Birgit Nilsson
Her name is inseparable from that of Richard Wagner and Richard Strauss, of both of whom she was one of the most eminent interpreters of the last century. Thanks to her phenomenal vocal powers, the career of this great Swedish dramatic soprano was exceptionally long: she sang Isolde on stage, when she was over 60 years old. A country girl, with a forceful personality and a savage sense of humour, she once declared that she started singing before she learned to talk, by imitating her mother who had a nice voice. Birgit Nilsson wasn't an actress, but her voice has such an exceptional power that it naturally has an imposing stage presence. The vigour of her temperament, the clarity of her attacks, the stupefying ease with which she tackles the high notes, a vocal strength that is also capable of the most infinitesimal pianissimo nuances, have all contributed to her unequalled glory. Between 1957 and 1970 she reigned in Bayreuth, singing Isolde (her favourite), Sieglinde, Elsa, and to be sure, Brünnhilde in productions of Wieland Wagner which completely modernised Wagnerian stage design, by giving it the new breath of life that it needed.
Thanks to her vocal talents, Birgit Nilsson was also the peerless performer of great dramatic roles like Elektra, Salomé and Die Frau Ohne Schatten (Strauss), Tosca (Puccini) and Aïda (Verdi). She was also a splendid Leonore, the staggering lead in Beethoven's only opera, Fidelio. But the almost-superhuman strength and magnetism of her voice fit especially well to the character of Turandot from Puccini's opera of the same name.
The intrinsic character of this voice should not, however, obscure the way that Nilsson personified her characters, thanks to her great intelligence and her innate sense for giving a very close rendition of the roles she played, matched with a perfect understanding of the composers that she sang with great nobility and style.
Music lovers the world over are spoiled for choice today, as yesterday, thanks to the famous discographic recordings from DECCA as well as the very numerous live takes which will forever preserve this phonogenic voice of voices, which had the good fortune of being recorded in all of its major roles, with the greatest supervisors and under high-quality technical conditions. Suffice it to cite the famous Ring (Wagner) recorded by Georg Solti between 1958 and 1965, remastered in recent years with a sound that hasn't aged one iota. But we will also find another complete Wagnerian Tetralogy recorded at Bayreuth and other indispensable studio recordings like Elektra and Salomé under the direction of the self-same Solti, without forgetting her unforgettable Isolde under the incandescent baton of Karl Böhm at Bayreuth, or, in the studio, under Solti's direction.
In 1984, at the age of 66, Birgit Nilsson gave up singing to concentrate on teaching. She created a foundation bearing her name, to support singers, conductors, and to encourage lyrical productions.
© FH / Qobuz
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Richard Strauss: Salome (1961)
Birgit Nilsson, Grace Hoffmann, Gerhard Stolze
Opera - Released by Classical Moments on 4 Mar 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
La Fanciulla del West (La Fille du Far West)
Birgit Nilsson, Joao Gibin, Andrea Mongelli, Lovro von Matacic, Orchestra del Teatro della Scala di Milano
Opera - Released by Warner Classics on 1 Jan 1972
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Wagner: Wesendonck Lieder; Arias from Der fliegende Holländer, Rienzi & Die Feen
Birgit Nilsson, London Symphony Orchestra, Sir Colin Davis
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 5 Apr 1971
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Wagner: Der Ring des Nibelungen
Opera - Released by Opera d'Oro on 26 Feb 2008
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Birgit Nilsson Chante Verdi
Birgit Nilsson, Royal Opera House Orchestra, Argeo Quadri
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 14 Dec 1962
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Wagner: Die Walküre; Götterdämmerung ; Tristan und Isolde – Excerpts (Opera Gala – Volume 17)
Kirsten Flagstad, Set Svanholm, Birgit Nilsson, Sir Georg Solti, Hans Knappertsbusch
Classical - Released by Universal Music Australia Pty. Ltd. on 13 Nov 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Strauss, R: Salome
Birgit Nilsson, Eberhard Wächter, Gerhard Stolze, Wiener Philharmonic Orchestra, Sir Georg Solti
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 1 Jan 1962
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Verdi: Un ballo in maschera (Stereo Version)
Birgit Nilsson, Carlo Bergonzi, Sir Georg Solti, Orchestra dell'Academia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia
Miscellaneous - Released by BNF Collection on 1 Jan 1962
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Wagner: Duets from Parsifal & Die Walküre
Birgit Nilsson, Helge Brilioth, Royal Opera House Orchestra, Leif Segerstam
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 4 Mar 1974
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Wagner: Die Walkure
Astrid Varnay, Birgit Nilsson, Hans Hotter
Opera - Released by Urania on 11 Aug 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Strauss: Salome; Wagner: Götterdämmerung – Excerpts (Opera Gala – Volume 18)
Birgit Nilsson, Sir Georg Solti
Classical - Released by Universal Music Australia Pty. Ltd. on 13 Nov 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Wagner: Tristan und Isolde, WWV 90 – Excerpt (Hans Knappertsbusch - The Opera Edition: Volume 2)
Birgit Nilsson, Grace Hoffman, Wiener Philharmonic Orchestra, Hans Knappertsbusch
Classical - Released by Universal Music Australia Pty. Ltd. on 1 Jan 1960
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Birgit Nilsson Live in Stockholm (1970, 1973)
Birgit Nilsson, Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Geoffrey Parsons, Leif Segerstam
Vocal Music (Secular and Sacred) - Released by Bluebell on 1 Jan 1987
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Puccini - Turandot
Birgit Nilsson, Giuseppe Di Stefano, Francesco Molinari-Pradelli, Wiener Staatsoper Orchestra
Classical - Released by G.O.P. on 31 Jan 2024
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Wagner: Tristan Und Isolde
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 1 Jan 1961
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Grosse Stimmen - Birgit Nilsson
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 1 Jan 1990
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Birgit Nilsson at the Churches of St. Jacob and Gustav Vasa
Classical - Released by Swedish Society on 1 Jan 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Land of the Midnight Sun
Birgit Nilsson, Wiener Opernorchester, Bertil Bokstedt
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 1 Nov 1965
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Wagner & Verdi: Airs d'opéra (Mono Version)
Birgit Nilsson, Philharmonia Orchestra, Leopold Ludwig
Classical - Released by BNF Collection on 1 Jan 1959
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo