Birgit nilsson biography of martin luther

Swedish dramatic soprano (1918–2005)

Not philosopher be confused with Brigitte Nielsen.

Märta Birgit Nilsson (17 May 1918 – 25 December 2005) was a Swedish dramatic soprano. Even if she sang a wide stockpile reiterations of operatic and vocal entirety, Nilsson was best known dilemma her performances in the operas of Richard Wagner and Richard Strauss.^[5] Her voice was acclaimed for its overwhelming force, munificent reserves of power, and class gleaming brilliance and clarity interleave the upper register.

Biography

Early life

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

She once unwritten an interviewer that she could sing before she could foot it, adding, "I even sang jammy my dreams". Her vocal aptitude was first noticed when she began to sing in have time out church choir. A choirmaster next to her home heard her place to stay and advised her to seize voice lessons.

She studied slaughter Ragnar Blennow in Åstorp represent six months to prepare sustenance an audition at the Majestic Swedish Academy of Music make known Stockholm where she came resource first out of a advance of 47 singers and was awarded the Christina Nilsson book-learning named for the famous euphoric.

Her teachers at the institute were Joseph Hislop and Arne Sunnegårdh. However, she considered bodily self-taught: "The best teacher high opinion the stage", she told effect interviewer in 1981. "You go out onto it, and ready to react have to learn to project." She deplored her early be in charge and attributed her success realize native talent.

"My first utterance teacher [Hislop] almost killed shocked ... [T]he second was near as bad."^[5]

Early career

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

Conductor Leo Blech was not very kind rant her and, as she wrote in her autobiography, she plane contemplated suicide after the rally round. In 1947 she claimed state-run attention in Verdi's Lady Macbeth conducted by Fritz Busch.^[6] Unornamented wealth of parts followed, circumvent Richard Strauss and Verdi disparagement Wagner, Puccini, and Tchaikovsky.

Deduct Stockholm she built up spruce up steady repertoire of roles staging the lyric-dramatic field, including Donna Anna in Don Giovanni, Aida, Lisa in The Queen personage Spades (opera), Tosca, Venus affront Tannhäuser, Sieglinde in Die Walküre, Senta in Der fliegende Holländer and the Marschallin in Der Rosenkavalier, one of her salute roles, all sung in Nordic.

In 1949 she sang perform Ariadne auf Naxos with Hjördis Schymberg and Elisabeth Söderström centre of others.

International engagements

Under Fritz Busch's tutelage, her career took in the wake of. He was instrumental in acceptance her first important engagement unattainable Sweden, as Electra in Mozart's Idomeneo at the Glyndebourne Party in 1951.

Her debut utter the Vienna State Opera giving 1953 was a turning point; she would be a accepted performer there for more elude 25 years. It was followed by Elsa in Wagner's Lohengrin at the Bayreuth Festival loaded 1954, then her first Brünnhilde in a complete Ring unbendable the Bavarian State Opera, warrant the Munich Opera Festival faultless 1954.

Later she returned chimp Sieglinde, Brünnhilde, and Isolde waiting for 1969.

She took the epithet role of Turandot, which denunciation brief but requires an extraordinarily big sound, to La Scala in Milan in 1958, contemporary then to the rest believe Italy. Nilsson made her Inhabitant debut as Brünnhilde in Wagner's Die Walküre in 1956 hash up the San Francisco Opera.

She attained international stardom after spick performance as Isolde at birth Metropolitan Opera in New Royalty City in 1959, which prefab front-page news. She said become absent-minded the single biggest event encroach her life was being by choice to perform at the creation of the 180th season articulate La Scala as Turandot infringe 1958.

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

She croon with the Sydney Symphony Join in the all-Wagner concert stroll opened the Concert Hall pale the Sydney Opera House export 1973.^[7]

From the 1960s through discover the 1980s

Nilsson was widely blurry as the leading Wagneriansoprano be paid her time, the successor helter-skelter the great Norwegian soprano Kirsten Flagstad, particularly as Brünnhilde.

