Birgit Nilsson was a vocal phenomenon in “a league of her own“ (New York Times). Not even the loudest orchestra could drown her powerful voice.Unfortunately, there were seldom recording engineers around who had the expertise to do her voice justice, so it was mostly reduced to a “normal” size in the studio. As the celebrated German music critic Jürgen Kesting put it: “Birgit Nilsson in the recording studio is like driving a Porsche in the back yard”.Fortunately, there are many live recordings which show the “real thing” – a phenomenal, larger-than-life voice. “There’s nobody like her, no other singer I heard in my life”, said Plácido Domingo who partnered her in several performances of Turandot.This centenary edition showcases Nilsson in roles where she set a new vocal standard – Turandot, Isolde, Brünnhilde, Salome and Elektra – in exciting performances, conducted by Herbert von Karajan, Karl Böhm, Leonard Bernstein, Leopold Stokowski, Wolfgang Sawallisch and Eugen Jochum, and alongside other great singers like Anna Moffo, Régine Crespin, Leonie Rysanek, Astrid Varnay, Regina Resnik, Franco Corelli, Wolfgang Windgassen, Ramón Vinay, Jon Vickers, Jess Thomas, Theo Adam and Martti Talvela.Taken in chronological order, these live recordings show the development of the voice of the century: from concert recordings in Stockholm (where her career started in the late 1940s) to great performances at the Met, the Bayreuth Festival and the Vienna State Opera, including the Met’s broadcast of Die Walküre conducted by Karajan, two versions of Tristan und Isolde (Bayreuth 1957 and Vienna 1967), two performances of Elektra(Montreal 1967/Expo and Met 1971) and the exciting Turandot with Franco Corelli and Anna Moffo, conducted by Leopold Stokowski. Despite her legendary “battles” with star tenor Franco Corelli (“Anything you can do, I can do louder!”), Birgit Nilsson was one of a very few singers to be respected by all her colleagues, by conductors and directors and managers. After listening to her live recordings, you’ll know exactly why.
TRACKLIST
DISC 1: BARTOK: HERZOG BLAUBARTS BURG
Recorded live at the Concert Hall, Stockholm, February 10, 1953
Nilsson, Sönnerstedt
Conductor: Ferenc Fricsay
DISC 2-4: WAGNER: LOHENGRIN
Recorded live at the Bayreuth Festival, August 14, 1954
Windgassen, Nilsson, Varnay, Uhde, Adam, Fischer-Dieskau
Conductor: Eugen Jochum
DISC 5-7: WAGNER: TRISTAN UND ISOLDE
Recorded live at the Bayreuth Festival, August 19, 1957
Windgassen, Nilsson, Hoffman, Hotter, van Mill
Conductor: Wolfgang Sawallisch
DISC 8: WAGNER: DIE WALKÜRE
Act 1, Scene 3: „Schläfst du, Gast“
Recorded live at the Bayreuth Festival, July, 1957
Nilsson, Vinay
Conductor: Hans Knappertsbusch
WAGNER: SIEGFRIED
Act 3, Scene 3: „Heil dir Sonne“Nilsson, Windgassen
Recorded live at the Bayreuth Festival, August, 1967
Conductor: Otmar Suitner
DISC 9-10: PUCCINI: TURANDOT
Recorded live at the Metropolitan Opera House, March 4, 1961 Matinée Broadcast
Nilsson, Moffo
Conductor: Leopold Stokowski
DISC 11-12: STRAUSS: SALOME
Recorded live at the Metropolitan Opera House, March 13, 1965 Matinée Broadcast
Nilsson, Liebl, Dalis, Cassel
Conductor: Karl Böhm
DISC 13-14: STRAUSS: ELEKTRA
Recorded live at the Opéra de Montréal, September 19, 1967
Nilsson, Rysanek, Resnik, Nienstedt, Uhl
Conductor: Karl Böhm
DISC 15-17: WAGNER: TRISTAN UND ISOLDE
Recorded live at the Wiener Staatsoper, December 17, 1967Thomas, Nilsson, Hesse, Wiener, Talvela
Conductor: Karl Böhm
DISC 18-20: WAGNER: DIE WALKÜRE
Recorded live at the Metropolitan Opera House, March 1, 1969 Matinée Broadcast
Nilsson, Crespin, Vickers, Adam, Veasey, Talvela
Conductor: Herbert von Karajan
DISC 21-22: BEETHOVEN: FIDELIO
Recorded live at the RAI di Roma, March 17, 1970
Nilsson, Spiess, Adam, Crass, Donath, Unger
Conductor: Leonard Bernstein
DISC 23-24: STRAUSS: ELEKTRA
Recorded live at the Metropolitan Opera House, February 27, 1971 Matinée Broadcast
Nilsson, Rysanek, Madeira, Stewart, Nagy
Conductor: Karl Böhm
DISC 25-27: WAGNER: TRISTAN UND ISOLDE
Recorded live at the Festival d’Orange, July 7, 1973
Thomas, Nilsson, Hesse, Wiener, Talvela
Conductor: Karl Böhm
DISC 28-30: STRAUSS: DIE FRAU OHNE SCHATTEN
Recorded live at the Bayerische Staatsoper, September 29, 1976
Nilsson, Bjoner, Varnay, Fischer-Dieskau, KingConductor: Wolfgang Sawallisch
DISC 31: CONCERTS (Excerpts)Recorded live at the Concert Hall, Stockholm 1953 (first release on CD)/1967/68
Recorded live at the Sydney opera house (Opening Concert), September 29, 1973
| COMPOSER | Various |
|---|---|
| PERFORMER | Birgit Nilsson |
| NUMBER OF DISCS | 31 |
Fast Delivery and professional packaging
Our long-standing relationships with UPS FedEx DHL and other international carriers gives us the ability to provide various shipping options. Our warehouse personnel is highly-skilled and will package your items according to our precise and exact specifications. Prior to shipping, your goods will be thoroughly examined and secured. We ship to hundreds of thousands of customers each day in different countries. This shows our commitment to becoming the biggest retailer online in the world. Warehouses and distribution centers can be found in Europe and the USA.
Note: Orders that contain more than one item will be assigned a separate processing period for each item.
Prior to shipment, we will examine thoroughly the items you've purchased. The majority of orders are shipped within 48 hours. The delivery time will be between 3-7 days.
Returns
We are not able to manage the stock in our warehouse and factory. The actual inventory may fluctuate at any time. It's possible that the stock may run out after the order has been made.
Our policy is valid for 30 days. If 30 days have gone by since your purchase and we are unable to offer an exchange or refund.
The item cannot be used and in its original condition. The item must be returned in its original packaging.
Related products
DVD
1000 MASTERWORKS: DADA AND NEW OBJECTIVITY (DVD) – SCHWITTERS; HOCH; PICABIA; GROSZ; DIX ARTHAUS
MUSIC CDS
MUSIC CDS
DVD
1000 MASTERWORKS: WHITNEY MUSEUM OF AMERICAN ART (DVD) – ESTES; MARSH; O’KEEFFE; RAY; STELLA ARTHAUS
MUSIC CDS
