Page 346 - 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. 346
vloga nacionalnih opernih gledališč v 20. in 21. stoletju
I never pursued specific goals. Maybe it was because of this that
I was sometimes a bit too “academic” or even “boring” as I got a
friendly or less friendly hint here and there. My goals in directing
were as a matter of fact always the same: to get involved - if possible
- only in those works that are artistic (i.e. literary 133 or musical),
valuable, and give such a stage appearance that, in my opinion, will
be the most trustworthy representation of the writer or the compos-
er’s work. The main and only real goal of the director seemed to me
always to deepen, reveal, display, and interpret the author’s work,
but not to emphasize and represent himself on the account of the
author.54
In the 1941/42 season, Debevec dedicated himself to Verdi’s Aida, La
Bohème and Madame Butterfly by Puccini, Rossini’s The Barber of Seville,
Smetana’s The Bartered Bride, Tchaikovsky (Eugene Onegin) and some oth-
ers.55 Towards the end of the season, he began to respond more frequently
in the Gledališki list, commenting on the structure of musical performanc-
es and within that the role of directing, he succeeded in responding in a
very witty way, but with a bitter taste of his own importance, when he says:
Some, or maybe most, operatic directors are represented some-
how like this: a vocal-technical singer learns his role from a singing
teacher, music (“singing by notes”) the singer is taught by a band-
master, the actor’s image “creates” the singer according to his “ fa-
mous” pattern, which he had seen yesterday or in the day before
yesterday at home or abroad, or he was told about it by acquaint-
ances, friends, or enemies; the pronunciation singer is taught by
dramaturge; dresses on stage are made according to templates by
the theatre tailor; the mask is taken from ‘known patterns’, the light
is managed, as much as that is allowed by the lighting devices, by
the tested illuminator; the scene is made by the scenographer. What
remains is made by the director. . . Here and there he also shows
to whom where the doors are in the scenery so as not to push by
chance through the wall …56
54 »Razgovor z režiserjem« / “Interview with the director”, Gledališki list / Theatre Ga-
zette, Opera, 1940/41, No. 12, 133–134.
55 Prim. Gledališki listi / Theatre Gazette, Opera, season 1941/42.
56 Ciril Debevec, »Operni zapiski« / “Opera notes”, Gledališki list / Theatre Gazette, Op-
era, 1941/42, year 21, No. 15, 140–142.
344
I never pursued specific goals. Maybe it was because of this that
I was sometimes a bit too “academic” or even “boring” as I got a
friendly or less friendly hint here and there. My goals in directing
were as a matter of fact always the same: to get involved - if possible
- only in those works that are artistic (i.e. literary 133 or musical),
valuable, and give such a stage appearance that, in my opinion, will
be the most trustworthy representation of the writer or the compos-
er’s work. The main and only real goal of the director seemed to me
always to deepen, reveal, display, and interpret the author’s work,
but not to emphasize and represent himself on the account of the
author.54
In the 1941/42 season, Debevec dedicated himself to Verdi’s Aida, La
Bohème and Madame Butterfly by Puccini, Rossini’s The Barber of Seville,
Smetana’s The Bartered Bride, Tchaikovsky (Eugene Onegin) and some oth-
ers.55 Towards the end of the season, he began to respond more frequently
in the Gledališki list, commenting on the structure of musical performanc-
es and within that the role of directing, he succeeded in responding in a
very witty way, but with a bitter taste of his own importance, when he says:
Some, or maybe most, operatic directors are represented some-
how like this: a vocal-technical singer learns his role from a singing
teacher, music (“singing by notes”) the singer is taught by a band-
master, the actor’s image “creates” the singer according to his “ fa-
mous” pattern, which he had seen yesterday or in the day before
yesterday at home or abroad, or he was told about it by acquaint-
ances, friends, or enemies; the pronunciation singer is taught by
dramaturge; dresses on stage are made according to templates by
the theatre tailor; the mask is taken from ‘known patterns’, the light
is managed, as much as that is allowed by the lighting devices, by
the tested illuminator; the scene is made by the scenographer. What
remains is made by the director. . . Here and there he also shows
to whom where the doors are in the scenery so as not to push by
chance through the wall …56
54 »Razgovor z režiserjem« / “Interview with the director”, Gledališki list / Theatre Ga-
zette, Opera, 1940/41, No. 12, 133–134.
55 Prim. Gledališki listi / Theatre Gazette, Opera, season 1941/42.
56 Ciril Debevec, »Operni zapiski« / “Opera notes”, Gledališki list / Theatre Gazette, Op-
era, 1941/42, year 21, No. 15, 140–142.
344
