EWS. Opera on the Move in the Nordic Countries: Touring Artists and the Construction of National Identities in the Long 19th Century

The long nineteenth century (1780?1918) was the Golden Age of opera all over Europe. Besides being only entertainment opera became an important politico-cultural tool used for criticizing the existing social order and creating and transmitting the idea of appropriate national pasts, presents and futures for different European nations and nation-states, also in the Nordic countries. Re-creating European opera tradition in the Nordic context meant manifold adaptations in the language, performance venues and theatrical technology, and was greatly conditioned by the availability of vocal resources and musicians (opera orchestras). Paradoxical as it may seem, despite nationalistic identity work performed through operas, the opera performances themselves requir ed often the singers, musicians, conductors etc. and other professionals outside national borders who were able to take their professional skills easily across the national territories. In this regard they resembled the transnational societies of pedlars , businessmen and criminals (Clavin 2005). Concentrating on operas as performance is therefore a genuine histoire croisee approach since the operas transmitted from one country to the next were always adjusted to meet the predominant socio-political conte xt and demands. The temporal limitation, the long nineteenth century, is motivated from the point of view of the (romantic) opera tradition and creation of national states in the Nordic Countries. But, instead of an overview of the cultural processes exte nding for over a hundred years, this project aims at addressing particularities; events, productions, guest performances, travelling musicians in depth for the select period through individual projects inscribing microhistorical approach. The suitable ind ividual research topics will be enhanced in the exploratory workshops, and eventually they will be chosen in such a way that a nexus of interconnections will yield for cross-Nordic comparison.