Nikola Šubić-Zrinjski
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| Title: | Nikola Šubić-Zrinjski |
Poster for the first performance in 1876 |
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| Shape: | Musical tragedy in three acts |
| Original language: | Croatian |
| Music: | Ivan Zajc |
| Libretto : | Hugo Badalić |
| Literary source: | Theodor Körner : Zriny |
| Premiere: | November 4, 1876 |
| Place of premiere: | Croatian National Theater in Zagreb |
| Playing time: | approx. 2 ¼ hours |
| Place and time of the action: | Belgrade (Ottoman Empire) and Szigetvár (Hungary), 1566 |
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Nikola Šubić-Zrinjski (alternative spelling: Nikola Šubić Zrinski ) is an opera (original name: "Musical Tragedy") in three acts (eight pictures) by Ivan Zajc (music) with a libretto by Hugo Badalić based on Theodor Körner's tragedy Zriny (1812). It is considered the Croatian national opera , deals with the siege of Szigetvár and was premiered on November 4, 1876 in the Croatian National Theater in Zagreb .
action
first act
Chamber of the Grand Lord in Belgrade
The aging Sultan Sulejman worries about his life's work. He asks his doctor Levi how much time he has left. Levi hesitates at first, but then estimates that it will be another ten years. Sulejman wants to destroy as much of the world as possible during this time. He informs his Grand Vizier Mehmed Sokolović that the conquest of Vienna should seal his fame and calls the council of war together. The officers Mustafa of Bosnia, Pascha Ali Portuk and Ibrahim Begler-Beg swear allegiance to him. Since the road to Vienna leads over the Hungarian plains, the Szigetvár fortress, commanded by the dreaded Croat Nikola Šubić-Zrinjski , is to be subjugated first.
A hall in the Szigetvár fortress
Jelena, the daughter of the Croatian fortress commander, says goodbye to her lover Lovro Juranić, who starts his service as an officer. She has bad premonitions about upcoming battles. Her mother Eva tries to calm her down, but her father has already found out about Sulejman's campaign. A messenger reports that a large army is advancing towards the city. Juranić asks Zrinjski for Jelena's hand, which Jelena will promise him despite Juranić's poverty if the war is over and Juranić has proven himself in the fight.
A courtyard of the fortress
Zrinjski prepares his soldiers and officers Gaspar Alapić and Lovro Juranić to defend the fortress. Juranić, who has already distinguished himself, is to lead the fight. The women and children are to be brought to safety in Vienna. Eva and Jelena, however, insist on staying in Szigetvár and in the worst case to die with the men. They all swear to defend Szigetvár with their blood while their hearts beat.
Second act
The Turkish camp in front of Szigetvár
The Turks celebrate the fortieth anniversary of the Battle of Mohács with song and dance . A little later Sulejman learns from Sokolović that, contrary to expectations, the Szigetvár fortress has not yet been conquered. Sulejman assigns him with handover negotiations. If Zrinjski gives up the fortress, he wants to appoint him King of Croatia.
Hall in the Szigetvár fortress, as in the second picture of the first act
There is heavy fighting in front of the fortress. Zrinjski realizes that his people are far inferior to the Turkish troops and can no longer withstand them. In agreement with his officers, he decides to sacrifice the new town and retreat to the old town. The most valuable possessions are to be brought to the fortress. When Sokolović brought the sultan's offer of peace, Zrinjski firmly refused. He is also unimpressed by the threat of crucifying his wife and daughter after submission and of torturing his son Gjuro, who has already been imprisoned. In the presence of the envoy, he orders his officer Vuk Paprutović to set fire to the houses. He also calls in the women and officers to confirm their steadfastness.
Third act
Sulejman's tent
The conquest of Szigetvár is dragging on. The sultan himself has become so seriously ill that his doctor Levi is helpless. When Sokolović reports about the intransigence of the Croatians, Sulejman gets so upset that with his last words he orders the attack on the fortress and collapses dead. Sokolović takes command. He wants to secure his power after the submission of Szigetvár in Istanbul .
Underground vault in the fortress
Eva and Jelena have taken refuge in the vaulted cellar, where they fearfully await the end of the fighting. Eva says goodbye to her daughter and she sings herself to sleep with an old lullaby. She dreams of her wedding to Juranić, to which a fairy choir sings and dances. When she wakes up, Juranić appears. He thinks they will be wed in heaven by God himself. Since Jelena does not want to fall into the hands of the Turks under any circumstances, she persuades him to stab them gently. As she dies, the lovers kiss one last time.
