1861-1914.

Since its inception, the Serbian National Theatre as a drama theatre has nurtured music, so that musical life has been taking place on stage almost from day one. Instrumental and vocal music were an integral part of many performances, as pieces “with singing” were popular and held an important place in the repertoire for decades. The theatre always had its own conductor, a choir made up of actors, and a small orchestra made up of permanent and part-time musicians, and in the period when they did not have their own orchestra, the city’s military orchestra was also engaged. The first conductor, Adolf Lifka, was hired in 1862. However, it was not until 1865, when Aksentije Maksimović was hired, that the first original musical contributions were created (by 1871, he had written music for 17 theater plays), and there was noticeable and visible progress in raising the performing level of the musical ensembles and choirs of the Serbian National Theater. After Maksimović, conductors were Alojzije Milčinski, Hugo Doubek, Jovan Mirković, Franja Vanjek, Antonije Tuna Oswald, Antonije Ulrih and Pavao Vlahović. Twenty years later, at the suggestion of Mita Topolović, it was decided that all actors must learn to sing musical notes. The first operetta that the Theater presented in 1891 was Vračar by Veljo Miljković with music by Emanuel Pichert. A breakthrough in the repertoire was made when the opera The Wedding of Joan by Victor Massé was staged in 1896 and the humorous operetta The Beautiful Galatea by Franz Supe, a year later, in which they engaged the opera singer Sultana Cijukova. From then until the First World War, the Theatre, in accordance with its capabilities, nurtured operetta. In addition to the aforementioned, the repertoire also included: Prince Nikola Zrinjski by I. Zajc in 1899, The Magic Archer by K. M. Weber in 1900, The Hermit’s Bell by R. Mayar in 1902, A. Lorzing’s Rehearsal for an Opera in 1902, Xenia by V. Parma in 1909, The Rustic Cavalry by P. Mascagni in 1910, At Dawn by S. Binički in 1911, The Bartered Bride by B. Smetana in 1911, The Paupers by R. Leonkavala in 1912 and Knez Ivo od Semberija I. Bajić in 1914. The most important soloists of that time, in addition to Sultana Cijukova, were Draga Spasić (then Stefanović) and Žarko Savić, a singer with an exceptional voice – a bass of international reputation, Stevan Deskašev, Štefanija Lenska, Uroš Jurišić, Joca Cvijanović, Leposava Jovanović, Anton Križ, Marija Šilhanova, Leposava Nišlić, Olga Osvald and others.

1918-1941.

In the interwar period, the Serbian National Theatre acquired its first opera ensemble and thus founded the Opera. Conductors Hinko Maržinec and Lovro Matačić were hired. The first operetta Baron Trenk’s Happy Albinija was performed on November 29, 1920. In addition to domestic singers, the ensemble also included Russian and Czech artists: Božena and Karela Dubska, Emina Šildova, Vera Gorskaja, Mila Levova, Matilda Kralj, Milica Avirović, Micika Olivieri-Ilić, Jelka Jočić, Mihailo Veron-Volkonski, Viktor Grigorjev, Aleksandar Trošćanski, Sergey Nikolajević, Isak Armidi, Nikolaj Baranov, Evgenije Marjašec, Dragomir Krančević, Klemens Klemenčić, Dragutin Vrbanjac, Milan Odžić, Paja Banac and others. The number of choir members varied and ranged from 24 to 36 singers. The standard opera repertoire was maintained: Tosca , Cavalleria rusticana , La Traviata , Troubadour , Werther , Madame Butterfly , The Bartered Bride , Jamile , The Pauper , The Magic Archer , Rigoletto , The Barber of Seville , The Tales of Hoffmann , Eugene Onegin , Carmen , The Pauper , etc. The operetta repertoire was much wider because the preparation of the operetta was less demanding: Gypsy Love , Clo-Clo , The Princess of Csárdás , La Bayadère , Countess Maritza , Helen of Troy , The Three Maidens , The School for Lovers , The Geisha , Orpheus in Hell , Pericola , Madame Pompadour , etc. However, due to low subsidies and insufficient income, the Serbian National Theatre was closed down by the decision of the Minister of Education on October 14, 1924, and the Serbian National Theatre was closed down by the end of March 1927. After that, opera and operetta performances were only given occasionally.

1947 – 2015.

