The Hungarian State Opera’s 2025/26 season launches with an impressive diversity and grand artistic ambition: 385 performances await audiences, including 7 new premieres, 36 different repertoire productions, 14 children’s and youth performances, and more than two dozen concerts and song recitals. Subscription are available until 30 June, and individual ticket sales start on 20 May 2025.
Premieres: classics and contemporary masters – in modern form
Among the season’s highlighted premieres is Wagner’s Lohengrin (premiere: 15 November 2025), returning to the Hungarian State Opera’s stage after 20 years in a new in-house production staged by artistic director András Almási-Tóth and conducted by principal conductor Martin Rajna. Beethoven’s Fidelio will be presented as a full stage production again after 15 years (premiere: 16 April 2026), in Tobias Kratzer’s 2020 London staging under the baton of principal guest conductor Péter Halász. Mozart’s comic opera Così fan tutte will be staged by Kriszta Székely at the Eiffel Art Studios, with Levente Török conducting (premiere: 15 May 2026).
The season also features world premieres of one-act operas by two Kossuth Prize-winning Hungarian composers. The Verdict by János Vajda, based on Friedrich Dürrenmatt’s novella The Accident, and Royal Highness by György Selmeczi, inspired by Thomas Mann’s early novel, will be staged by Máté Szabó and conducted by János Kovács in a double bill (premiere: 11 April 2026) as part of the Bartók Spring programme.
For young audiences, two additional world premieres are on offer: Little Coppélia, a fairy-tale ballet performed by the Hungarian National Ballet Institute and staged by the by artistic director of the institute, Radina Dace, and Beauty and the Beast, a new fairy-tale opera by Péter Tóth, staged by Attila Toronykőy and conducted by Nikolett Hajzer, head of the Children's Chorus.
International Stars and Hungarian icons at the Hungarian State Opera
A major highlight of the season is Anna Netrebko’s first performance in a staged production at the Hungarian State Opera as Lady Macbeth. Lohengrin will feature Christopher Sokolowski in the title role, Johanni van Oostrum as Elsa, Egils Siliņš as Telramund, and Judit Kutasi as Ortrud. Giorgi Sturua debuts as Calàf in Turandot, Andrei Danilov returns as Rodolfo (La bohème) and the Duke of Mantua (Rigoletto), and Vassilis Kavayas appears once more as Lindoro (L'italiana in Algeri). Acclaimed Wagner conductor Constantin Trinks will make his debut at the Opera House with Parsifal.
The fourth season of the series Stars' Recitals with Piano will feature world-class singers: Joseph Calleja, Ludovic Tézier, Freddie De Tommaso, Asmik Grigorian, Nadine Sierra, Aigul Akhmetsina, Long Long, and Michael Volle, alongside a gala performance by young talents of Italy’s Georg Solti Academy.
Hungarian opera icons will take the stage in the Prima Donnas +2 Heroes series dedicated to active Kossuth Prize laureates, featuring Gábor Bretz, Mihály Kálmándy, Klára Kolonits, Ildikó Komlósi, Gyöngyi Lukács, Erika Miklósa, Eszter Sümegi, and Ilona Tokody. These artists will be joined by Dénes Gulyás and Kolos Kováts as well as the newly awarded Kossuth Prize winner Péter Fried, in the Return Victorius! gala.
Rich repertoire, iconic works
The works of Beethoven, Mozart, and Wagner have a prominent place in the season, with dedicated symphonic concerts and themed song recitals. Eight of Mozart’s operas will be performed, along with popular works by Verdi, Puccini, Rossini, and Donizetti. Ferenc Erkel is represented by Bánk bán, and Valuska, Péter Eötvös’s final opera, which won Best World Premiere at the 2024 International Opera Awards, will return to the stage.
For the first time in one season, the Hungarian National Ballet will perform all three Tchaikovsky ballets: The Sleeping Beauty, The Nutcracker, and Swan Lake. Full-length Hungarian works include László Seregi’s Romeo and Juliet and Marianna Venekei’s A Streetcar Named Desire, alongside works by acclaimed international choreographers such as Kylián, Inger, Ekman, van Manen, and León & Lightfoot.
Among the grand orchestral works are Mahler’s Symphony No. 8 and Schönberg’s Gurre-Lieder.
Saint Stephen 2025 – musical commemoration of the jubilee of Hungarian statehood
To mark the 1025th anniversary of Hungarian statehood, the OPERA will pay tribute to King Saint Stephen with a series of musical events. The symphonic version of Stephen, the King will launch on New Year’s Eve, followed by Beethoven’s König Stephan overture at the New Year’s Day concert. The commemorative series will conclude on 15 February 2025, with a concert performance of Ferenc Erkel’s King Stephen, originally composed for the Opera House’s opening. This performance will be recorded and published digitally as part of the OPERA’s commitment to Hungarian national opera.
For future Audiences – children and students
The Hungarian State Opera is committed to cultivating the next generation of opera and ballet lovers. Through nearly half a dozen independent productions by the OPERA Children’s Chorus and the Hungarian National Ballet Institute, young audiences can experience age-appropriate performances such as The Little Sweep, Hungarian Christmas, Stephen, the King (Junior), Little Swan Lake, and Little Sleeping Beauty. For teenagers, the Petőfi Cultural Programme offers one-act comic operas by Donizetti, Mozart, and Puccini, along with engaging choreographies by András Lukács and Jiří Kylián.
Development and new venues
In response to global economic uncertainty and operational demands, the Hungarian State Opera is expanding its revenue streams. A new concert venue, HangÁR, with a capacity of 1,000, will open next season at the Eiffel Art Studios, hosting pop, crossover, and jazz performances. Opera Bistro has been launched at the Ybl Palace, offering specialty coffees, cocktails, sandwiches, and bistro platters. A permanent exhibition space for the OPERA Archives is planned for early 2026 at the former Belcanto Restaurant, located at the corner of Dalszínház and Révay Streets.
International presence and tours
In September 2025, the OPERA will return for a major tour at the Dubai Opera with performances of La bohème, Swan Lake, and a Beethoven concert. Additional tours to Italy and Japan are in preparation, and three superstar tenors will record albums in the Eiffel Art Studios' Fricsay Studio with the OPERA Orchestra.
Tickets and subscriptions
Subscriptions (providing 35% off regular ticket prices) for the 2025/26 season are available until 30 June, individual tickets are available from 20 May 2025. For full details on the season’s productions, cast lists, discounts, and ticketing, visit www.opera.hu, or consult the digital season calendar and the season preview.
