Musical and theatrical genres. Musical and theatrical genres What is operetta presentation

Operetta is light, entertaining in nature, it can never be a tragedy, most often operetta is a parody. Although the operetta contains arias, duets, choir scenes and solo parts of individual instruments, they perform simple parts, most often of a dance or song nature.

Imre Kalman "Circus Princess"

Jacques Offenbach "Orpheus in Hell" Cancan

"A musical (sometimes called a musical comedy) is a musical and stage work in which dialogues, songs, music, dances are intertwined, and the plot is usually simple. Many genres have had a great influence on the musical: operetta, comic opera, vaudeville. How separate genre theatrical arts has not been recognized for a long time and is still not recognized by everyone.

The musical is a staged genre; work on each project begins with writing a play. The production of the play is carried out by the stage director. Choreographers and singing specialists can also participate in the production.

The musical is one of the most commercial theater genres. This is due to its entertainment value, the variety of themes for production, and the unlimited choice of means of expression for the actors.

When staging musicals, crowd scenes with singing and dancing are often used, and various specials are often used. effects.

I. Strauss operetta “Die Fledermaus”

“Die Fledermaus” is a classic example of a dance operetta, glorifying bright emotions, love experiences and family vicissitudes to solemn tunes waltz And polkas. The musical work, created by the famous Austrian composer Johann Strauss Jr. in the 19th century, continues to enjoy success and sympathy among theater audiences. The melodramatic and comedic style of the operetta, permeated with filigree irony and subtle humor, is easily perceived by the viewer, and pleasant, unobtrusive music creates a feeling of celebration, intrigue and happiness.

The plot of the work “The Bat” is always relevant, because it describes eternal problems family life, marital relationships, love and jealousy, joy and disappointments. The piquant situation in which the main characters of the work find themselves opens up the whole palette of emotions for the viewer. The unfaithful Eisenstein will have to fall in love with his own wife, who appears in the form of a beautiful stranger, and the charming Rosalind will have to comprehend new facets of female wisdom and charm in order to revive her old feelings and preserve the family hearth.

Characters

Description

Heinrich von Eisenstein tenor baron convicted of treason
Rosalind soprano Baroness, wife of Eisenstein
Adele soprano Rosalind's maid
Alfred tenor Rosalind's secret admirer
Falk baritone Eisenstein's comrade who set up the prank
Franc baritone prison director
Blind tenor Eisenstein human rights activist
Prince Orlovsky mezzo-soprano owner of the palace where the masquerade took place

Summary


The first part of the work takes place in Eisenstein's house. Alfred sings a love serenade to Rosalind. The maid Adele laughs at the unhappy lover and reads a letter from her sister with an invitation to a ball with Prince Orlovsky. The girl dreams of an acting career and meeting an influential theater patron comes in handy. Adele takes time off from Rosalind under the pretext of the illness of a close relative and goes to the masquerade with her sister.

At this time, the owner of the house, Eisenstein, appears with lawyer Blindy. The trial was a fiasco and now Azeinstein is forced to spend eight days in prison for fighting. After a stormy discussion with the client, the lawyer leaves. Suddenly, Dr. Falk appears and invites Azeistein to the ball. The crafty husband tells Rosalind that he is going to prison, while he himself, meanwhile, goes to a masquerade. After he leaves, Alfred comes to Rosalind to once again confess his love. At this moment, prison director Frank appears with the intention of taking Eisenstein with him. Afraid of compromising his beloved, Alfred poses as the convicted Eisenstein and leaves with Frank.

Second act The operetta is full of bright events, intrigues and revelations. Doctor Falk promises Prince Orlovsky real entertainment. The prank is revenge on Eisenstein for an unsuccessful mockery of his comrade. Once, after a masquerade, he left a drunken Falk to sleep on a bench in a bat costume, and today his unfaithful friend will pay in full for his rash act.

Falk planned everything carefully; he came up with new roles for the invited guests. Adele appears as talented actress, Eisenstein introduces himself as the French Marquis Renard, and Frank introduces himself as the French Chevalier. Having recognized Adele, Eiseinstein is discouraged, but the most interesting is yet to come.

