# FABULOUS New Nilsson Documntary in English by Birgit Nilsson Museum



## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

https://www.svtplay.se/video/163944...band-av-stal-avsnitt-1?start=auto&tab=senaste

This is astonishingly wonderful. Lots of spectacular archival footage. Timely as I was just planning to do a Toastmaster speech on La Nilsson!!!!


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## davidglasgow (Aug 19, 2017)

Thank you very much for sharing the link


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

Seattleoperafan said:


> https://www.svtplay.se/video/163944...band-av-stal-avsnitt-1?start=auto&tab=senaste
> 
> This is astonishingly wonderful. Lots of spectacular archival footage. Timely as I was just planning to do a Toastmaster speech on La Nilsson!!!!


Did you see this S.O.F?

https://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/c...-nilsson-complete-decca-philips-dg-recordings


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## nina foresti (Mar 11, 2014)

My gracious thanks to you for this wonderful documentary.
She was a unique and wonderful singer and person.


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## Barelytenor (Nov 19, 2011)

Fantastisch!! Vielen Dank!

:tiphat:

George


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## damianjb1 (Jan 1, 2016)

Thank you so much for posting this.


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## Barelytenor (Nov 19, 2011)

I just finished the documentary this morning. I feel so privileged that I got to hear her in concert in New Haven in 1968 or 1969, it was truly the highlight of my musical life. Her high C at the end of "Ozean, du Ungeheuer" literally deafened me and my friend Joe in our right ears (we were in the side balcony many yards from the stage) for about 20 minutes. This must have been an encore because I remember walking and laughing with him, a fellow Wagner nut, in the great plaza outside of Woolsey Hall afterward, and we were still having to turn our heads to hear each other. Her voice was a phenomenon, but her artistry was also impeccable. 

Best line of hers in the documentary: "Isolde made me famous, but Turandot made me rich."

Kind regards, :tiphat:

George


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## Glass (Feb 6, 2018)

Thank you for posting this. I sang with her in a children’s chorus as a child (Zürich Opera House) it was tremendous to be so close to that magnificent voice (Turandot, ca. 1968)...my parents were great fans (my father worked with her) and my mother (who sang at Salzburg) used her as a role model. I joined this forum in part for my mother, as she is 85 and not technologically inclined, and I am looking for live discussion groups/small informal gatherings of opera lovers (especially Wagner/Nielson but also the entire “Fach” and beyond) in the Maine, New Hampshire and if that cannot be found, then the Boston area (she lives in Camden, Maine)


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

Glass said:


> Thank you for posting this. I sang with her in a children's chorus as a child (Zürich Opera House) it was tremendous to be so close to that magnificent voice (Turandot, ca. 1968)...my parents were great fans (my father worked with her) and my mother (who sang at Salzburg) used her as a role model. I joined this forum in part for my mother, as she is 85 and not technologically inclined, and I am looking for live discussion groups/small informal gatherings of opera lovers (especially Wagner/Nielson but also the entire "Fach" and beyond) in the Maine or NH area (she lives in Camden, Maine)


Someone is a _very lucky person,_ welcome to Talk Classical by the way, glad you found us.


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## DavidA (Dec 14, 2012)

I really enjoyed this. Thanks for posting it. I was particularly fascinated by the science behind her voice, the extra overtones which made it so thrilling. As far as a voice goes it was certainly one of the most phenomenal voices of the twentieth century. She obviously knew how to look after herself as well. Her sparring with Karajan is legendary. The famous tale of how her pearls broke on stage during rehearsal and as Karajan helped her pick them up he said, "Are these the pearls you got from your La Scala fees?" to which she replied, "No they are the cheap imitation ones I bought with your fees from Vienna."
Although the two made music together they didn't get on. Christ Ludwig said that the Nilsson sound was "not really Karajan's tipple. And as she had quite a mouth on her it was never going to be a marriage made in heaven!" To me Decca missed an opportunity to record Tristan with her and HvK when they made the unsatisfactory recording with Solti. 
I would imagine Nilsson was best heard live where the thrill of the voice cutting through the orchestra would have been phenomenal. My favourite of Birgit is the Lady Macbeth she made with Schippers. Awesome! Also there is her party piece in the Decca Die Fledermous where she sings 'I could have danced all night!" And who would have dared refused her!


