Ritorna vincitor! - The Legendary Birgit Nilsson (2 CDs)

Ritorna vincitor! - The Legendary Birgit Nilsson (2 CDs)

Ritorna vincitor! - The Legendary Birgit Nilsson (2 CDs)
List Price: $21.98
Our Price: $19.99
You Save: $1.99 (9%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $9.69 (click here)
Category: Music CD
See more CD details
Listen soundtracks from this album


(Click here)
Buy this Music CD at online store in your country
Canadian Music Store

CD Details

Composer: Frederick Loewe
Composer: Giacomo Puccini
Composer: Ture Rangstrom
Composer: Jean Sibelius
Composer: Richard Strauss
Composer: Giuseppe Verdi
Composer: Richard Wagner
Conductor: Argeo Quadri
Conductor: Bertil Bokstedt
Performer: Birgit Nilsson
Edition: Music CD
CD Release Date: 2003-05-13
Music Label: Decca
Soundtracks:
Music CD 1
  1. Ritorna Vincitor! - John Pritchard
  2. O Don Fatale - Aregeo Quadri
  3. Pace, Pace, Mio Dio! - Argeo Quadri
  4. Nel Di Della Vittoria Io Le Incontrai... Ambizioso Spirto... Vieni T'affretta! - VIRGILIO CARBONARI
  5. Vissi D'arte - Lorin Maazel
  6. Einsam In Truben Tagen - Edward Downes
  7. Starke Scheite Schichtet Mir Dort - Sir Georg Solti
  8. Allein! Weh, Ganz Allein - Sir Georg Solti
  9. Ein Handwerk Verstehst Du Sicher Nicht - Walter Berry
  10. Ah! Du Wolltest Mich Nicht Deinen Mund Kussen Lassen, Jokanaan!... Sie Ist Ein Ungeheuer, Deine Tochter... Ah! Ich Habe Deinen Mund Gekusst - Gerhard Stolze
Music CD 2
  1. Dich, Teure Halle - Edward Downes
  2. Mild Und Leise Wie Er Lachelt - Hans Knappertsbusch
  3. I Der Engel - 'In Der Kindheit Fruhen Tagen' - Sir Colin Davis
  4. II Stehe Still! - 'Sausendes, Brausendes Rad Der Zeit' - Sir Colin Davis
  5. III Im Treibhaus - 'Hochgewolbte Blatterkronen' - Sir Colin Davis
  6. IV Schmerzen - 'Sonne, Weinsest Jeden Abend Dir Die Schonen Augen Rot' - Sir Colin Davis
  7. V Traume - 'Sag', Welch Wunderbare Traume' - Sir Colin Davis
  8. Var Det En Drom? (Was It A Dream?) - Bertil Bokstedt
  9. Flickan Kom Ifran Sin Alsklings Mote (The Tryst) - Bertil Bokstedt
  10. Svarta Rosor (Black Roses) - Bertil Bokstedt
  11. Sav, Sav, Susa (Sigh, Rushes, Sigh) - Bertil Bokstedt
  12. Diamanten Pa Marssnon (The Diamond On The March Snow) - Bertil Bokstedt
  13. Hostkvall (Autumn Evening) - Bertil Bokstedt
  14. Varen Flyktar Hastigt (Spring Flies Fast) - Bertil Bokstedt
  15. En Svane (A Swan) - Bertil Bokstedt
  16. Fra Monte Pincio - Bertil Bokstedt
  17. Varen (Spring) - Bertil Bokstedt
  18. Melodi (Melody) - Bertil Bokstedt
  19. Bon Till Natten (Prayer To Night) - Bertil Bokstedt
  20. Skoldmon (Valkyrie) - Bertil Bokstedt
  21. En Gammal Dansrytm (An Old Dance Rhythm) - Bertil Bokstedt
  22. I Could Have Danced All Night - Herbert Von Karajan

Music reviews of Ritorna vincitor! - The Legendary Birgit Nilsson (2 CDs)

Music Review: Hear Birgit Nilsson Singing Verdi, Wagner, Strauss And Swedish Songs
Rating: 5 Stars

ABOUT THE ALBUM: Ritorna Vinctor! The Legendary Birgit Nilsson, 2003 Decca Music Group Limited, 2-CD set, with notebook, article and photographs of Birgit Nilsson. Compilation album of various excerpts from full-length opera studio recordings available on Decca Records and Columbia Records.