The climax of the plot is the arrival of the guest of honor - a mysterious masked Hungarian countess. This is Rosalind. She is also invited to a masquerade and is surprised to meet her husband, the maid and Frank without giving herself away. Suspecting nothing, Eisenstein courtes a stranger, invites her on a date and asks her to show her face. The “Countess” refuses to take off her mask and takes the watch from the “Marquis” in love, by which he recognizes her the next time they meet.

Third act takes place in prison. By morning, Eisenstein comes here and sees Alfred behind bars. Jealous husband demands clarification from his wife, who also came to prison to restore justice. In response to suspicions, Rosalind shows the watch given to the Hungarian countess. Eisenstein is exposed, and Falk finally takes revenge for the insult to the “bat”. Prince Orlovsky thanks Falk for the fun evening and promises to contribute to the development acting Adele. Eisenstein's lawyer reports his acquittal, and Rosalind generously forgives her frivolous but very beloved husband.

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Interesting facts

  • There is a version that when writing the work “The Bat”, Johann Strauss I took a real incident from life. Popular rumor told the story of an unfaithful husband who did not recognize his wife in a masquerade mask and was captivated by her charm and mystery.
  • In 1979, Roland Petit staged a ballet version of the operetta. The premiere took place in Marseille. The author has made minor changes to the plot of the work, in particular there is a change in the names of the main characters and the location of events. So, for example, Eisenstein became Johann, his wife became Bella, and Falk renamed himself Ulrich. The action takes place in Paris. Most important role The production focuses on Bohemian dance.
  • The play “The Chiming Clock,” taken as the basis for the operetta “The Bat,” has undergone many changes. It was planned to transform the plot in such a way that it would have a “Viennese” character. Significant role in the creation current work played by the talented playwright and composer R. Genet. The original play with French motifs was significantly changed and received a new title: “Nobody Loves a Bat.” For the sake of the Viennese public, he appeared in the script new character- joker and merry fellow, Doctor Falk. One day, Strauss's friend, Gustav Levy, read the play and advised R. Genet to give the work to the “waltz king.”
  • While working on the operetta, Strauss abandoned parody and satire and performed the work in the style of a comic Italian opera.
  • The operetta “Die Fledermaus” especially glorifies female character, emphasizes the charm and wisdom of the fair sex. The composer created the plot in such a way as to arouse the viewer's interest in the two main female roles.
  • Many experts believe that the famous Austrian composer Johann Strauss is a pioneer in the field of dance operetta.
  • According to some historians, the first wife of the great composer Johann Strauss, Henrietta Trefz, advised her husband to try his hand at operetta and encouraged him to work on musical works. Opera singer She was actively involved in copying sheet music and preparing her husband for the tour. According to another version French composer Jacques Offenbach suggested that Strauss stop working on waltzes and create operettas. Since then, Strauss has written sixteen operettas, and Die Fledermaus is the third.
  • “The Bat” was filmed approximately 20 times and rightfully gained worldwide popularity. The first films appeared in 1917. Then artistic productions were dumb.
  • In 1918, asteroid 900 Rosalinde was discovered. The space object was named after the main character of the operetta.
  • In 1942, the musical “Rosalida”, based on the work “Die Fledermaus,” was released.
  • The first productions of the operetta were not successful, but one favorable review was published in the Morgenpost newspaper (Berlin). The author of the publishing house jokingly stated that while watching the operetta it is easy to get seasick from the rhythmic swaying of the audience in time to the melodic sounds. Indeed, Strauss is considered the king of the waltz, which is why dance motifs predominate in the operetta.
  • In 1975, in the book " star clock operetta" by A. Vladimirskaya mentions the musical work "The Bat". The author noted that the theater had never heard such sunny and cheerful melodies.
  • IN recent years Throughout his life, Johann Strauss made few appearances in public and almost never left his home. However, on the day of the 25th anniversary of the musical work “The Bat,” the composer made an exception. On the occasion of the celebration, he was invited as a conductor. Unfortunately, the elderly musician did not calculate his strength and was too zealous during the performance. On the way home, Strauss caught a cold. Due to a cold, pneumonia began, and the great maestro’s heart stopped on June 30, 1899.
Strauss, therefore, “The Bat” was written with exceptional inspiration and completed in the shortest possible time. It took the composer only 6 weeks or 42 nights to complete the work. Karl Haffner and Richard Genet worked on the libretto.

