Search - Brigit Nilsson :: Singers (Dig)

Fine selection of Nilsson's greatest -in brilliant sound.

Janos Gardonyi | Toronto, Ontario Canada | 11/04/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This very fine CD is part of a series called "The Singers"
created by Decca in tribute to some of the greatest voices of the 20th century.Birgit Nilsson is certainly one of them. Obviously the intent is to
give a good cross section of the types of repertory and range of Ms. Nilsson magnificent voice, both for the
uninitiated, and the afficionado.It begins with works of early German Romantic opera (Beethoven and Weber), followed by Verdi, then Wagner and finally rounding up with some sacred pieces.
This is quite a good selection of musical styles.
As far as her range and emotional depth ,one of my favorites are Agatha's wonderful aria from Weber's Freischutz with the soft, piano, legato of the first part and the contrasting glorious agitato of the second.
Of course her Isolde is unforgettable and here we are treated to the Liebestod with the never ending wave upon wave of emotion (from her celebrated complete Tristan recording with Karl Bohm conducting).It builds and builds until it is almost impossible to endure it, coming to that great climax and ending in everlasting peace. One of the most beautiful things ever written, and this has always been Nilsson's great triumphs.
For superb piano singing listen to Abigaille's great aria in the first act of Nabucco. A great challenge for singers.Same is true for Pace,pace mio Dio from
La Forza del Destino, always a favorite of sopranos.
Coming to the other Wagner selections,like the ones from the Ring, one however is left somewhat disappointed, not by the singer, but Decca's choice of excerpts. The bits from the Walkure's first act are what people call "bleeding chunks of Wagner", giving us a taste, but each coming to an abrupt end just as things heat up.I realize that 70 minutes is awfully short time to give her justice, but perhaps some alternate venue, such as the complete Immolation scene ( with Solti, not Bohm)
instead of the Walkure excerpts would have been better.
I mention Solti, because his Ring with Nilsson has been
one of the great triumphs of Decca.
I am happy, however, about the inclusion of a joyful, exuberant, "Hallenaria" from Tannhauser showing off her laser-like voice, which Irving Kolodin refers to as "aural adrenalin".
The recording is in CD-ROM format,but playable on any CD or DVD Audio equipment as well as on the computer.There are lots of extras such as picture gallery, texts etc.Sound is excellent.It is handsomely packaged and is good value for the money. I wouln't hesitate to recommend it to any music lover."

Incomparable and Irreplaceable

Janos Gardonyi | 12/01/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"A strange mixture of arias and carols, but all wonderfully sung. Some rareties highlight this release: 3 carols recorded in the early 60s and not, I believe, released stateside before. Some thrilling sounds are on this CD."

The "working soprano" works her magic!

gellio | San Francisco, CA | 08/28/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The first time I heard Nilsson, I instantly knew I'd found something truly remarkable. She made an incredible instant impression on me. The only other time this happened to me, was when I first heard Callas.Nilsson was one of the greats, whose Brunnhilde seems to totally overshadow her other works. It's easy to see why, to me she will always be THE Brunnhilde. This cd, however, is a great bag of mixed tricks that really showcase why Nilsson is one of the greatest sopranos in operatic history.I'm going to talk about each of the tracks, but somewhat out of order.Tracks 6, 8, & 9: They made some interesting choices with their selections from 'The Ring' here. In choosing the 'Immolation Scene' (track 6) from Gotterdammerung, I am certainly surprised DECCA chose Boehm over Solti. I have both of their Ring's and they are each incredible. The good with choosing Boehm was it gives the listener a chance to hear what Nilsson could do at the end of a very long night, vocally. The bad with choosing Boehm over Solti is that Solti's reading is unsurpassed. While you get the thrill of Nilsson's emotions created by the audience with Boehm, you miss the amazing orchestral playing by the Vienna Philharmonic and conducting by Solti. Boehm goes a little too fast through the 'Immolation Scene' here - but it's still fantastic.It was very interesting that they choose to showcase Nilsson as Sieglinde (tracks 8 &9) from 'Die Walkuere' rather than Brunnhilde, but it is quite fortunate, as I've never heard it and it is glorious. Truly glorious. It leaves me wishing there were a complete recording somewhere, with her in the role.It's very unfortunate that DECCA is releasing these singers sets as solos, when there's a lot of good duet work they could have added on. I really felt this cd would have been just electrifying if it had the finale scene between Brunnhilde and Wotan from 'Die Walkuere' using Boehm's recording from the same performances as the 'Immolation Scene' on this disc. Boehm's 'Walkure' is the best out there in my opinion. It's simply dynamite. They also could have had the opportunity to showcase a little bit of Solti's incredible Ring by placing the finale duet between Brunnhilde and Siegfried from 'Siegfried' on here. It's truly incredible and is pure Nilsson. It also helps that Windgassen and the Vienna Philharmonic are right there with her. To anyone that says 'Siegfried' is their least favorite of the Ring operas, I tell them to listen to Solti's reading because it may very well change their mind. It is riveting.Okay - I am a Ring finatic, sorry.Track 1: It's really nice to hear something from 'Fidelio' out of Birgit. When I heard that she sang a Beethoven piece, I was really hoping it would be Ah! perfido! which I just love. However, she does a fantastic job here. Track 2: I'm not a huge fan of 'Der Freischutz' but she sure makes me love this aria. Truly commanding.Track 3: I love Verdi and it's really nice to hear her singing some Italian. Track 4: This track blew me a way. This big strong voice goes so soft and gentle at moments, it'll break your heart.Track 5: Wow - I am definitely going to get her complete 'Tristan und Isolde.' The Liebestod always blew me away and the performance here is incredible.Track 7: Nice to hear some Tannhauser on here. Wagner and Nilsson together are magical.Tracks 10 - 12: These are perhaps my favorites on this disc. Really nice to hear these beautiful pieces sung so well, with gentleness and care. Silent Night has always held such a special place in my heart. All it took to get me to purchase this disc is to hear she would be singing it.I cannot comment on the added specials...it's a ehanced cd with a photo gallery, sung texts (with translations) and Nilsson discography. Certainly going to check that out."