Aleksandar RAKOVIĆ
Institute for Recent History of Serbia, Belgrade
Yugoslav Rock Opera Gubec-beg (1973–1984) – Theatrical Spectacle and Cultural Diplomacy
Abstract:
The paper shows how the first Yugoslav rock opera Gubec-beg was created, how its spectacular stage production made its way into the repertoire of Zagrebʼs Komedija Theatre and the Vatroslav Lisinski Concert Hall in Zagreb, how important it was for Yugoslav culture at home and cultural diplomacy abroad and for public opinion regarding this performance. The paper is written on the basis of documents from the Archives of Yugoslavia, the Diplomatic Archive of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Serbia, the domestic press and periodicals (entertainment, music, daily, youth, political, musicological, theatre), and academic and scholarly literature.
Key words: Rock Opera Gubec-beg, cultural diplomacy, Komedija Theatre, Lisinski, Rock & Roll, Socialism, Yugoslavia
Summary
The idea for the musical performance of Gubec-beg was born in 1973, when the nations of Yugoslavia celebrated the 400th anniversary of the Peasant Revolt – the uprising of the Croatian and Slovene serfs against the feudal lord Franjo Tahi (1573). In socialist Yugoslavia, a social environment had been created as of 1945 in such a way that a fusion could be made between the struggle of the workers and peasants and the new cultural trends among young people. Thus, the public always underlined the Yugoslav character of rock-opera Gubec-beg. The pre-premiere of the rock opera Gubec-beg by the Zagrebʼs Komedija Theatre was held at the Vatroslav Lisinski Concert Hall in Zagreb on 5 March 1975. Gubec-beg was considered the biggest spectacle ever performed on Yugoslav theatrical stages. Rock-opera Gubec-beg had special importance abroad where it gained great success within Yugoslav cultural diplomacy towards Italy, the Soviet Union and Hungary.