On 4 February, 2017 it is the third time the Opera organises the International Iván Nagy Ballet Gala. Besides the artists of the Hungarian National Ballet, guest stars of The Royal Ballet, the English National Ballet and the Wiener Staatsballett appear on stage of the Opera House.
Internationally renowned ballet dancer and several-time ballet director Iván Nagy passed away in 2014. After returning to Hungary, he had committed himself to the service of his homeland and worked with us again as a consultant to the Hungarian State Opera. He imparted a wide range of professional knowledge, enhancing the Hungarian National Ballet’s work and leaving a great empty space in our ensemble’s ranks with his demise. In his memory, we each year organise an international ballet gala night, in which soloists from the greatest ballet companies in the world join the artists of the Opera’s ballet ensemble to pay tribute to Iván Nagy’s knowledge and humanity. On the same day, we will award an artist of the Hungarian National Ballet with the Solymosi Award, which is given to the best dancer from the December run of the The Nutcracker.
Organiser, director: Tamás Solymosi
International guest stars: Liudmila Konovalova, Maria Yakovleva, Denys Cherevychko (Wiener Staatsballett), Vadim Muntagirov (The Royal Ballet)
Featuring the soloists of the Hungarian National Ballet, students of the Hungarian National Ballet Institute, and the Hungarian State Opera Orchestra
Conductor: Imre Kollár
Programme:
Opening speech and announcing the winner of the Solymosi Award
Kornélia Mráz – Johann Strauss: Tritsch-Tratsch-Polka (students of the Hungarian Nationa Ballet Institute)
Marianna Venekei – Charles Gounod: Checkmate (Jessica Carulla Leon, Roland Liebich)
Marius Petipa – Jules Perrot – Jean Coralli – Sir Peter Wright – Adolphe Adam: Giselle – pas de deux (Liudmila Konovalova, Vadim Muntagirov)
Marius Petipa – Aleksander Gorsky – Peter Ludwig Hertel: La Fille Mal Gardée – pas de deux (Karina Sarkissova, Dmitry Timofeev)
Imre Dózsa Imre – Gustav Mahler: Adagietto from Symphony no. 5 (Tatiana Melnik, Gergely Leblanc)
Ludwig Minkus – Marius Petipa: Don Quijote – pas de deux (Kateryna Khaniukova, Cesar Corrales)
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Zoltán Farkas – Zoltán Kodály: Háry János – Intermezzo (Tamás Mahovics Jr., Dénes Darab, Kristóf Morvai, Bálint Katona, Attila Szakács, Balázs Krajczár)
László Seregi – Frigyes Hidas: The Cedar – pas de deux (Lili Felméry, Étoile of the Hungarian National Ballet in the 2015/16 season, Balázs Majoros)
Renato Zanella – Frigyes Hidas: L'accordéoniste (Maria Yakovleva)
Jules Perrot – Cesare Pugni: Esmeralda – pas de deux (Tatiana Melnik, Gergely Leblanc, Étoile of the Hungarian National Ballet in the 2016/17 season)
Ben Van Cauwenbergh – Jacques Brel: Les Bourgeois (Denys Cherevychko)
Karina Sarkissova – Astor Piazzolla: Libertango (Karina Sarkissova, Gergő Balázsi)
Marius Petipa – Manuel Legris – Riccardo Drigo: Le corsaire – pas de deux (Liudmila Konovalova, Vadim Muntagirov)
Photography by Zsófia Pályi. (The photos were taken at last year's gala.)
