Prague and Budapest Operas and Ballet
 

Does anyone have any general bits of advice for someone who has never been to an opera or ballet but would like to enjoy a few.

I have a choice between the opera Cinderella (Rossi, La Cenerentola) and Verdi's Rigoletto in Budapest. Any thoughts for a novice? Rigoletto is playing for more dates but I guess Cinderella would be easier to follow. The ballet Anna Karenina is also showing while I'm in Budapest.

I am also going to try for the ballet Cinderella at Prague State Opera, maybe a parterre seat (about 31 USD) instead of a balcony seat if the ballets have a good reputation in Prague as this level of seating is more affordable than the operas. I don't think the cast would make a difference to me since I am a novice. The operas that are showing in Prague are Carmen and Phantom of the Opera.

I'd go for <i>Rigoletto</i> in Budapest. Try and get a bit acquainted with the story, as I'm not certain that they have English subtitles (it's been awhile). The music is gorgeous. The story is in the "Synopsis" section of this Wikipedia article:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rigoletto

Here's Pavarotti singing one of the more famous arias from Rigoletto. You can tell it's about the womanizer, the Duke of Mantua (sung by Pavarotti), in pursuit of another conquest while the hapless husband watches and fumes:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWwg_VtrTdg

Here's Pavarotti with the famous "La Donna E Mobile (Woman is fickle)":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCFEk6Y8TmM


La Cenerentolla is farcical, but you may miss the humor if there are no English subtitles. This is an opera that you definitely want to be able to follow along languagewise.


<i>Carmen</i> in Prague.


The opera houses in both Budapest and Prague are quite lovely, the dress a bit more formal (no jeans), but the music may often be not quite the standard in Vienna.

BTW, which opera house in Prague?

I was in Budapest with my wife several years ago. I decided to go to the opera.

As a complete novice we sat up in the balcony.

I was amused to see that there were sub-titles (actually super-titles as they were near the top of the curtain). However, they were in Hungarian.

It was fun anyway.

Have never seen ballet Cinderella. Saw Anna Karenina - the Kirov - and even then it was kind of slow. And i LIKE ballet.

Budapest's enormous opera house is certainly a grand introduction to "grand opera" although it is amusing to think a tourist would expect English surtitles in a non-English-speaking country. Read the plot before you go. My choice would be a seat on the main floor, having learned the hard way in old European theatres how your sightlines can be impaired in any of the balconies. It takes lots of pillars and posts to hold up these gorgeous hulks. The raised seats along the periphery of the main floor add the extra problem of the chairs being movable so that the customers beside you in the boxes can squeeze right up to the front rail and lean forward, blocking your view.
The price is right; the atmosphere is unbeatable; the intermissions are long. In some of the heaviest operas, the Budapest orchestra gets a break to consume supper, leaving you lots of time to take in the splendours of the lobbies.
Before you go, an attractive introduction to opera is offered by the high-definition broadcasts of New York's Metropolitan Opera, now seen in movie theatres in many countries. No blocked sightlines there; the cameras put you so close that you can see the diva shedding real tears when she stops the show with her aria.

The Opera House in Prague is the State Opera (not Estates Theater or National Theater). Maybe I'll skip the opera in Prague and look into Rigoletto in Budapest -- better prices for a novice. Will look into parterre - thanks for the extra info. on Budapest, Southam.

Anyone know much about seeing the ballet Cinderella at State Opera in Prague? It is showing the day after I land in Prague from the US, so maybe not the wisest event to plan when I'm getting over jet lag, but if it's worth it I would look into attending.

nytraveler - thanks, I'll skip Anna Karenina.

easytraveler - Thanks for the youtube links and advice about the Cinderella Opera in Budapest -- will definitely pass on that one.

A better classical music night in Prague would be a concert up in Prague Castle.

http://www.prague.net/st-george-basilica

Aside from St George Basilica, there are also concerts held in other venues inside Prague Castle, such as the lovely Spanish Room.

