There's a new spirit of dynamism and change in Budpest with the appointment of the young producer Balazs Kovalik as artistic director of the Hungarian State Opera, alongside Adam Fischer as the new music director.

Kovalik himself directs what promises to be a groundbreaking staging of Handel's Xerxes (the composer's operas are, to date, practically unknown in Hungary). Haydn is another surprising rarity in Budapest's opera circles in spite of the composer's Hungarian origins, but Kovalik is determined to remedy this, starting with a new production of (slightly perversely!) the composer's last opera, Orfeo ed Euridice.

With the closure of the Erkel Theatre for refurbishment, Budapest still has two beautiful and historic theatres at its disposal, the newly restored Thalia Theatre and the renowned Opera House, one of the crowning glories of European theatre architecture.You won't see many international stars in Budapest: casting for the operas is mainly from within Hungary itself, but the country has a formidable tradition of musicianship with plenty of budding talent on display. A new generation of young Hungarian singers is set to play a much more prominent role on the world's opera stages – so take the opportunity to be among the first to catch them singing on their home ground.

Ash Khandekar, Editor-in-Chief of Opera Now