Opera Audiences in 1830s St. Petersburg: Social Dynamics, Aesthetic Preferences, and Cultural Expectations

• In Event: Politics, Patrons, and Performance: Music, Identity, and Cultural Authority from the Steppe to the Stage

Abstract

In recent decades, scholars have made significant strides in deepening our understanding of opera in Russia during the first half of the nineteenth century. Research has explored Russian operatic works through hermeneutic lenses, examined the cultural policies shaping Russia’s operatic landscape, uncovered important archival materials on domestic and foreign opera troupes, and analyzed the roles of key figures—including the tsar—and institutions, such as theater censorship, in shaping opera production. However, one critical aspect of Russia’s operatic culture remains underexplored: the audience experience.
This paper seeks to address that gap by investigating the opera audiences of St. Petersburg in the 1830s. I examine the social composition, ethnic and linguistic backgrounds, and aesthetic preferences of opera-goers, and consider how these factors influenced their repertorial choices and their patronage of specific troupes—whether Italian, German, or Russian. Moreover, I detail how these audiences interacted with one another, navigated theater spaces, and adhered to the varying codes of etiquette tied to specific venues and troupes. Beyond reconstructing the demographic profiles and behaviors of opera audiences, I also aim to understand the significance opera held for these listeners. To tell this multidimensional story, I draw on a wide range of primary sources, including contemporaneous opera criticism, letters, memoirs, and, most importantly, government documents—such as fee schedules, subscription lists, secret police reports on audience behavior, and the Theaters Directorate’s detailed records of nightly happenings in the theaters—preserved in the Russian State Historical Archive.

Author

• Daniil Zavlunov, Stetson U