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

98 Anne Reese Willén
classical music concerts. This article examines the music repertoire at the
Royal Swedish <strong>Opera</strong> and the public discourse on the effect of its prominent
position within the musical life of Stockholm during the mid-nineteenth
century. It describes the different contexts in which music was performed
on stage. It also addresses the question of how and why music critics focused
strongly on the Royal Swedish <strong>Opera</strong> as a music institution in their
writings on musical life in Stockholm. Even though some of the music
performed there could be described as lighter or of a “popular” character,
the focus here is on the “serious” classical repertoire. 6 The operatic repertoire
is not investigated in detail given the emphasis on the connection
between the music at the Royal Swedish <strong>Opera</strong> and in the concert life of
the city. 7 Concert programming was a significant aspect of the contemporary
discourse on the state of Stockholm’s musical life, and the position of
the Royal Swedish <strong>Opera</strong> as a musical institution. How was the question of
concert programming treated in the contemporary music criticism? How
did the programming on the royal stage compare to that in other European
cities? The cultural and musical exchange between the European and Nordic
countries was also significant, with musicians and singers travelling and
working in different countries, spreading both music and performance ideals
and propagating the developing music journalism.
This article is connected to a thesis project and a forthcoming dissertation
on the institutionalisation and professionalization of public musical life
in Stockholm during the mid-nineteenth century. Martin Tegen covered a
similar topic in his thesis from 1955, in which he analysed musical life in the
city after 1890. Owe Ander, Göran Gadamer, Dag Kronlund and Klas Ralf
among others have carried out research on the repertoire of opera, music
theatre and theatre music at the Royal Swedish <strong>Opera</strong> in Stockholm, and of
its orchestra. However, thus far there have been no detailed studies on the
concerts staged there.
6 The music at the Royal Swedish <strong>Opera</strong> that could be described as lighter or popular
included folk or dance music as theatre music, and dance music performed on occasions
such as masked balls. In contrast, the symphonic music and other music performed at
concerts or in connection with the theatre fell into the category of classical music that
formed in Europe during the first half of the nineteenth century.
7 Göran Gadamer, Klas Ralf, and Owe Ander, among others, studied the operatic
repertoire of the Royal Swedish <strong>Opera</strong>.