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Wagner and Wagnerism in Nineteenth-Century Sweden, Finland, and the Baltic Provinces: Reception, Enthusiasm, Cult.

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Wagner and Wagnerism in Nineteenth-Century Sweden, Finland, and the Baltic Provinces: Reception, Enthusiasm, Cult. By Hannu Salmi. (Eastman Studies in Music.) Rochester: University of Rochester Press, 2006. [x, 310 p. ISBN 1-58046-207-3. $65.] Maps, illustrations.

Hannu Salmi's work on Wagnerism in the Baltic region documents the phenomenon with extraordinary detail. This book not only enlarges the understanding of Wagnerism in general in the nineteenth century, it also supplements the music histories of Baltic countries with a wealth of information and copiously detailed references. The text is delightfully illustrated with historical postcards, drawn primarily from the author's own collection.

Salmi claims that Wagner's relationship to Baltic Europe was not limited to his years as a conductor in Konigsberg and Riga at the start of his career. Neither were these places insignificant in the larger Wagner phenomenon that engulfed Europe in the later nineteenth century, with Riga perpetually emerging as a leading center of interest in Wagner.

In his "Prelude," Salmi notes the potential problems in researching Wagner reception in this region. Countries on the Baltic coastline differ culturally, linguistically, and aesthetically, making this book a collection of several reception histories rather than a single, monolithic documentary.

The choice of countries may seem somewhat arbitrary at first. Including Sweden but omitting Norway and Denmark, for example, focuses on the Baltic coast region as a geo-cultural unit at the expense of a real discussion of pan-Scandinavian Wagnerism. Why focus on the Baltic coast...

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