Opera that uplifts the soul and entertains.
The possibility of going to the opera is a privilege. And exactly Banská Bystrica is one of three cities in Slovakia, which provide this convenience not only to its inhabitants, but also to interested people from all over Slovakia and abroad. Since 1959, the State Opera – an institution, that has built up a professional reputation and a wide audience base – has been based here.
The State Opera is a cultural and artistic institution established by the Ministry of Culture of the Slovak Republic. It has its home in the building Národný dom (National House), designed by renowned architect Emil Beluš in 1929. The building is listed as a National Cultural Heritage Monument. The State Opera creates and performs mainly musical-dramatic but occasionally also concert works. The Opera production is focused on opera performances, but also operettas are regularly performed here. The Opera audience can see dance, ballet and musical works of authors from around the world in Slovak and world première, too.
The State Opera stands out especially for its inventive dramaturgy. Thank to it, e.g. almost all Verdi’s works were performed here. In Slovak premières the Opera regularly performs also less known titles of composers, especially from the period of early Romanticism, verismo and initiates the creation of original musical and dance works. In addition to the work of world’s authors, opera often presents the works of Slovak composers.
The State Opera’s activities also have a strong international dimension. Opera regularly tours to Japan, to festivals in Italy, Switzerland, Cyprus, Romania and neighbouring countries – Austria, Hungary, Poland, Czech Republic. For many years of artistic cooperation with Japan, the State Opera was awarded by the Prize of Japan Ambassador in Slovakia. Foreign guest soloists, conductors and stage directors often performance here.
Space for their realisation is also given to young artists, for whom the stage in State Opera is a possibility to develop their artistic career. Finally, the practice confirmed, that many of them grew up in artistic personalities and achieved international recognition, for example E. Gruberová, Ľ. Orgonášová, S. Kopčák, M. Babjak, T. Kružliakova, M. Kuštekova and others.