Risto Savin

Risto Savin

Risto Savin (Žalec, 1858 – Zagreb, 1948), born Friderik Širca, was a Slovenian composer. He is one of the composers credited with creating a Slovenian national tradition of opera.^[1]

Risto Savin was a pseudonym adopted by Friderik Širca, a general in the army.^[2] He studied composition with Robert Fuchs in Vienna and became notable as one of the composers of Slovenian-language opera. His opera Lepa Vida (Lovely Vida, 1907) is one of the Slovenian operas to show the influence of Wagner.^[3] The house where Risto Savin was born in Žalec is now a museum.

Works

Operas

• Poslednja straža (Last Watch, 1898)
• Lepa Vida (Pretty Vida, 1907)
• Gosposvetski sen (1921)
• Matija Gubec (1923)

Ballets

• Plesna legendica (1918)
• Čajna punčka (The Tea Girl, 1922)

Songs

• "Pismo" (The Letter, Oton Župančič)
• "To je tako" (Oton Župančič)
• "Svetla noč" (Oton Župančič)
• "Marica" (Oton Župančič)
• "Ljubica, zdaj je dan" (Anton Aškerc)

Selected recordings

• Music for cello and piano Grieg, Savin, Martinu, Pucihar Nikolaj Sajko and pianist Miha Haas.

References

1. Hindley, Geoffrey. 1994. Larousse Encyclopedia of Music, p. 576 "Davorin Jenko (1835-1914) is considered as the founder of Slovene national music; Risto Savin (1859-1948) created a national tradition of opera"
2. Cvetko, Dragotin. 1967. Histoire de la musique Slovène. "Le premier de cette génération fut Risto Savin, dont le vrai nom était Friderik Širca (1858 — 1948). Il fut officier de profession et il obtint le grade de général. Il étudia la composition chez Robert Fuchs à Vienne."
3. Jim Samson Cambridge History of Music 2001 "Slovenian composers well into the twentieth century developed a cosmopolitan late Romantic idiom influenced by Brahms and Dvorak and occasionally, as in Risto Savin's 1907 opera Lepa Vida (Lovely Vida), by Wagner"