The Last Flight
Marek Piaček’s opera on General Milan Rastislav Štefánik, libretto by Egon Bondy and Elena Kmeťová. Premiered on 14 December 2001 at the Stoka theatre during the Evenings of New Music “Point Zero”, with Požoň Sentimental in extended line-up.
Stoka Theatre, Pribinova 1
The project was born, like Urban Songs, during long conversations and walks between Bondy and Piaček. Bondy “bit into it with his characteristic scholarly zeal” – his father had been a legionnaire waiting in Vladivostok to return home. He compiled the libretto from Štefánik’s own words, letters and contemporaries’ memoirs (“80–90 % of the text”); Bondy’s own text is rare. The most style-forming element of the production turned out to be the budget: of the planned six soloists and large choir there remained one soloist, a narrator, two dancers, a six-member choir and a seven-piece ensemble.
Music Marek Piaček, libretto Egon Bondy and Elena Kmeťová, direction and set Dušan Vicen, set Ria Kmeťová, choreography Monika Čertezni. Performers: Stanislav Beňačka (bass), František Kovár (narrator), Júlia Horváthová (voice), Monika Čertezni and Peter Jaško (dance), Voci festose choir, conductors Martin Majkút (2001) and Marián Lejava (revivals at A4, 2004 and 13–14 Dec 2006).
Performers
- premiere 14 Dec 2001, Stoka Theatre
- Association for Contemporary Opera / SkRAT
- revivals: 16 Apr 2004 A4, 13–14 Dec 2006 A4
Sources
- Renáta Beličová: Koniec veľkých príbehov. Opera Posledný let. In: Eurolingua & Eurolitteraria, Liberec 2009, s. 289–300.
- Andrea Serečinová: Skončila opera v stoke? Hudobný život 2/2002.
- Eva Andrejčáková: Recesia vo svete klasiky. SME, 19. 3. 2002.