Musicologica Olomucensia X:X | DOI: 10.5507/mo.2026.007

The Operas of Smetana and Other Czech Composers on the Stage of the Croatian National Theatre (1870–1902) and their Importance in the Formation of the National and Slavic Repertoire

Vjera Katalinić ORCID...
Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Zagreb, Croatia

In 1870, the Zagreb National Theatre was able to establish its Opera Department. Previously, only itinerant companies performed these popular works, mostly in Italian or German. Thus, Ivan Zajc (1832–1914), who had been brought from Vienna to serve as the new opera director, had to develop not only the ensemble but also to establish the standard operatic repertoire in Croatian, as well as to compose national operas himself. Even though he was an admirer of Verdi (Zajc studied composition in Milan) and favoured the Italian operatic repertoire, he was aware that Slavic operas of quality were important for his programmatic aims. Already in 1873, Smetana’s The Bartered Bride was performed with great success. The new staging of this piece took place in 1894 (after the 1889–1894 period, during the first closure of the opera), and in the next year Smetana’s The Kiss and Dalibor were performed for the Zagreb audiences. Besides, comic operas by V. Hřimalý and V. Blodek were performed as well. In the paper, the conditions surrounding the staging and performances of these operas will be discussed, as well as the reception of the critics and audiences and the atmosphere of the Croatian and Slavic enthusiasm surrounding the theatre.

Keywords: Croatian National Theatre; Opera; Smetana; National and Slavic Repertoir

Accepted: September 8, 2026; Prepublished online: September 18, 2026 

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