''Des Matrosen Heimkehr'' or ''Il Ritorno del Marinaio'' is a romantic opera in two acts by Dalmatian composer

Franz von Suppé Franz von Suppé (né Francesco Ezechiele Ermenegildo de Suppe) (18 April 181921 May 1895) was an Austrian composer of light operas and other theatre music. He came from the Kingdom of Dalmatia, Austro-Hungarian Empire (now part of Croatia). A c ...

to a libretto by the late Anton Langer (died 1879). It was premiered at the Stadttheater, Hamburg, on 4 May 1885. The opera was a success but quickly forgotten in Germany, and then the original score of the opera was lost in bombing in 1943. Croatian conductor Adriano Martinolli d'Arcy managed to retrieve a copy in an American archive in 2007, and the opera was revived in an Italian translation by the

Croatian National Theatre in Split The Croatian National Theatre in Split ( hr, Hrvatsko narodno kazalište u Splitu or HNK Split) is a theatre located in Split, Croatia. Originally opened in 1893, the theatre is owned and operated by the City of Split and is one of the oldest sur ...

in 2013, and recorded by the

Croatian National Theatre Ivan pl. Zajc in Rijeka The Croatian National Theatre Ivan pl. Zajc in Rijeka (Croatian: Hrvatsko narodno kazalište Ivana pl. Zajca Rijeka. Italian: Teatro Nazionale Croato Ivan de Zajc), commonly referred to as HNK Zajc, is a theatre, opera and ballet house located in ...

in 2016.

Plot

The story is set in a Dalmatian port, unnamed in the libretto, but in contemporary newspaper reviews said to be

Hvar Hvar (; Chakavian: ''Hvor'' or ''For'', el, Φάρος, Pharos, la, Pharia, it, Lesina) is a Croatian island in the Adriatic Sea, located off the Dalmatian coast, lying between the islands of Brač, Vis and Korčula. Approximately long, wi ...

, a detail which appears to have been supplied by the composer. The titular sailor, Pietro (baritone), seeks to demob from the navy and return home after twenty-years at sea, having signed onto the navy following disappointment in love. The mayor of the Dalmatian port, Quirino (bass), wants to oblige a young man Nicolò (tenor) to fulfill the town's obligation to provide three recruits to the navy, thereby leaving the mayor's young ward Jela (soprano), whom he covets for himself. Pietro recognizes through the girl Jela's song that she is the daughter of his now deceased lover. Pietro sacrifices himself by reenlisting in the navy in Nicolò's place.

Recordings

*''Il Ritorno del Marinaio'' - Ljubomir Puškarić (baritone), Marjukka Tepponen (soprano), Giorgio Surian, Alias Farazin, Rijeka Opera Choir, Rijeka Symphony Orchestra, Rijeka Opera, Adriano Martinolli d'Arcy. CPO, recorded 2016, released 2017.La Voce del Popolo
2017

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Matrosen Heimkehr, Des Operas 1885 operas German-language operas Operas by Franz von Suppé