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

Staging a national language
161
doubt, however, that Josephson’s first priority in creating an opera company
was the performers’ professional skills and not their nationality.
The opera company’s makeup reveals a great deal about Josephson’s
ideas. Fritz Arlberg (1830–1896) was a self-evident choice, not only because
he was an excellent and experienced singer, but also because he was
Josephson’s close friend and long-time colleague. They were nearly the
same age (Arlberg was born in 1830 and Josephson in 1832) and had worked
together during the 1860s when Josephson was engaged as director at the
Royal Swedish <strong>Opera</strong>. Fritz Arlberg happened to be free to join the theatre
as he had left the Royal Swedish Theatre stage after a quarrel with Ludvig
Norman, the conductor of the Royal Court Orchestra and Arlberg’s brotherin-law.
8 A lively correspondence between Josephson and Arlberg had begun
already in August of 1874. In these letters the two colleagues appear more
like companions than employer and employee. 9
Their discussions about the future company’s constitution, language and
repertoire are interesting for many reasons, not only because they reveal
how Josephson and Arlberg worked together as a team, but also for how the
pair built an opera company to be as flexible and professional as possible.
Arlberg himself was a good example, as his repertoire was large and he was
willing to learn new roles. He also realised that it was diplomatically correct
to volunteer to sing in Norwegian, especially for roles he did not know and
had to learn anyway. 10 Moreover, he offered to become a teacher for novice
Norwegian singers to fill the company’s future needs.
When prima donnas were discussed, language was no longer an issue;
their fame and reputation clearly came first, while their repertoire was a
close second. Nevertheless, the prima donna’s ability to fit in with Arlberg
was an issue in the letters. For that reason Signe Hebbe (1837–1925), a
Swedish prima donna who had announced her interest in guest performances
in Christiania, was a dubious choice, despite her fame. Arlberg and
8 Evidently, the quarrel was not predominantly a family affair, but about artistic and
professional authority; Arlberg had criticised the orchestra for playing too loud when
he sang. Criticising the Kapellmeister was unheard of in those days, and the quarrel
ended with Arlberg’s resignation from the Royal Swedish <strong>Opera</strong> (Nordensvan 1918).
In fact, many sources, including Josephson, indicate that Arlberg’s voice had become
weaker over the years. (Nordensvan 1918; Josephson in “Ideal och verklighet”, Vol.
XIII, p. 61, NLS.)
9 Arlberg frequently uses the plural “we” and refers to the opera as a joint affair: “Yet
we two do not know of any difficulties”; [“Dock, vi båda känna ju inga omöjligheter”]
(Arlberg to Josephson, 3 October 1874, NLS); “We shall be together” [“Vi ska vara
tillsammans!”] (Arlberg to Josephson, 16 September 1874, NLS).
10 Later, Arlberg was appreciated for his “light and sure treatment” (”lätt och säkra
behandling”) of the Norwegian language (Qvamme 2004, p. 108).