Sofia Ulrika Liljegren, also known as ''Sofia Uttini'' (1765 – December 6, 1795), was a

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

Finnish Finnish may refer to: * Something or someone from, or related to Finland * Culture of Finland * Finnish people or Finns, the primary ethnic group in Finland * Finnish language, the national language of the Finnish people * Finnish cuisine See also ...

soprano. She was likely the first professional

opera singer Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libretti ...

from

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...

, although she was active in Sweden. She was given the title '' hovsångerska''. Sofia Liljegren was born in Rantasalmi in Finland. In 1781, she was engaged at the

choir A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which sp ...

of the Royal Swedish Opera in Stockholm. In 1783, she was the replacement of Elisabeth Olin in the main part of ''

Iphigénie en Aulide ''Iphigénie en Aulide'' ('' Iphigeneia in Aulis'') is an opera in three acts by Christoph Willibald Gluck, the first work he wrote for the Paris stage. The libretto was written by François-Louis Gand Le Bland Du Roullet and was based on Jean ...

'' by

Gluck Christoph Willibald (Ritter von) Gluck (; 2 July 1714 – 15 November 1787) was a composer of Italian and French opera in the early classical period. Born in the Upper Palatinate and raised in Bohemia, both part of the Holy Roman Empire, he g ...

, after which she was recommended to Gustav III of Sweden as a soloist. She seem to have enjoyed a period of great popularity during the 1780s. Her perhaps most known part was Clytaimnestra in ''Elektra'' by Hæffner. She is often mentioned among the most notable names in the Swedish opera during the late 18th century. Gustaf Löwenhielm, while referring to her as somewhat overestimated and not as good as

Inga Åberg Inga Åberg (Ingeborg Elisabeth; 1773–1837) was a Swedish actress and opera singer. She was engaged as an opera singer at the Royal Swedish Opera, and as a stage actress at the Royal Dramatic Theater, between 1787 and 1810. Life Early li ...

, does mention her as one of the few native talents in the period between the retirement of Elisabeth Olin in 1784 and the 1800 breakthrough of Jeanette Wässelius. A sign of her notability was her appointment as '' hovsångerska''. In the 1790s, her popularity declined somewhat. In 1791, she and her husband made plans to take over the '' Comediehuset'' in Gothenburg and settle there with her in the position of prima donna, but the plans were not realized.Anteckningar om Göteborgs äldre teatrar, Band 1. 1690-1794
s. 434 She married the composer

Francesco Uttini Francesco Antonio Baldassare Uttini (1723 Bologna – 25 October 1795) was an Italian composer and conductor who was active mostly in Sweden. He is best remembered today as a composer of operas in both the Italian and Swedish languages and f ...

in 1788.

References

* ''Sohlmans musiklexikon'' (''The Sohlman Music Dictionary'') Volume 4 * Georg Nordensvan: ''Svensk teater och svenska skådespelare Från Gustav III till våra dagar. Förra delen 1772–1842'' (Swedish theatre and Swedish actors from the days of Gustav III to our days. Part I 1772–1842) Albert Bonniers Förlag (1917), Stockholm * Fredrik August Dahlgren: ''Förteckning öfver svenska skådespel uppförda på Stockholms theatrar 1737–1863 och Kongl. Theatrarnes personal 1773–1863. Med flera anteckningar.'' (''List of Swedish productions staged in Stockholm theatres 1737–1863 and Royal Swedish Theatre personnel from 1773 to 1863. With numerous notes.'')

References

1765 births 1795 deaths Swedish operatic sopranos 18th-century Finnish women 18th-century Swedish women opera singers Finnish operatic sopranos {{Sweden-opera-singer-stub