Opera tower franz9/7/2023 ![]() ![]() Conserving and restoring that beauty have been the main goals of this latest renovation. It's said that when Franz-Josef I toured the house, the ruler of the Austro-Hungarian Empire acknowledged that – though smaller than its Viennese counterpart, as he had demanded – this opera house was even more beautiful. Even the scores of paintings scattered throughout the building, that had been worked on during the last general makeover between 1980-1984, had undergone cleaning and a careful touch-up by a restorer’s brush. Each detail of the gilded vaulted ceiling with busts of famed Hungarian composers, its murals and secco of the nine Muses and other musical themes, shone with the vivid evidence of painstaking restoration. ![]() Some floors, corners and statues in the hall were still covered or wrapped to protect against damage, but careful removal of stains and etching had already restored the sheen of its grey and pink marble walls. Amid all this, the ballet corps was already on stage, rehearsing for its 14th March premiere of Mayerling, reflecting the little time remaining until the reopening. The majestic entry hall was cluttered with workers’ trestle tables and the sound of drills and hammers resounded throughout the building during my late February visit. “But whether you’re familiar with the building or new to it, you’ll see its beauties shine in a new light,” he told me. ![]() Elsewhere, the focus was on restoration, not replacement. ![]() General Director Szilveszter Ókovács says most of what is completely new is hidden below or above the stage, or behind walls separating public spaces from the workshops and maintenance spaces. ![]()
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