La Nilsson

Birgit Märta Nilsson was born in Västra Karup in southern Sweden to a farming family on 17 May 1918. She sang a wide variety of dramatic soprano roles, but her reputation was based on her mastery of some of the most punishing in the repertory, whether excelling as the fire-and-ice heroine of Puccini's Turandot, or in the roles of Isolde, Brünnhilde or Sieglinde, which confimed her as a successor to Kirsten Flagstad. Nilsson's Elektra – the role considered by some critics as her finest achievement – had not only the sheer vocal power required to surmount the huge Straussian orchestra without difficulty, but the emotional strength needed to give truly heroic proportions to the work. She remains peerless in the repertoire best suited to her qualities. No dramatic soprano has since truly approached her stature. Her extraordinary vocal power and breath control enabled her to hold on to flawless high notes for almost unnatural lengths of time. Her stamina was inexhaustible and impregnable, so that she appeared perfectly fresh at the end of the most grueling performance. She had a rock-solid technique and a voice of such soaring, unforced power that it was able to cut through the massed forces of a Wagnerian orchestra with ease, yet retained a purity of tone which enabled her to switch to the most delicate pianissimo. “Perhaps the most amazing thing about her was that she rarely, if ever, gave a performance which fell below the standards she set herself, and at the age of 65 she could still dominate the 1983 Metropolitan Opera Gala featuring the cream of the world's singers. She retired in 1984, her Wagner supremacy recognised by all her colleagues, who regarded her with affection and respect, while audiences simply worshipped her as though she had come down to them from Valhalla.” – THE GUARDIAN

“Her Wagner supremacy was recognized by all her colleagues, who regarded her with affection and respect, while audiences simply worshipped her as though she had come down to them from Valhalla” (The Guardian, London). This 79-CD + 2-DVD Limited Edition, released to mark the centenary of her birth, is presented with original jackets, spined wallets and a 200-page perfect bound book, and offers not only Nilsson’s complete recordings for Decca, Philips and Deutsche Grammophon but also every major role she recorded. That makes this a unique proposition that will delight the admirers of one of the 20th century’s greatest singers.

"Birgit Nilsson’s name and legacy will live on in the recorded history of Wagner’s music forever. Her performances on stage can only be rivalled by her magnificent recordings, to be cherished by fans and marveled at by those of us who endeavor to keep the music of Wagner alive and relevant in the 21st century. Her ability to galvanize the listener with her special sound was unique, and we are all extremely fortunate to have this sound preserved for our continued enjoyment and edification.” GRAMOPHONE


• Limited Edition 79-CD + 2-DVD covering all the major roles Nilsson performed – 27 full-length operas including 2 full Wagner ‘Ring’ cycles.
• Birgit Nilsson’s complete Decca, Philips and Deutsche Grammophon recordings marking her 100th birthday and produced with the full support of the Birgit Nilsson Foundation
• Handsome packaging includes CDs presented in wallets with a spine and with original sleeve art encased in an anti-scratch rigid box with magnetic-hinged lid.
• Beyond the operas recorded for Decca, Philips and DG include 4 operas recorded for EMI (now Warner Classics): Aida, La Fanciulla del West, Turandot and Der Freischütz; as well as her earlier 1959 Turandot under Leinsdorf for RCA.
• 200-page perfect bound book, in English and German, including:
• New essay – “Apotheosis Achieved” by Raymond McGill
• A note by Decca producer Christopher Raeburn
• Many unseen photographs from the Decca archive
• Recording Index
• Composer/Work Index
• 27 COMPLETE OPERAS, including:
• TWO COMPLETE RING CYCLES – Böhm/Solti NEWLY REMASTERED FOR THE CENTENARY
• TRISTAN UND ISOLDE with Solti – REMASTERED including the rehearsals PLUS the Bayreuth/Bohm recording from Deutsche Grammophon
• Strauss SALOME AND ELEKTRA – REMASTERED
• Verdi MACBETH and Beethoven FIDELIO
• Two TURANDOT recordings – with Leinsdorf and Molinari-Pradelli
• AIDA, LA FANCIULLA DEL WEST and FREISCHUTZ – with Heger
• Decca Operatic Recitals (Verdi, Beethoven, Weber and Wagner) and “Swedish Songs in Land of the Midnight Sun”
• DVDs of the MET production of ELEKTRA, and the GOLDEN RING documentary of the making of the Solti Ring