The history of twentieth century opera: 1934a.
The Russian Communist Party holds its 17th congress: the ‘Congress of Victors’. The glorification of Stalin grows.
In Germany the ‘Law on the Reconstruction of the Reich’ is passed. This means sovereignty rights are transferred to the federal government.
On 11 April the panel ‘The Just Judges’ or ‘The Righteous Judges’ by Jan van Eyck or his brother Hubert van Eyck, is stolen from the Saint Bavo Cathedral in Ghent, Belgium.
In late June, during the Night of the Long Knives, Ernst Röhm and other SA leaders and a number of Hitler’s political opponents are murdered. An unsuccessful coup by the Austrian nazis kills chancellor Engelbert Dollfuβ. Reichs president Paul von Hindenburg dies, chancellor Hitler takes over the presidency and receives the title ‘Führer’ for life.
The Swiss parliament approves the Banking Law, giving informal bank secrecy a legal status.
In opera, there’s little news, but there are beautiful operas in a bright mix of old and new. It seems like everybody is just winging it, and maybe that’s just the way it was.
In this episode selections from:
• Ottorino Respighi- La bella dormente nel bosco
• Leoš Janáček – Osud (Destiny)
• Franz Lehár – Giuditta
Other operas and operettas from 1934:
• Rutland Boughton- The Lily Maid
• Manuel Penella- Tana Fedorova
• Henri Christiné- Le Bonheur, mesdames !
• Henri Christiné- Au temps des Merveilleuses (with Tiarko Richepin)
• Henri Christiné- La Poule
• Henri Christiné- Yana
• Leevi Madetoja- Juha
• Rudolf Friml- Music Hath Charms
• Jaromir Weinberger- Apropó, co dělá Andula?
• Harry Lawrence Freeman- The Zulu King
• Paul Abraham- Märchen im Grand-Hotel
• Howard Hanson- Merry Mount
• Dmitri Shostakovich- Lady MacBeth of the Mtsensk District
• Gustav Holst- The Wandering Scholar
• Necil Kazım Akses- Bay Önder
• Hans Krása- Brundibár
• Ernt Krenek- Cefalo e Procri
• Ottorino Respighi- La fiamma
• Virgil Thomson- Four Saints in Three Acts
• Walter Goetze- Der goldene Pierrot
• Georg Antheil- Helen retires
• Igor Stravinsky- Perséphone
• Michael Tippett- Robin Hood
• Ahmed Adnan Saygun- Taşbebek
• Hugo Weisgall- Lilith
• Pablo Sorozábal-La isla de las perlas
• Bohuslav Martinů- Hry o Marii (The Miracles of Mary)
• Pablo_Sorozábal-Sol en la cumbre
• Pablo Sorozábal-La del manojo de rosas
• William Grant Still- Blue Steel
• Fred Raymond- Lauf ins Glück (Run into Happiness)
• Fred Raymond- Ball der Nationen (Ball of the Nations)
• Fred Raymond- Fahrt ins Abenteuer (A Trip into Adventure)
• Vittorio Giannini- Lucedia
• Joseph Beer-Der Prinz von Schiras
• Pylyp Kozytskiy- Unknown Soldier