Courtyard of the fortress, as in the third picture of the first act
In view of the hopelessness of the defense and knowing that his death is imminent, Zrinjski says goodbye to his wife. Eve comforts him with the fact that his fame will endure and that she and her daughter will live on in the memory of the people. After the defeat, she promises to set fire to the powder tower in order to blow up the fortress. Juranić informs the two of Jelena's death, for which they thank God. The Croatians swear again to fight to the death and go into battle. The fortress goes up in flames.
layout
The music is in the tradition of Italian opera. In the vocal parts he had to take into account the lower abilities of the available singers. As in the Italian ballet opera (“Opera ballo”) there are large mass tables. Male choirs dominate here, reminiscent of the early Verdi in their combative and often unison sung performances . What both composers have in common is their pronounced patriotism. The final chorus and the oath of the second finale shape the entire work with their motifs. Jelena's appearances, such as her romance in the first act or her dream vision in the third act, form a contrast to this warlike atmosphere. Only here is South Slavic folk melos recognizable, which otherwise lacks echoes of Turkish music.
Since Zajc stuck closely to Theodor Körner's play , dialogue scenes predominate. Some shortcomings in the formal design of the duets and ensemble movements can be traced back to this.
orchestra
The orchestral line-up for the opera includes the following instruments:
- Woodwinds : two flutes (2nd also piccolo ), two oboes , two clarinets , two bassoons
- Brass : four horns , two trumpets , three trombones
- Timpani , drums : bass drum , cymbals , stirring drum , tam-tam , triangle , glockenspiel
- Strings
- Stage music : flute piccolo, flute, two clarinets, two flugelhorns, four trumpets, euphonium , bass trombone , tuba (or helicon )
Work history
After Mislay (1870) and Ban Leget (1872), Nikola Subić-Zrinjski is the third Croatian opera by the conductor, composer and opera director Ivan Zajc . He composed it between July and October 1876. Hugo Badalić wrote the libretto . It is based on Theodor Körner's tragedy Zriny from 1812. The core of the music is his choir Zadnji čas Zrinjskog (“U boj, u boj!”, German: 'Zur Schlacht, zur.'), Composed in 1866 on the occasion of the 300th anniversary of the fall of Szigetvár Battle! ') Who had already achieved great fame and was taken over by Zajc unchanged into the final.
The first performance took place on November 4, 1876 under the direction of the composer in the Croatian National Theater in Zagreb . Josip Nolli (Nikola Šubić-Zrinjski), Matilda Lesić (Eva), Milka Gerbić (Jelena), Kralobril (?) (Gaspar Alapić), Grbić (Lovro Juranić), Rangl (Vuk Paprutović), Chlostik (Sulejman), Kompit sang (Mehmed Sokolović), Plemenćić (Mustafa), Karil (?) (Ali Portuk), Novak (Ibrahim Begler-Beg) and Václav Anton (Levi).
In contrast to the other Croatian operas, the work was immediately successful and has remained in the repertoire up to the present day. Up until 1997 there were more than 600 performances in Zagreb alone. This makes it the most frequently performed Croatian opera. Since 1895 the director of the Zagreb theater, Stjepan Miletić, opened the new opera house with her after a six-year break, it has been the undisputed Croatian national opera. At this performance in the presence of Emperor Franz Joseph I , the number of singers in the final choir was increased to more than 100 as a proof of Croatian loyalty. Since then, the final picture has been listed separately for state acts and the like. The work was also shown at the next reopening of the National Opera in 1909. While previously a reduced instrumental line-up was mostly used, the score could now be played in its original form. The opera was also performed later with different scoring variations. Boris Papandopulos prepared a revised version in 1976.
Zajc tried to move his opera to other Slavic countries. In 1877, however, the score he had sent in was rejected in Prague and Petersburg. There were guest appearances outside of Zagreb, for example, in Ljubljana, Slovenia, in 1900 or in Osijek in 1908. It was played in Brno in 1918, in Pilsen in 1921, in Pressburg in 1925 and in Belgrade in 1929. After the Second World War, Zajc's hometown Rijeka became the center of care for his work. Here was Nikola Šubić Zrinjski- first shown 1946th
Recordings
- 1962 - Milan Sachs (conductor), choir and orchestra of the Croatian National Theater in Zagreb .