With the resumption of the Theatre’s work after the liberation, the repertoire included several pieces with folk songs. The first operetta performed by the Theatre on 25 August 1946 was Mamzel Nitush by Roger Hervé, in which Zdenka Nikolić made her debut. The operettas Chev by Ferenc Lehár and Silva by Imre Kálmán were also performed in the same season. At the proposal of the Department of Education of the Main Executive Board of Vojvodina, the Ministry of Education of Serbia passed a decision in July 1947 to form an Opera within the Serbian National Theatre (then the Vojvodina National Theatre). Vojislav Ilić took over as conductor, Vladislav Perldik was accompanist, and the soloists were: Erna Krže, Zdenka Nikolić, lyric sopranos; Mija Lipković, dramatic soprano; Ljubica Janković, alto; Dragutin Burić, tenor; Borislav Dečermić, lyric tenor and Ivo Vargović, baritone. The Choir and Orchestra were formed, but until the 1948/49 season they were part-time. The first premiere of the renewed Opera was La Traviata by G. Verdi on November 16, 1947. The title role was sung by Eran Krže, and the reprise by Zdenka Nikolić, who was the main performer of lyric-coloratura roles for over two decades.

Among the prominent soloists who have left an indelible mark on the Opera of the Serbian National Theatre are: Desa Vlajković, Mirjana Vrčević-Buta, Matija Skenderović, Olga Bruči, Rudolf Nemet, Anica Čepe, Zlatomira Nikolova, Franc Puhar, Vlada Popović, Dimitri Marinovski, Šime Mardešić, Aranka Hećan-Bodřić, Franja Knebl, Dušan Baltić, Vladan Cvejić, Irena Davosir-Matanović, Evgenije Marijašec, Svetozar Drakulic, Jelena Ječmenica, Mirko Hadnađev, Vojislaav Kuculović, Vera Berdović, Vera Kovač-Vitkai, Miodrag Milanović and many others.

The high artistic results that the Opera has achieved over the years are also due to the conductors: Vojislav Ilić, Dušan Babić, Davorin Županić, Milan Asić, Predrag Milošević, Gaetano Čila, Mladen Jagušt, Lazar Buta, Dušan Miladinović, Marijan Fajdiga, Vladimir Topolković, Eugen Gvozdanović, Angel Šurev, Jon Janku, Miodrag Janoski, Ljubiša Lazarević, Imre Toplak, Dušan Mihajlović, Vesna Kesić-Krsmanović, Željka Milanović, Aleksandar Kojić, Mikića Jevtić and many others.

During this period, the permanent directors at the Opera were: Dragica Damjanović-Zehetmeyer, Mario Marinc, Emil Frölich, Serge Vafiadis, Dejan Miladinović, Octav Enigarescu, as well as drama directors: Jovan Konjović, Jovan Putnik, Milenko Šuvaković and Mihailo Vasiljević.

The Opera’s repertoire includes the most significant opera and operetta works by world and domestic composers. Since 1947, the SNP Opera has devoted special attention to the performance of works by domestic composers. Thus, the following works have been performed to date: the oratorio fresco Apotheosis by Ivan Kovač , the cantata Vezilja slobode by Mihailo Vukdragović, the cantatas Vojvodin , Svi smo mi jedna partija and Čovek je vidik bez kraj , and the opera Gilgamesh by Rudolf Bruči, the opera Ženidba Milošev ( The Wedding of the Fairy ) by Petar Konjović, the stage vision of the musical poem Jama by Nikola Hercigonja, the children’s operas Hedgehog’s House and Bear’s Marriage by Zoran Jovanović, the opera Knez Ivo od Semberija by Isidor Bajić, the opera Knez od Zeta by Petar Konjović, the children’s opera Bear’s Marriage by Zoran Jovanović, the opera Pokondirena tikva by Mihovil Logar, the children’s opera Proždrljivko by Erne Kiralj, the opera Suton by Stevan Hristić, the stage poem Tamo gde je bilo srce, danas stoji sunce (musical collaborator Eugen Gvozdanović), the cantata Učitelji Dušan Radić, as well as the opera Mileva by Aleksandra Vrebalov.

The stage of the Opera of the Serbian National Theatre has hosted prominent opera soloists from the most famous opera houses: the Moscow Bolshoi Theatre, the Milan La Scala, the New York Metropolitan Opera, the Vienna State Opera, the Paris Opéra Comique, and operas in Kiev, Athens, Prague, Bucharest, Sofia, Timisoara, Szeged, Cluj and others. Also, most of the soloists of the Opera of the Serbian National Theatre regularly performed on Yugoslav stages, as well as on foreign ones. Until 1991, the Opera performed on all Yugoslav theatre stages, as well as abroad: Italy, Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania, Egypt, and for many years it constantly exchanged guest appearances with the Opera in Szeged and Timisoara. Since 2012, the Opera of the Serbian National Theatre has again gone on foreign tours and festivals.

