Opernhaus Bratislava/Pressburg - The Secret of Santa Vittoria

An adaptation of Robert Crichton\'s comic novel offers a lively tale of not taking things seriously until it\'s about life and death. Or wine? It is 1943, and Santa Vittoria, a picturesque mountain town in Italy, is waking up to a new era after twenty years of Mussolini\'s dictatorship. The locals have survived the war on the home front and have no idea of the change that lies ahead. Experience whispers to them that perhaps, as always – none. But every reason to celebrate counts. Great idols and false hopes were discarded long ago, and they concentrated on what is nearest and dearest to them – wine. With its harsh honesty, spiced with sarcasm and sharp acronyms, Crichton\'s draft is reminiscent of Kurt Vonnegut\'s books or Heller\'s Catch-22. At first glance, this light comedic gloss on the indomitable Italian character is a timely metaphor for the various forms of defiance. The surprising plot develops into more and more absurd and serious tones. So, the well-kept secret of true heroism is finally revealed—let us not assign the role of heroes to others. Let us not just wait for white crows or valiant falcons who will sacrifice themselves for us and put their own lives on the line. The key is to pick up the part of your body that is touching the chair and try to do something. Both possible and impossible.

The production is suitable for audiences aged 15 and over.

Running time: 3 hrs 15 mins with one interval

program

Das Geheimnis von Santa Vittoria

Autor: Robert Crichton

Eine temperamentvolle Geschichte darüber, dass man die Dinge nicht ernst nehmen soll solange es einem nicht um den Kragen geht

Place

The Slovak National Theatre is the second oldest Slovak professional theatre. It has 3 ensembles (drama, opera and ballet). It was founded in 1920 after the creation of Czechoslovakia as a cooperative and became a state-run company in 1945. Between 1920 and 1945, there was also a musical ensemble. The Slovak National Theatre has represented Slovak culture on its numerous tours abroad.

It was created and, in the 1920s, also run by Czech artists (e.g. Oskar Nedbal, director during 1923-1930). The first performance was the Czech opera Hubička by Bedřich Smetana on March 1, 1920. The ensembles were Slovakized only gradually. In 1932, the drama ensemble split into the SNT Slovak Drama Company led by Janko Borodáč, and into the SNT Czech Drama Company, led by V. Šulc. The Czech Drama Company ceased to operate when it was forced to leave Slovakia in 1938. Since then, the drama ensemble has performed in Slovak only, but in the opera ensemble there were Czech artists even after 1945. In recent years, operas have been presented in their original languages.

Initially, all 3 ensembles were active at the old Slovak National Theatre building. From 1955 to early 2007, the drama company performed at the P. O. Hviezdoslav Theatre and from 1962 to (?)2006 also at a chamber theatre called Malá scéna SND (SNT Small Stage). Since 2007, the ensembles perform only at the old Slovak National Theatre building and the new Slovak National Theatre building opened in April, 2007.

The drama company was shaped by the directors Janko Borodáč, F. Hoffman, J. Jamnický, J.Budský, T. Rakovský, K. I. Zachary, P. Haspra, M. Pietor and the current one – Dušan Jamrich.

The opera ensemble was led by conductors such as Oskar Nedbal, K. Nedbal, J. Vincourek and T. Frešo, and directors including V. Šulc and M. Wasserbauer. The opera became known abroad under the leadership of Czech conductor Oskar Nedbal, who also introduced the first Slovak operas of Jozef Levoslav Bella and V. Figuš Bystrý, and under K. Nedbal, who improved the dramma programme. A great boom occurred after WWII. The SNT witnessed the rise of modern Slovak opera by Eugen Suchoň, Ján Cikker, Alexander Moyzes, Tibor Andrašovan, T. Frešo, and many others. Many singers from the SNT are famous abroad, e.g. Edita Grúberová, Lucia Popp, Peter Dvorský, R. Petrák, S. Kopčák, M. Hajóssyová, E. Jenisová, J. Galla, Jozef Kundlák, and many others.

The ballet ensemble has grown from a small group in 1920 to a huge ensemble today.