Detailed Information on Publication Record

In 1881, the ballet Excelsior by choreographer Luigi Manzotti and composer Romualdo Marenco had its world premiere at La Scala in Milan. This extremely successful work was soon staged in many theatres on several continents, from Buenos Aires to New York, Paris, Vienna and St. Petersburg. In 1885, it premiered at the National Theatre in Prague, where it achieved an extraordinary 170 performances and received both enthusiastic admiration and scathing criticism. The lecture will look at the National Theatre production from several angles: as a reflection of the clash between the ideals of the national revival and the practice of everyday theatre operations, as a product of mass culture reflecting the interests of the contemporary audience, and as one of the many contemporary manifestations of nationalism and Pan-Slavism mirroring the geopolitical situation of Europe.