VALENTYNO SERMATTEI’S PRIVATE ITALIAN MANAGEMENT AT ODESA OPERA HOUSE (1857 – 1859)

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.31318/0130-5298.2019.0.45.190007

Keywords:

V. Sermattei’s Italian enterprise, Odesa city theatre, opera performing arts, opera repertoire, repertoire policy, musical-critical thoughts

Abstract

The relevance of the paper. The Italian Opera of Odesa from its foundation in the beginning of the 19th century became an integral part of the city cultural life. The authorities annually allocated huge amounts of subsidies to support the existence of an Italian troupe in the local theatre. During and after the Eastern War of 1854-57, the city budget suffered from an economic downturn, which is why the Italian opera gradually lost its urban source of funding – from 1855 the usual practice of the Italian opera troupe foreign engagement was discontinued. In such circumstances, the only way to organize theatrical performances was to rent a free theatre hall by various touring troupes. F. Berger’s private Italian opera enterprise acted in Odesa on the basis of the lease, in particular, during the period from 1856 to the spring 1857. After its departure, the city stayed without Italian opera. For the next two theatrical seasons the municipal authorities were again forced to offer the lease of the theatre to another Italian impresario V. Sermattei. A certain period in the history of Odesa Italian opera was one of the poor investigated ones: there missed a piece of information about the artistic composition of the troupe, repertoire policy and peculiarities of entrepreneur’s organizational activities; it is necessary to verify the Italian artistes’ valuations made by local and Italian music critics.

The objectives of the study is to investigate V. Sermattei’s Odesa private enterprise activities on the stage and its socio-cultural dimensions through the prism of music-critical discourse.

The methodology involves the semiotic-hermeneutic method (to analyze the peculiarities of scenic directing, the specifics of musical-critical thought, the audience reactions and preferences as a text of culture and its hermeneutic comprehension); bio-bibliographical method (for clarifying and combining the facts of Italian singers’ life and creative activity in Italy and abroad, in particular, in Ukraine); cultural-historical method (allows to study V. Sermattei’s Italian troupe scenic activities as a social phenomenon, contributed to the dissemination of Italian opera achievements in the local musical and theatrical environment).

Findings and conclusions. V. Sermattei’s enterprise during 1857-59 gained peculiarities connected with the specificity of its financing. As the profit was constituted with season ticket and entrance fees only, the entrepreneur sought to profit by saving money on performances (props, scenery), reducing the cost of soloists, choirs and orchestra musicians engaging, as well as increasing the number of premieres performed in the theatre repertoire. The austerity mode had a negative effect on the engaged soloists’ scenic qualities, many of whom had no stage experience, so they were unable to perform the popular Verdi’s repertoire, also it led to reducing a number of choirsingers and orchestra musicians.

The accelerated pace for new performances preparation influenced the directorate coursed the operas being staged without proper rehearsals, so the performers felt uncertain on stage, made mistakes and, as a consequence, exposed to fair criticism. Instead, the music reviews, being published in local newspapers, gained professionalism, first of all, thanks to P. Sokalsky’s, S. Schiff’s and other music correspondents having had special music education publications. News columns devoted to the Italian troupe performances testified to their authors’ deep awareness in the field of the opera history, vocal performance art, contemporary trends in music development in general. The Italian artists’ performances are analyzed in music-critical articles according to the texts of the original operatic scores, often several author’s editions are taken into consideration. The singers’ vocal and acting talents, revealed at Odesa premieres, local musicologists often compared with the eminent Italian artistes’ performances, which they succeeded to see at famous Europe theatres.

Author Biography

Kostyantyn Batsak, Arts at Borys Grinchenko Kyiv University

PhD in History, Associate Professor, Director

References

Varvartsev, M. M. (2000). Italians in the cultural space of Ukraine (the end of 18th – 20-es 20 ) [Italijci v kul’turnomu prostori Ukrayiny’ (kinecz’ XVIII – 20-ti rr. XX st.)], historicbiographical investigation (Dictionary). Kyiv, 324 p. [in Ukrainian].

Volosatov, E. (1857). Primadonna Orecchia [Primadonna Orekk'ja]. Odesa Herald [Odesskij vestnik], 145, December 31 [in Russian].

Dnestrovskij. (1857). Opera in Odesa. Article 1 [Opera v Odesse.Stat'ja 1]. Odesa Herald [Odesskij vestnik], 133, November 26 [in Russian].

