Asta Nielsen - Waltz ~Gavioli - Carl Frei 89 Key Concertorgan

Asta Nielsen Waltz. Comp: Carl Frei. Recorded (1974) when the organ was in the ownership of Rudolf Barth, it is now in the Hinzen collection. (This organ is a Gavioli 89 key rebuilt by Carl Frei ) Asta Nielsen (11 September 1881 – 24 May 1972), was a Danish silent film actress who was one of the most popular leading ladies of the 1910s and one of the first international movie stars. Seventy of Nielsen's 74 films were made in Germany where she was known simply as Die Asta (The Asta). Noted for her large dark eyes, mask-like face and boyish figure, Nielsen most often portrayed strong-willed passionate women trapped by tragic circumstances. Due to the erotic nature of her performances, Nielsen's films were heavily censored in the United States and her work remained relatively obscure to American audiences. She is credited with transforming movie acting from overt theatricality to a more subtle naturalistic style. Nielsen founded her own film studio in Berlin during the 1920s, but returned to Denmark in 1937 after the rise of Nazism in Germany. A private figure in her later years, Nielsen became a collage artist and an author. Asta Nielsen passed away on 24 May 1972 (aged 90) in Frederiksberg, Denmark.