Sobolevsky, Eduard

Johann Friedrich Eduard Sobolevsky (sometimes von Sobolevsky , German: Johann Friedrich Eduard Sobolewski ; October 1, 1804 ^[2] , Koenigsberg - May 17, 1872 , St. Louis ) - German-American conductor and composer of Polish descent.

He studied composition in Berlin with Karl Friedrich Zelter , then in 1821 - 1824 . in Dresden by Karl Maria von Weber .

Returning to Königsberg, in 1830 he took the post of musical director of the Königsberg Theater , then in 1835 he was appointed cantor of the Altstadt Church , whose old building had already been destroyed, and preparations were still underway for the construction of the new one (the cantor was responsible for overseeing designing in terms of the suitability of the building for the proper performance of church music ^[3] ). However, Sobolevsky did not wait for the restoration of the cathedral in this position: in 1838 he was elected as his chief conductor by an amateur orchestra formed in the city, and in 1843 the leadership of the “Academy of Music” choir that arose in the city was added to this post. Finally, in 1847 , Sobolevsky again led the Koenigsberg Opera. During the Koenigsberg period of his life, Sobolevsky composed and staged six operas in the city: Imogen ( 1832 ), Wellleda, the prophetess of the brooks ( German: Velleda, die Seherin des Brockens ; 1835 , according to the legend of Weleda ), Salvator Rosa ( 1848 ), “Khorasan Prophet” ( German Der Seher von Khorassan ; 1850 , based on Thomas Moore ’s poem “ Lalla Ruk ”), “Zizka from Kelch” ( German Ziska vom Kelch ; 1851 , based on the poem by Alfred Meissner about Jan Zizka ) and The Traitor Song ( German: Ein Lied als Verräther ; 1852 ). In the same period, he wrote the oratorio “The Resurrection of Lazarus” ( German: Die Auferweckung des Lazarus ; 1837 , according to I. G. Herder ), “John the Baptist” ( 1839 ), “Savior” ( German Die Erlöser ; 1840 - 1841 ), the choir symphony "South and North" ( German: Süden und Norden ) and "mystery" "Heaven and Earth" based on Byron's poem (both 1845 ). Some of these compositions were also performed in Leipzig . In addition, Sobolevsky actively acted as a music critic, including in the "New Musical Newspaper" by Robert Schuman .

In 1854, Sobolevsky headed the Bremen Opera for five years. During this period, he made only one premiere of his own opera, staging in 1857 "Komala, the royal daughter from Inistor" ( German Komala, die Königstochter von Inisthore ) based on the poem by James MacPherson , but this opera brought him fame: a year later it They were staged in Weimar under the control of Liszt Ferenc , and the prominent music critic Richard Paul responded to the opera with a lengthy response. During the Bremen period, Sobolevsky also published a number of polemical brochures, including “Opera, not drama” ( German Oper, nicht Drama ; 1857 , explaining the principles of his work on Komala).

In 1859 , Sobolevsky left Germany and went to the USA, having settled initially in Milwaukee , where in the same year he staged his opera Mohega, or Forest Flower ( German: Mohega, die Blume des Waldes ) - probably the first opera on the plot from American Revolutionary War : Moheg, an Indian girl, is in love with General Kazimierz Pulawski and dies, unsuccessfully trying to save him during the battle of Savannah (it is believed that Sobolevsky composed the libretto himself, based on the recollections of his grandfather, who served under the command of Pulavsky ^[4] ). In 1860 , Sobolevsky attempted to found a symphony orchestra in Milwaukee, but was able to give only two concerts. He also gave lessons, including to young Christopher Bach . In the summer of that year, Sobolevsky was invited to St. Louis to head the orchestra that was created there, and worked with this team until the end of his life. In the later period, he composed exclusively songs.