A love story worthy of a Hollywood romance and a thought-provoking psychological thriller unfold at the world premieres of the new one-act operas by György Selmeczi and János Vajda. Royal Highness and The Verdict are to be performed for the first time on 11 April 2026 at the Hungarian State Opera’s Eiffel Art Studios, conducted by Kálmán Szennai and directed by Máté Szabó. The premiere performance is part of the Bartók Spring International Arts Weeks.
In the Hungarian State Opera’s current season focusing on German-language authors, works by two significant 20th-century writers are brought to the operatic stage, examining the relationship between the individual and the community with opposite outcomes.
Thomas Mann’s 1909 novel Royal Highness (Königliche Hoheit) was inspired by his meeting with his future wife, Katia Mann. In the story, Klaus Heinrich, the melancholic younger brother of the Grand Duke of Grimmburg, encounters Imma, the daughter of an American billionaire who arrives in the country. Their initially tense but soon blossoming relationship also foreshadows the renewal of the declining grand duchy.
The operatic adaptation of Friedrich Dürrenmatt’s novel A Dangerous Game (Die Panne), published in 1956, bears the title The Verdict. According to the story, Traps, a travelling salesman, breaks down with his car and finds refuge at the home of a retired judge. During dinner, the host and his friends – all experienced in the administration of justice – stage a playful trial. However, the situation gradually turns increasingly serious for Traps, who plays the role of the accused.
In director Máté Szabó’s concept, Royal Highness becomes a rich diorama of the changing of the guard in European culture at the turn of the twentieth century, while The Verdict is a moral tale that calls for the intimacy of a chamber stage. The visual world is created by internationally renowned set designer Csaba Antal and costume designer Anni Füzér, a regular collaborator of the director, with whom Szabó also worked on last year’s highly successful Opera House premiere of Maria Stuarda.
Conducting the Hungarian State Opera Orchestra in the two one-act operas is Kálmán Szennai, whose contemporary repertoire includes the 2023 world premiere of Péter Eötvös’s opera Valuska. The principal roles in Royal Highness are performed by János Szemenyei, Ildikó Megyimórecz, and István Kovács, with the participation of the Hungarian State Opera Chorus. The cast of The Verdict includes István Horváth, Antal Cseh, Szilveszter Szélpál, Péter Balczó, and István Rácz.
The premieres of György Selmeczi’s Royal Highness and János Vajda’s The Verdict atake place on 11 April 2026 at the Eiffel Art Studios, in cooperation between the Hungarian State Opera and the Bartók Spring International Arts Weeks. The double bill is also performed on 18 and 19 April 2026.
Photo by Attila Nagy
