Bartok / Nilsson Great Live Recordings CD

Birgit Nilsson was a vocal phenomenon in "a league of her own" (New York Times). Not even the loudest orchestra could drown her powerful voice. Unfortunately, there were seldom recording engineers around who had the expertise to do her voice justice, so it was mostly reduced to a "normal" size in the studio. As the celebrated German music critic J?rgen Kesting put it: "Birgit Nilsson in the recording studio is like driving a Porsche in the back yard". Fortunately, there are many live recordings which show the "real thing" - a phenomenal, larger-than-life voice. "There's nobody like her, no other singer I heard in my life", said Plcido Domingo who partnered her in several performances of Turandot. This centenary edition showcases Nilsson in roles where she set a new vocal standard - Turandot, Isolde, Br?nnhilde, Salome and Elektra - in exciting performances, conducted by Herbert von Karajan, Karl B?hm, Leonard Bernstein, Leopold Stokowski, Wolfgang Sawallisch and Eugen Jochum, and alongside other great singers like Anna Moffo, R?gine Crespin, Leonie Rysanek, Astrid Varnay, Regina Resnik, Franco Corelli, Wolfgang Windgassen, Ram?n Vinay, Jon Vickers, Jess Thomas, Theo Adam and Martti Talvela. Taken in chronological order, these live recordings show the development of the voice of the century: from concert recordings in Stockholm to great performances at the Met, the Bayreuth Festival and the Vienna State Opera, including the Met's broadcast of Die Walk?re conducted by Karajan, two versions of Tristan und Isolde, two performances of Elektra and the exciting Turandot with Franco Corelli and Anna Moffo, conducted by Leopold Stokowski. Despite her legendary "battles" with star tenor Franco Corelli, Birgit Nilsson was one of a very few singers to be respected by all her colleagues, by conductors and directors and managers. After listening to her live recordings, you'll know exactly why.

1. Disc 1: Bartok: Herzog Blaubarts Burg 2. Recorded Live at the Concert Hall, Stockholm, February 10, 1953 3. Nilsson, S÷nnerstedt 4. Conductor: Ferenc Fricsay 5. Disc 2-4: Wagner: Lohengrin 6. Recorded Live at the Bayreuth Festival, August 14, 1954 7. Windgassen, Nilsson, Varnay, Uhde, Adam, Fischer-Dieskau 8. Conductor: Eugen Jochum 9. Disc 5-7: Wagner: Tristan Und Isolde 10. Recorded Live at the Bayreuth Festival, August 19, 1957 11. Windgassen, Nilsson, Hoffman, Hotter, Van Mill 12. Conductor: Wolfgang Sawallisch 13. Disc 8: Wagner: Die Walk?re 14. Act 1, Scene 3: "SCHL?FST Du, Gast" 15. Recorded Live at the Bayreuth Festival, July, 1957 16. Nilsson, Vinay 17. Conductor: Hans Knappertsbusch 18. Wagner: Siegfried 19. Act 3, Scene 3: "Heil Dir Sonne" 20. Nilsson, Windgassen 21. Recorded Live at the Bayreuth Festival, August, 1967 22. Conductor: Otmar Suitner 23. Disc 9-10: Puccini: Turandot 24. Recorded Live at the Metropolitan Opera House, March 4, 1961 Matin?e Broadcast 25. Nilsson, Moffo 26. Conductor: Leopold Stokowski 27. Disc 11-12: Strauss: Salome 28. Recorded Live at the Metropolitan Opera House, March 13, 1965 Matin?e Broadcast 29. Nilsson, Liebl, Dalis, Cassel 30. Conductor: Karl B?HM 31. Disc 13-14: Strauss: Elektra 32. Recorded Live at the Op?ra de Montr?al, September 19, 1967 33. Nilsson, Rysanek, Resnik, Nienstedt, Uhl 34. Conductor: Karl B?HM 35. Disc 15-17: Wagner: Tristan Und Isolde 36. Recorded Live at the Wiener Staatsoper, December 17, 1967 37. Thomas, Nilsson, Hesse, Wiener, Talvela 38. Conductor: Karl B?HM 39. Disc 18-20: Wagner: Die Walk?re 40. Recorded Live at the Metropolitan Opera House, March 1, 1969 Matin?e Broadcast 41. Nilsson, Crespin, Vickers, Adam, Veasey, Talvela 42. Conductor: Herbert Von Karajan 43. Disc 21-22: Beethoven: Fidelio 44. Recorded Live at the Rai Di Roma, March 17, 1970 45. Nilsson, Spiess, Adam, Crass, Donath, Unger 46. Conductor: Leonard Bernstein 47. Disc 23-24: Strauss: Elektra 48. Recorded Live at the Metropolitan Opera House, February 27, 1971 Matin?e Broadcast 49. Nilsson, Rysanek, Madeira, Stewart, Nagy 50. Conductor: Karl B?HM 51. Disc 25-27: Wagner: Tristan Und Isolde 52. Recorded Live at the Festival D'orange, July 7, 1973 53. Thomas, Nilsson, Hesse, Wiener, Talvela 54. Conductor: Karl B?HM 55. Disc 28-30: Strauss: Die Frau Ohne Schatten 56. Recorded Live at the Bayerische Staatsoper, September 29, 1976 57. Nilsson, Bjoner, Varnay, Fischer-Dieskau, King 58. Conductor: Wolfgang Sawallisch 59. Disc 31: Concerts (Excerpts) 60. Recorded Live at the Concert Hall, Stockholm 1953 (First Release on CD)/1967/68 61. Recorded Live at the Sydney Opera House (Opening Concert), September 29, 1973