Page 387 - 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. 387
the european musical context of the oper as of slavko osterc
tional dramatic features, and published it in Berlin in 1925.35 Klabund’s play
soon became very popular all over Central Europe, with two operatic set-
tings appearing in quick succession, the first by Osterc in a Slovene transla-
tion and the second by Alexander Zemlinsky completed in 1931 (Der Krei-
dekreis).36 Antony Beaumont reports that Klabund’s play, Der Kreidekreis,
was performed in Prague some thirty times in 1925,37 surely an opportunity
for both Osterc, who had recently arrived in Prague, and Zemlinsky, who
was resident there at the same time, to become acquainted with the play be-
fore embarking on their musical realisations. The translation of Klabund’s
text into Slovene was undertaken by Oton Župančič, with the operatic li-
bretto being written by Milan Skrbinšek.
Criticism of the work does seem to stem from the original review by
Slavko Vurnik who thought that the work was too romantic. Thus it can be
seen to be part of a group of romantically inclined operas from this period
(see Table 4). Cvetko suggested that pressure may have been put on Osterc
by the Ljubljana opera to make it an extended romantic work.38
In fact, it is carefully laid out, with arias, arioso and what is in effect re-
citative, even if it is not composed as a ‘number’ opera. The composer made
each act continuous by composing skilful transitions and bridges between
the different styles. Cvetko’s comments involved a certain amount of spec-
ulation, because at the time of writing, the score had disappeared. In fact
the opera was not performed in the composer’s lifetime. The score went
missing, although the orchestral parts were kept in the archives of Ljublja-
na Opera House. The reappearance of the score in the late 1980s made pos-
sible the first performance (in Maribor) in 1995.39
35 Klabund [Alfred Henschke], Der Kreidekreis (Berlin: J.M. Spaeth, 1925); Klabund,
The Circle of Chalk, translated by James Laver (London: William Heinemann, 1929).
36 Antony Beaumont, Zemlinsky (London: Faber, 2000), 368–78 discusses Zemlinsky’s
Der Kreidekreis in some detail.
37 Beaumont, Zemlinsky, 368.
38 Cvetko, Osebnost skladatelja Slavka Osterca, 76–77.
39 By the Slovene National Opera conducted by Simon Robinson in Maribor Opera
House on 7 April 1995. The composer was born in Veržej in the Ljutomer region of
Slovenia on 17 June, 1895. For more details of the opera see Niall O’Loughlin, “The
Chalk Circle Operas of Osterc and Zemlinsky: a comparative Analysis,” in: Primož
Kuret, ed., Glasba med obema vojnama in Slavko Osterc – Musik zwischen beiden
Weltkriegen und Slavko Osterc (Ljubljana: Festival Ljubljana, 1996), 64–76 and Niall
O’Loughlin, “Slavko Osterc’s Compositional Journey and his assimilation of New Tech-
niques,” Jernej Weiss, ed., Nova glasba v »novi« Evropi med obema svetonima vojnama –
New Music in the “New” Europe Between the two World Wars (Koper: Univerza na Pri-
morskem; Ljubljana: Festival Ljubljana, 2018), 175–85.
385
tional dramatic features, and published it in Berlin in 1925.35 Klabund’s play
soon became very popular all over Central Europe, with two operatic set-
tings appearing in quick succession, the first by Osterc in a Slovene transla-
tion and the second by Alexander Zemlinsky completed in 1931 (Der Krei-
dekreis).36 Antony Beaumont reports that Klabund’s play, Der Kreidekreis,
was performed in Prague some thirty times in 1925,37 surely an opportunity
for both Osterc, who had recently arrived in Prague, and Zemlinsky, who
was resident there at the same time, to become acquainted with the play be-
fore embarking on their musical realisations. The translation of Klabund’s
text into Slovene was undertaken by Oton Župančič, with the operatic li-
bretto being written by Milan Skrbinšek.
Criticism of the work does seem to stem from the original review by
Slavko Vurnik who thought that the work was too romantic. Thus it can be
seen to be part of a group of romantically inclined operas from this period
(see Table 4). Cvetko suggested that pressure may have been put on Osterc
by the Ljubljana opera to make it an extended romantic work.38
In fact, it is carefully laid out, with arias, arioso and what is in effect re-
citative, even if it is not composed as a ‘number’ opera. The composer made
each act continuous by composing skilful transitions and bridges between
the different styles. Cvetko’s comments involved a certain amount of spec-
ulation, because at the time of writing, the score had disappeared. In fact
the opera was not performed in the composer’s lifetime. The score went
missing, although the orchestral parts were kept in the archives of Ljublja-
na Opera House. The reappearance of the score in the late 1980s made pos-
sible the first performance (in Maribor) in 1995.39
35 Klabund [Alfred Henschke], Der Kreidekreis (Berlin: J.M. Spaeth, 1925); Klabund,
The Circle of Chalk, translated by James Laver (London: William Heinemann, 1929).
36 Antony Beaumont, Zemlinsky (London: Faber, 2000), 368–78 discusses Zemlinsky’s
Der Kreidekreis in some detail.
37 Beaumont, Zemlinsky, 368.
38 Cvetko, Osebnost skladatelja Slavka Osterca, 76–77.
39 By the Slovene National Opera conducted by Simon Robinson in Maribor Opera
House on 7 April 1995. The composer was born in Veržej in the Ljutomer region of
Slovenia on 17 June, 1895. For more details of the opera see Niall O’Loughlin, “The
Chalk Circle Operas of Osterc and Zemlinsky: a comparative Analysis,” in: Primož
Kuret, ed., Glasba med obema vojnama in Slavko Osterc – Musik zwischen beiden
Weltkriegen und Slavko Osterc (Ljubljana: Festival Ljubljana, 1996), 64–76 and Niall
O’Loughlin, “Slavko Osterc’s Compositional Journey and his assimilation of New Tech-
niques,” Jernej Weiss, ed., Nova glasba v »novi« Evropi med obema svetonima vojnama –
New Music in the “New” Europe Between the two World Wars (Koper: Univerza na Pri-
morskem; Ljubljana: Festival Ljubljana, 2018), 175–85.
385
