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

Performative elements and sources
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Revaler Beobachter in 1879. In those days the reviews were far from detailed,
but reflection on the performances, no matter how brief, was crucially
important for the theatre. The main focus was on the singers and
the quality of their voices. The reviewers’ knowledge about opera came
from their travels in Europe, visits to St. Petersburg and their own studies.
There is valuable information to be found in memoirs, but so far little has
come to light concerning Tallinn City Theatre.
What follows now are some general remarks concerning what is documented
in the surviving director’s copies at the Tallinn City Theatre. I
should emphasise that these are libretti containing the director’s notes and
plans, originating from the 1890s. It should be borne in mind that librettists
only started to give detailed descriptions of the staging and the activities
on stage in the nineteenth century. Often the director noted the required
action or location with a cross, or added “right” (rechts) or “left” (links)
to the librettist’s description, and sometimes only the initial letters (all in
pencil). Stage depth is indicated in expressions such as “upstage right” (rechts
hinten). The letter “M” refers to the centre (Mitte) of the stage. The
prompter’s box indicates the central axis. In order to assess the depth of
the stage the wings were numbered, the first one being closest to the footlights.
A semicircle with a dot (like an eye) in the middle gives the direction
of the character’s gaze (body). An arrow usually marks movement on stage
from one point to another, or the same name is written in two different locations,
one denoting the initial and the other the final moment.
From the surviving notes it is possible to imagine the performance in a
space, the characters’ positions in the ensemble numbers, how the chorus
was placed, and the direction of movement. The staging at the end of an
act tended to follow the group (Gruppe) principle. When the chorus was
involved the singers were often placed in a semicircle or in an asymmetrical
pattern, and big static groups formed tableaux. In both cases the characters
were placed on stage in positions that indicated the relationships, whereas
tableaux from grand opera were powerful and more picturesque. The old
method of lining the choir up along both sides of the stage was popular,
as was the procession (Zug) coming onto the stage and leaving it. It was
deemed unnecessary to note the action in solo scenes or duets.
Performing Wagner’s operas in Tallinn City Theatre, 1853-1902
Researching the presentation of Wagner’s operas is interesting for many
reasons. First, his textbooks and vocal scores contain detailed explanations