Jussi Bjorling - Bizet - Flower Song

Bjorling sings an aria from Bizet's opera, Carmen. This is from a 1938 Swedish radio broadcast.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Jussi
• Bjorling
• Bizet
• Carmen
• Flower
• Song

[violinthief]

This is a public domain recording. Copyright claims by "finetunes" and "Rebeat Digital GmbH" are fraudulent. Please to not click on any links. Criminal conduct must not be rewarded.

[singingbuffalo]

Enough with the "Bad French" comments about Bjorling already. Seriously, its like criticizing a Ferrari for being jarring over uneven roads. While true, who cares, its a FERRARI. Bjorling was a genuis and an incredible talant. No singer is perfect. He was a gift to the opera world and we are all lucky he shared his talent with the world.

[hollyrr]

Thank you for uploading this - the way his voice fades from the top note, controlled perfectly so that it's just the volume and not the passion that decreases, is glorious.

[SHICOFF1]

Yes his French was better then some like Corelli's who even recorded the role but JB didn't like singing opera's in french with a lot of speaking. So he decided not to record it and it would have been with Steven's. She recorded it with Jan P. who did a fine job and Merrill. The JB Holland concert in 1939 was so fine and had the Faust aria sung in Swedish, that was his very best IMO and his 1939 Trov. from London Covent Garden is wonderful with Cigna, worth hearing. Today? Few good tenors!

[meredenis66]

@singingbuffalo Tout à fait d'accord. Meme si Jussi avait chanté le bottin téléphonique en chinois, il aurait quand meme été génial. Que de magnifiques voix nous avons perdu, et que nous redécouvrons avec joie et tristesse en meme temps...

[eflaspo]

OMG

[The99Gambo]

Wonderful stuff!

[MrJohnnyNoname]

@singingbuffalo WUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!­!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

AGREED!! I PREFER A FENOMENAL SINGER WITH BAD DICTION THAN A BAD ONE WITH PERFECT!!

[SHICOFF1]

@dziady1 Oh yes! I have an original Kiepura rare studio recital of opera arias on a Polish label LP and the Flower song is on it, and yes it is a wonderful passionate recording of the aria. Enjoy!

[billyguns2]

This is just gorgeous and the French isn't that terrible. There is another famous tenor who holds the record for number of different roles performed who regularly mispronounces in a variety of languages; I don't hear anyone criticizing this singer for that or for his flawed vocalism either. Yet Bjoerling, Corelli, Pavarotti and several other far superior singers are singled out for their language faux pas; ridiculous!

[ninawally1]

OMG!!!! You only need to stop, listen... and you will feel in Heaven!!! It's pure magic.

[dziady1]

try Kiepura also - 2 versions quite wonderful

[vivaelglobo]

@goodboybuddy1

Alagna did it last year at the Met,and it was beautiful. All the great ones can do it but there are fashions in music.

Of course Bjorling is one of the great ones.

[Corrie121]

This is just so beautiful.

Thank you for sharing this gem.

[JeMartele]

je ne pas parle le français ... so I wouldn't recognise any deficiency, I only notice what Bizet intended and so thoroughly effected by the singer

[jerrya1979]

love Jussi!!! LOVE LOVE LOVE. I prefer the version he recorded with piano later in his career. Check out my recording of this song.

[muatlas]

I am in tears.

[oznoddy]

God I love listening to this man. I don't care about his french pronunciation - he excites me. I adore the fact that he never goes over the top but retains sensitivity - to me this heightens the passion rather than subduing it.

[mozzrt]

It's sad that J.B didn't dare to sing pianissimo more often, when he could do it all the time. He simply didn't dare, forte was everywhere the preferred thing. Not in Vienna or London though. When he tried, he was accused of being thin, his wife complained that the orchestras - especially in US - blared so loud that they made piano impossible. If you want to hear something hilarious, go to Del Monacos "Fleur". Lol.

[halavey]

Actually the Vickers famous recording does sing it pianissimo on the B flat and this was the only time Jussi did it this way, later on recording and live on Firestone it is the usual way so this one is unique. Much has been said about Vickers big voice doing it this way. Too bad Jussi did not record it but he was going to and changed his mind and they got Peerce, same thing with Ballo Toscanini in 1954. also Faust so gedda was used to sing for the recording.

[goodboybuddy1]

No one else even attempts the final Bflat pianissimo and no one pronounces French well enough for some people. I thought it was swell!

[Siriussupporter]

Headtone for all people not tonedeath. Check namner du sverige.

[ptuofptcnn]

so inspirational

[buttsyrc8]

Agreed  - is glorious

[Samurai9]

Yes, the French is bad but Bjorling was perhaps the only major tenor to make so many mistakes in singing Italian. The Swede's French is not as bad as Corelli's, which was disgraceful. Vocally, however, both singers produced beautiful sounds despite the incorrect vowels.

[kittycrunch456]

What a shame when he is so sensitive to texts & is capable of the most complex level of nuance...