100 Greatest Singers: KIRSTEN FLAGSTAD

THIS PROJECT IS RESERVED ONLY FOR THE GREATEST! What do you mean about Kirsten Flagstad in this collection? Please comment!

Kirsten Flagstad, Soprano (1895-1962)

Richard Wagner Tristan und Isolde
Mild und leise (Isoldes Liebestod)
(Recorded 1939)

My personal opinion: There´s a nice anecdote: In 1935 Kirsten Flagstad began with the first rehearsals for Wagners Valkyre at the Metropolitan Opera where she was invited as one of these new talents. Her contract was on probation. When she opened her mouth and began to sing, the conductors baton fell out of his hands and Siegmund missed his inset. Such a voice with this volume and capacity never was heard in New York before, and soon after that, the american Wagnerians classified an age before and after Kirsten.
There is no doubt, Flagstad possessed one of the biggest voices of the last century, and it´s said, her recordings were not able to reproduce how big these voice indeed was. But I´m sure, her Liebestod (here a recording from 1939 with Edwin McArthur) leaves great impressions.
What do you mean?

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Kirsten
• Flagstad
• Richard
• Wagner
• Tristan
• Isolde
• Walküre
• Sieglinde
• Lauritz
• Melchior
• Max
• Lorenz
• Bayreuth

[VinylToVideo]

Nice. Saw Kirsten and was expecting Dorothy Kirsten for some reason (hint, hint). Need sleep I guess. ;)

[100Singers]

Don´t oversleep forthcoming singers in my collection... :-)

Mike

[mozzrt]

Don't use Flagstad as a weapon against Nilsson.( When Flagstad heard Nilsson for the first time in radio, she sent her a long enthusiastic letter.) Nilsson can sound sharp, and had not the golden middle register of Flagstad, but we don't want to be without Nilssons fantastic Brunnhildes! That said, Flagstad is the greatest singer, ever. Ever...

[JSJ1121]

I love her. She really IS the Wagnarian Soprano. The roundness with colorful overtone in her voice is very beautiful.

Thank you for sharing.

[redo58]

I agree... she is the best wagnerian soprano...

[robertwbecker]

Needed to get my ears and head cleared out, Kirsten can do that, bring me back to vocal reality!!!!

[ronfast]

Amazing.....!

[The99Gambo]

What a woman! What a voice!

[baltoman24]

Flagstad is assuredly among the 100 greatest- indeed among the 10 greatest. There are some artists who's very name defines greatness- Flagstad is one of them. thank you for this posting. Unforgetable.

[ArchiducDeBelgrade]

Thank You for sharing this lovely videos.. Amazing channel.:)))

[richard63545]

cont'd from below...just outside of Glacier NP, apparently a few weeks in the wilderness with those she loved was just what the doctor ordered. One memorable evening at dusk, the three were sitting down by the lakeshore surrounded by the majestic Rockies when all of a sudden Flagstad stood up and began singing very beautifully. According to Dusenberry, it was simply magical to hear that great voice echoing among canyons and snow covered wilderness peaks that surrounded them.

[richard63545]

During an interview in 1980, Flagstad's son-in-law, Arthur Dusenberry, told a marvelous story about when Flagstad visited her daughter Else, Dusenberry, and her new grandson Sigurd, in Bozeman MT in 1947. It was her 1st visit to the USA postwar and she was near a nervous breakdown from all the hateful lies being reported as fact in the American press. Else and Dusenberry thought it best that they take her for some R&R to their wilderness cabin up near Whitefish Lake...cont'd next post

[timsuffolk]

I have just heard an interview on here with Joan Sutherland and Richard Bonynge and he calls Flagstad the phenomenal voice of all time, and Joan, God bless her, agrees