Decca Classics is set to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Sir Georg Solti’s death with a new high-definition transfer of the original master tapes of his most celebrated recording, Wagner’s Ring Cycle. Recorded in Vienna between 1958 and 1965, and masterminded by Decca’s pioneering producer John Culshaw, the recording includes Birgit Nilsson, Hans Hotter, and Kirsten Flagstad. The new transfers {…}
The Birgit Nilsson Foundation President, Susanne Rydén has announced that the 2022 Birgit Nilsson Prize will be awarded to the cellist Yo-Yo Ma. The prize compromises $1 million USD, the largest in classical music, awarded to artists and institutions who have contributed an important chapter to music history. The cellist is the first instrumentalist to receive the Prize, which will {…}
Over the summer, the Wiener Staatsoper celebrated its 150th anniversary. The company presented an all-star gala which was showcased throughout the theater and also released two special edition collections. One was a DVD set of previously released content and the other was a CD set with mostly world premiere recordings. The CD set of nine operas and a compilation album {…}
Zinka Milanov and Birgit Nilsson are two of the greatest artists of the 20th century. Not only were they superstar sopranos (albeit of different repertory), but they share a birthday. So in celebration of their special day, here’s a little quiz in which you’re tasked with figuring out which of the two divas the prompt refers too. Of course, don’t {…}
Birgit Nilsson was born on May 17, 1918. She left a mark as big as her voice on the “Hochdramatischer Sopran” repertory of the post war era. Her wonderful Tosca and Turandot, her sublime Elektra and her incomparable Isolde and Brünnhilde are among the finest interpretations of those roles in history. In celebration of this famed diva, we take a look {…}
Great Performances will feature “Birgit Nilsson: A League of Her Own” on PBS as part of Women’s History Month on March 22, 2019. The documentary tells the story of the famed soprano through narrations and interviews with some of opera’s great figures. Among those features are Plácido Domingo, Jonas Kaufmann, Marilyn Horne, Nina Stemme, Antonio Pappano, Christa Ludwig, Barry Tucker, {…}
Swedish soprano Birgit Nilsson is arguably the ultimate Wagnerian soprano. Born on May 17, 1918, Nilsson grew up on a farm with parents who had hoped she would grow up to perpetuate this lifestyle. But music came early to her at the age of three and she noted herself in interviews that she could sing before she could walk. She {…}
This week the releases are minimal but there is one opera lovers and fans are going to be interested in. La Nilsson To celebrate Birgit Nilsson’s centennial birthday, Decca is releasing an 81-CD set with the complete recordings for Decca, Deutsche Grammophon, and Philips. The package will include recordings of the complete Ring Cycle, “Elektra,” “Macbeth,” “Tosca,” “Tristan und Isolde,” {…}
When Strauss’ “Elektra” returns to the stage on Thursday, March 1 at the Metropolitan Opera, it will take part 109th performance with the company. The role is often considered one of the most challenging in the repertoire, if not the most difficult. The soprano is tasked with a lengthy evening with barely any rest and no intermission to aid her {…}
This week sees the release of two distinct albums. The first is an exploration of some of the best soprano arias while the other is a remastering of one of the greatest recordings of all time. Femmes Marie-Jose Lord’s new album showcases a variety of heroines from operas by Puccini, Verdi, and Massenet. The Canadian soprano brings to life such {…}
Puccini’s “Turandot” is an operatic fixture and one would expect that the work, so popular at the Metropolitan Opera thanks to Franco Zeffirelli’s famed production, would have been around the house for as long as one can remember. And yet the opera experienced a long hiatus of 30 years before regaining its foothold at the Met. Along the way, some {…}