Since its world premiere in 1960 on the stage of Lviv Opera and Ballet Theatre, the opera “The Stolen Happiness” has been one of the most famous and most performed Ukrainian operas of the 20th century. Its author, Yulii Meitus (1903-1997), is a Ukrainian composer who wrote 17 operas. His works, considering the time and circumstances in which the composer lived and created, appear distinctly different. Along with the artistically valuable pieces, many were created under the influence of political and ideological restrictions of the Soviet era.

The composer revealed his talent at a young age: his works were highly appreciated, in particular, by Béla Bartók. At the age of 23, Meitus received an excellent musical education as a pianist at the school of Gustav Neuhaus in his native Yelysavetgrad (now Kropyvnytskyi) and as a composer at Kharkiv Conservatory in the class of Semen Bohatyriov and started writing music for theatrical performances.

Since 1926, he collaborated with the famous Berezil theatre of Les Kurbas and wrote music for 13 plays, in particular, “Dictatorship” and “Prologue”. According to the composer’s memoirs, the score of “Dictatorship” consisted of more than 400 pages. Kurbas used to play to the composer some recitative melodies, which preserved the free rhythm of spoken language, while Maitus recorded and processed these musical sketches. The prohibition of the Berezil theatre and the execution of Les Kurbas by order of the Soviet authorities threatened the young composer with repression. He had to (probably under pressure and threats) condemn the activities of the famous Ukrainian director in his articles for the magazine “Soviet Music”. After such treachery, avoiding the Soviet repressions and agreeing to cooperate with the authorities, the composer had to create politically correct works. However, he also composed original works, which are characterized by unfolding a psychological drama, showing local colouring and searching for new nuances of expressiveness.

Among the 17 operas of Yulii Meitus (some were written in collaboration with Soviet authors), “The Stolen Happiness” is a unique example of a lyrical and psychological drama.

The opera “The Stolen Happiness” (libretto by Maksym Rylskyi) was based on the play of the same name by Ivan Franko. Franko’s work was chosen not accidentally. At that time, Lviv Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre, for which Meitus wrote his opera, was named after the Ukrainian poet.

The drama’s plot is based on the love triangle concept and the life story of ordinary people with no happy end. It induced the composer to create an opera close to the verismo style: the same passionate feelings of the character as in the operas “Pagliacci” by R. Leoncavallo and “Cavalleria rusticana” by P. Mascagni. The monologues and dialogues of the characters are full of dramatic culminations, imitating such naturalistic effects as shouts, whispers, monotonous repetition, sigh, etc.

And at the same time, the opera “The Stolen Happiness” has a unique Ukrainian colouring due to the masterful use of Ukrainian and Carpathian folklore. It is widely used in choral and dance scenes, creating a picturesque and, at the same time, contrasting background to emphasize the personal drama of the characters.

The three main characters – Anna, her husband Mykola Zadorozhnyi and her lover, the gendarme Mykhailo Hurman, have bright individual musical characteristics: melodic, prayerful and enlightened intonations in the part of Anna, pastoral, as if playing the flute, melodies of Mykola, and trumpet march in the part of the gendarme are combined with modern expressive music. The opera consists of elaborate scenes, but bright solo arias can be distinguished, such as Anna’s monologue “And I prayed, and bowed down” from Act I and Mykhailo’s couplet “We must live as we live” from Act III.

The world premiere took place on the stage of Lviv Opera on September 10, 1960. The creators were conductor Yaroslav Voshchak, director Serhii Smiyan, and set designer Oleksandr Salman. The premiere cast: Viacheslav Kobrzhytskyi (Mykola), Valentyna Herasymenko (Anna), Pavlo Karmaliuk (Mykhailo). After the Lviv premiere, the opera was presented in Poland (Gdansk), the Czech Republic (Prague, Brno), Hungary (Budapest), Korea (Pyongyang), China, Bulgaria, Romania, Estonia, Germany, etc.

The opera “The Stolen Happiness” was revived at Lviv Opera in 1989 (premiered on May 29). The creative team included conductor Ihor Latsanych, director Fedir Stryhun, set designer Tadei Ryndzak, choirmaster Orest Kurash, and choreographer Herman Isupov. Nina Tychynska and Liudmyla Bozhko (Anna), Volodymyr Ihnatenko (Mykola), Ihor Kushpler (Mykhailo), Nataliia Svoboda (Nastia) and Vasyl Dudar (Wójt, a senior civil administrative officer) were the unparalleled performers of the new production. The play was presented on tour, in particular, at the Grand Theatre in Warsaw.

The music of Yulii Meitus subtly and profoundly reproduced the brilliant work of Ivan Franko so that it touches even the modern listener.