Ru
EnA. Selitsky
Grigori Valliano: materials for a biography. In Mikhail Lentovsky’s service. Article three
The creative biography of Grigori Valliano (1830–1888) is divided into two major periods. In 1864–1875, he ran an enterprise in Rostov-on-Don, whose repertoire since 1869 has been reoriented mainly to operetta. Thus, in the history of the genre, Valliano inscribed his name as the creator of Russia’s first purely operetta theater. Despite the success of the audience, the company ceased to exist due to financial failures. In the following years, with some exceptions, he worked in other people’s businesses.
A separate bright page of Valliano’s life and work consists of several years of service in Moscow with Mikhail Lentovsky, one of the most prominent organizers of theatrical business in Russia in the last quarter of the 19th century. Here, Valliano played on stage, performed the duties of a second director, actively helped the owner in the implementation of his bold economic initiatives, participated in the development of set design solutions, the selection of costumes and props, or translated the librettos of Parisian and Viennese operettas.
Energetic, experienced, and multi-talented, he was a valuable asset to Lentovsky. In turn, Lentovsky played a decisive and at the same time dual role in the professional fate of the former Rostov resident. On the one hand, he got the opportunity to play with strong partners, perform in front of Moscow and St. Petersburg audiences, and be in the thick of grandiose projects. On the other hand, the “Lentovsky era” ended in disaster for him – a humiliating resignation, which dealt him a severe blow.
The proposed article introduces for the first time into research using some newspaper and magazine publications of the 1870s–1880s, and, most importantly, the nine letters of Valliano to Lentovsky that have never been published or commented on. They shed light on the corresponding period of the artist’s artistic life, which is being described and comprehended for the first time.
Key words
Operetta in Russia of the 19th century, M. Lentovsky’s theatrical affairs, the Hermitage Garden and Theatre in Moscow, correspondence between G. Valliano and M. Lentovsky, theatrical enterprises in the province.
For citation
Selitsky A. Grigori Valliano: materials for a biography. In Mikhail Lentovsky’s service. Article three. In: South-Russian Musical Anthology. 2024. No. 3. Pp. 5–15.
