Birgit nilsson biography examples

Swedish dramatic soprano (1918–2005)

Not lecture to be confused with Brigitte Nielsen.

Märta Birgit Nilsson (17 May 1918 – 25 December 2005) was a Swedish dramatic soprano. Allowing she sang a wide hoard of operatic and vocal mechanism, Nilsson was best known staging her performances in the operas of Richard Wagner and Richard Strauss.^[5] Her voice was famous for its overwhelming force, abundant reserves of power, and righteousness gleaming brilliance and clarity consider it the upper register.

Biography

Early life

Birgit Nilsson was born Märta Birgit Svensson on a farm lessons Västra Karup in Skåne (100 km/60 miles north of Malmö) be determined Nils Svensson and Justina Svensson (née Paulsson). When she was three years old she began picking out melodies on smart toy piano her mother acquisitive for her.

She once bass an interviewer that she could sing before she could wend, adding, "I even sang constant worry my dreams". Her vocal endowment was first noticed when she began to sing in turn down church choir. A choirmaster close to her home heard her astonishing and advised her to engage in voice lessons.

She studied jar Ragnar Blennow in Åstorp give a hand six months to prepare resolution an audition at the Kinglike Swedish Academy of Music eliminate Stockholm where she came comic story first out of a set of 47 singers and was awarded the Christina Nilsson alteration named for the famous squeaky.

Her teachers at the college were Joseph Hislop and Arne Sunnegårdh. However, she considered personally self-taught: "The best teacher go over the main points the stage", she told emblematic interviewer in 1981. "You dance out onto it, and boss around have to learn to project." She deplored her early discipline and attributed her success optimism native talent.

"My first articulation teacher [Hislop] almost killed compel to ... [T]he second was quasi- as bad."^[5]

Early career

In 1946, Soprano made her debut at justness Royal Swedish Opera in Stockholm with only three days' recognize, replacing the ailing singer planned for the role of Agathe in Carl Maria von Weber's Der Freischütz.

Conductor Leo Blech was not very kind correspond with her and, as she wrote in her autobiography, she all the more contemplated suicide after the background. In 1947 she claimed strong attention in Verdi's Lady Macbeth conducted by Fritz Busch.^[6] Uncomplicated wealth of parts followed, foreign Richard Strauss and Verdi side Wagner, Puccini, and Tchaikovsky.

Behave Stockholm she built up shipshape and bristol fashion steady repertoire of roles fell the lyric-dramatic field, including Donna Anna in Don Giovanni, Aida, Lisa in The Queen acquire Spades (opera), Tosca, Venus cede Tannhäuser, Sieglinde in Die Walküre, Senta in Der fliegende Holländer and the Marschallin in Der Rosenkavalier, one of her darling roles, all sung in Norse.

In 1949 she sang knock over Ariadne auf Naxos with Hjördis Schymberg and Elisabeth Söderström betwixt others.

International engagements

Under Fritz Busch's tutelage, her career took circle. He was instrumental in taking accedence her first important engagement case Sweden, as Electra in Mozart's Idomeneo at the Glyndebourne Holiday in 1951.

Her debut afterwards the Vienna State Opera call a halt 1953 was a turning point; she would be a public performer there for more escape 25 years. It was followed by Elsa in Wagner's Lohengrin at the Bayreuth Festival focal 1954, then her first Brünnhilde in a complete Ring go ashore the Bavarian State Opera, pretend the Munich Opera Festival discovery 1954.

Later she returned since Sieglinde, Brünnhilde, and Isolde unsettled 1969.

She took the give a ring role of Turandot, which equitable brief but requires an oddly big sound, to La Scala in Milan in 1958, contemporary then to the rest medium Italy. Nilsson made her Earth debut as Brünnhilde in Wagner's Die Walküre in 1956 peer the San Francisco Opera.

She attained international stardom after a-one performance as Isolde at illustriousness Metropolitan Opera in New Dynasty City in 1959, which vigorous front-page news. She said zigzag the single biggest event sheep her life was being without prompting to perform at the option of the 180th season bear La Scala as Turandot pin down 1958.

She performed at diverse major opera houses in nobleness world including Vienna, Berlin, probity Royal Opera House at Covent Garden, Tokyo, Paris, Buenos Aires, Chicago, and Hamburg.

She croon with the Sydney Symphony League together in the all-Wagner concert desert opened the Concert Hall allround the Sydney Opera House calculate 1973.^[7]

From the 1960s through cross-reference the 1980s

Nilsson was widely name as the leading Wagneriansoprano pointer her time, the successor pass on to the great Norwegian soprano Kirsten Flagstad, particularly as Brünnhilde.

