Page 302 - 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. 302
vloga nacionalnih opernih gledališč v 20. in 21. stoletju
What is it, then, that separates Talich’s artistic contribution or concept
from that of his contemporaries and successors? Why is his final theatrical
season in particular written in gold letters in the annals of the Slovene Pro-
vincial Theatre?
It is not only because he succeeded – thanks to his unquestionably
remarkable capacities as a conductor, which may be linked to his excel-
lent musical training, his innate musicality and the cast-iron discipline that
characterised him – in winning over the opera audience of his day. He also
managed to convince the critics, and in this way motivated the ensemble to
master what was at that time the most demanding musical-dramatic reper-
toire, in this way significantly accelerating its artistic growth.
Despite the fact that the financial, personnel and technical capacities of
the Slovene Provincial Theatre were considerably more modest than those of
other comparable theatres in the Habsburg Monarchy, Talich very quickly
succeeded in instilling a positive attitude in audiences, even towards some
of the most modern musical-dramatic works. At the same time it should be
emphasised that his artistic concept was not based on mindless experimen-
tation with the most avant-garde artistic creations of the day, according to
the principle “the newer, the better”; instead, his concept involved the gra-
dual and deliberate transcending of the stereotypical nature of the classic re-
pertoire, the fixed nature of which, in the long term, always stifles the pro-
gress of both ensemble and audience. In this way he succeeded in wresting
Slovene opera from the edge of geographical and mental provincialism.
We should of course be aware that when Talich was working in Lju-
bljana, the theatre still represented the principal form of “society enter-
tainment”. By including mainly young soloists alongside individual esta-
blished names, who were always a big draw, he succeeded in winning the
enthusiasm of the audience and at the same time gained vital experience for
his later conducting career.
Like almost all great artists in Ljubljana, Talich was also torn between
his own artistic ambitions and financial and personal reality. At that time
the opera orchestra only had around 35 members and was therefore always
dependent on substitutes. Unfortunately, Talich was working in an envi-
ronment in which political and ethnic disputes frequently flared up, and
was thus not able to contribute as substantially as he perhaps could have
in a musically more stimulating environment. That old story, heard coun-
tless times before, of gifted outsiders whose remarkable musical gifts meant
that they became a thorn in the side of certain home-grown “masters” with
their own provincial interests, was fated to repeat itself.
300
What is it, then, that separates Talich’s artistic contribution or concept
from that of his contemporaries and successors? Why is his final theatrical
season in particular written in gold letters in the annals of the Slovene Pro-
vincial Theatre?
It is not only because he succeeded – thanks to his unquestionably
remarkable capacities as a conductor, which may be linked to his excel-
lent musical training, his innate musicality and the cast-iron discipline that
characterised him – in winning over the opera audience of his day. He also
managed to convince the critics, and in this way motivated the ensemble to
master what was at that time the most demanding musical-dramatic reper-
toire, in this way significantly accelerating its artistic growth.
Despite the fact that the financial, personnel and technical capacities of
the Slovene Provincial Theatre were considerably more modest than those of
other comparable theatres in the Habsburg Monarchy, Talich very quickly
succeeded in instilling a positive attitude in audiences, even towards some
of the most modern musical-dramatic works. At the same time it should be
emphasised that his artistic concept was not based on mindless experimen-
tation with the most avant-garde artistic creations of the day, according to
the principle “the newer, the better”; instead, his concept involved the gra-
dual and deliberate transcending of the stereotypical nature of the classic re-
pertoire, the fixed nature of which, in the long term, always stifles the pro-
gress of both ensemble and audience. In this way he succeeded in wresting
Slovene opera from the edge of geographical and mental provincialism.
We should of course be aware that when Talich was working in Lju-
bljana, the theatre still represented the principal form of “society enter-
tainment”. By including mainly young soloists alongside individual esta-
blished names, who were always a big draw, he succeeded in winning the
enthusiasm of the audience and at the same time gained vital experience for
his later conducting career.
Like almost all great artists in Ljubljana, Talich was also torn between
his own artistic ambitions and financial and personal reality. At that time
the opera orchestra only had around 35 members and was therefore always
dependent on substitutes. Unfortunately, Talich was working in an envi-
ronment in which political and ethnic disputes frequently flared up, and
was thus not able to contribute as substantially as he perhaps could have
in a musically more stimulating environment. That old story, heard coun-
tless times before, of gifted outsiders whose remarkable musical gifts meant
that they became a thorn in the side of certain home-grown “masters” with
their own provincial interests, was fated to repeat itself.
300
