Soffi Schønning
Encyclopedia
Soffi Schønning was a Norwegian opera
tic soprano
.
Schønning was born in Kabelvåg
. She studied under Borghild Langaard in Christiania, and under Mme. Louisa Cappiani in London . She made her professional opera debut in 1924. In 1928 she joined the roster of artists at the Royal Swedish Opera
in Stockholm where she made her debut as Gilda in Rigoletto
under the baton of Armas Järnefelt
. That same year she also sang Gilda for her debut at the Royal Opera House
in London, where she subsequently appeared in 1932–1933. She also sang several times at the Glyndebourne Festival Opera
, with her first appearance there being in 1935. In 1938 she made her debut at the National Theatre in Oslo as Olympia in The Tales of Hoffmann. In 1940 she created the role of Ingeborg in the world premiere of Arne Eggen's Olav Liljekrans at the National Theatre. That same year she sang Musetta in La boheme
at the Det Nye Teater
. A specialiast in the coloratura soprano
repertoire, some of the other roles she performed on stage included Konstanze in Die Entführung aus dem Serail
, Philine in Mignon
, the Queen of the Night in The Magic Flute
, and the title role in Lakmé
.
During the Second World War, Schønning appeared in London in an extensive series of concerts with Waldemar Johnsen. Together they gave more than a hundred performances of Norwegian music. During this time she married the editor Jonas Schanche Jonasen. The couple later settled in Sandnes, and Schønning taught out of a studio on nearby Stavanger until her retirement from teaching at the age of 80. Her most notable pupil was contralto Eva Gustavson
. She died in Sandnes in 1994 at the age of 98.
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
tic soprano
Soprano
A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody...
.
Schønning was born in Kabelvåg
Kabelvåg
Kabelvåg is a village in Vågan municipality on the southern shore of Austvågøy island, one of the Lofoten island group in the county of Nordland, northern Norway....
. She studied under Borghild Langaard in Christiania, and under Mme. Louisa Cappiani in London . She made her professional opera debut in 1924. In 1928 she joined the roster of artists at the Royal Swedish Opera
Royal Swedish Opera
Kungliga Operan is Sweden's national stage for opera and ballet.-Location and Environment:...
in Stockholm where she made her debut as Gilda in Rigoletto
Rigoletto
Rigoletto is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi. The Italian libretto was written by Francesco Maria Piave based on the play Le roi s'amuse by Victor Hugo. It was first performed at La Fenice in Venice on March 11, 1851...
under the baton of Armas Järnefelt
Armas Järnefelt
Edvard Armas Järnefelt , was a Finnish composer and conductor.Armas Järnefelt was born in Vyborg, in the Grand Duchy of Finland, the son of general August Aleksander Järnefelt and Elisabeth Järnefelt . His siblings were Kasper, Arvid, Erik, Ellida, Ellen, Aino, Hilja and Sigrid...
. That same year she also sang Gilda for her debut at the Royal Opera House
Royal Opera House
The Royal Opera House is an opera house and major performing arts venue in Covent Garden, central London. The large building is often referred to as simply "Covent Garden", after a previous use of the site of the opera house's original construction in 1732. It is the home of The Royal Opera, The...
in London, where she subsequently appeared in 1932–1933. She also sang several times at the Glyndebourne Festival Opera
Glyndebourne Festival Opera
Glyndebourne Festival Opera is an English opera festival held at Glyndebourne, an English country house near Lewes, in East Sussex, England.-History:...
, with her first appearance there being in 1935. In 1938 she made her debut at the National Theatre in Oslo as Olympia in The Tales of Hoffmann. In 1940 she created the role of Ingeborg in the world premiere of Arne Eggen's Olav Liljekrans at the National Theatre. That same year she sang Musetta in La boheme
La bohème
La bohème is an opera in four acts,Puccini called the divisions quadro, a tableau or "image", rather than atto . by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa, based on Scènes de la vie de bohème by Henri Murger...
at the Det Nye Teater
Det Nye Teater
Det Nye Teater was a theatre that opened in Oslo in 1929, and ended as an independent theatre in 1959, when it merged with Folketeatret to form Oslo Nye Teater. The theatre's original purpose was to support contemporary Norwegian drama.-History:...
. A specialiast in the coloratura soprano
Coloratura soprano
A coloratura soprano is a type of operatic soprano who specializes in music that is distinguished by agile runs and leaps. The term coloratura refers to the elaborate ornamentation of a melody, which is a typical component of the music written for this voice...
repertoire, some of the other roles she performed on stage included Konstanze in Die Entführung aus dem Serail
Die Entführung aus dem Serail
Die Entführung aus dem Serail is an opera Singspiel in three acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The German libretto is by Christoph Friedrich Bretzner with adaptations by Gottlieb Stephanie...
, Philine in Mignon
Mignon
Mignon is an opéra comique in three acts by Ambroise Thomas. The original French libretto was by Jules Barbier and Michel Carré, based on Goethe's novel Wilhelm Meisters Lehrjahre. The Italian version was translated by Giuseppe Zaffira. The opera is mentioned in James Joyce's The Dead,...
, the Queen of the Night in The Magic Flute
The Magic Flute
The Magic Flute is an opera in two acts composed in 1791 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to a German libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder. The work is in the form of a Singspiel, a popular form that included both singing and spoken dialogue....
, and the title role in Lakmé
Lakmé
Lakmé is an opera in three acts by Léo Delibes to a French libretto by Edmond Gondinet and Philippe Gille. Delibes wrote the score during 1881–82 with its first performance on 14 April 1883 at the Opéra Comique in Paris. Set in British India in the mid 19th century, Lakmé is based on the 1880 novel...
.
During the Second World War, Schønning appeared in London in an extensive series of concerts with Waldemar Johnsen. Together they gave more than a hundred performances of Norwegian music. During this time she married the editor Jonas Schanche Jonasen. The couple later settled in Sandnes, and Schønning taught out of a studio on nearby Stavanger until her retirement from teaching at the age of 80. Her most notable pupil was contralto Eva Gustavson
Eva Gustavson
Eva Gustavson , sometimes known as Eva Gustafson, was a Norwegian-American contralto who had an active international performance career in operas and concerts during the 1940s and 1950s...
. She died in Sandnes in 1994 at the age of 98.