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

soprano A soprano () is a type of classical singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hertz, Hz to A5 in Choir, choral ...

. She was likely the first professional

opera singer Opera is a form of Western 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 lib ...

from

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

, although she was active in

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

. 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 (from Latin ''chorus'', meaning 'a dance in a circle') is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform or in other words ...

of 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 ...

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

. In 1783, she was the replacement of

Elisabeth Olin Elisabeth Olin née ''Lillström'' (December 1740 – 26 March 1828) was a Swedish opera singer and a music composer. She performed the leading female role in the inauguration performance of the Royal Swedish Opera in 1773, and is referred to ...

in the main part of ''

Iphigénie en Aulide ''Iphigénie en Aulide'' (''Iphigeneia in Aulis (ancient Greece), 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 ...

'' 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 at ...

, after which she was recommended to

Gustav III of Sweden Gustav III (29 March 1792), also called ''Gustavus III'', was King of Sweden from 1771 until his assassination in 1792. He was the eldest son of King Adolf Frederick and Queen Louisa Ulrika of Sweden. Gustav was a vocal opponent of what he s ...

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 Theatre, between 1787 and 1810. Life Early life ...

, does mention her as one of the few native talents in the period between the retirement of

in 1784 and the 1800 breakthrough of

Jeanette Wässelius Marie Jeanette Wässelius (23 August 1784 – 5 December 1853) was a Swedish opera singer. She is referred to as the leading prima donna of the Royal Swedish Opera in the early 19th-century. She was a '' Hovsångare'' (1815) as well as an ...

. 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 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 ...

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 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 People from Rantasalmi {{Sweden-opera-singer-stub