Vladimir Ruzdjak (Nikola Šubić-Zrinjski), Milka Bertapelle (Eva), Branka Oblak-Stilinovic (Jelena), Zvonimir Preliec (Lovro Juranić), Drago Bernardic (Sulejman), Franjo Paulik (Mehmed Sokolović).
Jugoton LPY- V-603-605 (3 LPs) / Croatia Records DK 5022770 (2 CDs). - 1985 - Ivan Cerovac (conductor), Der Münchner Kammerchor, Chor der Münchner Sängerrunde, Die Südwestfälische Philharmonie.
Michael Kraft, Barbara Hofstetter, Ozana Carrington, Jan C. Niels, Hartmut Elbert.
Live.
It 30162 (2 LPs). - February 15, 1992 - Karlo Kraus (conductor), Croatian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Zagreb National Opera Chorus.
Ratomir Kliskic (Nikola Šubić-Zrinjski), Ivanka Boljkovac (Eva), Bozena Svalina (Jelena), Ivica Saric Gaspar (Gaspar Alapić), Ante Ivic Lovro (Lovro Juranić), Damir Zarko (Vuk Paprutović), Ante Mijac (Sulejman), Janez Lotric (Mehmed Sokolović).
Live, in concert from the V. Lisinski Concert Hall in Zagreb.
Orfej HRT Croatia (1 CD). - 1994/95 (?) - Mladen Tarbuk (conductor), Krešimir Dolenčić (production), orchestra and choir of the Croatian National Opera in Zagreb.
Valentin Enčev (Nikola Šubić-Zrinjski), Ivanka Boljkovac (Eva), Lidija Medercic, Damir Novak, Branka Beretovac, Ratomir Kliškić, Krunoslav Cigoj, Tomislav Boric, Neven Mrzlecki, Dinko Lupi, Damir Fatović, Jur Penka Helga Grofelnik, , Sanja Durin, Zvonimir Gerbavec, Marijan Puškarić.
Video; live from Zagreb. - 2019 - Nikša Bareza (conductor), Krešimir Dolenčić (staging), Dinka Jeričević (stage), Ika Škomrlj and Dženisa Pecotić (costumes), Deni Šesnić (lighting), Sonja Kastl (choreography).
Ljubomir Puškarić (Nikola Šubić-Zrinjski), Tamara Franetović Felbinger (Eva), Ivana Lazar (Jelena), Ozren Bilušić (Gaspar Alapić), Damir Klačar (Lovro Juranić), Tvrtko Stipić (Vuk Paprutović), Ivjepan Čikeš (Sulejman.), Ivjepan Čikeš (Sulejman.) Franetović (Mehmed Sokolović), Neven Mrzlečki (Mustafa), Željko Grofelnik (Ali Portuk), Robert Palić (Ibrahim Begler-Beg), Davor Radić (Levi), Antonio Brajković (messenger).
Video; live from the Croatian National Theater in Zagreb .
Video stream at Operavision.
Web links
- Nikola Šubić Zrinski, Op.403 : Sheet music and audio files in the International Music Score Library Project
- Work information and video stream at Operavision. Video available until May 1st, 2020
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e f g Lucinde Lauer: Nikola Šubić-Zrinjski. In: Piper's Encyclopedia of Musical Theater . Volume 6: Works. Spontini - Zumsteeg. Piper, Munich / Zurich 1997, ISBN 3-492-02421-1 , pp. 774-776.
- ↑ a b work information and video stream at Operavision. accessed on April 22, 2020.
- ^ Poster of the world premiere.
- ↑ November 4, 1876: "Nikola Shubich Zrinjski". In: L'Almanacco di Gherardo Casaglia .
- ↑ a b Karsten Steiger: Opera discography. Directory of all audio and video recordings. 2nd, fully updated and expanded task. KG Sauer, Munich 2008/2011, ISBN 978-3-598-11784-8 , p. 609.
- ↑ a b Ivan Zajic. In: Andreas Ommer: Directory of all complete opera recordings (= Zeno.org . Volume 20). Directmedia, Berlin 2005.