“Yo, heave-ho…” Budapest Tournees of Feodor Сhaliapin

Abstract

This article examines Feodor Chaliapin’s guest performances in Budapest. The famous singer visited Hungary altogether eight times over ten years, playing the roles of Mephisto (Faust), Basilio (The Barber of Seville), and Don Quixote in the opera, as well as giving individual concerts. His performances were considered the most outstanding events during the opera and theatre season, taking place before full houses, the boxes being filled with representatives of the Hungarian elite, political actors, businessmen, writers, and actors. The Hungarian press followed Сhaliapin everywhere, correspondents tried to inform readers about each and every moment of his stay in Hungary, and he obliged journalists — that problematic group — with great patience and professionalism by never declining an interview. Prestigious critics and musicologists (including Aladár Tóth, Emil Haraszti, and Dezső Szomory) wrote laudatory commentaries on Сhaliapin’s performances on the pages of Hungarian journals and newspapers. They all praised his talent, creative power, amazing bass, and charm as well as his ability to win the hearts of the audience from the very first moment. Hungarian people regarded Сhaliapin not only as the king of the opera, but also as the embodiment of Russia and Russian culture. Сhaliapin used his tournees to Budapest to get acquainted with the Hungarian capital; he visited the most famous sights of the city (he especially loved walking on the banks of the Danube) and he enjoyed spending his time eating out in restaurants and bars while listening to Hungarian gypsy music. Journal articles enable us to reconstruct this somewhat forgotten episode in Russian-Hungarian cultural relations.