Dnestrovskij. (1857). Opera in Odesa. Article 2. «Linda de Chamounix» December 10, 12 [Opera v Odesse. Stat’ja 2. «Linda di Shamuni» 10 i 12 dekabrja]. Odesa Herald [Odesskij vestnik], 142, Dicember 19 [in Russian].

[Mayor of Odessa P. Mestmacher’s address to the Novorossiysk Governor-General O. Stroganov of March 18, 1858 with a proposal for the City Theatre financial support]. [Proyekt koshtory’su vy’trat na utry’mannya koshtom mista teatral’nogo orkestru, podany’j odes’ky’m gradonachal’ny’kom P. Mestmaxerom Novorosijs’komu i Bessarabs’komu general-gubernatoru O. Strogonovu 18 bereznya 1858 roku] (1858). State Archive of Odessa Region. Fund 1. Notitia 196. File 11, p. 1-2. [in Russian].

Avaliani, S. L. (ed., 1913). From K.E. Andreevskij’s Archive. K.E. Andreevskij’s Memoirs [Iz arhiva K.Je. Andreevskogo. Zapiski Je.A. Andreevskogo], in 3 vols, vol.1. Odesa: Tip. Juzhno-Russkogo Obshhestva Pechatnogo Dela, 373 p. [In Russian].

Italian troupe in Odesa [Ital'janskaja truppa v Odesse]. (1858). Odesa Herald [Odesskij vestnik], 2, Jenuary 7 [in Russian].

[К.]. (1858). Feuilleton [Fel'eton]. Odesa Herald [Odesskij vestnik], 3, Jenuary 9 [in Russian].

[К.]. (1858). Feuilleton [Fel'eton]. Odesa Herald [Odesskij vestnik], 9, Jenuary 23 [in Russian].

[К.]. (1858). Feuilleton [Fel'eton]. Odesa Herald [Odesskij vestnik], 33, March 22 [in Russian].

[К.]. (1858). Feuilleton [Fel'eton]. Odesa Herald [Odesskij vestnik], 46, April 26 [in Russian].

[К.]. (1858). Feuilleton [Fel'eton]. Odesa Herald [Odesskij vestnik], 54, May 17 [in Russian].

[К.]. (1858). Feuilleton [Fel'eton]. Odesa Herald [Odesskij vestnik], 63, June 7 [in Russian].

[К.]. (1858). Feuilleton [Fel'eton]. Odesa Herald [Odesskij vestnik], 64, June 10 [in Russian].

“Lucia di Lammermoor”, December 19 [«Ljuchija di Lammermur» 19 dekabrja]. (1857). Odesa Herald [Odesskij vestnik],143, December 21 [in Russian].

К...о. (1858). Feuilleton [Fel'eton]. Odesa Herald [Odesskij vestnik], 70, June 24 [in Russian].

К...о. (1858). Feuilleton [Fel'eton]. Odesa Herald [Odesskij vestnik], 78, July 12 [in Russian].

Ostrouhova, N. V. (2013). Odesa Opera House in historical space and time. [Odesskiy opernyiy teatr v istoricheskom prostranstve i vremeni]. The first book: 1804–1873. Odesa: Astroprint, 392 p. [in Russian].

[Draft estimate of the cost of maintaining the city with a theatre orchestra, submitted by Odesa Mayor P. Mestmacher to Novorossiysk and Bessarabia Governor-General O. Strohonov, March 18, 1858].[Zvernennya odes’kogo gradonachal’ny’ka P. Mestmaxera do Novorosijs’kogo general-gubernatora O. Strogonova vid 18 bereznya 1858 roku z propozy’ciyeyu finansovoyi pidtry’mky’ mis’kogo teatru] (1858). State Archive of Odessa Region. Fund 1. Notitia 196. File 11, p. 3. [in Russian].

Rogali, S. (1858). Feuilleton [Fel’eton]. Odesa Herald [Odesskij vestnik], 91, August 12 [in Russian].

Rogali, S. (1858). Feuilleton [Fel’eton]. Odesa Herald [Odesskij vestnik], 94, August 21 [in Russian].

Rogali, S. (1858). Feuilleton [Fel’eton]. Odesa Herald [Odesskij vestnik], 106, September 20 [in Russian].

Shiff, Seimour. (1858). We can congratulate Italian opera directorate... [My mozhem pozdravit’ direkciju ital’janskoj opery...]. Odesa Herald [Odesskij vestnik], 63, June 7 [in Russian].