CHOIR – The long-standing high artistic quality of the Choir of the Serbian National Theatre is unquestionable. The date of the founding of the Choir is considered to be November 16, 1947, the day when the first premiere, La Traviata, was performed after the renovation of the Opera. The Choir at that time was on a freelance basis and only since the 1948/49 season has the Opera had its own permanent choral ensemble. High criteria in choral singing were set by the first conductor Vojislav Ilić, and other conductors and accompanists also contributed to its maintenance and improvement: Milutin Ruzić, Ladislav Perldik, Vladimir Topolković, Mira Gligić, Ljiljana Krdžalić, Angelina Stefanović, Viktor Šafranek, Berislav Skenderović, Boris Chernogubov, Eugen Gvozdanović, Juraj Felik, Vesna Kesić-Krsmanović, Natalija Mihajlovna-Arefjeva, etc. From 1980 to 1989, at the initiative of the members of the Choir and conductor Juraj Ferik, the Chamber Choir of the Music Center of Vojvodina operated with the aim of presenting works of vocal-instrumental music from various eras, from the vocal polyphony of the 16th century, through the Baroque, to contemporary Yugoslav vocal music.

Since 1996, some members of the Opera Choir who have excelled in the field of sacred music have gathered in the Male Chamber Choir and have captivated the audience with their rich concert activity. Their repertoire includes liturgies, primarily by local authors, and the first performance of the Liturgy by Josif Marinković is particularly significant. The Divine Liturgy of Francesco Sinic (1840), the Liturgy by Robert Tollinger (1885), the Liturgy by Vladimir Boberić (1908), as well as works from other religious traditions, such as Mozart’s and Verdi’s Requiem , Orff’s Carmina Burana , Haydn’s Four Seasons , the cantata The Veil of Freedom by M. Vukdragović, Jam by N. Hercigonja, Vojvodina by R. Bruči, etc. were also performed.

Since 2002, the Women’s Chamber Choir has also been operating under the direction of Vesna Kesić-Krsmanović. The repertoire includes works by the greatest world and domestic authors of choral music such as Di Lasso, Palestrina, Albinoni, Kodalj, Mozart, Pergolesi, and they have achieved their greatest achievements in the performance of the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom by composers Stevan Mokranjac, Arkadij Dubenski, Marko Tajčević, etc.

ORCHESTRA – In September 1945, the Theatre hired musicians Zora Dušanović, a violinist, and Lajoš Keszegi, an oboist, which was the beginning of the formation of the theatre orchestra. In the following years, the Theatre continued to recruit new musicians, so that with the establishment of the Opera in 1947, the Theatre had an established instrumental ensemble, which was part-time until the 1948/49 season. Since then, the Orchestra has been the key pillar of every opera performance. Since its establishment, the high quality of artistic work has been maintained through constant professional development in the form of participation in other artistic ensembles and institutions such as the former Novi Sad Philharmonic, the currently active Vojvodina Symphony Orchestra, various orchestras of Radio Novi Sad, the Novi Sad Chamber Orchestra, and the Isidor Bajić Music School. Numerous members of the orchestra participate in orchestral projects of the Academy of Arts of the University of Novi Sad.

The directors of the Opera since 1947 have been (some for more than one term) Vlada Popović, Vojislav Ilić, Davorin Županić, Ivan Salić, Predrag Milošević, Lazar Buta, Vlada Popović, Rudolf Bruči, Rudolf Nemet, Marijan Fajdiga, Mladen Jagušt, Eugen Gvozdanović, Dušan Belić, Miodrag Janoski, Rudolf Baranji, Vojislav Kuculović, Imre Toplak, Karlo Ižak, Vera Ković Vitkai, Branislav Jatić, Nada Kokotović, Mladen Sabljić, Miodrag Milanović, Claudio del Monaco, Slavoljub Kočić, Marina Pavlović Barać, Angel Šurev, Dušan Mihalović, Berislav Skenderović, Miodrag Milanović, Aleksandar Kojić, Ira Prodanov Krajišnik.

The Opera Ensemble of the Serbian National Theatre still has top-notch soloists, singers and musicians who perform works from the international and national opera heritage, operettas, musicals, choral music and a rich orchestral production.

(text based on sources and documentation compiled by Dr. Milena Leskovac)
Literature (selection): Collection of the Matica Srpska for Performing Arts and Music No. 45, Matica Srpska, Novi Sad, 2011. (Svetozar Rapajić, The First Period of the Novi Sad Opera (1947–1961); Katerina Tomanek, Music in the Repertory of the Serbian National Theater in Novi Sad (1861–1914); Dr. Ira Prodanov Krajišnik, The National Repertory of the Opera of the Serbian National Theater from 1990 to the Present;); Notebooks of the Matica Srpska No. 56, Matica srpska, Novi Sad, 2014 (Nemanja Savić, Dnevne novine Jedinstvo, Petar Konjović, Balkanism and a possible historical picture of the Serbian National Theatre (1861 – 1941); Branka Kojadinović, Vocal soloists in the Serbian National Theatre at the beginning of the 20th century;); Fifty Years of Opera, a memorial, ed. Vesna Krčmar, Miodrag Milanović and Dušanka Radmanović, SNP, Novi Sad, 1997; Encyclopedia of Novi Sad, ed. R. Popov, book 18, Novi Sad, 2001.