From “Management Divas” to “Crown Jewel”: Discursive representations of Finnish National Opera during the management crisis of 2007–2009

Abstract

This paper examines the socially constructed representations of a national opera institution in a contemporary Nordic welfare society by asking what kinds of discursive understandings of the Finnish National Opera are construed in public debates. The material consists of print media articles from the period of 1 January 2007–30 June 2009, when the Finnish National Opera went through a management crisis that led to extensive organisational changes. Four discursive ideas are identified, paired into two orders of discourse: the business and art discourses, focussing on the production of opera, and the elitism and democracy discourses, focussing on the reception of opera. Discussing the discursive meanings from a wider cultural perspective, the study concludes that our understanding of opera is restricted by a form of discursive theatre, reflecting tensions between old aesthetic ideals and modern ideologies. The paper thus provides new insights into current debates on cultural policies in the Nordic context with a strong tradition of state-funded culture. Theme picture: The Opera House, home of the Finnish National Opera and Ballet in Helsinki. Photo by Heikki Tuuli.