The Great Voices 09 - Birgit Nilsson

Hello friends and welcome to another episode of the Great Voices. Today, Birgit Nilsson, the stunning Swedish soprano whose sensational performances in some of the most demanding roles in the Germanic repertoire made her an internationally known opera star and a singer who completely rewrote the play book for what it meant to be a dramatic soprano. She made her debut at the Metropolitan Opera in New York on Friday, December 18, 1959 as Isolde. Critics hailed her as the finest exponent of the role since the days of Kirsten Flagstad, praising her for a “voice of impeccable trueness and impregnable stamina" and that with “a vocal range of well over two octaves, no note loses its quality, and high Cs emerge with stunning impact”. She was called out for numerous curtain calls and it became quickly apparent that a new star had been born. Sadly, while Flagstad had Lauritz Melchior as her Tristan, there were simply no tenors of his calibre to partner Birgit’s Isolde. On Friday, February 24, 1961, Met audiences were treated to the premiere of a new production of Turandot. The Met’s General Manager at the time, Sir Rudolf Bing had a huge advantage over Peter Gelb of course as he had the dream pair of Birgit and the dashing Italian tenor Franco Corelli. Critics wrote that Birgit’s voice “soared full and solidly, over orchestra, chorus and soloists, up to a tremendous high C that sounded as if there were still plenty in reserve.” Other major roles at the Met included Leonore in Fidelio, Salome, Elektra and in the Italian wing, Lady MacBeth, Aida, Amelia in Un Ballo in Maschera and Tosca, where she made for a formidable diva that Scarpia would approach at his peril! As Birgit’s career moved into the 1970s, her performances at the Met began to dwindle, her final performances coming as the Dyer’s Wife in a revival of the Met’s magical production of Die Frau ohne Schatten. Birgit Nilsson, an amazing force of nature, a larger-than-life woman and surely one of the great voices.