The Nutcracker. Hungarian State Opera House Dec 1st 2024

https://youtu.be/jZn2MuHDrVw

This really only needs a few very brief comments – essentially to say that it remains  as magical and entrancing as ever – and, certainly for me at the end of the first Act with the superb Corps de Ballet as the snowflakes, inexplicably emotionally powerful

The sets are the epitome of stylish traditional glamour and everything one could want in that field. The one disappointing aspect (and a not insignificant one) was that the orchestra seemed very underpowered. This I am sure as it was a puzzlingly small ensemble, particularly for the strings; I counted as a maximum, only 3 desks of first violins, and presumably a concomitant number of other strings) which meant that a number of vital passages with swooping, rushing strings sounded very feeble. This was not for technical reasons but just due to the number of instrumentalists playing.

Elektra. Hungarian State Opera House April 29th, 2023