Page 128 - Weiss, Jernej, ur. 2019. Vloga nacionalnih opernih gledališč v 20. in 21. stoletju - The Role of National Opera Houses in the 20th and 21st Centuries. Koper/Ljubljana: Založba Univerze na Primorskem in Festival Ljubljana. Studia musicologica Labacensia, 3
P. 128
vloga nacionalnih opernih gledališč v 20. in 21. stoletju
In 2009, Latvian National Opera celebrated its 90th anniversary under
the credo “My White House”. The leitmotif for all information and com-
munication material was “personal stories, memories and events about the
“White House”. Besides, today the concept of the “White House” is used as
a metaphor in communication, press and social media, while also currently
approaching the centenary of Latvian National Opera and Ballet.
Opera and National Culture Nowadays
The Heiress of “Vilkači” by Bruno Skulte
– diaspora discourse of Latvianness and opera in the 21st century
In 1947, while in a refugee camp in Germany, Latvian composer Bruno
Skulte composed an opera “The Heiress of “Vilkači”” based on a novel by
Ilona Leimane (full piano score, orchestra instrumentation was completed
only for the first scene). The opera was fully instrumented many years later
by the Latvian choir conductor Andrejs Jansons from New York, USA. The
world premiere took place in Riga in 2011, funded by the diaspora Latvian
community and conducted by Andrejs Jansons.
“The Heiress of Vilkači” tells about hate and love between two neigh-
bouring families; one of them is Christian and relatively poor, while the
other is richer, therefore accused of cultivating pagan rituals or even be-
ing werewolves (the name of the farmstead literally means “Werewolves”).
Conflict rises when the new heiress of “Vilkači” arrives and the heir of “Die-
vlodziņi” (the name of the farmstead literally means “God’s windows”) falls
in love with her while engaged to another girl. After their intercourse dur-
ing Midsummer night (a universal symbol of Latvian national culture) a
son is born without being acknowledged by his father and the communi-
ty. At the end, there is a fire provoked by the old Dievlodziņi host intending
to burn down the “Vilkači” farmstead. However, both houses burn, but the
baby is saved and the parents reunite to end up with the superstitions and
hatred of both families. The music includes plenty of Latvian folk song mel-
odies in the orchestral score and vocal parts. The production was visually
impressive, including authentic national costumes, etc. Yet the production
revealed several problems regarding the representations of national culture
in opera in the context of the 21st century, i.e. the stylistically outdated in-
terpretation of a folk song performed by an opera singer instead of an aria,
the national-romanticist style sentimental interpretation of folk melodies
126
In 2009, Latvian National Opera celebrated its 90th anniversary under
the credo “My White House”. The leitmotif for all information and com-
munication material was “personal stories, memories and events about the
“White House”. Besides, today the concept of the “White House” is used as
a metaphor in communication, press and social media, while also currently
approaching the centenary of Latvian National Opera and Ballet.
Opera and National Culture Nowadays
The Heiress of “Vilkači” by Bruno Skulte
– diaspora discourse of Latvianness and opera in the 21st century
In 1947, while in a refugee camp in Germany, Latvian composer Bruno
Skulte composed an opera “The Heiress of “Vilkači”” based on a novel by
Ilona Leimane (full piano score, orchestra instrumentation was completed
only for the first scene). The opera was fully instrumented many years later
by the Latvian choir conductor Andrejs Jansons from New York, USA. The
world premiere took place in Riga in 2011, funded by the diaspora Latvian
community and conducted by Andrejs Jansons.
“The Heiress of Vilkači” tells about hate and love between two neigh-
bouring families; one of them is Christian and relatively poor, while the
other is richer, therefore accused of cultivating pagan rituals or even be-
ing werewolves (the name of the farmstead literally means “Werewolves”).
Conflict rises when the new heiress of “Vilkači” arrives and the heir of “Die-
vlodziņi” (the name of the farmstead literally means “God’s windows”) falls
in love with her while engaged to another girl. After their intercourse dur-
ing Midsummer night (a universal symbol of Latvian national culture) a
son is born without being acknowledged by his father and the communi-
ty. At the end, there is a fire provoked by the old Dievlodziņi host intending
to burn down the “Vilkači” farmstead. However, both houses burn, but the
baby is saved and the parents reunite to end up with the superstitions and
hatred of both families. The music includes plenty of Latvian folk song mel-
odies in the orchestral score and vocal parts. The production was visually
impressive, including authentic national costumes, etc. Yet the production
revealed several problems regarding the representations of national culture
in opera in the context of the 21st century, i.e. the stylistically outdated in-
terpretation of a folk song performed by an opera singer instead of an aria,
the national-romanticist style sentimental interpretation of folk melodies
126
