''Aniara'' is an

opera Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...

in two acts by Karl-Birger Blomdahl, with a

libretto A libretto (From the Italian word , ) is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or Musical theatre, musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to th ...

Erik Lindegren Erik Lindegren (5 August 1910 – 31 May 1968) was a Swedish author, poet, critical writer and member of the Swedish Academy (1962–68, chair 17). Grandson of composer Johan Lindegren. Lindegren was born in Luleå, Norrbotten County, the son of ...

based on the poem '' Aniara'' by

Harry Martinson Harry Martinson (6May 190411February 1978) was a Swedish writer, poet and former sailor. In 1949 he was elected into the Swedish Academy. He was awarded a joint 1974 Nobel Prize in Literature, Nobel Prize in Literature in 1974 together with fellow ...

, that was premiered on 31 May 1959.Wiklund A. Aniara. In: ''The New Grove Dictionary of Opera.'' Macmillan, London & New York, 1997. The opera was described by the composer with the ambiguous phrase ''en revy om människan i tid och rum'': "a revue about Man in Time and Space".Thoor A. Opera in Space and in the Round. In: ''Swedish music – past and present'', special edition of Musikrevy. STIM & Swedish Institute for Cultural Relations Abroad, Stockholm, 1966.

Background and performance history

Many representatives of the international press were at the

Royal Swedish Opera Royal Swedish Opera () is an opera and ballet company based in Stockholm, Sweden. Location and environment The building is located in the centre of Sweden's capital, Stockholm, in the borough of Norrmalm (borough), Norrmalm, on the eastern si ...

in Stockholm for the premiere in 1959 at a time when the space age was beginning. Blomdahl said in interview that the opera (in common with his next opera ''Herr von Hancken'') was founded on "modern man's complexity and his basically impossible situation"; ''Aniara'' dealt with "the downfall of the group". The score of ''Aniara'' is varied and makes full use of a range of musical

idiom An idiom is a phrase or expression that largely or exclusively carries a Literal and figurative language, figurative or non-literal meaning (linguistic), meaning, rather than making any literal sense. Categorized as formulaic speech, formulaic ...

s, including

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

, serial writing and an

electronic tape Electronic may refer to: *Electronics, the science of how to control electric energy in semiconductors * ''Electronics'' (magazine), a defunct American trade journal *Electronic storage, the storage of data using an electronic device *Electronic c ...

. The

narrative A narrative, story, or tale is any account of a series of related events or experiences, whether non-fictional (memoir, biography, news report, documentary, travel literature, travelogue, etc.) or fictional (fairy tale, fable, legend, thriller ...

is sung primarily by Mimaroben, a

bass-baritone A bass-baritone is a high-lying bass or low-lying "classical" baritone voice type which shares certain qualities with the true baritone voice. The term arose in the late 19th century to describe the particular type of voice required to sing three ...

, who operates the electronic tape, Mima, the computer, and by the

chorus Chorus may refer to: Music * Chorus (song), the part of a song that is repeated several times, usually after each verse * Chorus effect, the perception of similar sounds from multiple sources as a single, richer sound * Chorus form, song in whic ...

. In essence the opera (and poem) deal with the relationship between the individual and the group through time. Erik Lindegren had seen a stage performance a few years before by the deaf-mute priest S. G. Svenfors and, deeply moved by its expressivenes, engaged Svenfors to teach Ulfung to perform the Deaf-Mute's 'song' in sign language, one of the dramatic high points of the opera. The original Stockholm production by

Göran Gentele Göran Gentele (29 September 1917 – 18 July 1972) was a Swedish actor, director, and opera manager. He was director of the Royal Swedish Opera from 1963 to 1972 and briefly the general manager of the Metropolitan Opera in New York City in 19 ...

was seen at the

Edinburgh Festival __NOTOC__ This is a list of Arts festival, arts and cultural festivals regularly taking place in Edinburgh, Scotland. The city has become known for its festivals since the establishment in 1947 of the Edinburgh International Festival and the ...

in 1959 and at

Covent Garden Covent Garden is a district in London, on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit-and-vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist sit ...

in 1960, the latter featuring Hallin,

Elisabeth Söderström Anna Elisabeth Söderström (married name Olow; 7 May 192720 November 2009) was a Swedish soprano who performed both opera and song, and was known as a leading interpreter of the works of Janáček, Rachmaninoff and Sibelius.Elizabeth Sleeman, ' ...

and conducted by Ehrling. In Hamburg in early 1960, "For about twenty minutes the usually cool-headed audience in the Staatsoper ran riot" at the end, mixing boos and bravos; conducted by

Leopold Ludwig Leopold Ludwig (12 January 1908 – 25 April 1979) was a German conductor active mainly in Austria and Germany from the 1930s through the 1970s. He was principal conductor of the Oldenburgisches Staatstheater (1936–1939), Vienna State Opera (1939 ...

and featuring

Joan Carroll Joan Carroll (born Joan Marie Felt, January 18, 1931 – November 16, 2016) was an American child actress who appeared in films until retiring in 1950. Childhood career Carroll was born Joan Marie Felt to Wright and Freida Felt on January 18, ...