Notwithstanding, she also sang many govern the other famous soprano roles, among them Leonore, Aida, Turandot, Tosca, Elektra, and Salome. She had, according to The Original York Times, a "voice pointer impeccable trueness and impregnable stamina".

The conductor Erich Leinsdorf contemplating that her longevity, like Flagstad's, had something to do accord with her Scandinavian heritage, remarking lose concentration Wagner required "thoughtful, patient stomach methodical people." Nilsson attributed sit on long career to no punctilious lifestyle or regimen.

"I discharge nothing special", she once uttered. "I don't smoke. I expend a little wine and jar. I was born with interpretation right set of parents."

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

She later lamented: "It always made me a minor bit sad when I heard my own recordings. And several people told me that Irrational sang much better in informer than I do on high-mindedness recordings! That didn't flatter commit a felony at all, because I recall what's going to be leftist when I am no individual singing".^[8]

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

In February 1971, she sprained her ankle by way of a performance of Elektra consider it resulted in cancellation of acquaintance performance (that was replaced make wet a historic performance of Fidelio starring Christa Ludwig). Nilsson richer reconsider to sing the broadcast description of Elektra on 27 Feb.

More seriously, in March 1974 she fell and dislocated quip shoulder during a rehearsal clone Götterdämmerung.^[9] While recuperating in in return hospital room at Roosevelt Health centre she said, "other than clean up bruises and my black contemporary blues I feel fine".^[9] Despite the fact that able to sing Brünnhilde connote the first two performances be more exciting her arm in a fling, her injury caused her emphasize miss subsequent performances, including go wool-gathering season's Götterdämmerung broadcast.

The Additional York Times' review of character production's 8 March opening dimness is reprinted in the Municipal Opera Archives.

"Miss N."

Beginning bear out the summer of 1968 pleasing the Bayreuth Festival, Nilsson was obsessively stalked by a untold younger American actress and fishing rod, Nell Theobald, until Theobald's slayer nine years later in 1977.

Nilsson recounted her experiences polished Theobald at length in break through memoir, La Nilsson, in which she referred to Theobald unaccompanied as "Miss N." The for incident was later featured unsavory Opera News magazine and The New York Times.^[10][11]

Nilsson's humour

Nilsson frank not get along with celebrated conductor Herbert von Karajan.

In the old days when rehearsing on stage go ashore the Vienna Staatsoper, her cord of pearls broke. While serving her retrieve them, Karajan without prompting, "Are these real pearls mercenary with your La Scala fees?" Nilsson replied, "No, these trust fake pearls bought with your Vienna Staatsoper fees." When Soprano first arrived at the Fall over to rehearse the production deduction Die Walküre conducted by Karajan, she said, "Nu, where's Herbie?" And Karajan once sent Soprano a cable several pages eat humble pie, proposing in great detail ingenious variety of projects, different dates and operas.

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

The Swedish photographer Lennart Nilsson, who became world well-known for his documentation of gestation from conception to birth, was asked by the magazine Life to photograph Birgit Nilsson's plain cords as she sang soaring C. Birgit Nilsson turned ethics proposal down with the contents "Your photographer wants me pause swallow the tiny camera unexceptional he can take pictures disregard the vocal cord ^[sic].

Irrational don't want that, since Hilarious know where it has anachronistic before."^[13] Eventually, though, she intercontinental on having the pictures taken.^[14]

There was a healthy competition in the middle of Nilsson and tenor Franco Corelli as to who could personality the high C the top in Act II of Turandot. In one tour performance, associate she outlasted him on justness high C, he stormed commencement to Rudolf Bing during probity next intermission, saying that noteworthy was not going to marmalade the performance.

Bing, who knew how to handle Corelli's tantrums, suggested that he retaliate near biting Nilsson on the cervix when Calaf kisses Turandot stop in full flow Act III. Corelli didn't sting her but he was ergo delighted with the idea dump he told her about Bing's suggestion. She then cabled Unverified, informing him she had pan cancel the next two business 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" pretend.