On April 5, 1874, the operetta was presented, but at first it was not accompanied by enthusiastic applause from the audience. Critics considered the performance banal and mediocre and, thus, influenced the general opinion of the public. Participants in the production expected greater success, but Strauss himself was not very upset by this result. The play was staged another 17 times for the Viennese public, and in the summer of the same year the work was crowned with success in Berlin. Operetta triumphantly returned to the Viennese stage. Now the work receives high ratings and approving responses, it becomes a real “highlight” of the operetta stage.

Three years later, a remade version called “Gypsy” is presented in Paris. The performance wins long-awaited recognition among the audience different countries, including Australia and India. However, the operetta received real triumph only 20 years after its production in Hamburg. The European audience appreciated the comic performance, which became one of the most striking and representative theatrical works.

In Russia, “Die Fledermaus” is always a success. In capital cities theater stages the comedy appeared periodically: in 1933, then in 1962, and also in 1972. The latest version was directed by Georgy Anisimov.

In 1946, the comedy was presented in a new, original interpretation. The modified version by Mikhail Volpin and Nikolai Erdman served as the basis for a feature film.

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Italian operetta, French opérette, literally - small opera), view musical theater; a musical and stage work in which the dramatic basis is predominantly comedic and melodramatic in nature, and the dialogue is organically combined with vocal, musical and dance episodes, as well as concert-type orchestral fragments

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The origins of operetta go back centuries. Already in the ancient mysteries in honor of the god Dionysus, which are considered the prototype of European drama, one can identify some genre features of operetta: a combination of music with pantomime, dance, carnival and love intrigue. A noticeable influence on the general evolution of operetta was exerted by Greek comedy.

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On this day, J. Offenbach, a true Parisian, although a native of the German city of Cologne, opened his small theater on the Champs Elysees - "Bouffe Parisien". Over the next twenty years, he wrote and staged 89 operettas at the theater, including Orpheus in Hell (1858), Genevieve of Brabant (1859), Beautiful Elena (1864), Parisian life(1866). Offenbach, a superb theater composer - dynamic, cheerful, brilliant and elegant - created the operetta as an artistic entity and raised it to unsurpassed heights. Although Offenbach's followers in France included men of outstanding talent, their works enjoyed only temporary success. .

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The greatness and brilliance of the Viennese classical operetta, its main asset and its pride, is personified, of course, by J. Strauss Jr., whose phenomenal gift for creating magnificent, noble melodies was manifested in 479 works. Strauss first turned to the musical theater genre at the age of 46 (as they say, on the advice of Offenbach), having already famous composer, author of waltzes On the beautiful blue Danube, Tales of the Vienna Woods, Life of an artist. After two successful, but not very outstanding experiments (Indigo and the Forty Thieves, 1871, and the Roman Carnival, 1873), Strauss created a real masterpiece, highest achievement in the genre of operetta - bat(1874). The operetta was completed in 42 days and has since become the epitome of charm, fun and joy of life in good old Vienna. Among Strauss's other operettas, Night in Venice (1883) and The Gypsy Baron (1885) enjoyed the greatest success.

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In the 20th century, the appearance of Austrian operetta changed significantly. In the past, exclusively comic, the operetta has turned into a sensitive melodrama with slapstick and farcical elements. A new direction, called "neo-Viennese operetta", developed in the works of F. Legare, I. Kalman, L. Fall and others. The most striking operettas of neo Viennese school- “The Merry Widow”, “Count of Luxembourg”, “Gypsy Love” by F. Legare and “Gypsy Premier”, “Circus Princess”, “Princess Czardasha” (in the Russian version “Silva”), “Bayadera” and “Maritza” I. Kalman.

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Imre started playing music late and at first did not even imagine that he would be a musician. The parents wanted their son to become a lawyer, and the young man entered the Faculty of Law at the University of Budapest. But here it turned out that he liked to study music more than law. In addition, Kalman discovered brilliant musical abilities. After graduating from the first year of university, Imre entered the Budapest Academy of Music in the class of the famous pianist Franz Kesler. For the next year he studied in two places at the same time, but then decided to study only music. The parents were categorically against this decision of their son, considering music to be a frivolous activity.

