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

208 Joakim Tillman
to express. As Josephon points out, it was not difficult to perceive Wagner’s
intentions in Die Walküre, in which the orchestral polyphony is less complex
than in the later works, and especially in the first act.
The critic who most forcefully defended Wagner’s leitmotif technique was
Eugen Fahlstedt (1851-1935) in Vårt Land (8/11 1895). Fahlstedt claimed
that the average listener did not need a printed “Leitfaden” in order to perceive
the most important motifs when first experiencing the performance.
Of course, he or she would not perceive all the motifs, but upon closer acquaintance
would learn more and more to appreciate the fine and significant
combinations, as well as the wise economy whereby the poet used them
in order to facilitate understanding of the action and tie the four parts of
the Ring cycle into one musico-dramatic unity. Fahlstedt was fully aware of
the narrative and structural functions of the leitmotifs, and he objected to
the simplified view of leitmotivic association put forward in Lindgren’s Om
Wagnerismen and in several of the Die Meistersinger reviews:
“It is an erroneous notion that the leitmotif is some kind of label or sign
that is presented in the orchestra each time a certain character makes an
entrance. Wagner does not characterise it in such a simple and superficial
way, and if, as an exception, the playing of a personal motif coincides
with the character’s entrance, this is caused by the situation (e.g., Hunding’s
rhythmically sharp and threatening motif).”
Furthermore, Fahlstedt claims that it was a misconception that each character
had one motif: “on the contrary, the main characters have several
motifs, which characterise them from different angles.” He continues by
presenting concrete examples of “profound moods and beautiful artistic impressions”
that can be evoked through the use of the leitmotif technique.
The cuts
In accordance with the performance practice of the time, both Die Meistersinger
and Die Walküre were extensively cut. The Swedish critics were all
of the opinion that, given the longueurs in Wagner’s works these cuts were
beneficial. In the opinion of Adolf Lindgren (AB 4/4 1887), David’s uninteresting
part could have been shortened even more extensively, especially
because the singer, Mikael Bratbost, had a rather immature way of singing.
Furthermore, if the longueurs between the striking episodes had been replaced
with spoken dialogue, or at least a lighter and more cheerful musical