Birgit Nilsson in rehearsal at Bayreuth with W. Windgassen

[thechinadesk]

Nilsson was still fairly thin here, relative to her later years.

I'm a dyed in the wool opera buff, so I hate to say it, but most images of Nilsson are almost cartoon caricatures of "the fat lady who must sing before it's over."

But Google her and you will be presented with early photos of a real hottie with a slim face and a svelte figure.

Why do opera stars, male and female alike, whom I worship, allow themselves to become so morbidly obese?

[Operanut9]

@thechinadesk

I don't know about becoming obese, but Nilsson said in a New York Times interview in the sixties , that her neck was growing --even though-- because of Wagner. On a lighter note she also responded to Dick Cavet's leading question about her lungs with," Yes , the lungs, they areow," which response discombobulated Cavett.

[windstorm1000]

the Swedes seem to have more fun than Germans==speaking style atleast !!

[windstorm1000]

Would a German friend please translate that cafe conversation at the beginning--looks like fun! Bergit is something else. Love her.

[bimhimbim]

Seltsam wie intellektuell bedürftig die sich äußert zu ihrer Rolle, die muss sie doch eigentlich ganz tief durchdrungen haben.

[SatanAteMySocks]

@bimhimbim Na, man kann Rollen gewiss auch emotional 'durchdringen' - und die Nilsson gehörte sicher nicht zu den Sängern, die für ihre intellektuellen Rollengestaltungen bekannt war (wie etwa eine Schwarzkopf, ein Fischer-Dieskau, oder eine Varnay). Die Nilsson war eher der bodenständige, natürliche Typ - und dafür lieben wir sie doch.

[madisonelectronic]

Al Bundy sold her all her shoes. If you do not understand this you have been dead for years! hahahahaha

[tjallew]

@madisonelectronic

love the serie Married with children and okay according the Bundy family curse

ofcourse Mr Bundy would get the Laser off opera as clienth +have the next manchavunistik commenth

and wiching he rather was the head off Baptist John on a silverplate in fronth off her in Salome.

then transformed to 5 level dimens

See here bringing down clossing old Metz and you maybee understand what I talking about

My Swed-Anglo-Amerikan dyslektiv lingvestik is littel more complicated

[ssballs]

7:47 some of the best notes ever put down on paper.

[ricmuc]

birgit i love you! R.I.P. !!!!!

[RVP57]

I always wanted to have a beer with Birgit Nilsson!

[aircat29]

she looks like a really good person, friendly and lovely

[HerrWozzeck]

Unfortunately, Nilsson died a few years ago. Thank god she's got a lot of recordings to her credit, though, including the Solti Ring cycle. We can still enjoy her incredible voice. (I'm actually kind of surprised she never took on contemporary opera; she certainly had the skill to sing a great Marie from Wozzeck.)

[bogdankos]

Die Liebe geht über alles...

[jessfanaticfirst]

the first female voice i had heard live!!!!!!

[JeeRant]

You can glimpse a very young Lorin Maazel at 1:00.

[carmelgbm]

LOL

[vkaminsky]

You appear to have something of an unhealthy disdain for Nilsson. No one is forcing you to watch her, let alone post comments. Her alleged personal foibles do not detract from her artistry. To believe otherwise, you should hardly be recommending that anyone listen to anything of Wagner, whose personality was simply detestable.

[dawnrun911]

Get a grip.

[speranza3]

VivaRenata! This is scandalous! Stating that Birgit Nilsson is vastly overrated only means that you don't know anything about opera and music in general and Nillsson's astounding artistry. The rest is bull shit and just shows your envious disposition. She was such a nice and humorous personality! Shame on you!!!!

[wotan3000]

Not to jump on an already won argument, but...

It is practically impossible to OVERRATE Nilsson. She was an archetype incarnate. Her voice was enormous in the top, and her artistry is of the highest calibre.

At first one is transported by the pure vocalism, but after several listenings (to get over the primal impact), the nuance comes through and confirmation consummate singer is found. Her voice springs from a dedication to text, style and emotion. As close to perfect as is possible really.

[speranza3]

Wotan3000, thank you for your comment, couldn't have put it better myself!

