Magna Elvine Lykseth-Skogman (6 February 1874 – 13 November 1949), also known as Magna Lykseth-Schjerven, was a Norwegian-born

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 ...

operatic soprano. After making her début at the

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

in 1901 as Santuzza in '' Cavalleria rusticana'', she was engaged there until 1918 becoming the company's prima donna. She performed leading roles in a wide range of operas but is remembered in particular for her Wagnerian interpretations, creating Brünnhilde in the Swedish premières of ''

Siegfried Siegfried is a German-language male given name, composed from the Germanic elements ''sig'' "victory" and ''frithu'' "protection, peace". The German name has the Old Norse cognate ''Sigfriðr, Sigfrøðr'', which gives rise to Swedish ''Sigfrid' ...

'' and '' Götterdämmerung'', and Isolde in 1909. Considered to be one of the most outstanding Swedish opera singers of her generation, she was awarded the

Litteris et Artibus Litteris et Artibus is a Swedish royal medal established in 1853 by Charles XV of Sweden, who was then crown prince. It is awarded to people who have made important contributions to culture, especially music, dramatic art and literature. The ob ...

medal in 1907 and became a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Music in 1912.

Biography

Magna Elvine Lykseth was born in today's

Oslo Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of ...

, Norway (then Christiania, Sweden-Norway), on 6 February 1874. She completed her schooling in Christiania, and after initial voice training at the Christiana Conservatory under

Ida Basilier-Magelssen Ida Basilier-Magelssen (1846–1928) was a Finnish soprano, who sang in both concerts and opera performances. After a period with the Royal Swedish Opera in Stockholm, she returned to Helsinki where she was particularly active in 1876–77, singin ...

, she moved to Stockholm in 1894 where she was a pupil of

John Forsell Carl Johan Jacob Forsell (6 November 1868 – 30 May 1941), known as John Forsell, was a prominent Swedish baritone, opera administrator and teacher of voice. He was the leading baritone of the Royal Swedish Opera (RSO) from 1896–1918, an ...

at the

Royal College of Music The Royal College of Music is a music school, conservatoire established by royal charter in 1882, located in South Kensington, London, UK. It offers training from the Undergraduate education, undergraduate to the Doctorate, doctoral level in a ...

. She also studied in Germany, gaining experience at the

Bayreuth Festival The Bayreuth Festival (german: link=no, Bayreuther Festspiele) is a music festival held annually in Bayreuth, Germany, at which performances of operas by the 19th-century German composer Richard Wagner are presented. Wagner himself conceived ...

. From 1901 to 1910, she was married to the Norwegian merchant Olav Schjerven and from 1911 to the Swedish Baron Karl Skogman. In 1898, she made her début in a concert performance before going on tour in Sweden with 's opera company where her roles included Leonora in Verdi's '' Il trovatore'' and Philine in '' Mignon'' by Ambroise Thomas. In 1901, Lykseth made her début at the

as Santuzza in Mascagni's '' Cavalleria rusticana'', followed by Margareta in Gounod's '' Faust''. During her engagement with the company until 1918, she became particularly successful in her Wagnerian roles, creating the Swedish premieres of Brünnhilde in ''

'' (1905) and '' Götterdåmmerung'' (1907), and in 1909 the title role in '' Tristan und Isolde''. She was a frequent guest performer at the National Theatre in Oslo where she premiered Puccini's

Tosca ''Tosca'' is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. It premiered at the Teatro dell'Opera di Roma, Teatro Costanzi in Rome on 14 January 1900. The work, based on Victorien Sardou's 1 ...

(1908) and Verdi's Aida (1909). Due to her extensive repertoire, she became extremely popular in Sweden. As a result, apart from a few guest performances in Denmark and Sweden, she travelled little. Her wide-ranging voice and her stage performances contributed to her success in Italian opera, including Desdemona in ''

Otello ''Otello'' () is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Arrigo Boito, based on Shakespeare's play ''Othello''. It was Verdi's penultimate opera, first performed at the Teatro alla Scala, Milan, on 5 February 1887. Th ...

''. Among her many other roles were the Countess in Mozart's ''

The Marriage of Figaro ''The Marriage of Figaro'' ( it, Le nozze di Figaro, links=no, ), K. 492, is a ''commedia per musica'' (opera buffa) in four acts composed in 1786 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, with an Italian libretto written by Lorenzo Da Ponte. It premie ...

'', Leonora in Beethoven's ''

Fidelio ''Fidelio'' (; ), originally titled ' (''Leonore, or The Triumph of Marital Love''), Op. 72, is Ludwig van Beethoven's only opera. The German libretto was originally prepared by Joseph Sonnleithner from the French of Jean-Nicolas Bouilly, with ...

'' and Micaela in Bizet's ''

Carmen ''Carmen'' () is an opera in four acts by the French composer Georges Bizet. The libretto was written by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on the Carmen (novella), novella of the same title by Prosper Mérimée. The opera was first perfo ...

''. Magna Lykseth-Skogman died in Stockholm on 13 November 1949.

Awards

In 1907, she was honoured with the Swedish

medal and in 1912 she became a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Music.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lykseth-Skogman, Magna 1874 births 1949 deaths Norwegian operatic sopranos Swedish operatic sopranos Litteris et Artibus recipients Members of the Royal Swedish Academy of Music