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But Imre showed character and insisted on his own. He even had to leave his family and earn his own living. He wrote music for verses and boulevard songs, worked music critic in the newspapers.

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In 1906, Kalman was offered to write music for the play “The Legacy of Pereslen”. Soon the premiere took place in one of the Budapest theaters, which the audience received with delight. However, a few days later, the Austrian authorities banned the performance for its anti-government nature. As we found out, the reason for the ban was not only the content of the play, but also Kalman’s music, which, in the opinion of the censor, was too rich in Hungarian folk melodies. However, the director of the theater did not want to part with the young composer and ordered him the operetta “Autumn Motifs” based on a text written by the famous poet-librettist K. Bakone. The premiere of the play in Budapest was a triumph for the composer. Soon the operetta was staged in Vienna, and this meant the recognition of Kalman as a master of this genre.

Operetta (Italian operetta, literally small opera) is a genre of musical theater in which musical numbers alternate with dialogues without music. Operettas are written on a comic plot, the musical numbers in them are shorter than operatic ones, in general, the music of the operetta is light, popular, but directly inherits the traditions of academic music.

Origin

The origins of operetta go back centuries. Already in the ecstatic ancient mysteries in honor of the god Dionysus, which are considered the prototype of European drama, one can identify some genre features of operetta: a combination of music with pantomime, dance, buffoonery, carnival and love intrigue. Greek comedy, in particular the parodic comedies of manners of Aristophanes and Menander, as well as the Roman comedy of Plautus and Terence, had a noticeable influence on the general evolution of operetta; then comedic characters in medieval morality plays, mysteries and miracles. Following the emergence of serious opera around 1600, a new musical and theatrical genre called intermezzo appeared. “The Servant-Mistress” (1733) by G. Pergolesi is an example of intermezzo, which served as a model for subsequent works. The success of “The Maid-Madam” in Paris prompted J. J. Rousseau to develop this genre on the French stage. His "Village Sorcerer" (1752) is one of three sources, which form the basis of opéra-comique, French comic opera. Two other sources were the comedies-ballets of Moliere and J.B. Lully and vaudevilles staged in folk fair theaters.

Development of operetta in European countries

French operetta

The official birthday of the operetta is July 5, 1855. On this day, J. Offenbach, a true Parisian, although a native of the German city of Cologne, opened his small theater on the Champs-Elysees - “Bouffe-Parisien”. Over the next twenty years, he wrote and staged 89 operettas at the theater, including “Orpheus in Hell” (1858), “Genevieve of Brabant” (1859), “Beautiful Helen” (1864), “Parisian Life” (1866), “ The Grand Duchess of Gerolstein" (1867), "Pericola" (1868), "The Princess of Trebizond" (1869), "The Robbers" (1869) and "Madame Archiduk" (1874). Offenbach, a superb theater composer - dynamic, cheerful, brilliant and elegant - created the operetta as an artistic entity and raised it to unsurpassed heights. Although Offenbach's followers in France included men of outstanding talent, their works enjoyed only temporary success. Thus, F. Hervé (1825–1892) wrote “Mademoiselle Nitouche” (1883); C. Lecoq (1832–1918) – “Madame Ango’s Daughter” (1873) and “Giroflé-Giroflé” (1874); E. Audran (1842–1901) – “Mascott”; R. Plunkett (1848–1903) – “The Bells of Corneville” (1877) and A. Messager (1853–1929) – “Little Michaud” (1897) and “Veronica” (1898). These works end the golden age of French operetta.

