What is an operetta? What is an operetta in music? Theater of Operetta

Agree, the question: "What is an operetta?" At least once in a lifetime arose in any person, and everyone found their answer. We shall plunge and we in this fascinating subject.

Operetta is a special genre of theatrical art. It can be defined as a musical production, which harmoniously combines the vocal skill of artists with their stage dialogues and dance sketches. At its core, it is a multi-faceted academic work, the drama of which is light, humorous, but sometimes hides ironic overtones or even drama.

The historical roots of the operetta originate in ancient times, when actors in their performances played scenes from the life of the gods, put in their honor hours of performances, in which even then traced the first rudiments of the operetta. The love or tragic plot was not only musical, but also meaningful with regard to the dances and the production itself.

A small miracle - an operetta

As a separate theatrical genre of the operetta first appeared in the XIX century in European countries: Vienna, Germany, France, England. Having visited them, you can easily find the answer to the question: what is an operetta in music? It was there that this kind of art originated and got its further development.

The founder of the operetta is considered to be Jacques Offenbach. He is an outstanding French composer of German origin who devoted most of his life to work in an unusual genre. Thanks to his works, a remarkable art form was recognized by many significant figures of stage skills, for example, K. Stanislavsky. His enthusiasm for the theater began with the operetta itself. In some sources, the founding father of the music-vocal theater is the Austrian composer Franz von Souppe. Indeed, this fact can be taken as reliable, because Zuppe made a significant contribution to the cause of the operetta. Today almost every performance, thanks to its innovations, sounds a waltz, and the form of representations is more sentimental, romantic in character than comedy.

Operetta in Europe

The era of the French operetta was marked by the creative flowering of such a vivid personality as Jacques Offenbach. They opened a small theater on the Champs-Elysees ("Buff-Parisien"), where such great works as "Two Blind", "Paris Life", "Orpheus in Hell", "Beautiful Elena" and many others were staged. Operets were distinguished by a cheerful message, wit and a willful mood. The best time of the English operetta is associated with such eminent personalities as W. Gilbert and A. Sullivan. The fruitful cooperation of these talented people led to the creation of a series of Savoy plays. Among them one can single out the comic opera The Trial of Jurors, dedicated to the issue of violation of the marriage promise. Following it was followed by the writing of another 13 joint works, all of which were a great success.

Of particular interest is the Viennese classical operetta. Here one can not ignore such a significant figure as Johann Strauss (son). It is with the name of this genius man, his musical talent is associated with the musical theater of the cultural capital of Europe. With the genre of operetta, the outstanding composer met already in adulthood, and it is possible that this fact played a significant role in the creation of his subsequent works. Separately it is necessary to allocate an operetta "Bat", on which writing took about 6 weeks. This brilliant work is still considered one of the most outstanding creations of the composer. It is worth asking the person the question: "What is an operetta?", And the first associations that come to mind are Vienna, Johann Strauss-son and the grandiose work of the Austrian musician "The Bat".

Operetta in Russia

If we talk about our country, the genre of the operetta has not been recognized for a long time and has not been a great success for our viewer. People liked to watch vaudeville, musicals and pop performances. In the second half of the XIX century the situation is changing, in Russia the first bands working in the genre of a small opera begin to appear.

Their repertoire consisted of works by European authors, mostly French ones. But the productions themselves were performed by such eminent meters of theatrical and musical art as A. Glazunov, V. Nemirovich-Danchenko, M. Tairov. A notable trace in this theatrical genre was left by the director and actor V. Lentovsky. He opened several large theaters in Russia, his lavish and loud performances were sold out. The performances sought to get into both prominent artists and ordinary viewers. Thanks to his work in the genre of operetta, many talented artists made their first steps: N. Monakhov, K. Grekov, V. Shuvalov, A. Bryansky, I. Vavich and others.

The flowering of the genre of operetta in Russia falls on the Soviet period. Its founders are considered to be I. Dunaevsky and N. Strelnikov. Operetta this time begins to acquire its distinctive features, it combines the traditions of the classical Viennese school with the trends of modern times. Performances are presented in a playful, temperamental, jocular, and sometimes mocking manner. But the performances are always impressive!

It was interesting to learn that the operetta as a genre exists only in Russia, only in our country there is such a name. In the West, this action is called "comic opera" or, as in Germany, "Singspiel".

Let's talk about...

Above we quickly touched the question: what is an operetta? There are many faces in music, as in any kind of art. To study and learn each of them can be infinite, but we will touch the holy of holies - the operetta theater.

In our country the most famous scene of a small opera is in Moscow. The performances of this theater house preserve the classical traditions in the presentation of musical works, and at the same time welcome the modern approach in their creation. Directors, as a rule, choose old good performances, and at the same time they skillfully use modern language in their work, new methods in submitting material and the latest technical innovations in providing with light and sound. Thanks to the brilliant work of stage directors and an amazing cast, today the Moscow Operetta Theater occupies leading positions in Russia, and also enjoys great prestige in European countries.

The best operettas

Perhaps, the best works can easily be attributed to those that are set and shown on the most famous scenes of the world: Viennese, French, Russian. Among them are such remarkable operettas as "The Bat" and "The Gypsy Baron" by Johann Strauss Jr., the famous works of the Hungarian composer Imre Kalman "Mister X", "Silva", "Bayadere"; The operetta of the unrivaled Jacques Offenbach "Pericola" and "Beautiful Elena"; Unforgettable creations Ferenc Lehar "Merry Widow", "Gypsy Love", a flamboyant production of Louis Varne "Fanfan-tulip."

These and other wonderful works of great composers are known and loved in many countries. Spectators are happy to go to the performances of entire families, because the classic at all times affected the souls of representatives of different generations.

In a nutshell about the main

It should be noted that the operetta is a genre, which, like literary works, is perceived in its own way at every age. It's one thing to read, for example, "Anna Karenina" in the tenth grade, and quite another - already in adulthood once again get acquainted with the plot. It will be perceived quite differently. Musical performances are characterized by the same story.

Recently, the classical operetta often undergoes the introduction into the usual scenario of other musical genres: a musical or a rock opera. Such a fusion of theatrical directions is characteristic not only for our country, but also for the whole world of musical art. What is pleasant to realize, it finds responses in the hearts of connoisseurs of the wonderful genre of the operetta.