Vilniaus operos veikla (1942-1944)
Activities of the Vilnius opera in 1942-1944

Summary/Abstract: The opera as a genre has played a very special role in the history of the development of Lithuanian national music. It has become one of the most outstanding symbols representing not only the value but also the vitality of national culture. In 1939, the capital Vilnius was regained from Poland, however, like the rest of the country, the city soon got exposed to the soviet (1940-41) and the Nazi (1941-44) occupations and to the horrors of the war. Such circumstances undoubtedly had a certain impact on the life of the Lithuanian cultural community as well as on the flow of cultural life in general; nevertheless, cultural and artistic energy remained unsuppressed. Thus, despite the most severe conditions, musical life in Vilnius seemed to be remarkably dynamic and intensive. One of its major manifestations was the Vilnius Opera which functioned in 1942-44 (till the end of the Nazi occupation). During two and a half seasons of its existence, the company had a sufficient number of performers to stage six operas simultaneously, nourishing hopes for the birth of a new opera theatre that would be permanent and independent. Unfortunately, the outcome of the war, followed by another soviet occupation, broke the existence of the Vilnius Opera.

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