RJ has now opened the system for funding requisitions and final reports. More information
2009-2012
The purpose of the project has been to compile a complete repertoire database of the Opera´s 235 years of business, and in this way make available an important body of reference, which for the first time, with its total view, lack of interpretation and unprejudiced information, can render the historical reality for researchers and the interested public alike, as well as for the internal need of the Opera itself. Traditionally researchers have merely concentrated on one part of the repertoire - musicologists have devoted themselves to the musical drama part while literary and theatre historians have paid their attention to spoken word drama. However, such obvious distinctions have not been made in the practical reality of the theatre. An evening at the Opera around 1850 could very well contain a spoken word drama, an opera in one act, a ballet performance, and even a purely orchestral work.
Thanks to the scrupulous preparatory work, the project has followed the project plan in full. The different goal parts have been accomplished within the drawn up schedule.
No unforeseen technical problems have occurred. Considering the high speed of technical progress, we have chosen to be as neutral to technique as possible during this basic work and input stage. We have therefore waited to decide upon interface etc. until it comes up. As the National Archives´ scanning central MKC has not been able to take on the scanning, which we had been promised earlier, this has been done by Devo it in Uppsala.
The project now makes it possible to search the database for repertoire details from 1773 until today. This facilitates our daily internal work at the Opera considerably. It saves much time and is much safer not having to search in the original documents of the archive at every inquiry. There is no longer a need for knowledge of which sources are current for different periods, as all information is now collected in the database. We are also grateful not to have to wear on the original documents, but let these rest in the archive and be preserved for posterity.
In the database, one can see what has been performed on the stages of the Royal Theatres and the Opera day by day. Different searchable variables are for instance work, title, composer, librettist, translator, choreographer, producer, and set designer. For the last 80 years, even the cast is searchable. This makes it easily possible to get information of which works have featured for instance Birgit Nillson or Jussi Björling and which roles they have sung. From 1820 to 1920, daily posters with information of cast etc. have been scanned. Information of the time of day for the performance, the premiere date of the production, the duration, the numerical order of the performance etc. is also given. A source of reference to every performance evening put in is also stated if anyone would like to return to the main source.
We are convinced that the complete image shown by this documentation will change the general view of the activities of the Royal Theatres´ and The Opera´s activities and Swedish theatre life during the 19th century. The exiting mixture of opera, spoken word drama, ballet and purely orchestral works can easily be studied in the database. This is something, which has not been accomplished by earlier efforts and investigations. When the basic research of the Opera´s repertoire now has been made and the information of the performances is searchable in a database, new fields of research will surely be generated.
The database is for the time being available internally at the Opera, but the general public is welcome to search it with us in the Opera´s archive. Our next step is to get the database online on the Royal Opera´s homepage and thus make it widely available for researchers, the interested public and our audience.