The Management of Opera

The book discusses key issues related to the operatic production systems in the theatres of Istria, Rijeka and Dalmatia between 1861 and 1918, at the light of multicultural networks of impresarios, theatre managers, singers, musicians and publishers. The rich, unpublished documentation from the archives and libraries of Pula, Rijeka, Zadar, Šibenik, Split and Dubrovnik provided for the first time a comprehensive overview of the theatres of these cities in terms of organisational practices, procedures and customs. Cristina Scuderi has examined the mechanisms of subsidies to opera seasons on the basis of the activity of the financing bodies in the area and on the basis of the role played by the box holders and actionists. The occurrence and amount of endowment or the lack of public funding determined the type and quality of performances, which depended also on the type of impresario chosen by the theatre management. Agents also played an important part in the organisational process, as an element of personnel conveyance and an important contact with the publishing houses. Moreover, the book examines the mediation strategies implemented and the way in which the overall communication process between the parties was structured. The author carried out an important census of locally active impresarios and agents, identifying who personally managed the complex opera networks. The analysis of hundreds of letters, a true evidence of the constant exchange between impresarios and theatre managements, has allowed an in-depth examination of the opera season proposals, answering to a wide set of question, starting from: What were the most common requests that impresarios made to theatre managements? What were the conditions imposed by the latter? Who won the tender? And on the basis of which criteria were these contracts assigned? The detailed mapping of the operatic repertoire performed in the specific localities indicates the alternation of Italian, French or German titles in the playbills, as well as the movements of stage material and artistic personnel. The contracts and payment receipts revealed the actual working conditions of the time, leading to a more general understanding on the professional advantages and disadvantages faced by singers and musicians performing at these theatres. Micro-histories and concrete case studies in this research are intertwined with a wider macro-historical perspective, offering a stimulating new viewpoint on the life in the late Habsburg Empire and on the lively cultural mix generated through the coexistence of Slavic, Latin and Germanic elements.