Autonome vs. Nationalisten in Split: Musik, Politik und Multikulturalismus rund um das Stadttheater

Until the last decades of the 19th century, Italian impresarios and opera
companies followed each other in Split’s theatre according to a well-
established tradition, albeit against the background of a multi-ethnic area
with a Croatian majority. Most of the boxes were occupied by members
of the Italian Autonomous Party, which had won the majority of seats in
the first Dalmatian parliament. All this went without conflict until an event
disrupted life in the city. The theatre was destroyed in a fire allegedly caused
by Austrians who supported the Croatian nationalist party. Soon after,
the municipality passed de facto to the Croats, who raised the problem of
reconstruction and the type of repertoire to offer. Were the operas of Giuseppe
Verdi still playable? To what extent should the repertoire have been changed?
What “character” or “national character” should the new theatre have?