Different listeners
react differently to certain singers and instrumentalists. The
arguably greatest sopranos during the second half of the last
century, Callas and Nilsson, have each had their admirers and
detractors. “Callas”, the latter stated, “sacrificed beauty
for dramatic truth; Nilsson was technically perfect but lacked
warmth”. There may be some truth in both these views but a majority
of lovers of great operatic singing could overlook these deficiencies
– if that’s what they are – and enjoy other qualities. In the
case of Birgit Nilsson there’s the power, the steadiness, the
ringing top notes. They are all present in abundance in these
live recordings from her relative youth – and there is more
than passing evidence that she possessed other qualities as
well.
This compilation
of Swedish Radio recordings from, mainly, the early 1960s, was
originally issued in 1993. The recent departure of Birgit Nilsson
has made it appropriate to assess it again. Sonically there
is little to grumble about; it is in mono of course but Swedish
Radio produced good recordings in those days and nobody need
hesitate on that account. It can’t compete with studio efforts
from the big companies from the same time but there is no lack
of presence, the orchestras are well in the picture and Birgit
Nilsson’s magnificent voice rings out undistorted and with all
her power in full evidence. The conductor on most of the tracks
is Nils Grevillius, who directed the Royal Opera for more than
three decades and was adored by the orchestra. He is well-known
to many collectors of opera arias, not least from his many recordings
with Jussi Björling from the early 1930s to the late 1950s.
The repertoire is
mainly standard fare that Birgit Nilsson often sang in concert.
Several of the operas represented also belonged to her stage
repertoire. The last two numbers are, however, rarities that
are very good to have – especially with Nilsson singing.
“She lacked warmth?”
Listen to the first track, Vissi d’arte from Tosca,
one of her favourite roles, besides the Wagner and Strauss diet.
There is certainly no lack of feeling. A light flutter in her
otherwise rock-steady voice tells us that emotions are near
the surface. Tosca is an actress and she can control her voice
in most situations, but here, in her private prayer, the feelings,
the despair boils over. There are no histrionics but that tremble
in her voice tells it all. Still she is so much in control that
she shades her voice imaginatively and sings long unbroken lines.
The top note is glorious and might have shattered Scarpia’s
wine glass. From there she shades down to a pianissimo of superhuman
beauty – in one long phrase. Lack of warmth? No way! Callas
was for many the dream Tosca, but Nilsson, with quite another
approach, was just as moving.
The princess of
ice, Turandot, was another of Nilsson’s great impersonations;
she was actually the reigning Turandot for many years.
Ice cold? No, listen here – again that little flutter: behind
her icy appearance there is a woman of flesh and blood. But
then she hurls those cascades of stainless steel up above the
roaring orchestra. No one, in my experience, has ever sung this
music with such assurance.
Both in this and
the following aria from Oberon one notices the relative
ease with which she sings the lowest notes in the contralto
range. We recall that at the beginning of her career she was
actually regarded by some as a mezzo. What is also noticeable
throughout the disc is her sensitive phrasing. The clarion top
notes become so much more impressive when set in contrast to
some softer singing. The Fidelio aria, a difficult piece
like the one from Oberon, also requires coloratura. Neither
Beethoven nor Weber was always very considerate to their prima
donnas. Coloratura was never Nilsson’s strongest suit but she
never once smudges the phrases as some singers with big voices
can do. There is a fine French horn solo before the aria proper
and then Nilsson sings the first phrases Komm, Hoffnung
with consummate beauty.
She recorded most
of these arias commercially, first for EMI in the late 1950s
and then again for Decca in the early 1960s. Several of them
are also in complete recordings. Interpretatively there is not
much difference between them. She found her concept and kept
within that frame, but it is always sheer joy to hear that glorious
voice and the intelligent use she makes of it. Just listen to
the pianissimo end of the Nile aria from Aida (track
5) and likewise the start of the following Pace, pace, mio
Dio from La forza del destino, a role
she never essayed on stage although she frequently performed
this aria in concert. Here she scales down again to match the
harp accompaniment. She may not have had the ability to colour
the voice to suit different characters the way Callas could
but over but time again one registers her willingness to adjust
dynamics to the requirements of the music. Listen at 4:25 how
she swells the voice to a perfect fortissimo and then scales
down again. Her repeated calls of Maledizione! in full
flight are hair-raising.
Elisabeth’s Greeting
Song from Tannhäuser was a special favourite, although
she rarely felt quite comfortable with the role on stage – not
until she got the opportunity to sing both Elisabeth and Venus
in the same performance. But this aria was a recurring number
at her recitals and she recorded it several times, first as
early as 1955 on an HMV collection of arias sung by leading
soloists at the Stockholm Opera, conducted by Sixten Ehrling.
My LP copy is worn out and I would love to see it reissued on
CD. Bertil Hagman, a close friend of Birgit’s for many years,
reminds us in the booklet notes that when she was invited to
take part in the inauguration of the Sydney Opera in 1973 she
was asked by conductor Charles Mackerras what she would like
to sing. Remembering that the house had cost seventeen times
more than the originally projected sum, Birgit Nilsson suggested
this particular aria Dich, teure Halle, grüss’ ich wieder
(Dear hall, I greet thee again). Sir Charles burst into
laughter and so did the audience at the concert.
A real rarity is
Penelope’s aria from Rolf Liebermann’s opera Penelope,
based on the Odyssey. It was premiered at Salzburg in 1954 and
was staged in Stockholm the following year with Birgit Nilsson
in the title role. It only ran for six performances – probably
regarded as too modernistic for the traditionally-minded audience
to digest. The aria is fascinating: tremendously difficult and
high-lying, but Birgit sings it with magnificent intensity and
her scream at 5:31 is really spine-chilling. The opera is today
largely forgotten, but this aria at least was written with fine
understanding of the human voice and with long melodic phrases.
Cantabile indeed. The orchestra is very active behind the soloist.
Maybe times have changed so much that it could be staged again
today, half a century later. It is sung in Swedish but honestly,
I could distinguish very little of the text.
The last number,
an appendix if you like, is another rarity, Estrella’s aria
from Berwald’s Estrella de Soria. The opera was first
performed in 1862 but disappeared after only five performances,
supposed to lack drama. In 1946 it was revived at the Stockholm
Opera – not with Birgit Nilsson; this was before her debut –
but the year after she was asked to record it, and this was
her very first gramophone record. In her memoirs she remembers
that she was seriously ill with scarlet fever and dragged herself
to the recording session, but the result was excellent. Recorded
only half a year after her debut she already displays all the
characteristics that we know from her mature production. It
is a slightly more lyrical voice we hear but the steel is there
– no wonder since she was already 29. The aria itself is well
worth hearing and I know only one further recording of it, where
Lena Nordin sings it on a Caprice disc with highlights from
the opera. There are some pops and clicks audible from the old
shellac but the sound is quite good. The record was issued by
Radiotjänst, which was the name of Swedish Radio in those days.
Collectors of Birgit
Nilsson recordings, who don’t already own this disc, sorely
need it. However I would advise all lovers of great singing
to acquire it, irrespective of how many Nilsson studio recordings
they may already have. There are not many discs around with
soprano singing that challenges this and none that surpasses
it!
Göran Forsling
Birgit Nilsson (soprano),
Swedish Radio Orchestra/Nils Grevillius (1, 4, 6), Stockholm Philharmonic
Orchestra/Nils Grevillius (2, 3, 5, 7), Royal Orchestra, Stockholm/Sixten
Ehrling (8), Stockholm Radio Orchestra/Sten Frykberg (9)