I'm sorry I can't help you too much with links to websites, as my friends in Europe are usually the ones who get the concert tickets in Prague for us.

Try and avoid the ticket agents and go direct to venue website to order tickets.

There's also some kind of central government ticket office. Maybe another Fodorite has more specific information.

I was underwhelmed with the ballet in Prague (Swan Lake) - not the best company IMO. Carmen would be nice to see there, though. In general, the State Opera in Prague offers less quality than the other opera houses. (Finances cut by the government and will be taken over by the National Theatre soon, sadly.)

In Budapest check if there are locals singing or if they have international guests. I saw Turandot there and the tenor was a total failure.

I saw Anna Karenina in Budapest a few years ago and loved it. The opera house is, of course, magnificent.

Definitely Rigoletto. You'll recognize several of the arias. Beware that there is no English surtitles/supertitles at Budapest opera house. I recommend you take out a DVD of Rigoletto from your local library and watch it, so you know the story in advance.

The very first time I saw Rigoletto, I cried in the end.

P.S. Actually, you can watch the recent Rigoletto from Mantua (with Placid Domingo, Ruggero Raimondi, and Vittorio Grigolo) for FREE online on PBS website. It is shot on location:
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/gperf/episod...-program/1156/

nomadder,

You didn't mention your dates, but if AT ALL POSSIBLE, go see Rigoletto in Budapest on Nov 4 or Nov 6. I checked the cast list, and in those first 2 performances, LEO NUCCI is singing the role of father Germont. It's like hitting the jackpot to see Leo Nucci!

When you buy your tickets (via www.jegymester.hu ), splurge a little and avoid any seats in the Balcony. The seats in the Balcony are actually okay for watching the opera (it's a small theatre), but the only way to get up to the Balcony is via a side entrance (for the lower-class peasants when this was built). You CANNOT access the balcony via the main entry portal or grand staircase, so you won't be able to see the interior of the auditorium except from the balcony.

Wow! Leo Nucci! What a treat, if you can make either of those dates!

The ever-enduring Leo Nucci sounds like a wonderful warm person as well:

http://www.musicalcriticism.com/inte...cci-0109.shtml

Here's Leo Nucci with the young Georgian soprano, Nino Machaidze, the Angelina Jolie look-alike, in the really famous duet, "Si, Vendetta":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rF89o...eature=related

Unfortunately, I'll be there from November 10th through Nov. 14th. I watched the youtube link, and even I can tell that he's amazing -- I'm sorry to have to miss his performance. I went to the Opera House website and tried to look into tickets for November 13th and it transfers me to Jegymester and it just says "suspended" -- does that mean sold out?

Ticket ordering works for me.

I'd recommend a seat in a box. That's right below the balconies and you'll have access to the great staircase. Advantage is that you can leave your coat in the box, no need to fight with the crowds in the cloakroom.

I.

Sorry - now the site is working -- was just a problem with the website. For seating info. below is the seating chart with the available seats in green.

http://www.jegymester.hu/eng/Event/10914/Rigoletto#
I was thinking the seat in row 20. Good enough for a novice?

Thanks

I would pick Upper Circle level Boxes Right 6th Number/1/3 for the same price.

If you go to the Budapest Opera House (we saw Tosca - if you familiarize yourself with the plot of almost any opera, you'll be able to follow it.), don't worry about "formal" clothes. We almost didn't try to go because of that. When we went to ask about tickets, we were told that regular clothes were fine (not flipflops or really casual clothes.) My husband and I both wore dark jeans (They looked like "regular pants")and regular tops that we would wear to work with everyday shoes but I saw other tourists with sport shoes. The Hungarians go all out with evening wear but there are concessions for tourists. We sat in the orchestra and enjoyed every minute. During the intermission, you can order champagne or coffee for us mortals.
The hall is overheated so if you wear a sweater, make sure that you are dressed to take it off.