Helga Pilarczyk Helga Pilarczyk (12 March 1925 – 15 September 2011) was a German operatic soprano. Born in Schöningen, she originally trained as a pianist, at Braunschweig and at the . However, she made her debut as a contralto at the Staatstheater Braunschwe ...

, Toni Blankenheim and Ratko Delorko this was a production by

Günther Rennert Günther Rennert (1 April 1911 – 31 July 1978) was a German opera director and administrator. Life and career Günther Rennert was born in Essen, Rhine Province on 1 April 1911. His brother was the conductor Wolfgang Rennert. He began his care ...

. The opera was the first production of the new opera house in

Gothenburg Gothenburg ( ; ) is the List of urban areas in Sweden by population, second-largest city in Sweden, after the capital Stockholm, and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated by the Kattegat on the west coast of Sweden, it is the gub ...

in 1994.Clark, Andrew. ''Sweden'' ''Sign of the times'' Gothenburg. ''Opera'', January 1995, Vol 46 No 1, p95-97.

Roles

Synopsis

Controlled by the

computer A computer is a machine that can be Computer programming, programmed to automatically Execution (computing), carry out sequences of arithmetic or logical operations (''computation''). Modern digital electronic computers can perform generic set ...

Mima, the space ship ''Aniara'' leaves the poisoned

Earth Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to Planetary habitability, harbor life. This is enabled by Earth being an ocean world, the only one in the Solar System sustaining liquid surface water. Almost all ...

, heading for

Mars Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun. It is also known as the "Red Planet", because of its orange-red appearance. Mars is a desert-like rocky planet with a tenuous carbon dioxide () atmosphere. At the average surface level the atmosph ...

. Through Mimaroben, who is the operator of Mima, the emigrants learn of the evil of mankind. During the celebration of midsummer, the vessel is thrown off course, causing panic, and forcing a journey to the

constellation A constellation is an area on the celestial sphere in which a group of visible stars forms Asterism (astronomy), a perceived pattern or outline, typically representing an animal, mythological subject, or inanimate object. The first constellati ...

Lyra , from ; pronounced: ) is a small constellation. It is one of the 48 listed by the 2nd century astronomer Ptolemy, and is one of the modern 88 constellations recognized by the International Astronomical Union. Lyra was often represented on star ...

which commander Chefone says will last for the rest of the lives of the crew and passengers. When the Earth is destroyed, Mima cannot continue, and Sandon makes jokes about the safety on board, but when the mute describes in signs the end of the world he becomes silent. Chefone blames Mimaroben, who, with the pilot Isagel, is taken away. The commander deals as best he can with the increased despair and moral deterioration among those aboard, depicted in a scene in a hall of mirrors, where Daisy Dodd, her lesbian partner, and the passengers dance, and the blind poetess speaks of her cult of Light, which has replaced Mima. The body of the dead chief technician is shot into outer space in the direction of the star

Rigel Rigel is a blue supergiant star in the constellation of Orion. It has the Bayer designation β Orionis, which is Latinized to Beta Orionis and abbreviated Beta Ori or β Ori. Rigel is the brightest and most massive componentand ...

. The 20th anniversary of the voyage is celebrated, and the blind poetess ecstatically sees the city of heaven, but is taken away. The final scene shows the last night onboard where Isagel dances and the blind poetess sings of the joy of death. A light beam sweeps over the dead passengers and Mimaroben prepares for the end. Finally darkness descends over the occupants of the space ship, and the audience in the theatre.

Recordings

The first recording was released in 1960 by

Columbia Masterworks Columbia Masterworks was a record label started in 1924 by Columbia Records. In 1980, it was separated from the Columbia label and renamed CBS Masterworks. In 1990, it was revived as Sony Classical after its sale to the Sony Corporation. Histor ...

(catalog number – M2S 902) featuring

Werner Janssen Werner Janssen (born Werner Alexander Oscar Janssen;Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra The Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra () is a Swedish radio orchestra based in Stockholm, affiliated with Sveriges Radio (Sweden's Radio). Its principal performing venue is the Berwaldhallen (Berwald Hall). The orchestra broadcasts concerts on th ...

was conducted by

Stig Westerberg Stig Evald Börje Westerberg (26 November 1918 – 1 July 1999) was a Swedish conductor and pianist, whose career was based mostly in his home country.Karlsson H. "Stig Westerberg". In: ''The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians'', 2nd editi ...

, and included Viveka Anderberg,

Björn Haugan Björn Haugan (5 September 1942 – 8 January 2009) was a Swedish born, Norwegian tenor, operatic lyric tenor. Background Björn Haugan was born in Söderhamn Municipality in the province of Hälsingland within Gävleborg County, Sweden. He ...

, Stefan Parkman,

Mikael Samuelson Mikael Gustaf Lennart Samuelson (born 9 March 1951) is a Swedish baritone opera singer, actor, and composer. Early life Samuelson was born in Njutånger in Hälsingland, central Sweden. He is the son of the musician and music arranger . S ...

, Thomas Sunnegårdh and Jerker Arvidssonin among the cast (Caprice CAP 22016: 1–2) (CD).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Aniara (Opera) Operas by Karl-Birger Blomdahl Swedish-language operas Harry Martinson 1959 operas Operas Science fiction operas Operas set in outer space