RIP Birgit Nilsson
Posted by: Tam on 15 January 2006
As many will doubtless already know, news of Birgit Nilsson's death over Christmas was announced last week:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/arts/news/obituary/0,12723,1684440,00.html?gusrc=rss
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/...12%255E16947,00.html
Yesterday I listened again to her Tristan (under Solti as opposed to the Boehm recording) and was struck again by the incredible power and quality of her voice, all the more impressive when one recalls that on the famous Flagstad/Furtwangler recording, Schwarzkopf was brought in to sing the high Cs.
Perhaps she'll be best remembered for her Ring cycles (both with Solti and Boehm, the latter yielding better singing on her part, but disappointing in other respects).
It also makes me wonder, particularly since I was too young to have seen her (or the likes of Flagstad and Varnay) live, whether we will see singers of their calibre again? If I think of the two recent Brunhildes I've seen live, they fell a long way short, as do most of the more recent recordings that I own. That said, Nina Stemme, on the recent Domingo Tristan and Isolde was not half bad.
Also, it struck me as interesting that three of the greatest Wagnerian sopranos all came from Scandinavia: Nilsson and Astrid Varnay, both Sweden, and Kirsten Flagstad from Norway.
regards, Tam
http://www.guardian.co.uk/arts/news/obituary/0,12723,1684440,00.html?gusrc=rss
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/...12%255E16947,00.html
Yesterday I listened again to her Tristan (under Solti as opposed to the Boehm recording) and was struck again by the incredible power and quality of her voice, all the more impressive when one recalls that on the famous Flagstad/Furtwangler recording, Schwarzkopf was brought in to sing the high Cs.
Perhaps she'll be best remembered for her Ring cycles (both with Solti and Boehm, the latter yielding better singing on her part, but disappointing in other respects).
It also makes me wonder, particularly since I was too young to have seen her (or the likes of Flagstad and Varnay) live, whether we will see singers of their calibre again? If I think of the two recent Brunhildes I've seen live, they fell a long way short, as do most of the more recent recordings that I own. That said, Nina Stemme, on the recent Domingo Tristan and Isolde was not half bad.
Also, it struck me as interesting that three of the greatest Wagnerian sopranos all came from Scandinavia: Nilsson and Astrid Varnay, both Sweden, and Kirsten Flagstad from Norway.
regards, Tam
Dear Tam,
You know what happened to my copy of the [Flagstad] Tristan, and that was nearly two years ago, so in any case I apologise for the mistake!
Fredrik
You know what happened to my copy of the [Flagstad] Tristan, and that was nearly two years ago, so in any case I apologise for the mistake!
Fredrik