[Operanut9]

Great comment!

[ssballs]

To see her @ 7:48 "in person".Thank you!My all time favorite piece of music to whistle.

Wonderful footage.

[svetul]

incredible document!

[janraffaello]

stunning! the ease with which she sings in rehearsal... it really seems written for her

[marknsa]

Thank you for posting this!

[fedtrooper]

Some of the most interesting videos and photos of Birgit are of her without the thick eye makeup she wore onstage. In clips like this one you can see the real Martha Swenson the farm girl.

[Greatfan]

Oh, I forgot , she LOVED Windgassen, she absolutely adored him as a colleague, which here is quite obvious. They were great friends.

[Manya1759]

I've heard that when Windgassen died in 1974 (he was only 60) Nilsson said she will never sing Isolde again in Bayreuth ("Tristan died, so let die Isolde!"). And so she did

[maryjivinjane]

Aaaaaw. <3

[Greatfan]

We want far more than 151 Birgit Nilsson videos, there is a lot to see .- Good Toscas, good Elektras in her prime. Why do they hide them from us ? If there were a documentary...ok, but I am still waiting for the great Swedish movie hommage to this absolute prima donna and diva.More, we need much more. Many theaters have filmed her, why are they so greedy and forbade to air these testimonies if they are nor doing anything to sell any of them.-

[ebony1911]

@Greatfan right on. AMEN!!!! , Cordially, Ebony Ivory

[kvasir1814]

What is up with Peter Lehmann's hair?!

[Sissawilda]

Its the new style thats all the rage...don't you look at Details magazine. Ashton Kutcher always looks like this.

[kvasir1814]

lol, funny :o) Maybe I should start doing it...

[SVENSKSOPRAN]

I believe she appreciated Windgassen more than Melchior.

[alfanovalis]

I love Birgit for so many years... She is a god of dark soprano, the best, simply teh best.... Thanks for the documentary!

[LoofLirpa4]

I just think it's cool that Birgit's a beer-drinker. hehe

[weepingforbrunnhilde]

Wow.

Is it my imagination or is Birgit making a mighty effort to restrain herself, so as not to overwhelm the piano?

The rehearsal has a nice sort of gentle, delicate quality to it for that.

I love the intimacy of scale.

[lovelymess]

She's "marking". Most pros, especially the ones with voices that size, save what they have until the performance.

I rememeber hearing from a number of snotty voice students in LA that Domingo's voice was

just "middle weight" because they did blocking rehearsals with him. Of course then you go and see him at the theater and the voice is gigantic. He's got nothing to prove, he's Domingo. Same with Birgit.

[leadoffeohippus]

Domingo is not gigantic. His voice was pretty nice when he was young in the 70s, but it was never really that big.

[godlovesyou333]

Not restraining (which is bad for the voice), marking, which is actually a very difficult skill to master

[dorotheafayne]

Fascinating video. Dorothea

[DivaDeb1234]

I love Nilsson. She is so cute! Besides that she sings so great.

DIVADEB

[gataca1976]

there's so comparison to the artistic qualities, nor to the perfection, to her intensity! she was one of the greatest, ever!

[gataca1976]

did you all listen? you would have to define -new!- the meaning of the word primadonna assoluta! there's no comparison to the

[olidewa]

Beautiful and rare - Do you have more of this documentary?

[tjfloyd]

remarkable!

[phortion]

Is there any way we could get subtitles for this? That would be fantastic!

[andreasscholl]

Nilsson and Flagstad are my most favorite singers from the last century....

[Operanut9]

@andreasscholl

I would say you have set some very high standards, indeed in your choices!!

[Sugerius]

Vielen vielen Dank, grossartig. Diese Zeiten sind nun leider endgültig vorbei.

[OsvaCola]

Leider wir haben nichts von Windigassen gohort.Aber Nilsson ist Phantastische

[Pagudo]

Aamzing. I love Nilsson for ever

[callasite]

What a treasure! Thank you for posting this. Two of the greats of the opera theater in the 20th century at work together.

[davy91101]

What a wonderful privilege to be able to watch an artist of this distinction rehearse a role she already knows. A true artist.

[tannenbergbund]

Vielen dank! Bravo!