If you can get tickets for Carmen in Prague, do try to fit that in too - it's quite different to Rigoletto, and the theatre is, IMHO, lovelier than the one in Budapest. we saw Madame butterfly there, a few years ago it has to be said, and it was great.

do remember [if you ever knew - we didn't] that the seats in these opera houses are marked right and left - so if you are in the stalls, row J, seat 23, for example, you need to look to see which side it is. there is ever so much fun to be had from watching people having to skip to the other side when other people turn up to sit in "their" seats.

the tip about what to wear is a good one - all of the public buildings in cities like Prague and budapest seem to be very well heated, so what you need is a good thick top coat, and ordinary clothes to wear underneath. then all you do is put you coat in the garderobe [or hang it up at the endurance to your box] and you should be perfectly comfortable.

BTW, when we went, the restaurant attached to the opera in Prague was very good and very modern in cooking style - a welcome antidote to the dumplings and other stodge you may find yourselves eating elsewhere.

another place you may find music to enjoy is at the municipal building in the centre of Prague - there is a concert hall upstairs and a good, if somewhat traditional restaurant in the basement, with fabulous ceramics on the wall.

Another place to check in Budapest is the Lizst Academy - gorgeous music hall which was recently closed for renovation. I assume it should be open by now due to the 200th anniv of Lizst's birthday. There may be some great concerts there. http://www.lfze.hu/

yk - you remind me of our visit to the Lizst museum in Budapest. [not part of the music hall so far as I know].

they have a couple of Liszt's pianos, but even better, they have Beethoven's piano too, given to Liszt when Beethoven died. it is so tiny compared to the other ones there. the museum was very interesting.

Thanks everyone. I bought my Rigoletto ticket with the recommended seat in my price range (thanks Ingo). Am working on Carmen in Prague. I will look into the Liszt academy in Budapest. Stay tuned!

Nomadder,

Now that you know which operas you will be seeing, you might want to watch them at home with English subtitles. When we have made plans to see opera in Europe, we check out DVD's at our superb local library, and watch them at least once before departure.

That has worked well for us, particularly for my DW, who was an opera novice before our marriage.

It would appear from OP's other thread that he's already in Prague:

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...-to-prague.cfm

We look forward to hearing how his opera experiences went in both Prague and Budapest.

Yes, I am in Prague now. I have wifi where I am staying so I will be able to check out Rigoletto on the PBS link I was given and I'll at least do some more research on Carmen and view some YouTube clips. Still need to purchase my Carmen tickets and then I am set for the opera. I will be sure to let you know how things go.

nomadder - have a great trip!

Hello -- just want to thank everyone for all of the generous advice. Ultimately, I saw Carmen at the State Opera House in Prague. This was my first opera and I really enjoyed it. The orchestra was amazing. I had second row box seats but the first row people never showed up so I was able to move up to first row seats with a great view of the stage for half the price. Loved hearing the familiar songs that I never knew were from this opera (first heard them when I was a kid watching the Gilligan's Island episode where they parody Hamlet and on the Bad News Bears movie from the 70's), so that made me laugh and I had the Gilligan's Island version stuck in my head for the rest of my trip.

Next, I saw La Sylphide the ballet in Vienna. I had 3rd row box seats which were pretty much terrible (I read an old post by annhig warning of these terrible seats after the fact). I had to stand most of the time to see anything and it is just distracting to stand and try to stay comfortable while watching the ballet. Can't believe they even charge what they do for these seats. Despite that, I did manage to enjoy the ballet.

In Budapest I saw Rigoletto at the Hungarian State Opera. I had first row box seats. I had reviewed the synopsis of the opera so I could follow the story. I much preferred Carmen for many reasons. As most say, it is one of the best operas for a newbie, I liked the music (and the orchestra was excellent), I lucked out with great seats, the English supertitles were a big factor to pick up on the subtle humor in all of the songs. I think I would have enjoyed Rigoletto more if I had English supertitles, but obviously I understand why none are provided.