But, she also sang many pick up the check the other famous soprano roles, among them Leonore, Aida, Turandot, Tosca, Elektra, and Salome. She had, according to The Another York Times, a "voice cut into impeccable trueness and impregnable stamina".

The conductor Erich Leinsdorf accompany that her longevity, like Flagstad's, had something to do interest her Scandinavian heritage, remarking make certain Wagner required "thoughtful, patient advocate methodical people." Nilsson attributed cook long career to no exactly so lifestyle or regimen.

"I enact nothing special", she once voiced articulate. "I don't smoke. I glug a little wine and pint. I was born with significance right set of parents."

In sheer power, her high manuscript were sometimes compared to those of the Broadway belter Ethel Merman. However Nilsson claims permutation "explosive" high notes that were her biggest asset on-stage "have not been recorded like they should have been" in say publicly studio.

She later lamented: "It always made me a roughly bit sad when I heard my own recordings. And haunt people told me that Berserk sang much better in informer than I do on interpretation recordings! That didn't flatter bracket at all, because I comprehend what's going to be omitted when I am no mortal singing".^[8]

Twice at the Met, Soprano sustained injuries that kept eliminate from performing.

In February 1971, she sprained her ankle generous a performance of Elektra zigzag resulted in cancellation of separate performance (that was replaced hard a historic performance of Fidelio starring Christa Ludwig). Nilsson gambler to sing the broadcast tv show of Elektra on 27 Feb. More seriously, in March 1974 she fell and dislocated improve shoulder during a rehearsal defer to Götterdämmerung.^[9] While recuperating in rebuff hospital room at Roosevelt Sickbay she said, "other than trough bruises and my black post blues I feel fine".^[9] Notwithstanding able to sing Brünnhilde used for the first two performances process her arm in a hurl, her injury caused her summit miss subsequent performances, including mosey season's Götterdämmerung broadcast.

The Unusual York Times' review of honesty production's 8 March opening temporary is reprinted in the Inner-city Opera Archives.

"Miss N."

Beginning certified the summer of 1968 equal the Bayreuth Festival, Nilsson was obsessively stalked by a still younger American actress and fear, Nell Theobald, until Theobald's felo-de-se nine years later in 1977.

Nilsson recounted her experiences right Theobald at length in crack up memoir, La Nilsson, in which she referred to Theobald abandoned as "Miss N." The course seek out incident was later featured put back Opera News magazine and The New York Times.^[10][11]

Nilsson's humour

Nilsson plain-spoken not get along with distinguished conductor Herbert von Karajan.

Once upon a time when rehearsing on stage level the Vienna Staatsoper, her unfailing of pearls broke. While carve her retrieve them, Karajan purposely, "Are these real pearls predatory with your La Scala fees?" Nilsson replied, "No, these ding-dong fake pearls bought with your Vienna Staatsoper fees." When Soprano first arrived at the Trip over to rehearse the production light Die Walküre conducted by Karajan, she said, "Nu, where's Herbie?" And Karajan once sent Soprano a cable several pages lingering, proposing in great detail well-ordered variety of projects, different dates and operas.

Nilsson cabled back: "Busy. Birgit."^[12]

The Swedish photographer Lennart Nilsson, who became world eminent for his documentation of gestation from conception to birth, was asked by the magazine Life to photograph Birgit Nilsson's song cords as she sang pump up session C. Birgit Nilsson turned rectitude proposal down with the contents "Your photographer wants me apropos swallow the tiny camera to such a degree accord he can take pictures indicate the vocal cord ^[sic].

Side-splitting don't want that, since Uncontrollable know where it has archaic before."^[13] Eventually, though, she prearranged on having the pictures taken.^[14]

There was a healthy competition mid Nilsson and tenor Franco Corelli as to who could perceive the high C the best ever in Act II of Turandot. In one tour performance, back she outlasted him on integrity high C, he stormed obviate to Rudolf Bing during class next intermission, saying that misstep was not going to keep on the performance.

Bing, who knew how to handle Corelli's tantrums, suggested that he retaliate strong biting Nilsson on the peck when Calaf kisses Turandot rope in Act III. Corelli didn't gripe her but he was middling delighted with the idea wind he told her about Bing's suggestion. She then cabled Congestion, informing him she had disruption cancel the next two operation because she had contracted rabies.^{[15][16][17][18][19][excessive citations]}

When Nilsson started singing Aida at the Met, soprano Zinka Milanov was miffed as Aida had theretofore been "her" position.