This compilation album became popular upon news of the death of Birgit Nilsson on Christmas Day, December 25, 2005. Nilsson died peacefully inside her private farm in her hometown in Sweden. She had enjoyed a long, prosperous and outstanding career in opera the likes of which we'll never see again. I'm not in the minority when I say that she is really by definition the best soprano of the 20th century. Dramatic sopranos who take on Nilsson's repertoire see her as something of a legend and a goddess who can't be matched by anyone else. Even in past its prime, her voice was strong enough to sing the heavy repertoire of Richard Strauss. In her youth, she took on the most dramatic roles in opera- Brunnhilde, Isolde, Salome, Elektra, Tosca, Turandot, Aida, Lady Macbeth and others, with a unique, steel-covered, high, laser-like, icy and penetrating soprano voice which is also a voice that you can easily identify as hers because no other soprano's voice resembled hers back then or even today. Though she was said to clash with conductors and opera directors, she had a terrific sense of humor and enjoyed pulling pranks during productions of her operas and was also approachable, friendly, warm and down-to-earth. Despite her huge voice, she was never a diva in the classic sense of the word (Maria Callas was a diva in the worst sense) and many remember her as a cheerful and kind lady. This album features 2 cd's that are compiled from studio recordings which feature Birgit Nilsson's artistry. This was her repertoire (though her Donna Ana from Mozart's Don Giovanni is absent) - Verdi, Puccini, Wagner and Strauss, the latter which was her signature and best repertoire. Not featured here is her Leonore from Beethoven's Fidelio. If you have never experienced Nilsson's voice, this is a fabulous introduction and after hearing this album, particularly CD 1, you might just get the temptation to go out and purchase her full length stduio opera recordings.

Verdi, Puccini, Wagner, Strauss, Swedish Leider......

Although it was not her strongest repertoire, and it was a repertoire that did not fit her voice, Nilsson sang Verdi operas. After her debut as Isolde at the Met on December 18, 1959, she graced the Met stage with performances of Aida and Lady Macbeth, although those roles were all wrong for her. The opening track is Aida's first big aria "Ritorna Vincitor!". Aida is an Italian-sung, dramatic, lyric-spinto role and sopranos like Renata Tebaldi, Montserrat Caballe, Leontyne Price and Martina Arroyo sang the role with greater lyrical color, texture and dramatic insight. Leontyne Price, especially, owned the role of Aida. Because Nilsson does not have the necessary Italian touch, nor even attempts to sing it as if it were more Italianate, her Aida comes off as more of a strong heroine of Wagner opera. A darker voice is needed and there are moments that call for softer pianissimis and legato. Nilsson does not have these qualities. Nevertheless, her Ritorna Vincitor is strong and exciting to hear, even when it's not beautiful to hear. The same goes for the rest of the arias. She sings "O Don Fatale" on the 2nd track, an aria which was written for a high, mezzo soprano voice. Nilsson sings it in the soprano key and again, her voice blazes and soars to extreme dramatic heights not suitable for Verdi. It is always good to hear Nilsson singing those high notes, though. The worst aria here is "Pace, Pace Mio Dio" Leonora's aria from "La Forza Del Destino". Nilsson never sang this role on stage and rightly so. Her voice has none of the necessary lyric control nor any of the spiritual touches that make up the character of Leonora. When you compare Nilsson's version of the aria to Leontyne Price (this was one of her best interpretations), you can clearly see the difference. Lots of critics found her Lady Macbeth to be remarkable. I don't. This role is again tinged with too much of an Italian spirit. Lady Macbeth calls for a real gritty, dramatic and dark-hued yet flexible soprano voice best left to Callas, Elena Soliotis or Shirley Verrett, who mastered the music's highs and lows. So here's the bottom line. All of the Verdi on here is purely experimental by Nilsson's part and it's not even remotely striking or beautiful. I don't know why they bothered to have compiled so many of her Verdi arias when they could have added more of her Wagner and Strauss. As for Italian opera, Nilsson was the best all around Turandot. She blew away audiences in the mid 60's when she performed Turandot various times at the Met, especially when paired with tenor Franco Corelli. It's a crying shame they don't have her singing "In Questa Reggia" from Turandot or the Riddle Scene as drawn from the mid-60's studio recording with Franco Corelli with Pradelli conducting. Nilsson got into character as Turandot, aided by the Cecil Beaton "Chinese Empress" costume, and her high, goddess-like, "cold" but powerful voice made Turandot exciting to hear and really convinces you that this is a woman not to be messed with. Nilsson sang Tosca and "Vissi D'Arte" is on here. Her Tosca lacks the Italian soul, but she has the right integrity for the part and sings with genuinely dramatic and exciting skills she pulls out from deep within her. Her Tosca is really wonderful to hear and you can hear here entire Tosca on the recording with Franco Corelli, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau with Lorin Maazel conducting.

