State Opera Celebrates Overwhelming Acclaim in Dubai

Dubai Opera

Almost 4,000 visitors purchased tickets for the three performances of La Bohème, 1,600 for the Beethoven concert, and a total of 10,000 for six ballet performances of Swan Lake, which took place between September 18 and 28, as part of the Hungarian State Opera’s season opening at the Dubai Opera.

Puccini’s La Bohème was performed by a double cast featuring István Horváth, chamber singer of the season, Adorján Pataki, and Orsolya Sáfár, the Hungarian State Opera told MTI. István Dénes conducted the opera house ensembles in the performances of La Bohème, as well as in the Beethoven concert that followed.

After that, the Hungarian State Opera ballet company, the Hungarian National Ballet, once again enjoyed success with its performance of Swan Lake. The main roles were played by Tatyana Melnyik, Maria Jakovleva, and Maria Beck.

In addition to the Hungarian National Ballet, students from the Hungarian National Ballet Institute, which functions as the ballet school of the OPERA, also participated in the performance. The Hungarian State Opera Orchestra was conducted by Thomas Herzog, the Hungarian-born artistic director of Theater Basel.

A total of 283 artists and staff members took part in the ten performances that were funded by the host.

The sets, props, costumes, and instruments used in the productions will be shipped back to Hungary in five containers over the coming weeks.

Dubai Opera. Photo: Hungary Today

Of the performances featured in this year’s Dubai series, La Bohème will be shown on December 13 and 27, while Swan Lake will be shown between April 25 and May 19, 2026, at the Hungarian State Opera. The Hungarian National Ballet will next perform Johan Inger’s Walking Mad, Alexander Ekman’s Cacti and Hans van Manen’s 5 Tangos in an evening entitled Bittersweet Comedies, followed by the return of Tamás Solymosi’s dance production of László Seregi’s Romeo and Juliet to the repertoire from October 25.

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