The premiere of Franz von Suppé’s opera ‘The Return of the Sailor’ will open the 59th Split Summer at the Peristyle of the Split National Theatre.
This is a contemporary world premiere of an opera title that has long been considered lost, but the score was found by Italian conductor Adriano Martinolli D’Arcy. Thus, ‘The Return of the Sailor’, a work whose action Suppé set in the square of a Dalmatian town, will begin its new life in the most suitable possible place – the imperial Peristyle, a unique opera stage in the composer’s hometown.
The premiere will be conducted by maestro Loris Voltolini, and the director is Leo Katunarić. Along with the orchestra and choir of the Split National Theatre, the soloists will include: Ljubomir Puškarić, Gorana Bjondić, Ozren Bilušić, Stjepan Franetović, and Špiro Boban.
It is extremely important to note that the entire soloist cast consists of five young soloists, each better than the other. I find this particularly important, stated the director of the Split National Theatre, Tonći Bilić.
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The premiere that will open this year’s Split Summer is an opera in two acts. The action takes place in a Dalmatian coastal town that is not named in the libretto, but since contemporary newspaper reports indicate that it is about Hvar, it can be concluded that this was stated by Suppé himself.
Director Leo Katunarić said that there is evidence that the opera ‘The Return of the Sailor’ takes place in Split, as the libretto already highlights a problem with the mayor in the 19th century. This is proof that the action must be set in Split because it seems that the problem with the mayor has been dragging on since the 19th century to this day, Katunarić joked.
