This year marks the 75th anniversary of the establishment of the Operetta Theater in Riga, which, unfortunately, has ceased to exist for a quarter of a century. In order to honor and forget its former artists, a group of enthusiasts led by producer Lukas Maira Marcinkēvičs is currently making the documentary “The Guardian of the Operetta”, as well as the anniversary event, which will take place in early September and will bring together the Operetta Theater.
Operetta Theater this year 75: Top documentary and anniversary eventBaiba Kušķe
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From time to time the issue of renewing operetta traditions in Latvia is brought up again and again, the Latvian Operetta Foundation works in this niche on its own initiative, but without state support and its own building it is very difficult or even impossible to take this genre seriously and professionally.
Singer Indra Lintiņa and conductor Guntars Bernāts worked at the Operetta Theater in its final stages.
Lintiņš started working at the State Riga Operetta Theater in 1986, and, as she says, managed to experience their great happiness and work together with the legendary director Marga Teteris – in two performances “Couples Who Are Natural” with Raimonds Pauls’ music and “Ezermaļi Crocodile” , was a play of songs by Jānis Norviļs. She also played beautiful roles in the operettas “Beautiful Galateja”, “Puss in Boots” and others, but she calls her role in Zigmund Romberg’s operetta “Song of the Desert”, directed by Roman Grabowski, her role in destiny.
“Where for the first time in the history of Operetta at that time I came out for the first time after the first performance, singing and continued dancing with ballet. Throw legs to nose. I tried to act out all the classical songs. For the first time in the classical aria, Roman Grabowski and I managed to make classical coloratures sound like roaches. That was my interpretation, ”Lintiņa recalls.
The closure of the operetta in 1995 affected many employees much more severely than the current pandemic – emphasizes Indra Lintiņa, because – if there is a possibility of benefits now, then at that time many were simply left on the street without any support.
Some of the older generation are now in eternity, others work abroad, still others have found their way here in Latvia.
Even after many years, it is not really possible to find an answer to the question – how did it happen that the theater with its already cultivated traditions and development opportunities was destroyed at one point.
“I think – in 1945, after the war, there were funds, the theater was built. In 1951, there were funds – after all Stalin’s repressions, after the extremely tragic fate stories of our nation, ”says Lintiņa.
“In independent Latvia, suddenly the easiest thing is to say – there is no money. How could the theater be liquidated in the center, in a fantastic place – with an orchestra pit, with all the workshops, with a ballet hall. It is a thorough machinery – musical theater, it is not even ordinary dramatic theater… How could this be allowed? If we have a School of Choreography, if we have an Academy of Music, if we have an Academy of Culture. It would be a place to work for cultural people, ”she thinks.
Conductor Guntars Bernāts still sees the perspective of the operetta genre both then and now. He has worked at the Operetta Theater for the last three seasons and has been mainly in charge of performances for children – “Pauks and Šmauks”, “Carlson, who lives on the roof” and others.
Initially, he also worked with great enthusiasm in the Latvian Operetta Foundation established seven years ago, the aim of which is to restore the Operetta Theater in Riga, but now he has come to the conviction that without state support such a case cannot be really raised.
“You can already do something the way it is now, but then, of course, it often happens the way it is today.” Of course, state support or even rather a state understanding of support for this genre – I think it even the most essential. There is no question about how much this support is and what it is, but the important thing is that in order for this genre to be of high value and quality, not only a professional composition of artists is needed, but also strategy issues must be directed very professionally, ”says Bernāts.
Guntars Bernāts reminds that the 1990s were harsh on many art groups – the Chamber Orchestra, which operated under the auspices of the Philharmonic, the Latvian Radio Light and Jazz Music Orchestra, and the Youth Theater, was liquidated, but in one way or another they managed to find renewal. The traditions of the chamber orchestra have been very seriously continued for a long time by Sinfonietta Rīga, jazz traditions – instead of the Latvian Radio Big Band and the Youth Theater, although the New Riga Theater operates without focusing directly on young people.
“But as for the genre of musical theater, there is currently no such professional state support for this genre.
Knowing that Latvian theaters often expand their repertoire with musical performances and they are very moving, then, of course, it can be concluded that in Latvia musical theater, operetta, and everything that fits into the genre, has a place, ”says Bernāts.
According to Guntars Bernāts – unlike our closest neighbors in Lithuania and Estonia – for example, the niche of the musical theater genre is maintained and developed without breaking the tradition and with state support. There are even two musical theaters in Lithuania – in Klaipeda and Kaunas, and in Estonia – Vanemuine Theater in Tartu.
Good understanding that the issue of the restoration of the Operetta Theater is not easy to solve, Guntars Bernāts and also Indra Lintiņa hope for a positive development, and a reunion with former colleagues at the Operetta’s 75th anniversary event is waiting as a celebration.
The 75th anniversary event of the Operetta Theater will take place on September 5 in Mazsalaca region, and part of it will also be reflected in the documentary dedicated to the theater, which is currently being made and is entitled “Guardian of the Operetta”.
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