Page 180 - Weiss, Jernej, ur. 2020. Konservatoriji: profesionalizacija in specializacija glasbenega dela ▪︎ The conservatories: professionalisation and specialisation of musical activity. Koper/Ljubljana: Založba Univerze na Primorskem in Festival Ljubljana. Studia musicologica Labacensia, 4
P. 180
konservator iji: profesionalizacija in specializacija glasbenega dela
Carniolan Nightingale) on The Bartered Bride, incorporating folk songs, a
rural setting and, last but not least, the problems faced by emigrants.19
The day after the first performance, on 3 December 1918, an anony-
mous critic wrote in the newspaper Slovenski narod (“The Slovene Nation”)
that with the staging of The Bartered Bride the “new Slovene opera theatre
has celebrated its resurrection.”20 The critic continued that after the initial
successes at the new Provincial Theatre, Slovene opera “had been in decline,
until present circumstances reduced it to a point where it appeared dead.”21
But this was now surely a thing of the past, for “yesterday we saw it again
and it appeared virtually finer than in the finest period of its existence!”22
Despite some promising reviews, the first season (1918/19) of the Na-
tional Theatre Opera in Ljubljana did not yet bring the desired changes in
terms of personnel, organisation and programme. Accordingly, the later
nationalisation was welcomed by everyone, in particular by the opera com-
pany’s management and the staff of the theatre, who would no longer be so
dependent on unreliable and rapidly changing conditions, nor as obliged
to count on foreign members of the company as they had been to date.
Following the nationalisation of the theatre, the theatre’s general manag-
er F riderik Juvančič noted optimistically in the programme published on
5 August 1920, ahead of the 1920/21 season, that “The personnel of the opera
has been significantly augmented”, and listed the names of the seven opera
singers and two ballet dancers who had recently joined the company.23
Conservatory of the Glasbena Matica in Ljubljana
An even more decisive step towards the more sustainable realisation of mu-
sical activity in the capital was taken with the establishment of the Con-
servatory of the Glasbena Matica in Ljubljana. This was the fruit of long
years of efforts by Slovenes to raise the level of music education and pro-
fessionalise musical life. These efforts were revived after the Great War by
Matej Hubad, the concert director of the Glasbena Matica and later direc-
19 Jernej Weiss, “Med provincialno opereto in nacionalno opero Foersterjev Gorenjski
slavček,” in Musica et artes: ob osemdesetletnici Primoža Kureta, ed. Jonatan Vinkler
and Jernej Weiss (Koper, Ljubljana: Založba Univerze na Primorskem, Akademija za
glasbo, Festival Ljubljana, Slovenska filharmonija, 2015), 66–70.
20 Anon., “Narodno gledališče,” Slovenski narod, no. 288 (4 December 1918): 3.
21 Ibid.
22 Ibid.
23 Friderik Juvančič, “Sezona 1920–21,” Gledališki list Narodnega gledališča 1, no. 1
(1920–21): 14.
178
Carniolan Nightingale) on The Bartered Bride, incorporating folk songs, a
rural setting and, last but not least, the problems faced by emigrants.19
The day after the first performance, on 3 December 1918, an anony-
mous critic wrote in the newspaper Slovenski narod (“The Slovene Nation”)
that with the staging of The Bartered Bride the “new Slovene opera theatre
has celebrated its resurrection.”20 The critic continued that after the initial
successes at the new Provincial Theatre, Slovene opera “had been in decline,
until present circumstances reduced it to a point where it appeared dead.”21
But this was now surely a thing of the past, for “yesterday we saw it again
and it appeared virtually finer than in the finest period of its existence!”22
Despite some promising reviews, the first season (1918/19) of the Na-
tional Theatre Opera in Ljubljana did not yet bring the desired changes in
terms of personnel, organisation and programme. Accordingly, the later
nationalisation was welcomed by everyone, in particular by the opera com-
pany’s management and the staff of the theatre, who would no longer be so
dependent on unreliable and rapidly changing conditions, nor as obliged
to count on foreign members of the company as they had been to date.
Following the nationalisation of the theatre, the theatre’s general manag-
er F riderik Juvančič noted optimistically in the programme published on
5 August 1920, ahead of the 1920/21 season, that “The personnel of the opera
has been significantly augmented”, and listed the names of the seven opera
singers and two ballet dancers who had recently joined the company.23
Conservatory of the Glasbena Matica in Ljubljana
An even more decisive step towards the more sustainable realisation of mu-
sical activity in the capital was taken with the establishment of the Con-
servatory of the Glasbena Matica in Ljubljana. This was the fruit of long
years of efforts by Slovenes to raise the level of music education and pro-
fessionalise musical life. These efforts were revived after the Great War by
Matej Hubad, the concert director of the Glasbena Matica and later direc-
19 Jernej Weiss, “Med provincialno opereto in nacionalno opero Foersterjev Gorenjski
slavček,” in Musica et artes: ob osemdesetletnici Primoža Kureta, ed. Jonatan Vinkler
and Jernej Weiss (Koper, Ljubljana: Založba Univerze na Primorskem, Akademija za
glasbo, Festival Ljubljana, Slovenska filharmonija, 2015), 66–70.
20 Anon., “Narodno gledališče,” Slovenski narod, no. 288 (4 December 1918): 3.
21 Ibid.
22 Ibid.
23 Friderik Juvančič, “Sezona 1920–21,” Gledališki list Narodnega gledališča 1, no. 1
(1920–21): 14.
178
