Arti musices, Vol. 43 No. 1, 2012.
Original scientific paper
Wartime Opera Performances in Pula in 1916 and 1917
Lada Duraković
; Sveučilište Jurja Dobrile u Puli, Odjel za glazbu, Pula, Croatia
Abstract
The beginning of Wold War I meant a slow decay of cultural and art life in small Istrian towns. However, Pula had to secure the continuance of cultural events, since it was a major operations base with many army personnel living there. The whole artistic and cultural scene shifted towards the military; events were planned mostly for military purposes, and theatre performances, operas and operettas were performed exclusively in the Ciscutti theatre. Performers were also recruited from the armed forces, with the assistance of art groups or individual artists, either from cultural centres in Austria and Germany, or from the native population.
Most visitors to musical events were also Army-Navy officials, officers and recruited personnel from military offices and businesses.
Among all these cultural events, the most significant were opera performances that were given during wartime and which the people of Pula managed to stage with little more than their own performing abilities. During 1916 and 1917, they performed in Gounod’s Faust, Donizetti’s Don Pasquale, Verdi’s’operas Rigoletto and Traviata, and Puccini’s Madame Butterfly.
The production of these opera performances has remained a unique episode in the music history of Pula, since that level of professionalism in the town’s music life has never again been attained.
Keywords
Hrčak ID:
95741
URI
Publication date:
15.6.2012.
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