Opera of the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb

Back in 1843, at the height of the Illyrian Revival, Ognjan Štriga, an ardent Illyrian and musician, persuaded the dramatist Janko Car to write a libretto for Vatroslav Lisinski’s first Croatian opera. Dimitrije Demeter later revised the libretto, and Lisinski composed the first Croatian opera in two acts, Love and Malice, premiered on March 28, 1846. The cast included Croatian singers, all trained amateurs – Sidonija Rubido, Ljudevit Pichler, Kamilo Wiesner Livadić, Alberto Ognjan Štriga and Franjo Störger Stazić. After the Drama gained linguistic and artistic autonomy in 1860, the genre of folk plays with singing helped form the core of a theatre orchestra, and drama actors with singing potential enabled the emergence of operetta.

Thanks to Freudenreich, on November 8, 1863 the first operetta in the Croatian language was performed – Offenbach’s Le Mariage aux Lanternes – and in 1868 the Croatian operetta Sailors and Pupils by Ivan Reyschil. From then on, the core of a future opera ensemble was formed (soloists – choir – orchestra). During his short mandate, August Šenoa worked to secure the arrival of the established operetta composer and conductor Ivan pl. Zajc from Vienna in order to organise a permanent Croatian Opera. Under Zajc’s leadership, the Opera officially began its continuous work with the premiere of his Mislav on October 2, 1870. As director, Zajc introduced around fifty operas and ten operettas to the repertoire, mostly by major composers (G. Verdi, V. Bellini, G. Donizetti, C. M. Weber, F. Suppé, W. A. Mozart, V. Lisinski and B. Smetana), and several works from his own extensive oeuvre were also performed (Ban Leget, Nikola Šubić Zrinjski, Lizinka, Zlatka…). Zajc shaped the musical-stage art of the Opera and laid the foundations for its professional development: the first Croatian professional singers emerged, while the ensemble was further strengthened by the arrival of foreign artists. In this initial phase, outstanding artists included Josip Kašman, Milka Trnina, Franjo Störger Stazić, Ilma Murska-Pukšec, Matilda Mallinger-Schimmelpfenig and Irma Terputec-Terée. Ivan pl. Zajc headed the Opera until 1889, when it was abolished for the first time, despite its great popularity. Musical-stage continuity was maintained through stagione seasons and tours.

The Opera was re-established by Stjepan Miletić: for one year it was led by Franjo Rumpel, while a new flourishing began under the conductor Nikola Faller, who from 1896 to 1901 significantly expanded the repertoire with works by Beethoven, Wagner, Tchaikovsky, Bizet, Puccini and Massenet, and with the premiere of Lisinski’s Porin in 1897, as well as works by Croatian and Slovenian composers such as Bersa, Parma, Vilhar Kalski and Albini.

The Opera was abolished for the second time in 1902, but its uninterrupted continuity – definitively established in 1909 – has continued to this day, largely thanks to the general manager Vladimir Treščec. From 1909, the third period of the Zagreb Opera began, led by the composer Srećko Albini (1909 – 1918), marking the start of its final affirmation in national and international contexts. A break with Romantic opera tradition came around 1911 with key modern works of Croatian operatic music – Fire by Blagoje Bersa and The Return by Josip Hatze. Alongside Srećko Albini, Nikola Faller and Milan Zuna, conductors such as Milan Sachs, Krešimir Baranović and Friderik Rukavina also gained prominence. Direction became increasingly important in operatic production, so Ivo Raić was the first in a line of directors – including Branko Gavella and Tito Strozzi – who worked in both drama and opera, as did set designers such as Branimir Šenoa, Tomislav Krizman, Ljubo Babić and Marijan Trepše. The ensemble included outstanding singers such as Maja Strozzi Pečić, Vera Schwarz, Irma Polak and Josip Križaj.

During World War I, works by Božidar Širola, Fran Lhotka and Petar Konjović entered the repertoire, and Marta Pospišil Ivanov, Ljubica Oblak Strozzi and Josip Rijavec joined the ensemble. During Benešić’s era, under the leadership of the composer and conductor Petar Konjović, the national and Slavic repertoire dominated – with premieres of works by Antun Dobronić and Lujo Šafranek Kavić, and performances of operas by Musorgsky, Borodin, Rimsky-Korsakov and Smetana.

The period between the two world wars, from 1929 to 1940, when artistic leadership of the Opera was held by the composer Krešimir Baranović, is considered a distinct era marked by an exceptionally diverse repertoire and high European standards of interpretation. A range of contemporary modern operas were performed, as well as the first three parts of Wagner’s The Ring of the Nibelung. The Croatian repertoire also expanded: alongside works by Konjović, Dobronić, Šafranek Kavić and Odak, Tijardović’s operettas The Split Aquarelle and Little Floramye were performed as well. In 1935, Jakov Gotovac’s Ero the Joker had its world premiere. Works by Jakov Gotovac, Krešimir Baranović, Krsto Odak and Boris Papandopulo were crucial to the development of Croatian opera and music in general.

After World War II, the Opera was led by the conductor Milan Sachs (1945 – 1955), whose mandate is regarded as one of its most brilliant eras. New works by Gotovac, Tijardović and Brkanović had their world premieres, as did contemporary works by Britten, Ravel and Stravinsky.

In the late 1950s, the artistic and aesthetic approach to directing and staging changed significantly. With its guest performances in London in 1955, the Opera began a series of international tours. Since the arrival of tenor Jussi Björling in 1954, a continuous series of guest appearances by great singers on the CNT stage in Zagreb has unfolded and continues to this day.

The Opera achieved major international success under the leadership of Ivo Vuljević (1959 – 1965). Some of the anthological productions included Prokofiev’s Betrothal in a Monastery, Shostakovich’s Katerina Izmailova, and Musorgsky’s Boris Godunov. Works such as Prokofiev’s War and Peace were also performed.

From the 1970s to the present day, across the various repertoire concepts of Zagreb Opera directors, many internationally acclaimed Croatian artists have appeared in numerous productions and roles. In the 1980s, Norma sung by Ljiljana Molnar Talajić, as well as performances of Walküre and Das Rheingold, were of particular significance.

During the Patriotic War, the focus shifted to Croatian works, and the ensemble has continued to be renewed with new generations of singers up to the present day.

Throughout the history of the Opera, the features of the ‘iron’, Croatian, foreign and contemporary repertoire have been continuously shaped by different artistic concepts, supported by strong international presence and exchange.