La fille mal gardée

A century ago, the world first encountered this remarkable opus, a work that soon became one of the cornerstones of twentieth-century musical innovation. Premiered in 1926, the singspiel is a milestone in Hungarian music history: its composer, Zoltán Kodály, fulfilled his aspiration to elevate Hungarian folk song of ancient origin to the same status as classical music, by virtue of its equivalent values, placing it on the stage of the nation’s Opera House.

A 60-minute tour starts every day at 13:30, 15:00 and 16:30 in English. To request a tour in other languages (Italian, Spanish, German, French and Hungarian), please get in touch with the OperaTour team. Please note that the auditorium is closed for visits during rehearsals. Guided tours are not available during performances.

While the Fountain of Tears bubbles before him, Giray, khan of the Tatars, is lost in brooding. Just as the flow from the marble fount cannot be exhausted, his own sorrow will never diminish, either. The story of the Fountain of Bakhchisarai is set in motion by a romance recounting the reason for the khan's gloom.