The Last Best Hope? cover image

The Last Best Hope?

The Swedish Nightingale Episode

Apr 30, 2021
31:47
Jenny Lind, the "Swedish Nightingale": a soprano who made strong men weep with the beauty of her voice. In this episode, Adam explores the Nightingale's sensational tour of the US in 1850-52. She was described as the "most famous woman in the world" by her promoter, the never-knowingly-unselling impresario P T Barnum. Her reputation for virtue did much to make theatre and performance respectable, but as Lind travelled across America, the country was riven by slavery. How would she navigate those divisions while retaining her reputation, and making money? The guests are Robert Wilson, author of Barnum: An American Life, and the music historian Katherine Preston. Reader: Dane Udenberg. Producer: Emily Williams. Presenter: Adam Smith. 

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