LOVRO VON MATACIC – a portrait – the rehearsal of opera “Zrinjski” by Ivan Zajc – 1982

LOVRO von MATAČIĆ (1899 – 1985) was a renowned Croatian conductor who had a very successful international career. Here is a portrait of this artist, conductor and composer, filmed in the Croatian National Theater in Zagreb in 1982, when von Matačić was 83. Included are rehearsals for the new production of the opera “Nikola Šubić Zrinjski” composed by Ivan Zajc in 1876, which is a work often performed in Croatia.
In this portrait, Matačić also talks about his own composition “Symphony of Confrontations” (“Symphonie der Konfrontationen”, 1978), illustrating the most important motifs on the piano. He mentions his intimate connection with the music of Bruckner, whose music he first encountered as a member of Vienna Boys’ Choir. He states that directors of Regietheater don’t show respect (and knowledge) for opera. “I hope it wasn’t boring”, Matačić modestly asserts at the end of this extremely fascinating and entertaining portrait.
You can hear the following soloists singing roles from Zajc’s opera “Zrinjski”:
Zrinjski, commander of Siget – DUŠKO KUKOVEC (baritone)
Eva, his wife – BOŽENA RUK FOČIĆ (soprano)
Jelena, their daughter – MIRJANA BOHANEC (soprano)
Juranić, Jelena’s fiancé – STOJAN STOJANOV (tenor)
Alapić – BORIS VAJDA (baritone)