Silvio Foretić conquers the scene with his revised Semi-mono-opera in the Music Biennale Zagreb pre-programme

To mark the commencement of the pre-programme of the Music Biennale Zagreb, which the audience will have the opportunity to attend in April 2023, the revised version of Silvio Foretić's Semi-mono-opera is to be performed on Monday, 10 October at the &TD Theatre at 8 PM.

This 1979 piece for singer and tape was first performed that very year at MBZ. This time, it will be presented in a new manner, and directed by Mario Kovač. Tenor Ladislav Vrgoč, who is set to take the main role, but also all others, offers his view on Foretić's work:

„Music is rather complex. Speaking from the singer's perspective, the impression it has left on me is that of a composer who knows how to convey the change of emotion, excitement, or doubts. Not in a single moment does Mr. Foretić steer off the course. In his delivery he does a phenomenal job, expressing the thoughts and musings of the protagonist, as well as the assistance and 'attacks' by other characters.“

The 'enfant terrible' of contemporary Croatian music, Foretić wrote a piece in 1979 that plays with the notion of one of the most important classical forms – the opera. In Semi-mono-opera, he re-examines himself as the composer and a craftsman, all the while waiting to be addressed by Her, Opera. With the composer's inner turmoil and gradually growing dissociation from the concrete reality, She acquires her own voice, yet does not sing Herself, but rather repetitively echoes the composer's racing thoughts.

Foretić also introduces the character of Dr. Freu(n)d who tries to reason the composer to finally complete his opera, and the Neighbour character – Mr. Sordini – who complains about the composer's noisy free vocal expressions that disturb the serenity of the night. They are also joined by unidentified citizens, and the police who answer Sordini's call towards the very end of the mono-act.

„I have let the music flow. There are traces of rock music here, there's The Beatles – from afar, there is some Puccini. One cannot say that there is a direct course. There are no citations or style imitations,“ said the Foretić about the process of making this piece.

Director Mario Kovač recollects his first encounter with Foretić's music:

„At the time, I used to listen to Frank Zappa intensively, so it appeared to me that Foretić's music gives an affirmative answer to the question 'Does humor belong in music?' Besides, it is just like with many comic elements present in Mozart, Rossini, and even Cage's music, if you listen to it carefully. I am often bothered by that fear of humor even in the theatre, which is a frequent malady of 'high art'...“

The audience will also have the opportunity to witness the new publication of the author Mirna Špoljarić, who shares her view on the event:

 „In this case, he (Foretić) wants to encourage the listener to re-examine the meaning of a kind of music deeply rooted in the tradition. He wants to confront our understanding of opera before and what it means to us today. What makes an opera and what should it sound (and look!) like? How does the composer confront tradition, its set principles against the loosened postulates of New music? What attitude should the listener/viewer take towards this type of work?”

Other participants in the performance of the revised work fully entitled Semi-mono-opera, „semiopera semiseria“ for singer and electronics were the scenographer Andrea Lipej, costume designer Iva-Matija Bitanga and light designer Bojan Gagić. Višeslav Laboš and Tihomir Vrbanec were in charge of the recording, while Ivan Josip Skender is responsible for the master recording.

You can watch and hear Sono-mono-opera on Monday, 10 October 2022 at &TD Theatre at 8 PM.