UDC

Authors

Abstract

Ernst Krenek’s opera Johnny spielt auf has a special place among the many works by this composer. It was one of the most popular operas in Europe in the second half of the 1920s and was staged in more than 70 theatres. In the late 1920s and early 1930s, this opera was often staged in the theatres across the Soviet Union. The article dwells on the production of this composition that played an important role in the development of the Odessa Opera House. This experimental performance was directed by Yakov Grechnev and conducted by Samuil Stolerman. The detective story around an energetic black musician captivated the audience. The abstract settings by Ivan Nazarian-Nazarov were extremely unusual as his idea was not a naturalistic representation of the city, but a “general framework” producing certain impression on the audience and giving them free rein to imagination. The role of light could hardly be overestimated: the directors used film projection, a practice highly popular in drama theatres at that time. The production included some dance performances with the elements of contemporary Western dances and acrobatic structures formed by the bodies of gymnasts, common at that time. The performance became a significant phenomenon and caused a heated debate. Among the spectators and admirers of this show was the pianist Sviatoslav Richter. “So novel and interesting was it then”, recalled the musician. During the repression period, this play was one of the reasons for the dismissal of the talented director Yakov Grechnev.

Keywords

References

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