Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
State Opera House
Nowhere in Budapest is the ancien regime as alive and well
as at the State Opera House, architect Miklós Ybl's magnum
opus. A Neo-Renaissance masterpiece built in 1884, when
money was simply not an issue, its interior is a study in
opulence and grandeur. A rival to any opera house in
the world, its roll-call of musical directors reads like a who's who of Central
European music - Ferenc Erkel, Gustav Mahler, Otto Klemperer, among others.
Lamp with putti
Top 10 Features
1 Façade
2 MainEntrance
3 StatuesofLisztandErkel
4 Foyer
5 FoyerMurals
6 MainStaircase
7 Chandelier
8 MainStage
9 RoyalBox
0 Museum
Main stage, Opera House
Admire the façade,
the main entrance
and the foyer
throughout the day,
as the ticket ofice is
open daily from 11am
to 5pm. To see the
rest of the building,
you will either need
to attend an opera or
join a guided tour,
available in English,
Hungarian, German,
Spanish, Serbo-Croat,
Dutch and Italian.
!
Façade
Thepassageoftime
hasbeenkindtoAndrássy
út,andtheStateOpera
Houseisnotashemmed
inasmanyofthecity's
othersigniicant
buildings.Whilein
nowayunique,the
façade
(above)
,
madeofcolon-
nades,balconies
andloggias,is
impressive.
@
Main
Concert tickets are
usually cheap, as
subsidies keep prices
low
(see p109).
Opposite the Opera
House, at 8 Dalszínház
utca, is the good-
value Belcanto Italian
restaurant
(see p79)
,
famous for it waiters,
who occasionally
break into song.
£
Statues of Liszt
and Erkel
ThebustsofHungary's
twogreatestcomposers-
Liszt
(left)
andErkel-
standguardoneither
sideoftheentrance.
Bothweresculpted
byAlajosStróbl,who
wasresponsiblefor
muchofthebuild-
ing'sinteriordesign.
• Map M2
• VI, Andrássy út 22
• State Opera House:
331 25 50; Box ofice:
353 01 70
• Guided tours at 3pm
and 4pm daily, Ft2,500
• Dis. access
• www.opera.hu
Entrance
StandundertheState
OperaHouse'ssublime
entrancewithitsmuraled
ceilings,andyouwillimme-
diatelywishyouwerepart
of19th-centuryBudapest
society,steppingoutofa
horse-drawncarriageto
attendapremiere.
$
Foyer
Thefoyerisa
wonderfulriotofmurals,
columns,chandeliersand
gildedvaultedceilings.
Ostentationtorival
Viennawastheorderof
theday,andYbldidnot
disappointhispatrons.
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