All in all, I am happy to have experienced all of these performances. I am not an opera convert but am not opposed to seeing another one sometime on a trip in the future. I do not recommend 3rd row box seats -- too distracting to balance being comfortable and trying to see anything with enjoying the performance. And 2nd row box seats do not seem too great either but are an option for those of you who are like me and just want a taste of the opera to see if you like it; but realize that you won't have a clear view of the stage all of the time because of the people in front of you.

As far as the opera houses, I found Prague and Budapest to be far more beautiful than Vienna's when it comes to the actual performance hall (the seating and stage room) -- Vienna's interior was not as fancy or elegant). Outside of this, the rest of Vienna's opera house was very nice. I also was able to view parts of Die Walkure in Vienna as they showed it on the outdoor screen at the opera house during my stay.

So again, thank you all for your help in the preparation of this past trip. It makes a huge difference! Happy travels!

nomadder, thanks for reporting back!

Wow! It's not often we get such fine feedback! Glad you had a good time in Europe! Very best to you for your next opera!

Thanks for the detailed feedback. Very much appreciated. I like both Carmen and Rigoletto a lot - good choices.

hi nommadder - glad you enjoyed your first experience of opera - and seeing it in such a terrific setting must have helped.

I'm sorry that my advice about the 3rd row view got to you too late - I too am amazed that they get away with charging so much for such dreadful seats. the worst we had were in Madrid - we could only see half the stage and had to rely upon a screen to see the rest, which was very frustrating, especially when the main solo was sung from the side we couldn't see!

how was the rest of your trip?

annhig -- The rest of my trip was great. I limited the number of museums and other major sites to see and just really enjoyed walking around and admiring the architecture. Cesky Krumlov was storybook beautiful, Prague was so colorful and I enjoyed the Jewish quarter history. Salzburg was nice, but not as great as I had hoped. I did get a little bored b/c I did not take advantage of any musical performances and was there for quite awhile -- about 4 days. Also, I went to Salzburg right after Cesky Krumlov, so it is hard to top the beauty of CK. I enjoyed the Mozart museums but was not really interested in going to classical concerts -- just wasn't up to it. I also took a tour in the Lakes and Mountains region (St. Gilgen and Wolfgang)which was nice.

Vienna was fun, beautiful, clean -- but not as colorful as Prague. I found the Austrians in the service industry to be very friendly. Loved the art museum -- spent over 5 hours there and they had a special Winter Art Exhibit that was wonderful. I also took a bus up to Leopoldsberg for a mountain view but it was a cloudy day.

Budapest was great -- in my mind the architecture is like a cross between Prague and Vienna. Walking bridges and colorful like Prague, lots of baroque buildings like Vienna. I enjoyed the House of Terror Museum (only because I spent up to an hour just watching the interviews of former Siberian prisoners and it was really moving).

Thanks for asking. You'll all be hearing from me as I plan my next trip!

nomadder - thanks for the reply.

i'm interested in your comparisons of your various destinations - we too found salzburg less interesting than quite lot of other places, even though we did take in a number of concerts.

I loved vienna - DH not so much. And we have yet to make it to CK - obviously something to prioritise.

If it is the choreography by Boris Eifman, I must disagree about it being uninteresting. I absolutely loved this ballet.

Anna Karenina.

Here is part of my trip report

"Another evening we went to see an unbelievable Ballet, Anna Karenina, coreographed by Boris Eifman at the Volksoper. www.volksoper.at (19 euros) This man is a genius. What a wonderful combination of contemporary and traditional ballet. He had all the dancers moving around more busily than usual, and created a whimsical, yet emotional production. One of the best ballets I have seen in a long time. We had had a delicious lunch ( menu of the day) at the well known traditional Weimar Café, just down the street, after we bought our tickets. www.cafeweimar.at

This was in Vienna, but if it is the same choreographer, it should be very similar.

Lincasanova, which one do you talk about? Excuse me, but I didn't see any reference to that ballet at the Volksoper in Vienna here.

I saw it a few years ago.. but was very impressed with the choreography. I have never seen it in Budapest.. but Eifman is fabulous, IMHO.