20 YEARS SINCE THE FIRST PREMIERE- MADLENIANUM DAY

Ceremonial Academy

Opera Pagliacci, Ruggero Leoncavallo

Saturday, 26 January 2019 at 19:30, Large Stage of the Opera & Theatre Madlenianum

On Saturday 26 January, Madlenianum marks twenty years since its first premiere. Back in 1999, on the stage of Zemun Theatre, the then Madlenianum Chamber Opera premiered Domenico Cimarosa’s comic opera The Secret Marriage. Since that moment Madlenianum began its mission in performing unknown and rarely performed works of great composers as well as staging and ordering works of domestic authors. The building of the Theatre in Zemun was done in phases, so once did it start with the repertoire, the House of Art did not stop its work and besides the Large Stage of the Zemun Theatre, Madlenianum was performing on the newly set Small Stage as well, but during the reconstruction works also on the stages of the Atelier 212, the National Theatre in Belgrade, the Yugoslav Drama Theatre, Belgrade Drama Theatre as well as on numerous stages throughout Serbia and the world, where it was warmly invited, firstly with its opera, ballet and music performances and later with drama plays. Madlenianum traditionally celebrates its day on 26 January performing the latest music productions. This time it is the opera Pagliacci by Ruggero Leoncavallo, directed by Yuri Alexandrov and under the baton of Djordje Stankovic.  Prior to the performance the Ceremonial Academy will be held on the Large Stage of Madlenianum and those who have been with Madlenianum from the very beginning as well as the meritorious artists will be awarded the ceremonial charters for their outstanding years long contribution and support in developing activities of Madlenianum.  

Founding a private opera house in the country at that time isolated, in war and on the verge of bombing was a real endeavour. Choosing the opera buffa The Secret Marriage has represented the course in performing chamber forms, adapted for contemporary days and appealing to the audience and the way in which the repertoire of Madlenianum has gradually been made. With the guest conductor from Bolivia, Ruben Silva and directed by Gordan Dragovic, the first premiere was sung by the following opera singers: Aleksandar Djokic, Jasmina Trumbetas Petrovic, Svetlana Vranic, Jelena Bodrazic, Zoran Aleksandric and Dejan Maksimovic, accompanied by the orchestra of Madlenianum which then as well consisted of the best musicians of our city.

From the very beginning Madleninum has been recognized as a cultural event and an endeavour and the respect of the cultural public was confirmed by invitations to international festivals and guest performances, among which are: Budva Theatre City,  Evenings beneath the Tower on Paic (The Secret Marriage, 1999), May’s Opera Evenings in Skopje (Signor Bruschino, 2000), International Music Festival in Varna (Orpheus in the Underworld and Nijinsky- Golden Bird, 2002), Marking 300 years of founding Saint Petersburg (Nijinsky- Golden Bird, 2003), 34th Budapest Spring Festival (Nijinsky- Golden Bird, 2004), Meeting in Beijing Art Festival (Orpheus in the Underworld 2011, Celebrating of Love 2014), tours in several Chinese cities participating at the Festival of Young Choreographers in Shanghai (Celebrating of Love 2012), Alexandrinsky Theatre, St. Petersburg (Mandragola, 2012), the European capital of culture Maribor (Mandragola, 2012), marking 135 years of the birth of Milutin Milankovic in Dalj (Milankovic, 2104), Serbian Cultural Centre in Paris (Icy Firefly, 2015), the national Theatre of the Republic of Srpska in Banjaluka (Milankovic, 2014), 30th  Festival of Theatre Meetings in Lipetsk, Russia (Dmitri Karamazov’s Confession, 2014), International Theatre Festival “Golden Knight” Moscow (I Take Your Hand in Mine, 2018)… Even more numerous are the ensembles and foreign artists who have had their guest performances on the stages of the Opera & Theatre Madlenianum.  

This year, as early as in April, we are looking forward to the guest performance abroad with our latest production Dolce Vita, in front of Vienna audience in the Theatre Akzent on 7 April. As arranged by Madlenianum, the Opera Saint Petersburg is coming to Belgrade again on the occasion of celebrating 150 years of the National Theatre and 20 years of the Opera & Theatre Madlenianum. They are going to perform two operas of theirs on the stages of both theatres in May.  

Twenty years ago Belgrade got the largest endowment and patronage in the field of the contemporary period culture – the first private opera which has fast turned into the Opera & Theatre Madlenianum with dramatic texts and adaptations of great literary works on its repertoire, opening the trend of stating biographies of great persons. Madlenianum is the only artistic house in Serbia which performs all genres of theatre art in its repertoire and it is also famous for cherishing the youngest opera audience by offering free tickets for the operas for children and young. We are proud of our 20 years and performances that have been played for many years on our stage, such as drama play Frida Kahlo, for 13 and the musical Les Miserables, for 12 seasons.     

The Madlenianum Day will be celebrated with the opera Pagliacci, a modern, eroticized, dramatic, exciting and artfully luxurious staging of Yuri Alexandrov. The cast of this tense tragedy full of plots consists of: Nikola Kitanovski, Branislava Podrumac, Marko Pantelic, Vasa Stajkic i Ljubomir Popovic and a conductor is a maestro Djordje Stankovic.

The Opera & Theatre Madlenianum is the vision of its founder Mrs Madlena Zepter, experiencing the reality in the best possible way and besides offering an experience, Madlenianum is the place of encounters as well. Under the slogan “Closer to You” on-line ticket sales begins this year and the visitors of the Opera & Theatre Madlenianum will be able to purchase their tickets for the programs on our stages via our website www.madlenianum.rs