Page 378 - Weiss, Jernej, ur./ed. 2021. Opereta med obema svetovnima vojnama ▪︎ Operetta between the Two World Wars. Koper/Ljubljana: Založba Univerze na Primorskem in Festival Ljubljana. Studia musicologica Labacensia, 5
P. 378
opereta med obema svetovnima vojnama
Repertoar slovenskih gledališč (‘The Repertory of the Slovene Theatre’) for
these years10. For example, Benjamin Ipavec’s Tičnik is called ‘kratkočas
na spevoigra’ (entertaining melodrama) for an 1869 production, but merely
‘opereta’ for 1872 and 1888.11 For our purposes, however, it is helpful to give
some idea of the scale of the activity in the Ljubljana Opera House in the
period before the First World War. For the years 1868–1913, there are some
70 productions that could plausibly be included under the umbrella term
‘operetta’ (operetta, comic operetta, melodrama, pantomime, spevoigre)
and with further performances the grand total of operetta performances
in Ljubljana is approximately 350.12 The trend of operatic types is very inter-
esting: in the early years from 1868 to 1895 operetta is featured considerably
more frequently than more serious operas. After a period of steady decline
in numbers, however, by 1896 the reduced frequency of operettas coincid-
ed with a corresponding increase in grand and romantic operas by com-
posers such as Weber, Gounod, Meyerbeer, Bellini, Smetana, Wagner, Ver-
di and Leoncavallo. The operettas that were performed were represented by
composers from Central Europe, like Johann Strauss II and Franz Suppé, as
well as Offenbach and others, including some by the Slovene Viktor Parma
and by the Croats Ivan Zajc and Srečko Albini. Interestingly, however, just
before the First World War there was a considerable increase in the number
of operetta performances.13 Productions of operettas by Emmerich Kálmán
(Kálmán Imre) and Franz Lehár had numerous outings as did the classics
by Offenbach and Strauss. The exuberant atmosphere at the time as reflect-
ed in social histories must have been present in the musical expectations of
the general public and a certain denial of the coming storm which every-
body was expecting. Then, in 1913 with the nine performances of the ‘bur-
lesque-operetta’ Orpheus v podzemlju (Orpheus in the Underworld) by Of-
fenbach and productions of Puccini’s Madama Butterfly, Rossini’s Seviljski
brivec (The Barber of Seville) and Puccini’s Tosca, there were no more pro-
fessional operatic performances in Ljubljana until 1918.14
10 Dušan Moravec, ed., Repertoar slovenskih gledališč 1867–1967 (Ljubljana: Slovenski
gledališki muzej, 1967).
11 Ibid., 174, 175, 179.
12 Ibid., 173–204.
13 Ibid., 196–204.
14 Ibid., 203–4.
376
Repertoar slovenskih gledališč (‘The Repertory of the Slovene Theatre’) for
these years10. For example, Benjamin Ipavec’s Tičnik is called ‘kratkočas
na spevoigra’ (entertaining melodrama) for an 1869 production, but merely
‘opereta’ for 1872 and 1888.11 For our purposes, however, it is helpful to give
some idea of the scale of the activity in the Ljubljana Opera House in the
period before the First World War. For the years 1868–1913, there are some
70 productions that could plausibly be included under the umbrella term
‘operetta’ (operetta, comic operetta, melodrama, pantomime, spevoigre)
and with further performances the grand total of operetta performances
in Ljubljana is approximately 350.12 The trend of operatic types is very inter-
esting: in the early years from 1868 to 1895 operetta is featured considerably
more frequently than more serious operas. After a period of steady decline
in numbers, however, by 1896 the reduced frequency of operettas coincid-
ed with a corresponding increase in grand and romantic operas by com-
posers such as Weber, Gounod, Meyerbeer, Bellini, Smetana, Wagner, Ver-
di and Leoncavallo. The operettas that were performed were represented by
composers from Central Europe, like Johann Strauss II and Franz Suppé, as
well as Offenbach and others, including some by the Slovene Viktor Parma
and by the Croats Ivan Zajc and Srečko Albini. Interestingly, however, just
before the First World War there was a considerable increase in the number
of operetta performances.13 Productions of operettas by Emmerich Kálmán
(Kálmán Imre) and Franz Lehár had numerous outings as did the classics
by Offenbach and Strauss. The exuberant atmosphere at the time as reflect-
ed in social histories must have been present in the musical expectations of
the general public and a certain denial of the coming storm which every-
body was expecting. Then, in 1913 with the nine performances of the ‘bur-
lesque-operetta’ Orpheus v podzemlju (Orpheus in the Underworld) by Of-
fenbach and productions of Puccini’s Madama Butterfly, Rossini’s Seviljski
brivec (The Barber of Seville) and Puccini’s Tosca, there were no more pro-
fessional operatic performances in Ljubljana until 1918.14
10 Dušan Moravec, ed., Repertoar slovenskih gledališč 1867–1967 (Ljubljana: Slovenski
gledališki muzej, 1967).
11 Ibid., 174, 175, 179.
12 Ibid., 173–204.
13 Ibid., 196–204.
14 Ibid., 203–4.
376
