Opera and the idea of self-representation in Southeast Europe

The project will map the twofold process of the creation of self-representation imbedded in the opera trends of Southeast Europe before World War II. The first stage in the process was the adoption of the Italian, German, French, and also Russian and Czech opera into the national areas in Southeast Europe. The second stage consisted of the adjustment of the imported (musical) models to national demands for establishing and profiling a national opera aiming for self-representation as explicated in the contemporaneous music historiography. The opera - as a work of art, and as an institution - was at the same time signified by and the signifier of the complex identity network. I will show how the two models of national identity in constructing self-representation through opera in Croatia/Slovenia and Serbia/Bulgaria functioned,. These regions represented different cultural models, being Ottoman and Habsburg provinces and influenced as well the Eastern Orthodox and the Roman Catholic religion. Contextual bridges will be also made to trends in Romania and Greece. The cultural life in the Vojvodina, Croatia, Slovenia, and Transylvania - which were provinces of the Monarchy - developed in continuing the long tradition and their institutions, such as Musikvereine, municipal orchestras, theatres, conservatories as extensions of trends in Central Europe. The musical life in the Southeastern parts of Europe, which was under the Ottoman administration, had to be built anew from the beginning after the long interruption in the institutional musical life. By the interwar period opera production gradually became richer, and during the 1920s and the 1930s some of the most significant representatives of the Southeast European music, or even musicology, who came to the scene were opera composers (J. Hatze, J. Gotovac, P. Konjovi?, S. Hristi?, M. Kogoj, S. Osterc, P. Vladigerov, L. Pipkov). The lack of the edited and published scores, as well as the recordings was an obstacle for the study of their works, so that some of these operas will be studied for the first time. The very process of defining and redefining the self-representation in the context of the national and global culture will be seen through the opera and compositional devices presenting the characters of the operas in accordance to the contexts mentioned (ranging from typicised national heroes to the individuals and their complex psychological states). It will be investigated from the interdisciplinary (theories of identity in the framework of cultural, colonial and postcolonial studies, including sociological, then the theories on media, nationalism, gender studies, and also semiotical and postsemiotical theories of musical discourse through determined topoi), trans-regional and trans- national point of view.

This project considered Southeast European opera as a work of art, and as an institution from different perspectives, including construction of national identity, cultural memory and, as a result, the self-representation. It shows how two models of national identity functioned in Croatia and Slovenia in comparison with Serbia and Bulgaria, and with some references to Greece and Romania. These regions represented different cultural models, being the Ottoman or Habsburg provinces, as well as Roman Catholic or Eastern Orthodox respectively. While the cultural life in the provinces of the Habsburg Monarchy developed as a continuation of a long tradition, and their institutions (such as Musikvereine, municipal orchestras, theatres, conservatories) were an extension of trends in Central Europe, in the Ottoman provinces it had to be newly created. By the interwar period opera production gradually became richer, and during the 1920s and 1930s came to the scene some of the most significant Southeast European composers, who included also opera in their production. Hence, the first stage in the process of establishing opera and its place in musical life of Southeast Europe was the adoption of the Italian, German, French, and also Russian and Czech models. The second stage was consisted of the adjustment of the imported (musical) models to national demands for establishing and profiling the national traditions of opera aimed for self-representation and explicated in music historiography too.The topic of numerous operas, ranging from the struggle for liberation to love stories, often assumed two national groups, presenting a given nation and its enemies, often embodied in Turks (exoticism, orientalism). However, although the (Ottoman) Other was depicted in Southeast European operas in a negative way, it was still significantly different from the Western, being in the same time the respected and the same strong male military hero. This is also related to the gender perspective: while the Ottoman and other exotic women are presented as beautiful, seducing, but weak, the Balkan women are in most cases as strong as men, struggling for the same patriotic aims, which is one more differentia specifica of the considered operas. In the interwar period the concept of the Other is related not only to a different national group of characters, but also to some other class and race. Imperial legacy in the opera is embodied at the music level too, like through quotation of the Habsburg Kaiserhymne or salon dances, as well as via the songs expressing love longing (sevdalinka) or oriental dances originated from the Ottoman culture. The folk songs and dances in all music national traditions of the region are recognizable element of Southeast European opera. The research was based on the interdisciplinary network (theories of national identity in the framework of cultural, colonial and postcolonial studies, including sociological, the theories on media, nationalism, gender studies, and memory studies) from transnational and transcultural point of view.