Page 118 - Weiss, Jernej, ur./ed. 2025. Glasbena interpretacija: med umetniškim in znanstvenim┊Music Interpretation: Between the Artistic and the Scientific. Koper/Ljubljana: Založba Univerze na Primorskem in Festival Ljubljana. Studia musicologica Labacensia, 8

glasbena interpretacija ... | music interpretation ...
25
teacher, and in 1907 he became the conductor of the orchestra of the So-
ciété Musicale de Constantinople. 26
One of Radegla’s earliest media-covered public appearances in Istan-
bul can be found in 1898, when we read:

Yesterday still an unknown, Mr. Radeglia is now coming to the fore-
front. We knew that he was a good piano teacher, but we did not suspect
that there was in him the germ of an excellent composer; last night’s
concert abundantly proved it. 27
Radeglia finally received more media attention only a few years later,
when in January and February 1918 he toured in Vienna together with the
sultan’s court orchestra, apparently as part of the “cultural exchange” of po-
litical allies on the eve of the end of the Great War: “The difficult war period
brought the allies of the central powers closer together not only economically
but also in the artistic field.” This was preceded by a visit of the Vienna Na-
28
tional Opera (Volksoper) to Constantinople in October 1917, which was also
reported by the Viennese newspapers. The Ottoman court orchestra per-
29
formed several concerts in Vienna with a selection of European music, and
30
“an oriental rhapsody by Radeglia aroused much interest.” On that occasion,
25 Maria Vaiou refers to him as “master at Darülbedayi,” in: Maria Vaiou, “‘On Celăl
Esad Arseven’: a translation and commentary of Ekrem Işin's Introduction ('Celăl Esad
Arseven üzerine') in Celăl Esad Arseven, Eski Istanbul: Abidat ve Mebanisi (Ancient
Istanbul: monuments and buildings) (Istanbul, 1989), 7–16 [Book Review],” Journal of
Medieval and Islamic History (Monographs). Supplement 10, no. 1 (2016): 41.
26 Harentz, “Lettre de Constantinople,” Le courrier musical 10, no. 15–16 (15 August
1907): 473.
27 “Hier encore un inconnu, M. Radeglia passe aujourd’hui au premier plan. On le
savait bon professeur de piano, mais on ne soupçonnait pas qu’il y eût en lui le germe
d’un compositeur excellent; le concert d’hier soir l’a avondamment prouvé.” Harentz,
“Constantinople,” Le Guide musical 44, no. 6 (6 February 1898): 132. Radeglia’s mu-
sic (overture from the opera Gemma del Karfunkel, La fantaisie concertante pour vi-
oloncelle, Suite d’orchestre, Rhapsodie orientale, romances from the operas Gemma
del Karfunkel and Colomba, as well as the suite Airs de ballets were performed) has
been described as a combination of Italian melody and French harmony with some
Wagnerian dissonance.
28 “Die schwere Kriegszeit hat die mit den Zentralmächten Verbündeten nicht nur
wirtschaftlich, sondern auch auf künstlerische Gebiete einander nahe gebracht.” Sch-
—r, “Theater, Kunst und Literatur. Volksoper,” Deutsches Volksblatt 30, no. 10464
(21 February 1918): 8.
29 Anon., “Vom Theater. Volksoper,” Das interessante Blatt 37, no. 9 (28 February 1918): 13.
30 “... eine orientalische Rhapsodie von Radeglia erweckte starkes Interesse.” Anon.,
“Festkonzert der ottomanischen Palastkapelle,” Die Zeit 17, no. 5504 (22 January
1918): 6.

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