Wednesday, January 11, 2006

Birgit Nilsson, 87

For all of you opera fans out there, I read some sad news today--Swedish soprano Birgit Nilsson died on January 1, at the age of 87. One of the most well-known sopranos of her time, she made her operatic debut in Sweden on three days' notice (in Der Freischutz) in 1946, her American debut in 1956, debuted at the Met in 1959 in Tristan und Isolde in 1959, and remained a powerful figure on stage until her retirement in 1984. Thankfully for us listeners, recordings were made at one point or another of all of the major roles she played throughout her career.

I'm still a relative newcomer to opera, but am learning to appreciate it more as I go. I've heard her in the Decca recordings of Der Ring des Nibelungen, and they're powerful examples of a vocalist at the height of her craft. I look forward also to hearing her in some of the bigger Italian operas like Turandot and Tosca. Since Nilsson quite famously sung the role of Brunnhilde in the Ring Cycle, it is more than a little tempting at this point to make a joke about the fat lady singing--I'd not be the first to do so, nor, undoubtedly, would I be the last. Suffice it to say, however, that the world of opera has lost one of its giants, and she will sorely be missed.

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