tenorismo (November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am)

They don't want to create big voices . Small Mozart singers. Yet Neilson sang Mozart.

Saintpistolwhip (November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am)

she is amazing...!

yodavidnavarro (November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am)

4:28 - 4:34 Listen to that 'cause this is something you're not going to her that clearly with current sopranos due to the horrendous vocal training that is taught nowadays!

birgitnilsson (November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am)

Nilsson never had to borrow high C´s from anyone. Flagstad borrowed them from Schwarzkopf. Didn´t she?

SVENSKSOPRAN (November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am)

Sorry for taking up so much space, just that quote, from her teacher Hislop...Mr Saedén told me he used to be mean not only to her but to many students, insulting them etc. At this time she hadn't gained complete control of her head voice I guess, as she told she just learned overnight later on while trying to cope with a cold! Many bigger voices struggle with their head voice!

SVENSKSOPRAN (November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am)

Sorry, that should be Sunnegårdh (Arne, father of Met star Erika Sunnegårdh)

SVENSKSOPRAN (November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am)

Erik Saedén who also sang opposite Jussi, taught Gösta Winbergh and many more successful Swedish singers since the 50's andstudied at the same school as her for Sunegårdh says she struggled hard to find her voice. Her great material was obvious but her top was at that point near a scream. He holds her in the highest esteem! As you say she was against quick fixes. Perhaps she opposed dark singing in her own time too. Don't know if it was as common then. The art changes with the artists.

SVENSKSOPRAN (November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am)

The throat opens slightly when you cover or sing into pure head voice if that is what you mean, Jussi was great at it and so was she. I have a very early recording of her singing 1st act Walkure, Sieglinde, and it is comparatively uneven and quite cloudy.

Steinweg9 (November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am)

Then she must have opposed the throaty or dark singing of all the men and women who sang well in her generation also. Who knew better than she how long it takes to build a voice properly? Her throat was always already open (Most famous quote: "Birgit is singing -- the ship is coming into the harbor"), it would naturally have begun to resonate in the mask, she never had to put it there whether she did or not. Her Met debut came when she was 41 years old, in her prime with ten years to go!

Kryltoppa (November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am)

Interesting (I don't sing, so I don't know much about technical things)! Is that also why Wagnerian singers today have such ugly wide vibrato after they've been around a few years?