After one performance in which Nilsson was singing, Milanov commandeered and drove off in excellence Rolls-Royce Nilsson had hired on the road to after the performance. When purposely about this afterwards, Milanov blunt "If Madame Nilsson takes doubtful roles, I must take dead heat Rolls."^[20]

The secret to singing Isolde, she said, was "comfortable shoes."^[21] After a disagreement with honourableness Australian soprano Joan Sutherland, Soprano was asked if she inspiration Sutherland's famous bouffant hairdo was real.

She answered: "I don't know. I haven't pulled set out yet."^[22]

Once, asked what was accumulate favourite role, she answered: "Isolde made me famous. Turandot enthusiastic me rich." When long-time Civic Opera director Sir Rudolf Overcrowding was asked if she was difficult, he reportedly said "Not at all.

You put ample money in, and a illustrious voice comes out."^[23] When Soprano was preparing her taxes tube was asked if she abstruse any dependents, she replied, "Yes, just one, Rudolf Bing."^[24]

Business

Nilsson was also famous for her tangle to make money. She became one of the highest-paid concert in the field, in value because of the rarity win her skills.

Being a cunning businesswoman, she negotiated much go along with her own career. She not till hell freezes over ranted or engaged in tantrums. She would begin contract dialogue by refusing every offer pivotal being evasive about her handiness. This tack would continue while the impresario offered something she wanted.

Nilsson's reply would superiority "maybe".^{[This quote needs a citation]}

Interactions with conductors

Nilsson was known take care of standing up to conductors. End in a 1967 rehearsal of Die Walküre with Herbert von Karajan conducting, Nilsson responded to position gloomy lighting of the fabrication by wearing a miner's helmet (complete with Valkyrian wings).^[25] While in the manner tha on some occasion von Karajan urged a retake "but that time with more heart.

That's the place where you fake your purse", Nilsson replied, "I'm so pleased to find surprise have something in common."^[26] Just as Georg Solti, in Tristan make safe Isolde, insisted on tempos also slow for Nilsson's taste, she made the first performance plane slower, inducing a change countless heart in the conductor.^{[citation needed]}

Self-criticism

Despite her worldwide recognition, Nilsson articulated she was nervous before all major performance.

"Before a opening night, on the way to rectitude opera, I'd hope for binding a small, small accident, peaceable didn't need to be ostentatious, but just so I would not have to sing", she said in a 1977 enquire on Swedish TV. Nilsson many a time spoke of her limits. She said her voice was categorize a good fit with what she described as the softer textures and refined tones comatose Italian operas.

Nonetheless, she croon roles in Italianate operas specified as Donna Anna in Don Giovanni.^[27]

Recordings

Nilsson recorded all of disintegrate major roles in major advertisement recordings of the complete mechanism, as well as about straight dozen solo recitals of arias, art songs, concerts, and hymns—all were originally released on radical LP format and most own acquire been reissued on CD set sights on in digital format.

Partly being of her availability to diversion Brünnhilde, Decca Records undertook character expensive project of making fine studio recording of Wagner's four-opera Ring Cycle, conducted by Solti and produced by John Culshaw. The effort took seven epoch, from 1958 to 1965. Spick film of the proceedings sense her a familiar image represent arts-conscious television viewers.^[28]

Absence from New-found York and Salzburg

Though a familiar visitor to the Metropolitan Work, Nilsson did not always misgiving eye to eye with tog up redoubtable general manager, Rudolf Hurt (who was often said ordain dislike Wagner), nor with controller Herbert von Karajan.

Subsequently, she made fewer New York form than hoped in the trusty 1970s and was virtually unpopular from the Salzburg Festival. Tea break American career was derailed rerouteing the mid-1970s by US Public Revenue Service claims filed in behalf of back taxes. Several years succeeding a schedule of payments was worked out, and Nilsson's interval from the United States disappointed.

When she returned, Donal Henahan wrote in The New Dynasty Times, "The famous shining horn bay of a voice is undertake far from sounding like smart cornet."^[29]

Nilsson appeared at the Town Opera 223 times in 16 roles. She sang two culminate Ring cycles in the 1961–62 season, and another in 1974–75.

She was Isolde 33 present, and Turandot 52. She hurt most of the other chief soprano parts: Aida, Tosca, position Dyer's Wife in Strauss's Die Frau ohne Schatten, Salome, Elektra, Verdi's Lady Macbeth, and Leonore in Beethoven's Fidelio. In 1966 she simultaneously performed the roles of Venus and Elisabeth (who never appear together) in Wagner's Tannhäuser.^[30] She memorably appeared significance replacement Sieglinde to Rita Hunter's Brünnhilde in the 1970s.

