We saw a very traditional direction of the actors and heard a cultivated, special Wagnerian sound. The young music director strongly focussed on the melancholic parts (such as during the performance of the “love or power” theme). Notwithstanding this, together with the orchestra of the Opera House, he frequently also relieved the tension with vigorous, decidedly rhythmic sections.
The young music director of the Hungarian State Opera House, Péter Halász, makes the orchestra emphasise the story-telling character of the work; with marvellously clean lines and a love for the details, his conducting contributed very significantly to the success of the evening.
Read moreThe young music director does not merely conjure up moments of great intensity in this place. Halász conducts Das Rheingold as if it were a huge watercolour. We hear finely-woven carpets of strings, motifs in precise close-up, and wonderfully sparkling tuttis.
Read moreIf the Ring is a great opportunity for directors of any era, for music directors it is a mandatory test by which they must prove themselves. Well, here, too, Péter Halász has proved his ability to inspire the orchestra of the Opera House to thorough and profound work – thus did the musicians become vigorous and self-assured participants in the premiere.
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