Now to her best repertoire, Wagner and Strauss. The heavy, Germanic, dramatic, orchestrally grand music of Richard Wagner seems almost exclusively written for Birgit Nilsson. Say by some special power, Wagner was resurrected and alive in the 1960's when Nilsson was taking on the roles of Brunnhilde, Isolde and Elsa at Bayreturh and elsewhere, he would have been blown away by the sheer size, volume and strength of Nilsson's voice. We have here Nilsson singing Elsa's aria from Tannhauser from her Covent Garden perfromance and it captures Nilsson in fine, lyric and youthful voice. Her command of the German language of Wagner opera is further seen in the Brunnhilde of Gotterdammerung, in the aria "Starke Scheite". Whoever made this album failed to fully allow us to hear more of Nilsson's terrific Brunnhilde (they opted instead to allow us to hear her sing Verdi).

They could have thrown in Nilsson's signature "Hojotoho!" and scenes from Die Walkure. Brunnhilde's Immolation Aria from Gotterdammerung is a long, nearly 20 minute grand aria which is considered the most daring feat for any soprano; a role that conveys majesty, tremendous drama and fierceness as the Brunnhilde of epic Nordic mythology lits up Siegfried's funeral pyre, throws herself into it on her horse and consequently brings about the end of the world. Nilsson was able to sing Brunnhilde in her sleep. It's too bad we hear only the brief, first part of the aria. But fortunately, we are treated to the entire final scene of Richard Strauss' monumental Salome. Salome, the pagan princess who is rejected by John the Baptist, dances the Dance of the Seven Veils and is rewarded with the head of John the Baptist which she kisses. The excerpt here is from the finale as recorded in studio by Decca from the original LP (which has been remastered for CD) with Georg Solti conducting the Vienna Philharmonic with the additional voices of Gerhard Stolze and Grace Hoffmann as Herod and Herodias. Solti and the Vienna forces bring out every rich, dramatically potent moment with its sensationalism, strangeness, decadence and eeriness. As far as the technical vocal demands of the role, no other soprano could rival her. She sang the part many times (her Buenos Aires/Teatro Colon performance was largely considered her best and her Met Salomes were also impressive). Her big voice could sail through the heavily layered music without any sign of struggle or strain. Her Elektra was also legendary and few singers who sang the role after her retirement from opera could compare. Here, we get to hear some of the more visceral arias from the opera recorded on the Decca label.

CD 2 opens with more Wagner - Elsa's Hall Greeting aria Dich Teure Halle, which is wonderfully exciting to hear. The second track is the Liebestod and finale from Tristan and Isolde as lifted from the recording at the Bayreuth Festival with Karl Bohm conducting. The tempi is swift and dramatic and Nilsson sings with fervor and passion, never once lowering the volume of her voice. The rest of CD 2 contains rarities. Nilsson, never forgetting her Swedish roots, sang songs which were essentially her country's version of Lieder. Singing in her native tongue, she is right at home, singing with even more grace and beauty than usual, though still sung with that dramatic high she's always on.