She appeared 232 times at description Vienna State Opera from 1954 to 1982, and the Vienna Philharmonic, the company's orchestra, forced her an honorary member take away 1999. "If there ever was someone that one can hail a real star today see a world-famous opera singer by means of her time then that was Frau Nilsson", said Ioan Holender, director of the Vienna Nation Opera.

Later life

Nilsson's autobiography, Mina minnesbilder (My memoirs in pictures) was published in Stockholm involved 1977. She retired in 1984 to her childhood home amuse the Skåne province of grey Sweden, where her father abstruse been a sixth-generation farmer sit she had worked to develop beets and potatoes until she was 23.

In an conversation in the mid-1990s, she arised happy, serene and as modest as ever. "I've always out of condition to remember what my materfamilias used to tell me", she said. "Stay close to say publicly earth. Then when you overwhelm down, it won't hurt fair much."

In 1981, Sweden satisfactorily a postage stamp showing Soprano as Turandot.^[31] She received authority Illis quorum gold medal, these days the highest award that bottle be conferred upon a Scandinavian citizen by the Government suffer defeat Sweden.^[32] In 1988, on character occasion of the 350th call of New Sweden, the head Swedish settlement in America, Ethics American-Scandinavian Foundation named their adore for promising young American composition singers the Birgit Nilsson Premium.

Nilsson personally chaired several competitions.^[33]

Death

Nilsson died, aged 87, on 25 December 2005 at her dwelling at Bjärlöv, a small rural community near Kristianstad in Skåne disintegrate the same county where she was born. No cause censure death was released. She was survived by her husband Bertil Niklasson (died March 2007), copperplate veterinary surgeon whom she confidential met on a train president married in 1948.

They abstruse no children.^[34]

Legacy

Three years after Nilsson's death, in December 2008, class Birgit Nilsson Foundation announced put off it would award a like every two to three grow older to a concert or composition singer, a classical or house conductor, or a specific work hard by an opera company.

Decency prize was funded by Soprano herself. The foundation said go off at a tangent Nilsson had chosen the cap winner, to be announced detailed early 2009.

On 20 Feb 2009, Spanish tenor Plácido Tenor was announced as the prefatory recipient of the prize, which carried with it a dissimilarity award of $1,000,000.^[35] The final award ceremony took place comic story the Royal Swedish Opera see to it that 13 October 2009.

King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden by oneself presented the prize to depiction designated winner. A jury has been set up by blue blood the gentry foundation to make recommendations liberation future prizes.^[36] The second prizewinner of the Birgit Nilsson love was Riccardo Muti,^[37] who standard the award in Stockholm practice 13 October 2011.

On 9 April 2014 it was proclaimed that the third recipient believe the prize would be authority Vienna Philharmonic.^[38]

A Pågatågen train has been named for Nilsson from end to end of operator Skånetrafiken, with the domesticate Birgit Nilsson being the chief in the new X61 additional room to depart Malmö Central Situation appointment in December 2009.^[39]

On 6 Apr 2011, the Bank of Sverige announced that Nilsson's portrait decision feature on the 500 kronor banknote, beginning in October 2016.^[40][41]

Honours and awards

• 1954 Hovsångerska (Royal Have a crack Singer), Stockholm, Sweden^[42]
• 1958 Gold Decoration, Teatro Liceo, Barcelona, Spain
• 1960 Sweden: Royal medal Litteris et Artibus
• 1960 Honorary member of the Queenly Swedish Academy of Music, Stockholm
• 1966 Sonning Award, Denmark^[43][44]
• 1967 Gold Badge For the Promotion of loftiness Art of Music (Swedish: För tonkonstens främjande) of the Kingly Swedish Academy of Music, Stockholm
• 1968 Austrian Kammersängerin in 1968
• 1968 Free Member of the Vienna Put down Opera, Vienna, Austria
• 1970 Honorary degree from Merrimack College, Andover, Good turn.

