Page 238 - Weiss, Jernej, ur./ed. 2021. Opereta med obema svetovnima vojnama ▪︎ Operetta between the Two World Wars. Koper/Ljubljana: Založba Univerze na Primorskem in Festival Ljubljana. Studia musicologica Labacensia, 5
P. 238
opereta med obema svetovnima vojnama
Return of Operetta: 1935/1936–1940/1941
Upon the removal of operetta, following the decision of the Artistic De-
partment, primarily in order to decrease expenses rather than for princi-
pled artistic reasons, the interest in theatre declined, the amount of money
coming in also decreased, and, looking for a replacement for operetta, the
management introduced plays of dubious quality, which again “was no less
detrimental for the educational and artistic role of theatre.”48 For this rea-
son, the return of operetta to the Sarajevo stage in the 1935/1936 season, with
Hervé’s Mam’zelle Nitouche (20 June 1936), was perhaps inevitable.
The re-introduction of operetta caused some opposition in the press,
with one writer noting that
as far as we know, some members of management have always been
against operetta, which spoils the musical taste and does harm to
drama. Now we seem to be witnessing a turnabout.49
In the 1936/1937 season, four new operettas were staged: Schubert’s Das
Dreimäderhaus (the date of the premiere is unknown), Carl Zeller’s Der Vo
gelhändler (2 January 1937), Arthur Sullivan’s The Mikado (17 April 1937),
and Johann Strauss’s Der Zigeunerbaron (5 June 1937).50 Regardless of the
poor reviews of their premieres, they remained popular with audiences, in-
cluding in the following season.
However, the return of operetta to the National Theatre did not achieve
the same result as seen in Nušić’s time. Under Nušić’s management the
works had been presented on a sound technical basis, but on its return to
the stage operetta was introduced without special expenses or the engage-
ment of a separate ensemble (soloists, choir, ballet, orchestra), i.e. without
professional singers:
how can musically educated people get involved in such a thing and
how can a musical expert such as Mr. Marko Unger [Maks Un-
ger, author’s remark], a composer and conductor, believe that an
operetta sung by non-singers will be a sort of ‘introduction into
music education of both the theatre ensemble itself and a broad
audience’?51
48 Ibid., 299.
49 Lešić, Sarajevsko pozorište između dva rata, vol. 2, 196.
50 Ibid., 343–6.
51 Ibid., 197.
236
Return of Operetta: 1935/1936–1940/1941
Upon the removal of operetta, following the decision of the Artistic De-
partment, primarily in order to decrease expenses rather than for princi-
pled artistic reasons, the interest in theatre declined, the amount of money
coming in also decreased, and, looking for a replacement for operetta, the
management introduced plays of dubious quality, which again “was no less
detrimental for the educational and artistic role of theatre.”48 For this rea-
son, the return of operetta to the Sarajevo stage in the 1935/1936 season, with
Hervé’s Mam’zelle Nitouche (20 June 1936), was perhaps inevitable.
The re-introduction of operetta caused some opposition in the press,
with one writer noting that
as far as we know, some members of management have always been
against operetta, which spoils the musical taste and does harm to
drama. Now we seem to be witnessing a turnabout.49
In the 1936/1937 season, four new operettas were staged: Schubert’s Das
Dreimäderhaus (the date of the premiere is unknown), Carl Zeller’s Der Vo
gelhändler (2 January 1937), Arthur Sullivan’s The Mikado (17 April 1937),
and Johann Strauss’s Der Zigeunerbaron (5 June 1937).50 Regardless of the
poor reviews of their premieres, they remained popular with audiences, in-
cluding in the following season.
However, the return of operetta to the National Theatre did not achieve
the same result as seen in Nušić’s time. Under Nušić’s management the
works had been presented on a sound technical basis, but on its return to
the stage operetta was introduced without special expenses or the engage-
ment of a separate ensemble (soloists, choir, ballet, orchestra), i.e. without
professional singers:
how can musically educated people get involved in such a thing and
how can a musical expert such as Mr. Marko Unger [Maks Un-
ger, author’s remark], a composer and conductor, believe that an
operetta sung by non-singers will be a sort of ‘introduction into
music education of both the theatre ensemble itself and a broad
audience’?51
48 Ibid., 299.
49 Lešić, Sarajevsko pozorište između dva rata, vol. 2, 196.
50 Ibid., 343–6.
51 Ibid., 197.
236