It was rumored that Birgit Nilsson's voice was so huge that during recording sessions she was forced to stand back from the microphone because the sounds she produced were too powerful for the engineers to handle. Not knowing what to do with the voice, they often edited the voice a bit so it would fit but Nilsson was disappointed that her voice was not properly recorded. It was indeed a big voice that was said to cut through glass and even some precious metals! She was an outstanding personality and a real force in the opera world. Few sopranos could take her place today. This album is a wonderful tribute to her artistry.

More Ritorna vincitor! - The Legendary Birgit Nilsson (2 CDs) free music reviews:
1

Classical CDs
Music Genres
Bestsellers in Classical CDs
Winterscapes ImageWinterscapes
by London Philharmonic
Prophetic Voice; Published: 2000-07; Audio CD; Book
Best price: $2.75
Price in other shops: $6.99
The Queen, the Bear, & the Bumblebee ImageThe Queen, the Bear, & the Bumblebee
by Dini Petty
Children's Group; Published: 2001-03; Audio CD; Book
Best price: $13.38
Price in other shops: $13.98
Beethoven Lives Upstairs Cdr ImageClassical Kids - Beethoven Lives Upstairs Cdr
Release date: 2000-04-05; Music CD
Best price: $24.98
Tchaikovsky (Life and Works (Naxos)) ImageTchaikovsky (Life and Works (Naxos))
by Malcolm Sinclair, Jeremy Siepmann
Naxos; Published: 2003-11; Audio CD; Book
Best price: $35.99
Jose Carreras - Jubileum Concert [VHS] ImageJose Carreras - Jose Carreras - Jubileum Concert [VHS]
Sling Shot; Release date: 2000-04-18; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $5.86
Price in other shops: $9.99
Tchaikovsky - The Nutcracker / Nureyev, Park, Royal Ballet [VHS] ImageTchaikovsky - The Nutcracker / Nureyev, Park, Royal Ballet [VHS]
Kultur Video; Release date: 1997-09-09; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $29.89
Price in other shops: $29.95
Lonely Town Lonley Street / Sergeant's Early Dream [VHS] ImageRambert Dance Company - Lonely Town Lonley Street / Sergeant's Early Dream [VHS]
Kultur Video; Release date: 1997-10-28; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $14.99
Price in other shops: $29.95
Winter Music: Composing the North ImageWinter Music: Composing the North
by John Luther Adams
Wesleyan; Published: 2004-11-10; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $21.89
Price in other shops: $25.95
Puccini - La Fanciulla del West / Santi, Domingo, Neblett, Royal Opera Covent Garden [VHS] ImagePuccini - La Fanciulla del West / Santi, Domingo, Neblett, Royal Opera Covent Garden [VHS]
Kultur Video; Release date: 1999-05-25; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $6.38
Price in other shops: $29.95
Verdi - Falstaff / Giulini, Bruson, Ricciarelli, Nucci, Royal Opera Covent Garden [VHS] ImageVerdi - Falstaff / Giulini, Bruson, Ricciarelli, Nucci, Royal Opera Covent Garden [VHS]
Kultur Video; Release date: 1999-05-25; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $12.95
Price in other shops: $29.95
Similar CDs
Wagner: Die Walkure ImageWagner: Die Walkure
Release date: 2011-05-03; Music CD
Best price: $13.86
Price in other shops: $19.97
La Nilsson - Wagner, Weber, Beethoven, Sacred Songs ImageBirgit Nilsson - La Nilsson - Wagner, Weber, Beethoven, Sacred Songs
Release date: 2008-08-25; Music CD
Best price: $6.36
Price in other shops: $12.98
Books | DVD Video | VHS Video | Health and Personal Care | Digital Cameras and Photo | Kitchen and Housewares | Tools and Hardware | Sports Equipment | Dresses shirts shoes apparel pants
Copyright © 2004-2007 music-hills.com
Google
 
Web music-hills.com
Compare prices and find music notes for more than one million Music CD titles