The articles on these web pages include a selection of tributes which appeared in the international press on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Birgit Nilsson’s birth. These articles, together with many more, were collated by the Birgit Nilsson Foundation to create a centennial archive. The resulting (non commercial / not for sale) book entitled Birgit Nilsson 100 : 2018 – The Centennial Year in Review was subsequently sent to libraries, opera houses, music schools, conservatoires and universities around the world for educational purposes and as reference for future generations.
In addition to the Centennial Year in Review, the Birgit Nilsson Foundation funded and curated a series of commercial releases celebrating the centenary in 2018. These comprised:
712 page commemorative book encased in an elegant linen presentation box
Published in English by Verlag für moderne Kunst
With extensive photographs tracing the legacy of Nilsson’s seminal roles, this limited edition book contains tributes from many of the opera world’s leading luminaries, plus an overview of Nilsson’s career through articles and reviews. “There’s even a facsimile of the 500 Swedish kronor banknote issued in her honour in 2016. You’d need roughly twice that to purchase this tribute … but it’s bound to offer hours of pleasure to committed Nilssonites in the opera world.” (bachtrack.com)
Autobiography, second edition
Published in English by Verlag für moderne Kunst
From her humble roots in rural Sweden to her artistic triumphs in Stockholm, Vienna, Bayreuth, Milan, London, Paris, New York, Buenos Aires and other major opera houses, this reprint of Birgit Nilsson’s autobiography reveals the personality behind one of the great voices of the past century. At the time of writing her autobiography she wrote “I hope to tell my readers something about my long life, forty years of which were devoted to a career in singing!”
90-minute documentary (English and German versions)
Produced by: UNITEL / Distributor: C Major Entertainment
An intimate portrait including rare TV and archive footage shows Birgit Nilsson at work, complemented by interviews with Plácido Domingo, Otto Schenk, James Levine, Nina Stemme, Jonas Kaufmann, Marilyn Horne, Christa Ludwig and many others. The film reveals a sensitive woman behind the honest, down to earth, quick-witted artist, who had “a voice like fire and ice” (Antonio Pappano). The documentary was shot at the farm in Bastad – Sweden, where Nilsson grew up and spent the summers until the end of her life, at the Royal Opera in Stockholm, where she made her operatic debut in 1946, as well as Bayreuth, the Wiener Staatsoper and Metropolitan Opera in New York, where Nilsson was the star and box office draw.
31CD set of exclusively live recordings, released commercially for the first time
Published by Sony Classical
Fully re-mastered from the original tapes, this attractive set of 31 CDs and accompanying booklet trace Nilsson’s phenomenal career and present her landmark performances. Highlights include complete performances of Tristan und Isolde from Bayreuth (1957 – Sawallisch), Vienna (1967 – Böhm) and Orange (1973 – Böhm), Die Walküre from New York (1969 – Karajan), Elektra from Montreal (1967 – Böhm) and New York (1971 – Böhm), Salome from New York (1965 – Böhm), Turandot from New York (1961 – Stokowski), Fidelio from Rome (1970 – Bernstein) and Die Frau ohne Schatten from Munich (1976 – Sawallisch).
Thanks go to Silvia Jaklitsch and Simon Walterer (Verlag für moderne Kunst – Vienna) for their kind support with the publication files.
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