Musicologica Olomucensia

Hippodamia: A True Act of Creativity by Karel Hugo Hilar and Otakar Ostrčil

The theme of this study is a scenic interpretation of the unique musical-dramatic trilogy Hippodamia (1888-1891) that was introduced to the repertoire of the Prague National Theatre in the 1920s. It was presented by Karel Hugo Hilar, the head of the drama ensemble. He himself also directed the first part of the trilogy, The Courtship of Pelops (premiered in 1923): the artist with expressionist roots, now slowly turning to civilism, predetermined the basic poetic framework, i. e. a genre-style solution, of both the other parts (The Reconciliation of Tantalus and The Death of Hippodamia, both directed by Vojta Novák and premiered in 1925). The stage work (in the sense of Hilar's production and also of the whole trilogy) - which represents not only an important composition, but also a landmark in the scenic tradition of Fibich's and Vrchlický's work - met with an extraordinary response from the critical community as well as from visitors. It also (re)established the melodrama as a specific musical-theatrical type: after the success of the first performance as well as the production at the beginning of the 20^th century and all representative occasional (including international) performances - but also ten years after the remarkable purely dramatic version in which Jaroslav Kvapil (Hilar's predecessor as the head of the drama ensemble and also a drama director) abandoned Fibich's music. Therefore, without exaggeration, it can be said that - in the words of a contemporary critic - "in the performance of The Courtship of Pelops Hilar resurrected the life of the melodrama". It is the critical reflection of a specific theatrical design in a contemporary context that is the focus here, along with the scenic and directional form of the work that represented - in the words of another contemporary critic - "at the National Theatre also a true act of creativity. And it was an act created by two artists: Ostrčil and Hilar".

Keywords: Karel Hugo Hilar; melodrama; Hippodamia; The Courtship of Pelops; The Reconciliation of Tantalus; The Death of Hippodamia; National Theatre Prague; staging