Talk:Hedvig Wigert

Actress or singer?
Was she an actress or a singer? If an opera singer what then did she sing? Thanks. -- Klein zach  23:30, 11 August 2008 (UTC)


 * In those days, the distinction was not as big as it is now; opera singers were expected to act in dramatic parts as well, and actors was expected to be able to sing. They were dramatic parts performed in the Opera before the opening of the theatre in 1787, and the artists were often (when they were suited for it) employed by both the Opera and and the Theatre. When it comes to Wigert, she was first and foremost an opera singer, though she may have participated in dramatic plays as well. Swedish wiki does not name that many of her parts, only that she did "many powerful parts" within opera after the 1773 part of Doris, and that Mérope by Voltaire in the 1777-78 season was her most remembered part. --85.226.235.145 (talk) 10:29, 12 August 2008 (UTC)


 * So far we don't have the name of one opera role she undertook. That's strange isn't it? -- Klein zach  11:44, 12 August 2008 (UTC)


 * Well, the role of Doris in the 1773 opera Thetis and Phélee was one. I agree with you that her opera parts should be mentioned here. I'm sure someone who knows will add that eventually! --85.226.235.145 (talk) 13:02, 12 August 2008 (UTC)


 * But the article says that this was a play not an opera. If it's an opera who wrote it? And what is the correct title? Thetis and Phélee is obviously a translation. If there aren't answers to these questions we should assume that she was an actress and not a singer. -- Klein zach  13:42, 12 August 2008 (UTC)

I am not an expert, but I can answer at least that: Thetis and Phélée is an translation from the Swedish Thetis och Phélée, which is a translation from the old French opera Thetis et Pélée. This was the first opera performed at the inauguration of the Royal Swedish Opera at its opening in 1773, so it's quite famous. That was defenitely an opera. There is an article of this opera at Swedish wiki. I am not an opera expert myself, but perhaps you recongnise the names better; the French play was written by Fontanelle and composed by Colasse in 1689; in Sweden, it was translated to Swedish by the phoet Johan Wellander, and composed by Francesco Uttini. It says the play was more or less the same as the original Franch opera, exept that new music was composed to it, and that Neptune was given a larger part. I think the article mean to say "opera play", and overlooked to clearify that, which could be hard if one is not English-speaking. I hope I have been of some help! --85.226.235.145 (talk) 14:14, 12 August 2008 (UTC)


 * Oh, and the singers at the Opera were often called acteur and actrice, which meant actors and actresses. --85.226.235.145 (talk) 14:17, 12 August 2008 (UTC)


 * OK. Now I understand. Thank you. Apparently Thetis och Pélée is a famous grand opera - Pélée not Phélée apparently. -- Klein zach  00:00, 13 August 2008 (UTC)