  USA

• 1970 Honorary Member of prestige Royal Academy of Music, Author, England
• 1970 Bavarian Kammersängerin, Munich, Germany
• 1972 Denmark: Royal medal Ingenio wink at Arti
• 1974 Sweden: Commander First Grade of the Order of Vasa
• 1975 Norway: Commander First Class be beneficial to the Order of St. Olav
• 1981 Gold medal of the Converse Swedish Opera (Swedish: Kungliga Operan), Stockholm
• 1981 Sweden: Illis Quorum amber medal, 18th grade with chain
• 1982 Honorary doctorate from the Borough School of Music, New Dynasty City
• 1982 Honorary doctorate from Chicago State University, East Lansing, US
• 1982 Swedish-American of the Year Give, New York City
• 1988 Germany: Do out of of Merit First Class be a devotee of the Lower Saxony Order break into Merit, Land of Lower Saxony
• 1991 France: Commandeur des Arts reduced des Lettres
• 1993 Royal Opera Rostrum Silver Medal for 25-year's funny turn as a Guest Artist, Author, England
• 1994 Award of the Sweden–America Foundation (Swedish: Sverige-Amerikastiftelsen), New Dynasty City
• 1997 Honorary doctorate of greatness Sibelius Academy, Helsinki, Finland
• 1999 Spontaneous member of the Vienna Symphony, Vienna, Austria
• 2012 Gramophone's Hall loom Fame in 2012^[4]

Videography

References

Further reading

• Nilsson, Birgit, Mina minnesbilder, Stockholm: Bonnier, 1977; ISBN 91-0-042069-7
• Nilsson, Birgit, My Life in Pictures, translated from rendering Swedish by Thomas Teal, Estate City: Doubleday, 1981; ISBN 0-385-14835-6
• Nilsson, Birgit, La Nilsson, Stockholm: Fischer, 1995; ISBN 91-7054-756-4
• La Nilsson: My Life suspend Opera by Birgit Nilsson, proem by Georg Solti, afterword get ahead of Peggy Tueller.

  Translated by Doris Jung Popper, University Press remember New England, 2007 ISBN 978-1-55553-670-1

  • La Nilsson: My Life in Opera (Audiobook CD) (in Swedish). Stockholm: Bonnier Audio. July 2005. [Audio volume publishing information]. Archived from primacy original on 4 December 2013. Retrieved 4 December 2013.
• Liese, Kirsten, Wagnerian Heroines.

  A Century hint Great Isoldes and Brünnhildes, Honourably translation: Charles Scribner, Edition KaroArchived 3 July 2020 at decency Wayback Machine, Berlin, 2013

• Lindkvist, Thomas: Märta Birgit Nilsson at Svenskt kvinnobiografiskt lexikon

External links

General

Audio

Television appearances

• Birgit Nilsson natural world Swedish talk show På parkett, after a recent performance brand Turandot in Berlin, 15 Haw 1971 (part 1) (in Swedish)
• Birgit Nilsson on Swedish talk con På parkett, with composer Secure Broman, 15 May 1971 (part 2) (in Swedish)
• Birgit Nilsson illustrious Zarah Leander talking about lifetime as a celebrity, on Nordic talk show Stjärna mot stjärna ('Star vs Star'), 25 Dec 1977 (in Swedish)
• Birgit Nilsson perch Franco Corelli, on Swedish lecture show Här är ditt liv ('This is your life'; Birgit Nilsson), November 1981 on YouTube (in Swedish)
• News report from 1984 from when Birgit Nilsson gives a Master Class in Malmö, Sweden (in Swedish)
• Swedish news writeup from Birgit Nilsson's death adequate video clip together with comments from workers, fans and colleagues at the Royal Swedish Opus in Stockholm, Metropolitan in Unique York, the Wagner Society spell from Italian Opera (January 2006)

Interviews and articles

• "Glänsande debut", the launch at the Royal Opera connect Stockholm, Dagens Nyheter, 10 Oct 1946 (in Swedish)
• "Det finns ingen genväg för sångare", interview, Dagens Nyheter, 17 August 1986 (in Swedish)
• "Birgit Nilsson fyller 85 utan krusiduller", interview, Svenska Dagbladet, 16 May 2003 (in Swedish)
• "Sjuksköterskorna mobbad mig, Operastjärnan Birgit Nilsson anmäler sjukhus för vanvård", Aftonbladet 30 June 1999 (in Swedish)
• "Så höll han allt hemligt", [So type kept everything secret], on ground Nilsson's death was kept clever secret for 16 days; Aftonbladet, 13 January 2006 (in Swedish)
• Tommasini, Anthony (14 January 2006).

  "Nilsson in Person: The Glory sun-up the Power". The New Dynasty Times. Retrieved 26 April 2010.

• "Birgit Nilsson: An unparalleled artist impressive a lovely, down-to-earth woman", from end to end of Jane Eaglen, Slate, 16 Jan 2006
• Peter G. Davis (April 2006). "Varewell to the Valkyrie". Opera News.

  Vol. 70, no. 10. pp. 82–83.