H. M. Milan Conservatory Men and Women Vocals Graduate Students from 1851 to 1857 [Allieve ed allievi di canto usciti dall’I.R. Conservatorio di Milano dall’anno 1851 al 1857]. (1858). Imp [Farfarello], 41, July 31 [In Italian].

Ambìveri, Corrado. (1998). Exiguous Italian Opera Singers of the Nineteenth Century [Operisti minori dell’ottocento italiano]. Roma: Gremese editore, 160 p. [In Italian].

Read in newspaper I Teatri... [Leggesi nel giornale I Teatri...] (1856). Theatre newspaper [Gazzetta dei Teatri], 46, August 25 [In Italian].

Melzi, Lodovico. (1873). Historical Notes about Regio Consrvatory of Music in Milan [Cenni storici sul Regio Conservatorio di Musica in Milano]. Milano: Ricordi,. 96 p. [In Italian].

Miscellany [Miscellanea] (1858). Musical Italy [L’Italia musicale], 33, April 24 [In Italian].

Miscellany [Miscellanea] (1858). Musical Italy [L’Italia musicale], 7, January 23 [In Italian].

News [Notizie]. (1857). The Glory [La Fama], 82, October 12 [In Italian].

News [Notizie]. (1858). The Glory [La Fama], 92, November 18 [In Italian].

Odesa [Odessa]. (1858). Pictorial cosmorama [Cosmorama pittorico], 21, March 13 [In Italian].

Odesa [Odessa]. (1858). Pictorial cosmorama [Cosmorama pittorico], 43, June 26 [In Italian].

Odesa [Odessa]. (1858). Pictorial cosmorama [Cosmorama pittorico], 44, June 30 [In Italian].

Odesa [Odessa]. (1858). Pictorial cosmorama [Cosmorama pittorico], 55, August 9 [In Italian].

Odesa [Odessa]. (1858). Musical Italy [L’Italia musicale], 19, March 7 [In Italian].

Odesa [Odessa]. (1858). Musical Italy [L’Italia musicale], 51, June 26 [In Italian].

Odesa [Odessa]. (1859). Musical Italy [L’Italia musicale], 5, January 20 [In Italian].

Odesa [Odessa]. (1859). Musical Italy [L’Italia musicale], 10, February 15 [In Italian].

Odesa [Odessa]. (1857). The Glory [La Fama], 101, December 17 [In Italian].

Odesa [Odessa]. (1857). The Glory [La Fama], 102, December 21 [In Italian].

Odesa [Odessa]. (1858). The Glory [La Fama], 54, July 8 [In Italian].

Odesa [Odessa]. (1858). The Glory [La Fama], 62, August 5 [In Italian].

Odesa [Odessa]. (1858). The Glory [La Fama], 68, August 26 [In Italian].

Odesa [Odessa]. (1858). The Glory [La Fama], 72, September 9 [In Italian].

Odesa [Odessa]. (1858). Theatres, Arts and Literature [Teatri, arti e letteratura], 70, 1758, September 9 [In Italian].

The First representation of «Ebreo», liric tragedy, Josef Apolloni’s music [Premiѐ re representation de l’Ebreo, tragédie lyrique, musique de Josef Apolloni]. (1858). Theatres, Arts and Literature [Teatri, arti e letteratura], 70, 1759, September 16 [In French].

The First representation of «The Puritans». Mss Virginia Pozzi’s debut [Premiѐre representation des Puritains. Debut de Mlle Virginie Pozzi] (1858) Theatres, Arts and Literature [Teatri, arti e letteratura], 69, 1749, July 8 [In French].

Recent angagements [Recenti scritture]. (1857). The Glory [La Fama], 84, October 19 [In Italian].

Recent angagements [Recenti scritture]. (1857). The Glory [La Fama], 85, October 22 [In Italian].

Recent angagements [Recenti scritture]. (1858). The Glory [La Fama], 11, February 8 [In Italian].

Recent angagements [Recenti scritture]. (1858). The Glory [La Fama], 15, February 22 [In Italian].

Recent angagements [Recenti scritture]. (1858). The Glory [La Fama], 35, March 3 [In Italian].

Sparks. Odesa [Scintille. Odessa] (1858) The Glory [La Fama], 91, November 15 [In Italian].

Published

2019-12-27

Issue

Section

Історія музичного мистецтва