The building is located in the center of Sweden's capital Stockholm in the borough of Norrmalm, on the eastern side of Gustav Adolfs torg across from the former Arvfurstens Palats, now Ministry for Foreign Affairs. The Royal Swedish Orchestra traces its origins from the Court Chapel of the sixteenth century and is one of the world’s oldest orchestras. The orchestra originally consisted of both musicians and singers. Famous singers who originally were (or still are) part of the opera's ensemble are Jussi Björling, Gösta Winbergh, Nicolai Gedda, Peter Mattei, Jenny Lind, Birgit Nilsson, Elisabeth Söderström, Anne Sofie von Otter, Katarina Dalayman and Nina Stemme. During the twentieth century, the orchestra grew from around sixty to almost a hundred members. It had only male members until 1727, when Sophia Schröder and Judith Fischer were employed as vocalists; in the 1850s, the harpist Marie Pauline Åhman became the first female instrumentalist. The Swedish Opera company had first been located in Bollhuset, but there was a need to separate the Opera from the theatre and give them separate buildings. Impressum "The Royal Opera") is Sweden's national stage for opera and ballet. The building is now simply called Operan ("The Opera"), written in golden letters above the middle arch on the front facade. Find out more about our use of this data. In 1773 Gustav III transformed it into an opera band. The opera company was founded by King Gustav III and its first performance, "Thetis and Phelée" with Carl Stenborg and Elisabeth Olin, was given on January 18, 1773; this was the first native speaking opera performed in Sweden. Shop for Vinyl, CDs and more from Orchestra Of The Royal Opera House, Covent Garden at the Discogs Marketplace. : Tote Stadt (Die) [Opera] (SunnegÃ¥rdh, Tomtberga School Children's Choir, Royal Swedish Opera Chorus and Orchestra, Segerstam), TCHAIKOVSKY: Swan Lake (Royal Swedish Ballet, 2002) (NTSC), TCHAIKOVSKY: Swan Lake (Royal Swedish Ballet, 2002) (PAL), TCHAIKOVSKY: Swan Lake / The Nutcracker / The Sleeping Beauty (NTSC). 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 7 days later. The four-tiered auditorium was oval in shape, had excellent acoustics and sight lines. Links This article uses material from the article Royal Swedish Opera from the free encyclopedia Wikipedia and it is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. Contact, © 2020 Schweizerische Radio- und Fernsehgesellschaft, This page was last modified 07.12.2012 08:36:07, Ensembles, Artists and Artistic Leadership, Allegretto und Menuetto aus der Sinfonie Nr.3 D-Dur, Lawrence Renes - Ny chefdirigent på Kungliga Operan, Georg Nordensvan, "Svensk teater och svenska skådespelare". The sumptuous foyer contained neoclassic medallions and pilasters. It had a golden age under the leadership of several members of the Düben family during the 17th century. Following the assassination, the opera house was closed until 1 November 1792, when it was opened again, which by some was considered shocking. There is a rigging system with 75 lines for suspending backdrops, among other things. All of these systems require meticulous servicing, which is the responsibility … Find album reviews, stream songs, credits and award information for Mozart at the Royal Swedish Opera, 1952-1967 - Royal Swedish Opera Orchestra on AllMusic - 2006 We use cookies to improve the use of our website, our products and services, and confirm your login authorization or initial creation of account. (English, German). But the first opera house was not opened until 1782 and served for a century before being replaced at the end of the 19th century. Der ferne Klang, his first major work, is a late Romantic opera of grand passions. Thus comes into being the title "court violin", the forerunner of the current "royal orchestra musician" designation (today’s title for members of the Royal Danish Orchestra). Services below require separate subscription. Royal housekeeping accounts from 1526 mention twelve musicians including wind players and a timpanist but no string players. | Since 1773 it is part of the Royal Swedish Opera's company. The Royal Swedish Family of King Carl XVI Gustaf keeps the Royal Box reserved, located in the first tier in the auditorium above the orchestra pit. [1], Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Royal Swedish Opera. Click to learn more. Kungliga Hovkapellet ("Royal Court Orchestra"), is a Swedish orchestra, first documented in 1526. Royal housekeeping accounts from 1526 mention twelve musicians including wind players and a timpanist but no string players. In 1773 Gustav III transformed it into an opera band. By clicking "Ok" or by continuing to use our website, you agree to cookies being set on your device as explained in our, A TO Z OF OPERA (The) (2nd expanded edition), KORNGOLD, E.W. Kungliga Hovkapellet is one of the oldest active orchestras in the world. 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. (In turn, this event inspired the opera Un Ballo in Maschera by Verdi.) Since 1773, the Kungliga Hovkapellet has been the orchestra of the Royal Swedish Opera. It lies on the North side of the Norrström river and is connected to the Royal Palace through the Norrbro bridge. The Royal Swedish Ballet, Kungliga Baletten, was founded by Gustav III of Sweden in 1773. Consequently, the Kungliga Hovkapellet is one of the oldest orchestras in Europe. It was also the place for public masquerade balls, events inspired from the famous opera-balls in Paris, which was open for everyone wearing a mask at a cheap cost and somewhat ill-reputed. Both houses are 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. Further historically as well as architecturally important buildings in the close neighborhood are the Sager House, official residence of the Swedish Prime Minister, and the Swedish parliament (Riksdag). Most productions are now sung in the original language (with Swedish subtitles), with only a few in Swedish. The current General Manager of the Royal Swedish Opera is the Swedish mezzo soprano Birgitta Svendén. It presently seats 1,200. The new house had the letters Kungl. Since 1773, when the Royal Swedish Opera was founded by Gustav III of Sweden, the Kungliga Hovkapellet has been part of the opera's company. The building was very imposing with its center Corinthian tetrastyle portico supporting four statues and topped by the royal crown. www.operan.se Royal housekeeping accounts from 1526 mention twelve musicians including wind players and a timpanist but no string players. Today it numbers 114. (Swedish). Consequently, the Kungliga Hovkapellet is one of the oldest orchestras in Europe. We are welcoming the Royal Swedish Opera Orchestra, which will be presenting a Strauss programme this time around! In November 2011, the Dutch conductor Lawrence Renes was named the next chief conductor of the company, as of the 2012-2013 season, with an initial contract through the 2016-2017 season. As the only professional orchestra in nineteenth-century Sweden it also regularly gave concerts with symphonic and vocal works. It is a majestic neo-classical building with a magnificent gold foyer (Guldfoajén) and elegant marble grand staircase leading to a three-tiered auditorium somewhat smaller than the old theatre.