Opera on the Move in the Nordic Countries during the Long 19th ...

Two <strong>Opera</strong>s or One – or None
143
against the legal process. The court case continued from January 1873 to
April 1873, and Bergbom was sentenced to pay a considerable fine for having
insulted the theatre management publicly in writing. Bergbom took his
case to the Court of Appeals, giving a convincing analysis of the conditions
behind his actions. The amount of the fine was reduced and the definition
of his crime lessened simply to an “insult” (förolämpning). The decision of
the Court of Appeals came out just as the Finnish <strong>Opera</strong> company unveiled
its performances in November of 1873. Nikolai Kiseleff was again ready
to leave the issue there, because the whole affair was not good advertisement
for the Swedish Theatre Company. His two colleagues, however, still
wanted to appeal to the Senate (and the Emperor), but the Senate sent back
the matter unchanged. (Aspelin-Haapkylä 1907, II, pp. 29–36).
The atmosphere surrounding the first regular operatic activities was not
very auspicious. During the entire season of 1872–1873, Bergbom and Kiseleff
were competing for the same singers. Emmy Strömer and her sister
Sophie Strömer were still hesitating in December of 1872 about whether to
accept Kiseleff’s offer to join the Swedish Theatre and enjoy the security of
the larger institution. On the other hand, their hearts were with the cause
of the Finnish people, even though their working language was Swedish.
Finally, Bergbom persuaded the Strömer sisters to sign a contract with the
Finnish <strong>Opera</strong> Company for 1873-1874. Nikolas Achté was the baritone,
John Bergholm the bass and Ludvig Ericsson, the tenor, the only one who
came from Sweden. The first Finnish opera performances took place in Viipuri
(Vyborg), opening in November of 1873 with Lucia di Lammermoor and
followed by a revival of Trubaduuri. Emmy Strömer had great success, both
in her Lucia and her Leonora roles. Lucia and Il Trovatore were followed by
Act II of Noita-ampuja (Der Freischütz). The season then continued with
the comic opera Fra Diavolo (by Auber), Sevillan parranajaja (Il barbiere
di Siviglia), with Ida Basilier as Rosina, Norma, Lucrezia Borgia and Alessandro
Stradella (by Flotow), followed by Verdi’s Ernani and, in February of
1876, Gounod’s Faust, which would be the most successful. The amount of
work accomplished over the six years was astounding, given the number of
singers working with annual contracts or engaged per production or singing
regularly in a chorus that numbered between 50 and 80. (Aspelin-Haapkylä
1907, II,, pp. 470-473.)
Kiseleff and the Swedish Theatre Company also succeeded with their
regular opera productions. After Martha came De muntra fruarna i Windsor
(Die lustigen Weiber von Windsor) in April 1872, and in November 1873,
Friskytten (Der Freischütz), which was revived once more in the autumn of