniment.

Performance Date: Feb. 21, 2027

“Ybl 213 — My Homeland, My Homeland, You Mean Everything to Me” is a Hungarian aria recital honoring Miklós Ybl, architect of the Opera House, on the occasion of the 213th anniversary of his birth.

Performance Date: March 15, 2027

“Hungarian Singers Present Verdi” offers a matinée of Verdi arias performed by the house ensemble with piano accompaniment.

Performance Date: May 8, 2027

“Hungarian Singers Present Puccini” closes the BMW Vocal Concerts series with an afternoon of Puccini arias and songs. Singers throughout the series include Andrea Brassói-Jőrös, Erika Gál, Viktória Mester, István Kovácsházi, Csaba Sándor, and István Rácz, accompanied by répétiteurs of the OPERA.

Performance Date: June 19, 2027

Children’s Productions

Mozart’s “Bastien and Bastienne” and Menotti’s “The Telephone” are presented as a paired double bill for children, conducted by Nátán Sugár and directed by Valkai Andrea, in Hungarian.

Performance Dates: Nov. 7 – 28, 2026

“The Magic Flute for Children” (Parázsfuvolácska) is a fairy-tale Singspiel in two parts with a libretto by János Lackfi, conducted by Simon Erdei and directed by Attila Toronykőy.

Performance Dates: Nov. 28 – Dec. 27, 2026

“Magyar Karácsony (Hungarian Christmas),” based on the work of Jenő Ádám and incorporating Miklós Kocsár’s Christmas carol collection, is conducted by Nikolett Hajzer and directed by Attila Toronykőy.

Performance Dates: Dec. 4 – 19, 2026

Tallér Zsófia’s Leander and Linseed is a fairy-tale opera in two parts with a libretto by Barnabás Szöllősi, conducted by Péter Dobszay and directed by Sándor Zsótér.

Performance Dates: Jan. 17 – Feb. 13, 2027

Tóth Péter’s “Beauty and the Beast” is a fairy-tale opera in one act with a libretto by Anna Mechler, conducted by Nikolett Hajzer and directed by Attila Toronykőy.

Performance Dates: Feb. 27 – March 7, 2027

Ránki György’s “King Pomade’s New Clothes” is a children’s opera in one part with a libretto by Amy Károlyi, conducted by Johannes Marsovszky and directed by Attila Toronykőy, with Krisztián Cser in the title role.

Performance Dates: April 4 – May 29, 2027

Szörényi and Bródy’s rock opera “Stephen, the King” (Junior) presents the greatest hits of the beloved Hungarian rock opera in their original arrangements, performed entirely by the Opera Children’s Chorus, conducted and directed by Feke Pál.

Performance Dates: May 8 – 22, 2027

Youth Productions

Henry Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas, directed and choreographed by Dóra Barta and conducted by Dániel Erdélyi and Augustin Szokos, is presented as part of the youth series alongside a Best of Händel program drawing from Water Music, Music for the Royal Fireworks, Rodelinda, Serse, and Giulio Cesare, with Gabriella Balga and Kinga Kriszta alternating as Dido.

Performance Dates: Jan. 12 – 15, 2027

Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi 2.0 is staged for youth audiences, conducted by Dénes István and Dárius Teremi and directed by Attila Toronykőy, with Hanjun Kim and Szemerédy alternating in the title role.

Performance Dates: April 7 – 9, 2027

Opera IC Audiophile Series

The new Opera IC Audiophile Series presents four operas from the standard repertoire with the iron curtain lowered as both an acoustic reflector meeting audiophile standards and a surface for video projections, with soloists stepping through a door in the curtain to sing at the very front of the stage, and the chorus performing from various points throughout the building to create a powerful 3D sound effect.

The series opens with “Tosca,” conducted by Dénes István, Cornelius Meister, and Gergely Kesselyák, with Zsuzsanna Ádám, Csilla Boross, and Eszter Sümegi alternating as Floria Tosca, Adorján Pataki and Boldizsár László alternating as Cavaradossi, and Károly Szemerédy, Mihály Kálmándy, and Alexandru Agache alternating as Scarpia.

Performance Dates: Oct. 15, 2026 – Jan. 24, 2027

“Bluebeard’s Castle” is presented in the Opera IC format, conducted by Zsolt Hamar and Levente Török. The cast features Andrea Szántó and Anna Kissjudit alternating as Judith, opposite András Palerdi, Christopher Maltman, and Krisztián Cser alternating as Bluebeard.

Performance Dates: Jan. 22 – June 8, 2027

“Don Giovanni” is presented in the Opera IC format, conducted by Gábor Hontvári, with Gyula Orendt as Don Giovanni, Gabriella Balga as Donna Anna, Elizaveta Kulagina as Donna Elvira, and Miklós Sebestyén as Leporello.

Performance Dates: Feb. 17 – 26, 2027

“Rigoletto” closes the Opera IC Audiophile Series, conducted by Leonardo Sini, with Alexandru Agache and Mihály Kálmándy alternating in the title role, Lawrence Brownlee, Andrei Danilov, and Gergely Boncsér alternating as the Duke, and Erika Miklósa, Zita Szemere, and Ráhel Rácz alternating as Gilda.

Performance Dates: March 20 – April 7, 2027