(Photo: Katalin Böhm)
The youngest soloists of the Hungarian State Opera will be dancing in the
three leading parts of the ballet Sylvia by László Seregi
(music by Delibes) at the January 31, 1997 performance. For some years,
we have had 21-year-old Aleszja Popova dance in the title role with 22-year-old
Tamás as Amintas, both providing authentic interpretation. Now the
débuting artists dancing in the part of Diana, Orion and Amor are:
Krisztina Végh, Roland Csonka and Balázs Delbo.
On February 12 Jenô Lôcsei, soloist of the Hungarian State Opera
will be dancing as Oberon in the ballet The Midsummer Night's Dream by László
Seregi (music by Mendelssohn). He has returned to the Hungarian State Opera
for the 1996/97 season after his committments with the Vienna Staatsoper,
where he started working in 1991, the Berlin Deutsche Oper, where he was
a soloist and the Schleswig-Holstein Landestheater, where he was the ballet
director and dancer-choreographer.
* * *
The award-presentation of the Foundation for Ballet Masters, called Mrs.
Téri, Margit Horváth Foundation took place on December 15,
1996 in the Bertalan Székely room at the Hungarian Opera House. Ms
Evelyn Téri, president of the Board of Trustees, distributed the
awards to Ferenc Havas, ballet artist, József Forgács, ballet
master and Alexandra Kozmér, ballet student
of the 9th grade at the Hungarian Dance Academy.
The Dance-Workshop of the Madách Theatre is preparing for its first-hight
show, called Life Will Call for You. Gyula Sárközi, artistic
director of the theatre has invited choreographers, whose works are going
to be a serious challenge to the dancers; they are expected to perform works
becomingly by Ferenc Molnár from the Dance-Workshop, the American
Robert North and György Szakály, Kossuth-Prize winning artist.
Premiére: on January 14.
Sándor Serfôzô's assignment as the director of the Hungarian
State Folkdance Ensemble terminated on November 30. Since Bálint
Magyar, Minister of Culture and Education has prolonged his commission on
a temporary basis, Mr Serfôzô proposed the retirement of Sándor
Tímár - artistic director and choreographer - at the company
meeting on December 17. At the same time, he invited Ferenc Sebô,
composer and editor with the Folkmusic Department of the Hungarian Radio
to perform the duties of the artistic leader.
* * *
On December 3, there was a large-scale folkdance-evening, called The Honvéd
Ensemble and their Friends. Following the first part of the programme, the
dance drama in one part, called Bells by Foltin-Kiss, the State Folk Ensemble,
the Bihari Dance Ensemble, the Budapest Dance Ensemble, the Duna Art Ensemble
and the Vasas Dance Ensemble presented their programmes at the National
Theatre.
The Honvéd Dance Theatre is preparing a new programme to premiére
at the Opening Gala of the Hungarian Dance Festival on March 14, 1997 under
the auspicies of the Budapest Spring Festival. László Diószegi,
choreographer has drawn from the idea of Ferenc Novák, the choreographer
when creating his piece Moscow Square (to a musical montage). In this work,
the Hungarian culture of Transsylvania is confronted to the way of life
of the city.
Further participants at the Gala will be the Duna Art Ensemble and the Budapest
Dance Ensemble, both performing of their earlier productions.
* * *
Erzsébet Nagy - a former soloist with the Hungarian State Folk Ensemble
- gave a jubilee programme on November 18 on the occasion of her 25 year
as a dancers teacher. She is wife to Sándor Tímár choreographer
and also mother of five children. In the "Corvin Dance Ensemble"
the forever-young "Tímár Böske" is teaching
sixty young dancers with the so-called Tímár-method in their
dance group and two-hundred schoolchildren in the group "Starry-Eyed".
On this evening, when each of their children, (the little "family-ensemble")
was performing, Tamás Katona, Mayor of the 1st disctrict of Budapest
and former folkdancer himself, say some welcoming and appreciative words
prior to the programme.
(Photo: Katalin Böhm)
This year's Hungarian Championship of Ten Dances was organized at the Budapest
Congress Hall on November 23, viewed by an audience of six-hundred. The
separation of the Parragh-Keleti and the Cserven-Lovas pairs from among
the competitors might have resulted in the poorer standard of competition.
However, the jury of seven found an excellent new pair among the competiors
of Pro Art Club who were to become the champions. In our photo: the gold-medal
winners of the Championship of Ten Dances: Simon Szûcs and Melinda
Törökgyörgy.
(Photo: Károly Rollinger)
In the Nutcracker-series (to music by Tchaikovsky) at the Hungarian State
Opera, on December 24-25 Tamás Solymosi, soloist of the Vienna Staatsoper
took the part of the Prince. His partner - Princess Maria - was Katalin
Volf.
Tamás Solymosi-Katalin Volf
(Photo: Dezsô Papp).
A large-scale old year celebration was organized at the Hungarian State
Opera House for the sixth time by the V.I.P. Arts Management on December
31.
As an "overture" to the programme, József Cserta, Krisztina
Keveházi, Zoltán Nagy Jr. and Erika Soós, artists of
the Corps de Ballet of the Opera were performing a symphonic ballet, choreographed
by Gábor Keveházi (to music by Schumann), accompanied by the
students of the Hungarian Dance Academy. The latter also presented Palotás
by Seregi (to music by Poldini). Tibor Makovinyi's choreography to the Recruting
Dance from János Háry, the Kodály-opera was danced
by the male dancers of the Honvéd, the Budapest and the State Folk
Ensamble.
Our Stop-press announcement informs us about the distribution of awards
in the Parlament by Árpád Göncz, President of the Hungarian
Republic. On January 21. 1997, which is the Day of Hungarian Culture, the
Middle Cross Honour of the Hungarian Republic was presented to Imre Dózsa,
Kossuth-Prize winning ballet artist and Dóra Uhrik, Liszt-Prize winning
ballet artist. Tamás Koren, assistant professor of the Hungarian
Dance Academy, Ernô Molnár, leader of the dance group of the
Honvéd Dance Theatre were awarded the Golden Cross of the Order of
Merit of the Hungarian Republic. From among the retired ballet artists of
the Hungarian State Opera, Andrea Lászay received the Silver Cross
of the Order of Merit of the Hungarian Republic and Alinka Pogány
the Bronze Cross of the Order of Merit of the Hungarian Republic.
