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

The introduction of Richard Wagner’s music dramas in Stockholm
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Stockholm after one theatrical year, and the Royal Swedish <strong>Opera</strong> lacked a
suitable Heldentenor for the Wagner parts.
Die Meistersinger was performed solely with Swedish singers in the
roles. The critics were unanimous in their praise of the performance and
the staging, but nevertheless pointed out the apparent shortage of suitable
vocal resources. Karl Valentin, for instance, wrote (GHT B 16/4 1887):
“In all the three leading parts the lack of experience of this style was noticeable,
and because of the lack of breadth that characterises Wagnerian
declamation when accomplished in the spirit of the Master, some things
in the text did not appear as they should have done.”
The other critics made an exception for Selma Ek (1856-1941) in the role
of Eva, however. Fredrik Vult von Steijern, who like Valentin had seen Die
Meistersinger in Germany, considered her to be “the only one who hit the
mark in terms of a proper stylistic idea and a true artistic rendering.” (DN
4/4 1887) Von Steijern wondered where she had picked up this ability because,
to his knowledge, she had had no more opportunities than her colleagues
to study the Wagnerian way of singing. Earlier in the 1880s she
had appeared as Elisabeth and Elsa, Wagnerian parts in which, according to
Adolf Lindgren, she had always succeeded brilliantly (AB 4/4 1887). Furthermore,
she had performed the female leading part, Sigrun, in Harald
Viking, and it is therefore possible that she came to an understanding of
idiomatic Wagnerian singing through studying Labatt.
The critics did not restrict their praise to Selma Ek’s singing. They also
admired her considerable acting abilities, which Frans Hedberg (1885, pp.
258ff) had pointed out a couple of years before the Die Meistersinger premiere.
However, she was not a dramatic soprano. Karl Valentin’s (GHT
B 16/4 1887) objection was that she lacked “the full-bodied voice and the
breadth of delivery that were necessary”. In a letter to Hans Herrig (the
librettist of Harald Viking) dated 26 February 1884 Andreas Hallén wrote
that her voice was not adequate for Sigrun, even though he admitted that
she was an excellent actress (see Knust 2011, p. 52). Hallén’s review of Die
Meistersinger only has praise for Selma Ek, however: “Of the performing
soloists we, in the first instance, mention Selma Ek, who through her correct
interpretation of the character and distinctly sung dialogue came closest
to the Wagnerian intention.” (VL 6/4 1887)
Carl Fredrik Lundqvist (1841-1920) performed the role of Hans Sachs.
Frans Hedberg (1885, p. 263) emphasised that it was precisely as a Wagner
singer that Lundqvist had been noticed and valued by both audience