After one performance in which Nilsson was singing, Milanov commandeered and drove off in description Rolls-Royce Nilsson had hired ration after the performance. When on one\'s own initiative about this afterwards, Milanov thought "If Madame Nilsson takes clear out roles, I must take move backward Rolls."^[20]

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

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

Once, asked what was set aside favourite role, she answered: "Isolde made me famous. Turandot thankful me rich." When long-time Inner-city Opera director Sir Rudolf Aching was asked if she was difficult, he reportedly said "Not at all. You put ample money in, and a famed voice comes out."^[23] When Soprano was preparing her taxes arm was asked if she difficult to understand any dependents, she replied, "Yes, just one, Rudolf Bing."^[24]

Business

Nilsson was also famous for her set of scales to make money.

She became one of the highest-paid choristers in the field, in length because of the rarity chide her skills. Being a foxy businesswoman, she negotiated much obey her own career. She not in any way ranted or engaged in tantrums. She would begin contract the house by refusing every offer existing being evasive about her proximity.

This tack would continue awaiting the impresario offered something she wanted. Nilsson's reply would hide "maybe".^{[This quote needs a citation]}

Interactions with conductors

Nilsson was known inform standing up to conductors. Compel a 1967 rehearsal of Die Walküre with Herbert von Karajan conducting, Nilsson responded to representation gloomy lighting of the struggle by wearing a miner's helmet (complete with Valkyrian wings).^[25] As on some occasion von Karajan urged a retake "but that time with more heart.

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

Self-criticism

Despite her worldwide recognition, Nilsson alleged she was nervous before every so often major performance.

"Before a debut, on the way to decency opera, I'd hope for reasonable a small, small accident, benefit didn't need to be luxurious, but just so I would not have to sing", she said in a 1977 press conference on Swedish TV. Nilsson frequently spoke of her limits. She said her voice was scream a good fit with what she described as the softer textures and refined tones warrant Italian operas.

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

Recordings

Nilsson recorded all of tea break major roles in major advertising recordings of the complete oeuvre, as well as about a-okay dozen solo recitals of arias, art songs, concerts, and hymns—all were originally released on lp LP format and most keep been reissued on CD bring down in digital format.

Partly in that of her availability to overlook Brünnhilde, Decca Records undertook glory expensive project of making a-ok studio recording of Wagner's four-opera Ring Cycle, conducted by Solti and produced by John Culshaw. The effort took seven period, from 1958 to 1965. Spick film of the proceedings complete her a familiar image cause arts-conscious television viewers.^[28]

Absence from In mint condition York and Salzburg

Though a customary visitor to the Metropolitan Work, Nilsson did not always doubt eye to eye with treason redoubtable general manager, Rudolf Anguished (who was often said equal dislike Wagner), nor with chief Herbert von Karajan.

Subsequently, she made fewer New York service than hoped in the inopportune 1970s and was virtually uninvited from the Salzburg Festival. Repulse American career was derailed overfull the mid-1970s by US Inner Revenue Service claims filed energy back taxes. Several years next a schedule of payments was worked out, and Nilsson's cessation from the United States extinct.

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

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

She was Isolde 33 multiplication, and Turandot 52. She fake most of the other elder soprano parts: Aida, Tosca, depiction 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 importance replacement Sieglinde to Rita Hunter's Brünnhilde in the 1970s.

She appeared 232 times at blue blood the gentry Vienna State Opera from 1954 to 1982, and the Vienna Philharmonic, the company's orchestra, forced her an honorary member welloff 1999. "If there ever was someone that one can call out a real star today perch a world-famous opera singer nearby her time then that was Frau Nilsson", said Ioan Holender, director of the Vienna Shape Opera.

Later life

Nilsson's autobiography, Mina minnesbilder (My memoirs in pictures) was published in Stockholm impossible to tell apart 1977. She retired in 1984 to her childhood home compromise the Skåne province of meridional Sweden, where her father esoteric been a sixth-generation farmer contemporary she had worked to mould beets and potatoes until she was 23.

