Seasons of the Italian opera in Odessa in 1855–1857: repertoire, performers reconstruction of the anthracite

Abstract

Relevance of the paper is to make a review of the Italian artistes’ and musicians’ activities on Odessa stage during 1855–1857.Objectives of the study include clarifying of conditions for the organization of performances by Italian artistes and musicians in Odessa during 1855–1857, in conditions of the absence of theatre financing by the city authorities, the identification of the opera troupe-staff in 1856/1857, the study of the singers’ vocal and scenic virtues and the reconstruction of the operatic repertoire. In this context, it is also important to reconstruct the creative biographies of opera soloists, to determine their performance influence on Odessa musical and theatrical environment formation and, as a result of their touring activities, on other Ukrainian cities one.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); biographical 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 F. Berger’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. It was clarified that the musical-theatrical activity in Odessa in 1855–1866 without city theatre annual financing by the municipality has not been actually stopped. Musicians, choir singers and some secondary soloists, who stayed in the city, participated in concerts at the theatre and in the city stock exchange hall. Later they have formed an Odessa troupe under F. Berger’s leading, since the beginning in summer 1856, together with the artistes who came from Italy. This troupe, singing on the city theatre stage for nine months, offered spectators the Italian composers’ popular opera repertoire, in which dominated G. Verdi’s and G. Donizetti’s works. The long pauses in the Italian troupe activities during the season, the reduction of operatic scores were caused by soloists’ limited performance abilities, since among artistes were not singers to perform soprano and contralto leading parties, as well as for a long time, were not the first bass and baritone. F. Berger’s troupe Odessa theatrical season became a peculiar test of performances and organizational opportunities for Italian opera performances in small troupes in other Ukrainian cities and towns. Presenting soon opera and concert performance programs in Kremenchuk, Poltava and Kharkiv, “strolling” F. Berger’s troupe, despite the performers’ composition heterogeneity, has popularized the best Italian operatic art achievements.