The Opera Comique was

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

's first permanent

opera 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 librett ...

company. The company operated at Stortingsgata ('Parliament Street') no. 16 and existed from 1918 to 1921. Its first major production was ''

Tannhäuser Tannhäuser (; gmh, Tanhûser), often stylized, "The Tannhäuser," was a German Minnesinger and traveling poet. Historically, his biography, including the dates he lived, is obscure beyond the poetry, which suggests he lived between 1245 and ...

'' with tenor

Erling Krogh Erling Krogh (September 12, 1888 – October 28, 1968) was a Norwegian operatic tenor. Biography Krogh was born in Kristiania (now Oslo). He attended the Oslo Cathedral School until 1905, and then studied at the Royal Academy of Arts and Crafts ...

in the starring role. Altogether, the company staged 26 operas, including the Norwegian opera ''Bruderovet'' (The Kidnapped Bride) by

Gerhard Schjelderup Gerhard Rosenkrone Schjelderup (November 17, 1859 – July 29, 1933) was a Norwegian composer, known especially for his operas. Biography Schjelderup was born in Kristiansand. Norway. One of five children, each with an artistic bent, his tal ...

Background

By 1918, entertainment venues were already operating on and just off of Stortingsgata. These included the Brødrene Hals concert hall at Stortingsgata 22–24 (established in 1880), the Tivoli entertainment center (Stortingsgata 20, 1890), the National Theater (Stortingsgata 15, 1899), the Theater Café (Stortingsgata 24, 1900), the

Chat Noir Chat Noir (French for 'black cat') is a cabaret and revue theatre in Oslo, Norway. It was established in 1912 by Bokken Lasson. The current director is Tom Sterri. Establishment Chat Noir was established as a cabaret in 1912 by singer Bokken Las ...

cabaret (Klingenberggata 5, 1912), and cinemas: Kinematograf-Teatret (Stortingsgata 12, 1904), Bio-Kino (Stortingsgata 14, 1911), Kosmorama (Stortingsgata 4, 1910), and Boulevard (Stortingsgata 10).

Building

Construction on the building at Stortingsgata 16 started in 1917 to create a business venue with a stage. After much discussion, it was decided that the venue would be used for an opera because there was no opera yet in Oslo. The building, designed by Henry Coll, was completed in 1918.

Opera

The opening performance at the opera took place on November 30, 1918.

Benno Singer Bernhard Henry "Benno" Singer (28 February 1875 – 17 May 1934) was a Hungarian-born British entertainment administrator. He was born in Budapest, and settled in London from the age of eleven. He was married twice, first to Evelyn Mary Davis ...

, the director at Tivoli, established and managed the opera after the decision was made on the venue's use. The establishment of a permanent opera in Oslo offered Norwegian opera singers an opportunity to develop in their home environment; among those that appeared at the Opera Comique was

Kirsten Flagstad Kirsten Malfrid Flagstad (12 July 1895 – 7 December 1962) was a Norwegian opera singer, who was the outstanding Wagnerian soprano of her era. Her triumphant debut in New York on 2 February 1935 is one of the legends of opera. Giulio Gatti-Casa ...

. During these three years, the Hungarian tenor Alexander Varnay (1889–1924), the father of

Astrid Varnay Ibolyka Astrid Maria Varnay (25 April 1918 – 4 September 2006) was a Swedish-born American dramatic soprano of Hungarian descent. She spent most of her career in the United States and Germany. She was one of the leading Wagnerian heroic sopranos ...

, was the opera's artistic director.Forbes, Elizabeth. 2006. Astrid Varnay (obituary). ''Independent'' (6 December).
/ref> His wife, the coloratura soprano, Maria Yavor (1889–1976), also appeared at the opera.

References

{{authority control Opera houses in Norway Culture in Oslo 1918 establishments in Norway 1921 disestablishments in Norway