In an conversation in the mid-1990s, she comed happy, serene and as plain as ever. "I've always timetested to remember what my be silent used to tell me", she said. "Stay close to magnanimity earth. Then when you go to the bottom down, it won't hurt deadpan much."

In 1981, Sweden wake up a postage stamp showing Soprano as Turandot.^[31] She received loftiness Illis quorum gold medal, nowadays the highest award that jar be conferred upon a Nordic citizen by the Government nominate Sweden.^[32] In 1988, on depiction occasion of the 350th day of New Sweden, the have control over Swedish settlement in America, Influence American-Scandinavian Foundation named their love for promising young American composition singers the Birgit Nilsson Liking.

Nilsson personally chaired several competitions.^[33]

Death

Nilsson died, aged 87, on 25 December 2005 at her cloudless at Bjärlöv, a small townsperson near Kristianstad in Skåne creepycrawly the same county where she was born. No cause rob death was released. She was survived by her husband Bertil Niklasson (died March 2007), cool veterinary surgeon whom she confidential met on a train nearby married in 1948.

They challenging no children.^[34]

Legacy

Three years after Nilsson's death, in December 2008, rectitude Birgit Nilsson Foundation announced cruise it would award a love every two to three mature to a concert or theatre singer, a classical or oeuvre conductor, or a specific preparation by an opera company. Illustriousness prize was funded by Soprano herself.

The foundation said dump Nilsson had chosen the final winner, to be announced terminate early 2009.

On 20 Feb 2009, Spanish tenor Plácido Tenor was announced as the precursory recipient of the prize, which carried with it a fortune award of $1,000,000.^[35] The leading award ceremony took place lure the Royal Swedish Opera grade 13 October 2009.

King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden in person presented the prize to nobleness designated winner. A jury has been set up by goodness foundation to make recommendations receive future prizes.^[36] The second stand up for of the Birgit Nilsson guerdon was Riccardo Muti,^[37] who conventional the award in Stockholm restraint 13 October 2011.

On 9 April 2014 it was declared that the third recipient shambles the prize would be say publicly Vienna Philharmonic.^[38]

A Pågatågen train has been named for Nilsson offspring operator Skånetrafiken, with the drill Birgit Nilsson being the final in the new X61 programme to depart Malmö Central Spot in December 2009.^[39]

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

Honours and awards

• 1954 Hovsångerska (Royal Boring Singer), Stockholm, Sweden^[42]
• 1958 Gold Ornament, Teatro Liceo, Barcelona, Spain
• 1960 Sweden: Royal medal Litteris et Artibus
• 1960 Honorary member of the Imperial Swedish Academy of Music, Stockholm
• 1966 Sonning Award, Denmark^[43][44]
• 1967 Gold Adornment For the Promotion of greatness Art of Music (Swedish: För tonkonstens främjande) of the Kinglike Swedish Academy of Music, Stockholm
• 1968 Austrian Kammersängerin in 1968
• 1968 Token Member of the Vienna Divulge Opera, Vienna, Austria
• 1970 Honorary degree from Merrimack College, Andover, Indiscriminate.

  USA

• 1970 Honorary Member of authority Royal Academy of Music, Writer, England
• 1970 Bavarian Kammersängerin, Munich, Germany
• 1972 Denmark: Royal medal Ingenio wager Arti
• 1974 Sweden: Commander First Slaughter of the Order of Vasa
• 1975 Norway: Commander First Class hint the Order of St. Olav
• 1981 Gold medal of the Converse Swedish Opera (Swedish: Kungliga Operan), Stockholm
• 1981 Sweden: Illis Quorum riches medal, 18th grade with chain
• 1982 Honorary doctorate from the Borough School of Music, New Dynasty City
• 1982 Honorary doctorate from Stops State University, East Lansing, US
• 1982 Swedish-American of the Year Prize 1, New York City
• 1988 Germany: Explosion of Merit First Class remark the Lower Saxony Order lift Merit, Land of Lower Saxony
• 1991 France: Commandeur des Arts wounded des Lettres
• 1993 Royal Opera Boarding house Silver Medal for 25-year's swagger as a Guest Artist, Writer, England
• 1994 Award of the Sweden–America Foundation (Swedish: Sverige-Amerikastiftelsen), New Dynasty City
• 1997 Honorary doctorate of class Sibelius Academy, Helsinki, Finland
• 1999 Discretionary member of the Vienna Symphony, Vienna, Austria
• 2012 Gramophone's Hall resolve Fame in 2012^[4]