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

It is so funny because I thought this was pretty special but for days there wasn't much response. Now, out of the woodwork we are getting these marvelous stories!!!!!!!!!!! Thank you everyone. I can use the pearl story in my speech.


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

Seattleoperafan said:


> It is so funny because I thought this was pretty special but for days there wasn't much response. Now, out of the woodwork we are getting these marvelous stories!!!!!!!!!!! Thank you everyone. I can use the pearl story in my speech.


Are you having a big turnout with your speeches if I may be so bold asking? I know we would come, alas no Seattle.


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## DavidA (Dec 14, 2012)

Seattleoperafan said:


> It is so funny because I thought this was pretty special but for days there wasn't much response. Now, out of the woodwork we are getting these marvelous stories!!!!!!!!!!! Thank you everyone. I can use the pearl story in my speech.


These are in Osborn's book on Karajan. There is also another where she objected to his dim lighting so she came to the rehearsals wearing a miner's helmet.


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## Barelytenor (Nov 19, 2011)

Seattleoperafan said:


> It is so funny because I thought this was pretty special but for days there wasn't much response. Now, out of the woodwork we are getting these marvelous stories!!!!!!!!!!! Thank you everyone. I can use the pearl story in my speech.


@Seattleoperafan you really owe it to yourself to buy her autobiography, La Nilsson. Her obvious distaste for HvK and a couple of others, like Pavarotti who she thought was conceited, comes through loud and clear. But what is more obvious is her great respect for so many other singers who just Get On With It and make Great Art. That includes Corelli with whom she had an initially rocky relationship but eventually they settled down and became great admirers of each other (and why not?).

Here it is at Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Nilsson-My-Life-Opera/dp/1555536700/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1518091825&sr=8-1&keywords=La+Nilsson

Kind regards, :tiphat:

George


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

Barelytenor said:


> @Seattleoperafan you really owe it to yourself to buy her autobiography, La Nilsson. Her obvious distaste for HvK and a couple of others, like Pavarotti who she thought was conceited, comes through loud and clear. But what is more obvious is her great respect for so many other singers who just Get On With It and make Great Art. That includes Corelli with whom she had an initially rocky relationship but eventually they settled down and became great admirers of each other (and why not?).
> 
> Here it is at Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Nilsson-My-Life-Opera/dp/1555536700/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1518091825&sr=8-1&keywords=La+Nilsson
> 
> ...


I am halfway though it for the second time. I got it from the library this week. The Seattle Library has everything! I read it a few years ago when it first came out. Thanks. You are correct. It is a page turner.


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

Pugg said:


> Are you having a big turnout with your speeches if I may be so bold asking? I know we would come, alas no Seattle.


Only around 20 people are usually at my meeting, but I have a very large Youtube presence. I have about 25,000 views of my 47 speeches and my earlier speech on Turandot with Nilsson and Corelli has around 250 views. A lot of my speeches are on opera, but only The Men Who Sing Up High: Castrati and Countertenors has close to a 1000 views. My opera speeches are given to an audience in my club that is largely ignorant about anything operatic. My most viewed speech is on the controversial organist, Cameron Carpenter, which has 5400 views and my speech Why I Prefer Early Barbra Streisand has around 3500 views. Both of those two have many, many comments, which make it fun. I did a very well received 4 part series on Nureyev that has gotten over 1000 views. My best speech I think was Elektra: A Freudian Operatic Extravaganza! Creating and giving these speeches is a great passion. I am the only Toastmaster that I know of who puts a lot of material on Youtube.https://www.youtube.com/user/nwdixieboy/videos


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## Tennessee Dave (Mar 30, 2018)

Thanks for this link. What a glorious talent!


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

Tennessee Dave said:


> Thanks for this link. What a glorious talent!


Are you a Nilsson fan too? welcome to Talk Classical .


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