Eleonora Säfström
Encyclopedia
Ulrika Eleonora Säfström (9 October 1770 - 9 June 1857) was a Swedish stage actress, described as a great dramatic star of Stockholm
in her day.
She and her twin sister Eva were employed in the choir
of the Royal Swedish Opera
in 1785. In 1787, she debuted at the Stenborg Theatre
. She was described as a fairy
-like beauty with a voice that "cuddled the ear", and was anticipated to become one of the "greatest ornaments" of the theatre. She did meet with success, and in the following years she was given a great repertoire of leading roles which generally received good reviews. She was called the "first actress" of the theatre and was placed by the side of Lisette Stenberg
as one of the two leading ladies of the theatre. She was used for heroine parts and was also popular in operetta
s.
She played Susanna in The Marriage of Figaro
opposite Didrik Gabriel Björn at the Swedish premier performance of this play on 20 December 1792. She also played the title role in Minna von Barnhelm
by Gotthold Ephraim Lessing
in 1793. Her most acclaimed parts were the title roles in Nina (1792) and Azemia (1793). As the mentally ill Nina, she was called "irresistibly touching", and "As the heroine of the play one of the most excellent actresses the Stenborg Theatre ever owned."
In 1788, a poem was published in the paper Stockholmsposten:
.
She admired Gustav III of Sweden
, and she was present at the masquerade ball were he was assassinated in 1792.
In 1795 she debuted at the Royal Dramatic Theatre
, where she was given a contract in 1796. She had several big parts with good reviews, but the competition was much greater at the Royal Theatre, and she did not take the same role of a star there. She gave her last performance in 1802. Shortly afterward, she was injured in the head by a falling block of ice, which caused her a "nerve illness". After she recovered in 1806, she was fired and denied a pension. In 1807, she moved in with her married twin sister in Ystad
, where she founded a school.
She died unmarried. At the age of seventeen, she was to have been engaged to Count F. Posse, who died young; his letters were buried with her on her request.
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
in her day.
She and her twin sister Eva were employed in the choir
Choir
A choir, chorale or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together as a group is called a choir or chorus...
of the Royal Swedish Opera
Royal Swedish Opera
Kungliga Operan is Sweden's national stage for opera and ballet.-Location and Environment:...
in 1785. In 1787, she debuted at the Stenborg Theatre
Stenborg Theatre
The Stenborg theatre, also called Svenska Komiska Teatern, Komiska Teatern and Munkbroteatern, was a historical Swedish 18th century theatre, active between 1784 and 1799 in Gamla stan in Stockholm. It was the second theatre of Stockholm during the Gustavian age...
. She was described as a fairy
Fairy
A fairy is a type of mythical being or legendary creature, a form of spirit, often described as metaphysical, supernatural or preternatural.Fairies resemble various beings of other mythologies, though even folklore that uses the term...
-like beauty with a voice that "cuddled the ear", and was anticipated to become one of the "greatest ornaments" of the theatre. She did meet with success, and in the following years she was given a great repertoire of leading roles which generally received good reviews. She was called the "first actress" of the theatre and was placed by the side of Lisette Stenberg
Lisette Stenberg
Caroline Lisette Stenberg, was a Swedish actor and musician. She was a well known and popular actor in 18th century Stockholm, and a star of the Stenborg Theatre...
as one of the two leading ladies of the theatre. She was used for heroine parts and was also popular in operetta
Operetta
Operetta is a genre of light opera, light in terms both of music and subject matter. It is also closely related, in English-language works, to forms of musical theatre.-Origins:...
s.
She played Susanna in The Marriage of Figaro
The Marriage of Figaro
Le nozze di Figaro, ossia la folle giornata , K. 492, is an opera buffa composed in 1786 in four acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, with Italian libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte, based on a stage comedy by Pierre Beaumarchais, La folle journée, ou le Mariage de Figaro .Although the play by...
opposite Didrik Gabriel Björn at the Swedish premier performance of this play on 20 December 1792. She also played the title role in Minna von Barnhelm
Minna von Barnhelm
Minna von Barnhelm or the Soldiers' Happiness is a lustspiel or comedy by the German author Gotthold Ephraim Lessing...
by Gotthold Ephraim Lessing
Gotthold Ephraim Lessing
Gotthold Ephraim Lessing was a German writer, philosopher, dramatist, publicist, and art critic, and one of the most outstanding representatives of the Enlightenment era. His plays and theoretical writings substantially influenced the development of German literature...
in 1793. Her most acclaimed parts were the title roles in Nina (1792) and Azemia (1793). As the mentally ill Nina, she was called "irresistibly touching", and "As the heroine of the play one of the most excellent actresses the Stenborg Theatre ever owned."
In 1788, a poem was published in the paper Stockholmsposten:
The writer is believed to have been Carl Michael Bellman
To Mademoiselle Eleonora Säfström, when she was at the new Swedish Theatre performing in the opera Colonien Belinde on the 23rd May. At the waves of the sea, shocked and frightened /in a poor costume and ornament/You stood at the naked line of the sea/mourned your freedom with the obedience/which is always expected by cruelty/Alack as your song shared my pride!/I beg you - act as you did/ so as to once more delight me.
Carl Michael Bellman
was a Swedish poet and composer. Bellman is a central figure in the Swedish song tradition and remains a very important influence in Swedish music, as well as in Scandinavian literature in general, to this day....
.
She admired Gustav III of Sweden
Gustav III of Sweden
Gustav III was King of Sweden from 1771 until his death. He was the eldest son of King Adolph Frederick and Queen Louise Ulrica of Sweden, she a sister of Frederick the Great of Prussia....
, and she was present at the masquerade ball were he was assassinated in 1792.
In 1795 she debuted at the Royal Dramatic Theatre
Royal Dramatic Theatre
The Royal Dramatic Theatre is Sweden's national stage for "spoken drama", founded in 1788. Around one thousand shows are put on annually on the theatre's eight running stages....
, where she was given a contract in 1796. She had several big parts with good reviews, but the competition was much greater at the Royal Theatre, and she did not take the same role of a star there. She gave her last performance in 1802. Shortly afterward, she was injured in the head by a falling block of ice, which caused her a "nerve illness". After she recovered in 1806, she was fired and denied a pension. In 1807, she moved in with her married twin sister in Ystad
Ystad
Ystad is a "locality", or town, and the seat of Ystad Municipality, Skåne County, Sweden, with 17,286 inhabitants .Settlement dates back to the 11th century and the town has become a busy ferryport, local administrative centre and tourist attraction...
, where she founded a school.
She died unmarried. At the age of seventeen, she was to have been engaged to Count F. Posse, who died young; his letters were buried with her on her request.