From the thunder of the Last Judgement to a quiet prayer for peace, Verdi’s Requiem takes listeners on an emotional journey. The work returns to the stage of the Hungarian State Opera House on 2, 4, and 7 November 2026. Directed by Ádám Tulassay, the production features soloists Zsuzsanna Ádám, Atala Schöck, István Kovácsházi, and Krisztián Cser, with dancer Judit Adler also appearing. The Hungarian State Opera Orchestra and Chorus are conducted by Gergely Kesselyák, who conducts the work at the Opera House for the first time.
How to live with the knowledge that life must end? How do we come to terms with loss and fear, and with our longing for consolation? Through the words of the Catholic liturgy, Verdi’s Requiem gives voice to these deeply personal questions that nevertheless touch us all. First performed in 1874, the work gives expression to anguish, terror and hope with the same dramatic intensity that characterises the composer’s operas.
This emotional richness is brought to life in stage images in Ádám Tulassay’s 2024 production. The performance unfolds in the setting of a dark metropolis, where the monotony of everyday life evokes a failure to truly experience life. Drawing inspiration in part from Fritz Lang’s Metropolis, the visual world presents visions of the apocalypse through the eyes of a figure portrayed by the soprano soloist, tracing her fear, despair and search for reconciliation. The scenes associated with the individual movements are linked by emotions and associations.
This year’s performances mark a new encounter with the production for two of the artists. Having conducted the work on numerous occasions, Gergely Kesselyák is to conduct Verdi’s Requiem at the Opera House for the first time. He has repeatedly said that if he could take just one piece of music with him to the Moon, this would be it. Atala Schöck is also well acquainted with the mezzo-soprano part, having sung it several times in the Opera’s concert performances and at other concerts, whereas it is her debut in Ádám Tulassay’s staging. Her fellow soloists are Zsuzsanna Ádám, who returns to the soprano part, as well as István Kovácsházi and Krisztián Cser, both of whom appeared in the 2024 premiere. Another key figure in the production is the transcendent presence embodied by dancer Judit Adler.
The stage world is shaped by the set designs of Angéla Csúcs, costumes by Krisztina Lisztopád, choreography by Márton Csuzi, animations by Zsombor Czeglédi, and lighting by Tamás Pillinger. The Hungarian State Opera Chorus is prepared by coached chorus director Gábor Csiki.
Since the 1930s, Verdi’s Requiem has been a regular feature of the Opera House’s commemorations of All Souls’ Day. After a lengthy interruption, it returned to this tradition in 1991. This year’s series opens on All Souls’ Day, 2 November, continues on 4 November, Hungary’s National Day of Mourning, and concludes on 7 November.
Photo by Valter Berecz
