The entire choir now performing Verdi’s opera “Nabucco” are among the 18,000 people who have signed a petition handed to Czech lawmakers in a bid to save the more than 120-year-old Prague State Opera (SOP) by preserving its independent status.
The petition delegation handed over the plea to the head of the Senate committee dealing with culture as part of a last-ditch campaign to block the Ministry of Culture’s plans, announced at the start of June, to merge the SOP and the city’s National Theater (ND). The ministry argues it is the only way to ensure their future. Opponents claim that the changes are not backed up by any economic, legal or cultural analyses proving the benefits.
The merger is due to start from January 2012 and should be completed by 2015 with a single administration created and all assets transferred to the National Theater. A single ballet ensemble will also be created as a national ballet company. The orchestras and choirs of the two current institutions will remain independent, but soloists will come under a single organization. The National Theater’s acting ensemble will continue without any major changes.
Opponents claim that the changes are not backed up by any economic, legal or cultural analyses proving the benefits. Instead, they say the merger is being pushed because it fits in with the Culture Ministry’s internal plans.
The ministry says it has drawn on the advice of an expert committee and foreign examples proving that the existence of two separate Prague opera ensembles does not make sense.
The SOP held a gala concert on June 7 “as a token of gratitude to all the company’s friends and faithful members of the audience, for their support throughout the 2110–2011 season.” The concert was also aimed at pushing home the message that the separate opera house should be allowed to continue. Among the artistic figures closely linked with the State Opera are Gustav Mahler and Richard Strauss.
