Nicolae Bretan

Nicolae Bretan (25 March 1887  – 1 December 1968) was a Romanian opera composer, baritone, conductor and music critic.

He studied in Cluj, Vienna and Budapest before becoming one of the pioneers of Romanian opera - his opera Luceafarul (1921) is cited as the first opera in Romanian. Bretan also composed many lieder.

In 1944 Bretan wife's family, who were Jewish, were transported to the Nazi extermination camp at Auschwitz and murdered.

Refusing to become a member of the Romanian Communist Party in 1948, he was not favoured by the Romanian communist regime, who treated the composer as a "non person".

Major operatic works

• Luceafarul (1921)
• Golem (1924)
• Eroii de la Rovine (1935)
• Horia (1937)
• Arald (1939)

Recordings

• "Arald" and "Golem" on Nimbus NI 5424 (1995)(Arald: Zancu, Agache, Voineag, Sandru; Golem: Agache, Dároczy, Sandru, Zancu

Both operas with the Moldavian Philharmonic Orchestra/conductor: Christian Mandeal

• "Horia" on Nimbus NI5513/14 (1997) (Cornelia Pop, Buciuceanu, Fanateanu; Bucharest National Opera Choir, Bucarest Opera Orchestra/ conductor Cornel Trailescu (live recording)
• "Luceafarul" (The Evening Star) on Nimbus NI 5463 (1996) (Voineag, Szabó, Casian; Transsylvanian Philharmonic Orchestra/conductor Béla Hary
• Requiem (mezzo soprano, baritone, organ) + selection from "Spiritual Songs" (baritone, piano, organ) on Nimbus NI 5584 (1999)

Sources

• The Oxford Illustrated History of Opera, ed. Roger Parker (1994)
• Booklet accompanying CD of "Arald" and "Golem" (Nimbus NI 5424 (1995))

Persondata
Name	Bretan, Nicolae
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	25 March 1887
Place of birth
Date of death	1 December 1968
Place of death