FULL DEN BERGTAGNA (Ivar Hallström) Umeå 1988 Berit Lindholm, Bengt Krantz, Monica Sjöholm, Hillevi Martinpelto, Lars Tibell

Information on the Performance

• Work Title: DEN BERGTAGNA  
• Composer: Hallström Ivar   
• Libretto: Frans Hedberg, based on the medieval ballad Den bergtagna.    Libretto Text, Libretto Index
• Venue & Opera Company: Norrlandsoperan, Sverige  
• Recorded: 1988
• Type: Staged Opera Live
• Singers: Berit Lindholm, Bengt Krantz, Monica Sjöholm, Hillevi Martinpelto, Lars Tibell, Lars Billengren, Helghe Lannerbäck, Karl-Robert Lindgren
• Conductor: Alan Hacker  
• Orchestra: Umeå Sinfonietta  
• Chorus: Norrland Opera Kören  
• Choreographer: Conny Borg  
• Stage Director: Per-Erik Öhrn  
• Stage Designer: Lars-Ake Thessmann  
• Costume Designer: Lars-Ake Thessmann  
• Lighting Designer: Lars Österbergh  

Information about the Recording

• Published by: SVT  
• Date Published: 2005  
• Format: Broadcast
• Quality Video: 3 Audio:3
• Subtitles: yessubs, othersubs  

• ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON THIS PERFORMANCE

  Den Bergtagna is a romantic opera in five acts with music by Ivar Hallström and libretto by Frans Hedberg based on the medieval ballad Den bergtagna.

  The opera was first performed at the Royal Opera in Stockholm on 20 May 1874.
  It was staged at the Folkoperan with its premiere on 28 July 2005.

  Plot
  The opera is set in the early Middle Ages around Kolmården. The title and plot allude to the medieval ballad Den bergtagna.

  Act I
  It is Christmas Eve on a farm in Sweden in the mid-19th century. People are dancing and playing Christmas games. Someone begins to sing the song about the maiden taken by the mountain and the young daughter in the house feels attracted to the game about her.

  We travel to the mountains and deep forests of Kolmården in the early Middle Ages. At Mrs. Ragnhild’s farm, they are celebrating Christmas. Ragnhild introduces Knight Tuve to the guests and promises a wedding between him and her daughter Ingeborg before the end of the year. Before Abbot Henrik from the nearby monastery sets off, he warns the guests about the wildlings and trolls of the forest. Most dangerous of all, however, is the King of the Mountains, who is said to want to curb the power of the church and eradicate all Christian blood. Ingeborg, who does not love Knight Tuve, is attracted by the thought of the King of the Mountains. Despite Tuve’s warnings, she asks her servant Ulf to tell her more about him. Then she is interrupted by a late guest. A wandering bard and his squire are welcomed in. At the request, the bard performs a romance to his harp. In it, he sings about how he was captivated by a young and beautiful maiden in the cold North. All the while, he watches Ingeborg, who becomes increasingly captivated by the singer. This arouses Knight Tuve’s anger and to calm the mood, Mrs. Ragnhild asks the bard to play a happy song. Then he plays a magic polka, which forces everyone in the house except Ingeborg to start dancing. He leaves the harp to his servant, who leads the dancers out of the house. When the poet and Ingeborg are alone, he reveals that he is the Berga King and declares his love for her. Despite her fear, Ingeborg is enchanted by the handsome young man and the radiant clothes hidden under his cloak. She falls into his arms, just as the Berga King’s servant Kark rushes in. He has struck a string on the harp and the spell has been broken. Soon the angry guests pour in, led by Mrs. Ragnhild and Tuve.

  Act II
  The Berga King and Kark return home with unfinished business. The Berga King suffers greatly in the mountain, where his mother, the domineering Berga Queen, jealously watches his every step. Now he loves the beautiful earthly girl and dreams of capturing her and making her his queen. The people from Mrs. Ragnhild’s farm pass the mountain on their way to the Christmas Eve service in the monastery church. With singing and harp playing, the mountain king manages to lure Ingeborg away from the group. She looks into the mountain, and, spellbound, she allows herself to be led inside, until she finally disappears into the depths.

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