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La Nilsson Richard WAGNER (1813-1883) Tannhäuser: Dich, teure Halle [4:50] Die Walküre: Der Männer Sippe saβ hier
im Saal [4:27] Du bist der Lenz [2:15] Lohengrin: Einsam in trüben Tagen [5:46] Carl Maria von WEBER (1786-1826) Oberon: Ozean! Du ungeheuer! [9:19] Der Freischütz:Leise, leise [8:52] Ludwig van BEETHOVEN (1770-1827) Fidelio: Abscheulicher! [7:19] Ah, perfido! [13:36]
Birgit
Nilsson (soprano)
Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden/Sir Edward
Downes
rec. Kingsway Hall, London, May-June 1963 Adolphe Charles ADAM (1803-1856) O Holy Night [4:26] Charles GOUNOD (1818-1893) Ave Maria (arr. from Bach) [2:48] César FRANCK (1822-1890) Panis angelicus [4:06] Franz Xaver GRUBER (1787-1863) Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht [4:02]
Birgit
Nilsson (soprano)
Åke Levén (organ)
rec. Stockholm, August 1963 DECCA ELOQUENCE 480
0901[72:21]
Nearly all the items
on this compilation have been released before in various
incarnations - except Ah, perfido! which here receives
its first issue on CD - but this is the first time they
have been joined together as one recital. It’s very satisfying
and showcases Birgit Nilsson (1918-2005) in her strongest
repertoire with some things you would expect, and a fair
few that you wouldn’t.
This is Nilsson’s home
territory, the German Romantics, but unusually most of
the heroines represented in the arias are innocent girls,
no warrior maidens or ice princesses. Her Elisabeth in Dich,
teure Halle is commanding and imperious, not young
and naïve, while Nilsson makes a somewhat detached – some
might say matronly – Sieglinde. Elsa’s vision from Lohengrin is
suitably other-worldly, though you get the impression she
is about to eat her accusers alive! So there’s little
in the way of characterisation in these Wagner numbers,
but as a sheer display of great singing it’s all pretty
marvellous, and I’d have jumped at the chance to hear her
live in any of these roles. Ozean begins imperiously
and rises to a mighty climax, while Agathe’s aria transports
us into her own passion and anticipation: the conclusion
to Leise, leise is truly ecstatic. Nilsson gives
a truly dramatic Abscheulicher, which then melts
into a Komm Hoffnung of grand conviction, and she
inhabits both the drama and tenderness of Ah, perfido! very
convincingly. Downes and the orchestra serve this music
beautifully, with well-judged pacing and playing, but they
know they’re not the stars and retreat so as to let Nilsson
take centre-stage. She is also supported by Decca’s characteristically
excellent sound of the 1960s: over many years engineer
Kenneth Wilkinson built up a close working relationship
with Nilsson, not least in the Solti Ring, and she
clearly saw him as a trusted colleague.
After the arias the
sacred songs are rather less convincing. Nilsson had an
edge of steel to her voice which made her Isolde and Turandot
so thrilling but really doesn’t work for O Holy Night. Still,
this is a highly recommendable compilation for anyone who
wants a sampler of the great soprano’s work, especially
at bargain price. The booklet note contains some entertaining
information about Nilsson’s life but very little about
the music and no texts or translations.
By the way, La Nilsson is
also the title of Birgit Nilsson’s autobiography: Sweden
(1995) and Germany (1997). Northeastern University Press
published the English
language version in 2007 (ISBN-13: 978-1555536701).
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