Erkel Theatre
Encyclopedia
The Erkel Theatre was a theatre in Budapest
, Hungary
. Being the largest public building in the city for decades (and the largest theatre in the city), it was made part of the Hungarian State Opera House
in 1951. The building was closed in 7 June 2007, and is slated for demolition, but no concrete decision had been made of its replacement.
Designed by Dezső Jakab, Marcell Komor and Géza Márkus, the theatre was completed in 9 months. Equipped with modern machinery, including an organ, it had a 14 wide and 8.5 meter tall stage. The auditorium was similarly big, with a size of 40x10 meters. Intended for the working masses, the theatre was simplistic in style, except for a large mural made by Bertalan Pór
. The premiere was held on 7 December 1911.
While it was home to a number of critically acclaimed and successful shows, including a season featuring the complete works of Richard Wagner
, after a few years, the idea of an Opera house for the working class proved to be impossible to realize. After the start of World War I
, The People's Opera was shut down in 1915. In 1917 Gábor Faludi modernized the building, reduced the number of seats to 2400, and changed the name to Városi Színház (City Theatre). For the next three decade, the theatre became home to a number of tenants and theatre companies, and with them, to a number of various genres and styles.
Between 1940 and 1945 the theatre was managed directly by the city council as an art center, showing guest plays by the Opera House and the National Theatre
, along with various literary events and concerts. From 1946, the building operated as a movie for two years.
From 1948 it got back its original function, and in 1951 the building was brought under the supervision of the state Opera House, and operated as its secondary stage until its 2007 closure. The theatre was renamed to Erkel Theatre in 1953 after the composer Ferenc Erkel. Significant renovations took place in 1961.
Considered to be unable to serve the demands of the XXI. century in its current form, after a last concert in 7 June 2007, the theatre was closed. According to interviews by officials of the government and the Opera House, the new building is planned to be built by private investors.
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
, Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
. Being the largest public building in the city for decades (and the largest theatre in the city), it was made part of the Hungarian State Opera House
Hungarian State Opera House
The Hungarian State Opera House is a neo-Renaissance opera house located in central Budapest, on Andrássy út. It is home to the Budapest Opera Ball, a society event dating back to 1886.-History:...
in 1951. The building was closed in 7 June 2007, and is slated for demolition, but no concrete decision had been made of its replacement.
History
With the idea of bringing opera to the masses for cheap, originally named Népopera (The People's Opera), the theatre was planned and built by the Népopera JSC (funded largely by the Budapest city council). The council provided the plot for free, but in return it regulated the theatre's operation: among others, it had to employ a permanent Hungarian company, and the language of the plays had to be Hungarian.Designed by Dezső Jakab, Marcell Komor and Géza Márkus, the theatre was completed in 9 months. Equipped with modern machinery, including an organ, it had a 14 wide and 8.5 meter tall stage. The auditorium was similarly big, with a size of 40x10 meters. Intended for the working masses, the theatre was simplistic in style, except for a large mural made by Bertalan Pór
Bertalan Pór
Bertalan Pór was a twentieth-century Hungarian painter, associated with the development of Hungarian art. He was a member of The Eight, a movement among Hungarian artists in the early twentieth century. Others included Lajos Tihanyi,...
. The premiere was held on 7 December 1911.
While it was home to a number of critically acclaimed and successful shows, including a season featuring the complete works of Richard Wagner
Richard Wagner
Wilhelm Richard Wagner was a German composer, conductor, theatre director, philosopher, music theorist, poet, essayist and writer primarily known for his operas...
, after a few years, the idea of an Opera house for the working class proved to be impossible to realize. After the start of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, The People's Opera was shut down in 1915. In 1917 Gábor Faludi modernized the building, reduced the number of seats to 2400, and changed the name to Városi Színház (City Theatre). For the next three decade, the theatre became home to a number of tenants and theatre companies, and with them, to a number of various genres and styles.
Between 1940 and 1945 the theatre was managed directly by the city council as an art center, showing guest plays by the Opera House and the National Theatre
National Theatre (Budapest)
The National Theatre is the main theatre of Budapest, and the largest such institution in Hungary, opening originally in 1837. Its company used several locations since then, including the original building at the Kerepesi street, and the People's Theatre at the Blaha Lujza Square...
, along with various literary events and concerts. From 1946, the building operated as a movie for two years.
From 1948 it got back its original function, and in 1951 the building was brought under the supervision of the state Opera House, and operated as its secondary stage until its 2007 closure. The theatre was renamed to Erkel Theatre in 1953 after the composer Ferenc Erkel. Significant renovations took place in 1961.
Considered to be unable to serve the demands of the XXI. century in its current form, after a last concert in 7 June 2007, the theatre was closed. According to interviews by officials of the government and the Opera House, the new building is planned to be built by private investors.
External links
- Opera.hu - The website of the Hungarian State Opera HouseHungarian State Opera HouseThe Hungarian State Opera House is a neo-Renaissance opera house located in central Budapest, on Andrássy út. It is home to the Budapest Opera Ball, a society event dating back to 1886.-History:...
, the owner of the building
Sources
- http://mek.niif.hu/02100/02139/html/sz06/153.html - The Erkel Theatre in the Hungarian Theatrical Lexicon (György, Székely. Magyar Színházművészeti Lexikon. Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 1994. ISBN 9789630566353), freely available on mek.oszk.hu (in Hungarian)
- http://elemek.niif.hu/02000/02065/html/2kotet/118.html The People's Theatre (Study) (in Hungarian)