Viennese classical operetta

The greatness and brilliance of the Viennese classical operetta, its main asset and its pride, is personified, of course, by J. Strauss Jr., whose phenomenal gift for creating magnificent, noble melodies was manifested in 479 works. Strauss first turned to the musical and theatrical genre at the age of 46 (as they say, on the advice of Offenbach), being already a world-famous composer, author of the waltzes “On the Beautiful Blue Danube”, “Tales of the Vienna Woods”, “Wine, Women and Songs” and "The Life of an Artist." After two successful, but not very outstanding experiments (Indigo and the Forty Thieves, 1871, and Roman Carnival, 1873), Strauss created a real masterpiece, the highest achievement in the operetta genre - Die Fledermaus (1874). The operetta was completed in 42 days and has since become the epitome of charm, fun and joy of life in good old Vienna. Among Strauss's other operettas, The Merry War (1881), Night in Venice (1883) and The Gypsy Baron (1885) enjoyed the greatest success. Strauss' followers were F. von Suppe (1819-1895) and K. Mielöcker (1842-1899), whose operettas also belong to the great Viennese tradition, although most of them are significantly outdated due to very weak librettos.

English operetta

The flourishing of English operetta is associated first and foremost with the 14 magnificent fruits of the immortal collaboration of W. Gilbert and A. Sullivan. Gilbert's satirical talent, combined with the grace of Sullivan's music, produced such truly inspired works as Her Majesty's Frigate Pinafore (1878), The Pirates of Penzance (1880), The Mikado (1885), The Guardsman (1888) and "The Gondoliers" (1889). Gilbert and Sullivan were followed by E. German (1862–1936) with his Merrie England (1902) and S. Jones (1869–1914), author of The Geisha (1896).

Viennese operetta of the twentieth century

In the period between the heyday of classical Viennese and the formation of modern Viennese operetta, high-quality works were created that brought income to theaters and even - in cases, for example, “The Bird Seller” (1891) by K. Zeller, “Ball at the Opera” (1898) by R. Heuberger , “The Tramp” (1900) by K. Zierer and “Beauty Women” (1901) by G. Reinhardt - had very definite merits. In these works, dance again comes first, the attribute light musical theater The transition to new century tastes was not sudden. Offenbach and Strauss used cancans, waltzes, polkas and marches not only to decorate their scores, but also for musical and dramatic purposes - to depict the situation and develop the action. By 1900, the use of dance rhythms as a means of dramatic expression had become a common practice. F. Lehár gave the above trend artistic significance. His Merry Widow (1905) is one of the most frequently performed operettas throughout the world. Here the composer caught the spirit of the times and gave it a convincing expression that will not fade with time. Lehár wrote another 24 operettas, among which the most notable are “The Count of Luxembourg” (1909), “Gypsy Love” (1910), “Paganini” (1925), “Frederica” (1928) and “The Land of Smiles” (1929). These works demonstrate the movement of operetta towards opera - a trend that turned out to be unfavorable for the life of operetta as a genre and ultimately led to its disappearance. About two dozen composers worked in Vienna at the same time as Lehár, and each of them became famous for something. This is L. Fall (1873–1925), who wrote “The Dollar Princess” (1907) and “Madame Pompadour” (1922); O. Strauss (1870–1954), author of “Dreams of a Waltz” (1907) and “The Chocolate Soldier” (1908); I. Kalman (1882–1953), author of the operettas “Gypsy Premier” (1912), “Queen of Csardas” (“Silva”) (1915) and “Countess Maritza” (1924).

Operetta in Russia

Until the 19th century There was practically no original Russian operetta. At this time, the domestic stage musical comedy in Russia was developing in the vaudeville genre, its main author was a playwright, and the musical numbers (dances and couplets) were of an applied, plug-in nature, unlike operetta, they did not so much serve to develop the action as illustrate it. A rarer variety musical performances of that time were the so-called "mosaics", the musical score of which was collected from popular works– romances and pop songs (“Russian romances in faces” and “Gypsy songs in faces” by Kulikov; “Hadji Murat” by Dekker-Schenk; “Snake” by Shpachek; “Night of Love” by Valentinov, etc.).

A special place was occupied by the young gypsy operetta. In the 80s and 90s of the 19th century, the gypsy troupe of Nikolai Ivanovich Shishkin staged two operettas that had great success and were therefore shown for many years: “Children of the Forests” and “ Gypsy life" The same troupe participated in the operettas “The Gypsy Baron” and “Gypsy Songs in Faces” along with the main actors of the theaters.

Russian composers at the turn of the 19th–20th centuries. they also sometimes turned to operetta, but these were only isolated attempts. So, for example, in 1913 A. Glazunov, who was at that time the rector of the St. Petersburg Conservatory, called the work “Arshin Mal Alan” written by the Azerbaijani student of the conservatory U. Gadzhibekov the first Russian operetta. In general, national operetta in Russia at the beginning of the 20th century. was in its infancy.

