Hedvig Carolina Sophie Cysch née Wiberg (1847–1917) was a Swedish

mezzo-soprano A mezzo-soprano or mezzo (; ; meaning "half soprano") is a type of classical female singing voice whose vocal range lies between the soprano and the contralto voice types. The mezzo-soprano's vocal range usually extends from the A below middle C ...

singer and stage actress, frequently performing the leading roles in operettas, both in

Stockholm Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...

and

Gothenburg Gothenburg (; abbreviated Gbg; sv, Göteborg ) is the second-largest city in Sweden, fifth-largest in the Nordic countries, and capital of the Västra Götaland County. It is situated by the Kattegat, on the west coast of Sweden, and has ...

. In particular, she is remembered for performing the title role in ''Sköna Helena'', the Swedish version of Offenbach's '' La belle Hélène''.

Biography

Born in Stockholm on 15 October 1847, Sophie Wiberg was the daughter of the caretaker Karl Erik Wiberg and Anna Elisabet Sederström. She attended Anders Selinder's ballet school from 1857 and the Royal Theatre's school from 1863. She made her début at the Nya Teatern in Gothenburg in the spring of 1866 as Laura in Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson's ''De Nygifte'' (The Newly Weds) and from 1867 performed in the recently established Svenska Teatern in Stockholm where from the start she was acclaimed as one of the most talented actresses. She was engaged by the Royal Theatre from 1872 to 1877. After studying in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

(1877–79), she performed in various theatres in Gothenburg and Stockholm from 1880 to 1888. In 1882, she married the wholesaler Karl Teador Cysch (1853-1903). On the stage, she quickly gained popularity, performing as Madame Tallien in

François Ponsard François Ponsard (1 June 1814 – 7 July 1867) was a French dramatist, poet and author and was a member of the Académie française. Biography Ponsard was born at Vienne, Isère in 1814 and trained as a lawyer. His first literary work wa ...

's ''Det besegrade lejonet'' (''Le Lion amoureux'') and Rose in his ''Hedern och penningen'' (''L'Honneur et l'Argent''). She also played Hero in

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

's ''Mycket väsen för ingenting'' ('' Much Ado About Nothing''), Juliet in ''

Romeo and Juliet ''Romeo and Juliet'' is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare early in his career about the romance between two Italian youths from feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular plays during his lifetim ...

'' and Cordelia in ''

King Lear ''King Lear'' is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare. It is based on the mythological Leir of Britain. King Lear, in preparation for his old age, divides his power and land between two of his daughters. He becomes destitute and insane an ...

''. She was also an increasingly prominent operetta singer, especially thanks to her interpretation of the title role in Offenbach's ''La belle Hélène''. Following her marriage, Cysch retired from full-time engagements but supported the theatrical production company she established with her husband. In August 1882, she performed the title role in

Hervé Hervé is a French language, French masculine given name of Breton language, Breton origin, from the name of the 6th-century Breton Saint Hervé. The common latinization of the name is Herveus (also ''Haerveus''), an early (8th-century) latinizati ...

's ''Lili'' at the Djurgårdsteatern in Stockholm, bringing their enterprise considerable success. The show continued throughout the autumn and in the winter at

Södra Teatern Södra Teatern is a theatre in Stockholm, Sweden. It is located at Mosebacke torg on Södermalm in Stockholm. The venue is the oldest theatre in Stockholm and is situated in the heart of the city. History Södra Teatern is one of Sweden's old ...

. She later performed in Suppé's ''

Die schöne Galathée ' (''The Beautiful Galatea'') is an operetta in one act by Franz von Suppé to a German libretto by the composer and 'Poly Henrion' (the pseudonym of Leonhard Kohl von Kohlenegg).* In the early 1860s, French operettas by Jacques Offenbach w ...

'' and in

Charles Lecocq Alexandre Charles Lecocq (3 June 183224 October 1918) was a French composer, known for his opérettes and opéra comique, opéras comiques. He became the most prominent successor to Jacques Offenbach in this sphere, and enjoyed considerable succ ...

's ''

Giroflé-Girofla ''Giroflé-Girofla'' is an opéra bouffe in three acts with music by Charles Lecocq. The French libretto was by Albert Vanloo and Eugène Leterrier. The story, set in 13th century Spain, concerns twin brides, one of whom is abducted by pirates. ...

''. Thanks to her successes, she became known as "the Swedish Judic" after the French operetta singer

Anna Judic Anne Marie-Louise Damiens, stage name Anna Judic (18 July 1849, Semur-en-Auxois – 15 April 1911, Golfe-Juan) was a French comic actress. Life Niece of Montigny (the director of the Gymnase), in 1866 she entered the Conservatoire de Paris in ...

. After appearing on the stage for the last time in 1888, once again in ''La belle Hélène'', her final years became increasingly difficult. After losing all his assets, her husband died in 1903, leaving her without means. After a period in a widow's charity home, she died in the mental illness department of the Stockholm health authority on 20 March 1917.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cysch, Sophie 19th-century Swedish women opera singers 19th-century Swedish actresses Swedish stage actresses Swedish mezzo-sopranos 1847 births 1917 deaths Actresses from Stockholm