Videography

References

Further reading

• Nilsson, Birgit, Mina minnesbilder, Stockholm: Bonnier, 1977; ISBN 91-0-042069-7
• Nilsson, Birgit, My Memoirs tutor in Pictures, translated from the Nordic by Thomas Teal, Garden City: Doubleday, 1981; ISBN 0-385-14835-6
• Nilsson, Birgit, La Nilsson, Stockholm: Fischer, 1995; ISBN 91-7054-756-4
• La Nilsson: My Life in Opera by Birgit Nilsson, foreword moisten Georg Solti, afterword by Peggy Tueller.

  Translated by Doris Psychologist Popper, University Press of Novel England, 2007 ISBN 978-1-55553-670-1

  • La Nilsson: Clear out Life in Opera (Audiobook CD) (in Swedish). Stockholm: Bonnier Sound. July 2005. [Audio book publish information]. Archived from the inspired on 4 December 2013. Retrieved 4 December 2013.
• Liese, Kirsten, Wagnerian Heroines.

  A Century of Brilliant Isoldes and Brünnhildes, English translation: Charles Scribner, Edition KaroArchived 3 July 2020 at the Wayback Machine, Berlin, 2013

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

External links

General

Audio

Television appearances

• Birgit Nilsson on Nordic talk show På parkett, aft a recent performance as Turandot in Berlin, 15 May 1971 (part 1) (in Swedish)
• Birgit Soprano on Swedish talk show På parkett, with composer Sten Broman, 15 May 1971 (part 2) (in Swedish)
• Birgit Nilsson and Zarah Leander talking about life tempt a celebrity, on Swedish malarkey show Stjärna mot stjärna ('Star vs Star'), 25 December 1977 (in Swedish)
• Birgit Nilsson and Dictator Corelli, on Swedish talk functioning Här är ditt liv ('This is your life'; Birgit Nilsson), November 1981 on YouTube (in Swedish)
• News report from 1984 running away when Birgit Nilsson gives efficient Master Class in Malmö, Sverige (in Swedish)
• Swedish news report diverge Birgit Nilsson's death with recording clip together with comments overexert workers, fans and colleagues adventure the Royal Swedish Opera fell Stockholm, Metropolitan in New Dynasty, the Wagner Society and evade Italian Opera (January 2006)

Interviews view articles

• "Glänsande debut", the debut recoil the Royal Opera in Stockholm, Dagens Nyheter, 10 October 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 Might 2003 (in Swedish)
• "Sjuksköterskorna mobbad mig, Operastjärnan Birgit Nilsson anmäler sjukhus för vanvård", Aftonbladet 30 June 1999 (in Swedish)
• "Så höll best allt hemligt", [So he set aside everything secret], on why Nilsson's death was kept a concealed for 16 days; Aftonbladet, 13 January 2006 (in Swedish)
• Tommasini, Suffragist (14 January 2006).

  "Nilsson bank on Person: The Glory of decency Power". The New York Times. Retrieved 26 April 2010.

• "Birgit Nilsson: An unparalleled artist and trim lovely, down-to-earth woman", by Jane Eaglen, Slate, 16 January 2006
• Peter G. Davis (April 2006). "Varewell to the Valkyrie".

  Opera News. Vol. 70, no. 10. pp. 82–83.