Soviet operetta

Composers N. Strelnikov and I. Dunaevsky are considered the founders of Soviet operetta.

Strelnikov, in developing his operettas, followed mainly the traditions of the Viennese school - both in music and in plot lines, creating a kind of buffe melodrama. His most famous operetta, “The Serf” (1929), is close in storyline and the musical structure of “The Circus Princess” by Kalman.

Dunaevsky actually revolutionized the genre, organically combining entertainment and ideological lines in the operetta. His first operettas “Both Ours and Yours” (1924) and “The Premier’s Career” (1925) were close to vaudeville, but the next one, “Grooms” (1927), marked a turn to the new, Soviet operetta style. It had a pronounced satirical and parodic orientation, ridiculing the traditional for that time negative characters- NEPmen and ordinary people, and parodying the neo-Viennese operetta (in particular, Lehár’s “The Merry Widow”). In the operetta “Knives” (1928), the satirical line was complemented by a lyrical line and the depiction of new goodies. An innovative technique was Dunaevsky’s use of a mass song in the operetta, often pathetic and even propaganda, which later became one of the most important expressive means musical dramaturgy of Soviet operetta. Dunaevsky’s most famous operettas are built on these principles - “Golden Valley” (1937), “Free Wind” (1947), “ White acacia"(1955). Dunaevsky’s talent as a composer made his music a popular favorite: perhaps the apotheosis of his creative method was the song “Wide is My Native Country,” first performed in 1936 in the film adaptation musical comedy“Circus” is essentially an operetta.

Emotionality, humor, entertainment combined with social optimism made Soviet operetta one of the most popular genres of theatrical art.

A serious event in the history of the genre was the appearance in 1937 of the operetta “Wedding in Malinovka” by B. Alexandrov, dedicated to civil war in Ukraine. This operetta was widely performed on stage until the early 1990s.

During the Great Patriotic War in the repertoire Soviet theaters operettas, works on a patriotic theme appeared: “The Girl from Barcelona” by Alexandrov (1942), “The Sea Spreads Wide” by Krutz, Minha and Vitlin (1942, revised by G. Sviridov - 1943), “The Tobacco Captain” (1944), etc. Leningrad Theater musical comedy worked in the besieged city throughout the blockade with his art helping Leningraders survive.

After the war, new names of composers appeared among the authors of operettas: Y. Milyutin (“Girl Trouble,” “Trembita,” “Chanita’s Kiss”), V. Solovyov-Sedoy (“The Most Treasured”), T. Khrennikov (“One Hundred Devils and One girl"), D. Kabalevsky ("Spring is Singing"), K. Listov ("Sevastopol Waltz"). Recognized masters of the genre continue to work actively: Dunaevsky (“Free Wind”, “White Acacia”), Sviridov (“Ogonki”). The great D. Shostakovich also paid tribute to the operetta - “Moscow, Cheryomushki” (1959).

History of operetta on stage Russian theaters

The history of stage operetta in Russia began with the production of Offenbach’s “Beautiful Helen” (1868, Alexandrinsky Theater). Since 1870, independent troupes have emerged, specializing in operetta, which staged mainly works by French and Austrian composers.

The entrepreneur, director and actor V. Lentovsky played a significant role in the formation and development of stage operetta in Russia. In 1878, he organized an enterprise in the genre of operetta in the Moscow summer garden "Hermitage" - a theater with big orchestra, choir and ballet. The performances combined bright pomp of design with high vocal and musical culture and convincing acting. His performances were very popular among both the mass public and artists. The Lentovsky Theater had a significant influence on the young K. Stanislavsky; his passion for theater began with operetta.

Following the Lentovsky Theater, operetta troupes appeared in St. Petersburg (the most famous in the 19th century were the Palace Theater and Summer Buff) and in the Russian provinces. The development of operetta in Russia at this time was associated with the names of such actors as A. Blumenthal-Tamarin, A. Bryansky, K. Grekov, A. Koshevsky, N. Monakhov, I. Vavich, V. Piontkovskaya, V. Shuvalova, E. Potopchina and others.

