Royal Swedish Opera

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The Royal Swedish Opera, as seen from the southwest
The Royal Swedish Opera, as seen from the southwest
The Opera, as seen from the west
The Opera, as seen from the west

The Kungliga Operan or Royal Swedish Opera is the national stage for opera in Sweden. The building lies in the center of Stockholm, on the eastern side of Gustav Adolfs torg. The opera company was founded by King Gustav III and its first performance was given on January 18, 1773.

But the first opera house was not opended until 1782 and served for a century before being replaced at the end of the 19th century. Both houses were officially called the "Royal Opera", however the terms "The Gustavian Opera" and "The Oscarian Opera", or the "Old" and "New" Opera are used when distinction is needed.

[edit] The Gustavian Opera

The original Stockholm Opera House, the work of architect Carl Fredrik Adelcrantz was commissioned by King Gustav III, a strong adherent of the ideal of an enlightened absolutism and as such was a great patron of the arts. Construction began in 1775 and the theatre was inaugurated on 30 September 1782 with a performance of the Danish composer Johann Gottlieb Naumann's Cora och Alonzo.

The building was very imposing with its center Corinthian tetrastyle portico supporting four statues and topped by the royal crown. The four-tiered auditorium was oval in shape, had excellent acoustics and sightlines. The sumptuous foyer contained neoclassic medallions and pilasters.

It was in the foyer of the opera house where the king met his fate: during a masquerade on March 16, 1792, he was shot by Jacob Johan Anckarström, and died several days later. (In turn, this event inspired the opera Un Ballo in Maschera by Verdi). Following the asassination, the opera house was closed until May 1812.

[edit] The Oscarian Opera, the Operan

The old opera was demolished in 1892 to give way to the construction of a new Opera by Axel Johan Anderberg and it was finished seven years later, inaugurated by King Oscar II with a production of a Swedish opera (that tradition having been quite firmly established during the 19th century), Franz Berwald's Estrella de Soria.

The new house bears the letters Kungl. Teatern, literally "Royal Theatre" (which caused the later-founded Royal Dramatic Theatre to add the distinction "dramatic" to its name), and is now simply called the Operan. It is a majestic neo-classical building with a magnificent gold foyer and elegant marble grand staircase leading to a three-tiered auditorium somewhat smaller than the old theatre. It presently seats 1,200.


The current Opera building, as seen from the east
The current Opera building, as seen from the east

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  • Beauvert, Thierry, Opera Houses of the World, The Vendome Press, New York, 1995. ISBN 0-86565-978-8
  • Zeitz, Karyl Lynn, Opera: the Guide to Western Europe's Great Houses, Santa Fe, New Mexico: John Muir Publications, 1991. ISBN 0-945465-81-5

[edit] External link

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