Page 343 - 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. 343
ciril debevec – the first professional opera director in slovenia
zation of the idea.35 It is interesting and meaningful that Marijan Lipovšek,
a critic of the Ljubljanski zvon magazine who widely discussed the charac-
teristics of the opera and his performance, both pretty much critically, did
not even mention the direction.36
In the period from 1935 to 1939, Debevec’s position within the Drama
changed. As a director, he received more and more sharp criticism, espe-
cially as younger writers demythologised his work and gave priority to then
young Bojan Stupica (1910-1970), who was a convincing stage experimenter
and improviser and closer to young theatre visitors.37 The influence of De-
bevec thus subsided, but he still had a lot of supporters and excellent, even
above-average, performances of stage adaptions of the great literary works
of modern times.38 Stacked objections to his directional style prompted him
to think of leaving the ensemble of the Ljubljana Drama and begin again on
the opera stage. His final decision came in the spring of 1939 when he ex-
perienced an explicitly negative critique of Jago in Šest’s staging of Shake-
speare’s Othello.39 In assessing how to continue his professional career, he
was led by the invitation of friend, composer, musicologist, and publicist
Vilko Ukmar, who took over the Opera in autumn 1939 and offered him to
become a “boss-director”, as well as good working conditions, and above
all free hands in choosing a programme that he will feel mentally close to.40
The workplace of the director in the Ljubljana Opera was not part of the
professional ensemble, but Ukmar, as comprehensively proficient, decid-
ed that it was an essential part of the theatre standard. Regarding the im-
portance of operatic direction and the fact that Ciril Debevec was a good
choice for its development in the Ljubljana opera house, Ukmar wrote that
changing directors too often brought too much stylistic diversity as well
as that the “traditional way of directing in terms of template ostentation of
persons in the space according to the prescribed pattern was without deep-
35 Vilko Ukmar, »Gledališče in glasba. Delo opernega gledališča v sezoni 1935/36« /
“Theatre and music. The ,work of the Opera theatre in the season 1935/36”, Dom in
svet, Year 49, No. 3-4, 230–231.
36 Marijan Lipovšek, »Problem slovenske opere in letošnje novitete« / “The problem of
Slovenian opera and this year’s novelty”, Ljubljanski zvon, Year 56, No. 3 (1936): 172–
178.
37 Dušan Moravec, Slovenski režiserski kvartet (z gostom)/ Slovenian directing quartet
(with guest), 115–116.
38 Ibid., 117.
39 Ibid., 120–122.
40 Darja Koter, »Ljubljanska Opera pod vodstvom Vilka Ukmarja (1939–1945)« / “The
Ljubljana Opera under the leadership of Vilko Ukmar (1939–1945)”, 39.
341
zation of the idea.35 It is interesting and meaningful that Marijan Lipovšek,
a critic of the Ljubljanski zvon magazine who widely discussed the charac-
teristics of the opera and his performance, both pretty much critically, did
not even mention the direction.36
In the period from 1935 to 1939, Debevec’s position within the Drama
changed. As a director, he received more and more sharp criticism, espe-
cially as younger writers demythologised his work and gave priority to then
young Bojan Stupica (1910-1970), who was a convincing stage experimenter
and improviser and closer to young theatre visitors.37 The influence of De-
bevec thus subsided, but he still had a lot of supporters and excellent, even
above-average, performances of stage adaptions of the great literary works
of modern times.38 Stacked objections to his directional style prompted him
to think of leaving the ensemble of the Ljubljana Drama and begin again on
the opera stage. His final decision came in the spring of 1939 when he ex-
perienced an explicitly negative critique of Jago in Šest’s staging of Shake-
speare’s Othello.39 In assessing how to continue his professional career, he
was led by the invitation of friend, composer, musicologist, and publicist
Vilko Ukmar, who took over the Opera in autumn 1939 and offered him to
become a “boss-director”, as well as good working conditions, and above
all free hands in choosing a programme that he will feel mentally close to.40
The workplace of the director in the Ljubljana Opera was not part of the
professional ensemble, but Ukmar, as comprehensively proficient, decid-
ed that it was an essential part of the theatre standard. Regarding the im-
portance of operatic direction and the fact that Ciril Debevec was a good
choice for its development in the Ljubljana opera house, Ukmar wrote that
changing directors too often brought too much stylistic diversity as well
as that the “traditional way of directing in terms of template ostentation of
persons in the space according to the prescribed pattern was without deep-
35 Vilko Ukmar, »Gledališče in glasba. Delo opernega gledališča v sezoni 1935/36« /
“Theatre and music. The ,work of the Opera theatre in the season 1935/36”, Dom in
svet, Year 49, No. 3-4, 230–231.
36 Marijan Lipovšek, »Problem slovenske opere in letošnje novitete« / “The problem of
Slovenian opera and this year’s novelty”, Ljubljanski zvon, Year 56, No. 3 (1936): 172–
178.
37 Dušan Moravec, Slovenski režiserski kvartet (z gostom)/ Slovenian directing quartet
(with guest), 115–116.
38 Ibid., 117.
39 Ibid., 120–122.
40 Darja Koter, »Ljubljanska Opera pod vodstvom Vilka Ukmarja (1939–1945)« / “The
Ljubljana Opera under the leadership of Vilko Ukmar (1939–1945)”, 39.
341