Important stage The development of operetta theater in Russia occurred in the 1920s. This was reflected in the New Economic Policy (NEP), adopted in 1921 by the Soviet government. Wealthy people again appeared in Russia, thirsting for entertainment. Under these conditions, the operetta genre became extremely popular. The basis of the performances was still not Russian, but classical operetta - most often French, but famous Russian directors turned to its productions. V. Nemirovich-Danchenko staged “Madame Ango’s Daughter” by Lecoq (1920) and “Pericola” by Offenbach at the Moscow Art Theater Music Studio, M. Tairov in Chamber Theater– “Giroflé-Giroflya” (1922) and “Day and Night” (1926) by Lecoq. The extreme popularity of the genre was reflected in the state cultural policy: in the late 1920s, one after another opened state theaters operettas. The first of them was the Khabarovsk Theater in 1926 (it was also called the Comic Opera Theater), then the Moscow Operetta Theater (1927), the Leningrad Musical Comedy Theater (1929), as well as theaters in Sverdlovsk, Voronezh, Ivanovo, Kharkov, Kyiv, Rostov -on-Don and other cities. However, the state cultural policy demanded a different, “non-bourgeois” repertoire, in front of Soviet composers The task was set to create a new operetta with new characters and new content.

In the formation and development of Russian operetta, a significant role was played by actors G. Yaron, N. Bravin, T. Bach, K. Novikova, Y. Alekseev, Z. Belaya, A. Feona, V. Kandelaki, T. Shmyga, N. Yanet, G. Ots, L. Amarfiy, V. Bateyko, M. Rostovtsev, G. Korchagina-Alexandrovskaya, G. Vasiliev, J. Zherder, Z. Vinogradova, B. Smolkin and many others. etc.

Around the mid-1960s, the clearly defined boundaries of the operetta genre began to gradually blur. Enriching the palette of their means of expression, theaters, along with classical operetta, began to turn to musical works other genres - rock opera, musical. This process of genre integration is not unique to Russia; it characterizes the development of theatrical and musical art throughout the world.

    OPERETTA - (Italian operetta, French opérette, literally - small opera), a type of musical theater; a musical and stage work in which the dramatic basis is predominantly comedic and melodramatic in nature, and the dialogue is organically combined with vocal, musical and dance episodes, as well as orchestral fragments of the concert type.


Origin

  • Origin. The origins of operetta go back centuries. Already in the ancient mysteries in honor of the god Dionysus, which are considered the prototype of European drama, one can identify some genre features of operetta: a combination of music with pantomime, dance, and carnival. The Greek comedy had a noticeable influence on the general evolution of operetta...


  • The official birthday of the operetta is July 5, 1855. On this day, J. Offenbach (1819–1880), a Parisian, although a native of the German city of Cologne, opened his small theater on the Champs-Elysees - “Bouffe-Parisienne”.

  • Over the next 20 years, he wrote and staged 89 operettas at the theater, including Orpheus in Hell (1858),

  • Genevieve of Brabant (1859),

  • Beautiful Elena (1864),

  • Parisian life (1866),

  • Grand Duchess of Gerolstein (1867),

  • Princess of Trebizond (1869),

  • Robbers(1869) and Madame Arshidyuk (1874).

  • Offenbach, a superb theater composer - dynamic, cheerful, brilliant and elegant - created the operetta as an artistic entity and raised it to unsurpassed heights.


  • The greatness and brilliance of the Viennese classical operetta, its main asset and its pride, is personified, of course, by J. Strauss the Younger (1825–1899), whose phenomenal gift for creating magnificent, noble melodies was manifested in 479 works.

  • Strauss first turned to the musical theater genre at the age of 46 (as they say, on the advice of Offenbach), being already a world-famous composer and author of waltzes On the beautiful blue Danube, Tales of the Vienna Woods. Strauss created a real masterpiece, the highest achievement in the genre of operetta - bat(1874). The operetta was completed in 42 days and has since become the epitome of charm, fun and joy of life in good old Vienna. Among the other Strauss operettas, the most successful were

  • Fun War (1881),

  • Night in Venice (1883)

  • Gypsy Baron (1885).