Birgit Nilsson's demonical Bel Canto (2 C6s with dives to chest register)

Disclaimer - I own nothing

[@wotan10950]

Nilsson said many times that she loved this role. She said she looked forward to each performance like it was Christmas! Of course, Birgit could make many difficult things sound easy. It reminds me of a funny story - Nilsson once called Beverly Sills’s apartment from her dressing room. When Sills answered, Birgit asked, “Aren’t you coming to my performance tonight?” Beverly responded, “I can’t make it, but I live near the Met; I’ll just open my windows and I’ll be able to hear you!”

[@chocolatesouljah]

Dave Glo I love that story!!! 🥰🙌🏾💥

[@Jacovanzigg]

Merci pour cette merveilleuse anecdote. Birgit Nilsson était unique et ne fut jamais remplacée.

[@kevinpollockmusic3646]

Love that!!!😂

[@susanvaughan4210]

Wonderful clip. Fabulous singing! Completely unconvincing as L. Macbeth because she didn't have a mean bone in her body. I sang with her at the Met (in the chorus) and she was gracious, kind, and extremely funny!

[@jrthiker9908]

I remember attending her master class at the Manhattan School of Music sometime in 1985, I think. Because of the usual subway slowdowns, I was late getting there. She was introduced with the recording of her and Corelli doing the duet from Turandot....as the recording approached her getting to the high C, I was running around the corner of the long hallway SL of Hubbard and she came out onstage and let it rip singing live. I was still outside the theater in that hallway and heard her voice careening thru the building! Needless to say, the students in the audience went beserk, giving her a screaming standing ovation. Those tender young ears had never heard anything like that, LOL. She was tough but kind in the class, and her motherly charisma and affection radiated grandly from the stage.

[@Bravilor]

Haha that entrance by her sounds unusually badass for being a master class teacher entering the workplace. But she could surely do it without coming across as too cocky.

[@SymphonyBrahms]

Nilsson was asked once, "What does it take for you to get through all of those hours long performances of Wagner?" She replied with a smile, "A good pair of really comfortable shoes!"

[@mteresasop9564]

She makes it sound so effortless, it's magical

[@brynjarhoff-lr6hw]

Sweden gave us Bjoerling and Nilsson. We say thank,s to the country of this artists.

[@svenandersson2210]

And Gedda

[@rogerengblom5061]

@@svenandersson2210 He wasn,t even close

[@Rodrigo-rx3nf]

it s so rare to see such powerfull voice. Brava

[@dubbelhenke854]

Imagine hearing something like this today. The audience would probably faint…..

[@dubbelhenke854]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/jqi4YmqMndisZ80

[@terrietackett8964]

My Queen, I worship you......

[@LohengrinO]

Goddess

[@leifbergdahl2060]

I was sitting on Stockholm Opera 1992 close to her.We were both invited by our friend Rolf Björling for his last performance att the opera.I am so unhappy that i did not spoke to her the greatest soprano of all time!

[@johnmichael1383]

I've heard many of the great singers of my life and I loved them all. Yes they had shortcomings but I heard only their beauty of artistry. Nillson sang at Merrimack college years ago and gave an unbelievable concert of power artistry and strength all with incredible beauty. I will never forget this cherished moment in time.

[@MrTrackman100]

Always a great thrill to hear Nilsson in any and every role. Those Cs!!

[@SatanAteMySocks]

I like Nilsson's Lady quite a lot, even though she may be stylistically a bit off - yeah, agility is an issue, in the Brindisi more so than here. But geez, the way she attacks those notes - you may think that no daggers were needed to kill Duncan, the power of Lady M's top notes was enough to make his head explode.

[@LohengrinO]

I also like her facial expressions a lot... true actress.. the hand gestures though a bit awkward

[@SatanAteMySocks]

Yeah, the hands are indeed a bit "look at me, I'm singing opera". Though I never saw her live, I guess she was one of those singers who, unlike those who had this instinct for the stage like Callas and W. Meier, needed the help of a good director to bring out the actress in them - like Wieland Wagner, of whom Nilsson spoke very highly.

[@LohengrinO]

her face on several occasions shows a Dramatic Goddess... like here : kzbin.info/www/bejne/faHEY3l4aah_m6c and in her Met Elektra her facial expressions are amazing, true acting... but I hesitate to post cause the Voice was not what it once was and I post only singers in their ultimate peak (except Caballe :D )

[@SatanAteMySocks]

This MET Elektra pains me. If there's a singer I'm a fan of, it's Nilsson - so I'd like to pretend this Elektra was not filmed.

[@LohengrinO]

because of the vocal compromise?

[@MrTrackman100]

Wow! Each note a trumpet call that sends thrills down our spine!

[@scataplaft]

She laser-wrote her name in my heart for all eternity. Lol. ❤ Imagine witnessing this sound right in front of you! 🤔 The way she attacks the high notes, as if in an internal keyboard of absolute "percussive" precision, is more than I can take! Lol 💔👽

[@imakesenteur8010]

These days I have long forgotten how exciting it is to hear a dramatic voice doing a role such as Lady Macbeth: the widely leaping tessitura, the coloratura, the thrust of the voice... I am really surprised to find a video of Birgit Nilsson singing this. The power and thrust are there like a dagger! Even if the coloratura is not spot-on, it is commendable and still way better than many famous sopranos these days, An example would be Anne Netrebko. Her voice is by all means beautiful with a dark edge, but her coloratura is sloppy.

[@matthieudegott3154]

We should always remember that BN was a fantastic verdi singer BEFORE becoming the famous wagner singer we know. So it is! Montserrat Caballe as well, was primarly a Mozart and Strauss singer...

[@williamadolphe7921]

her 'coloratura' sloppy? 'still commendable'???? are you kidding me????? you are nuts! And you do not mention soprano wannabes such as netrebko next to Birgit Nilsson's forever glorious name! when you get your head out of the nfl game of the week and join a serious endeavour such as opera appreciation then should you comment.

[@jiminygerry]

Plaisir d’entendre des aigus glorieux, sans faille. Merci Sainte Birgit 😀👍🏽🎶 il n’y en a plus aucune actuellement... 😢

[@alca4697]

Try to listen 1961's her and Corelli's Turandot at the Met. In that recording and her Buenos Aires 1965's Salome you can really appreciate her powerful voice. Is really amazing to listen her live and also sinf'ging Wagner, specially Walküre and Isolde.

[@Karlinberlin1]

Those piping top notes - I'll take a dozen in green! I never saw her live. Those arm movements are so camp - silent-movie-style.

[@coloraturaElise]

Gotta work those sleeves!

[@carmeloserafin5101]

non conoscevo...questa performance e ringrazio chi l'ha postata...intelligente scelta di cantare in modo Lirico spinto, spingendo il suo timbro alle vette del suo funambolico accento sublime...a me piace molto...qui a prevalere è l'artista che ama questo ruolo...non buttando via ...nulla del suo pathos...imparentando la Lady ferrigna alla sua conoscenza di musicista di una Moltitudine di Eroine liriche ...celebrate da lei con una Voce che dire Luminosa è farle un torto...poichè era sempre attenta alle scelte stilistiche che potessero prendere il Meglio ...da una voce che è rimasta intatta fino alla fine, ...chapeau!

[@ghostofyeats]

I really enjoyed this :) Of course the scales are a bit of a mess, but she knows how to sing "around" them to keep the dramatic continuity of line. I hate it when some sopranos make the conductor slow down to a molasses pace so they can carefully enunciate a scale that should be quick -- completely robs the piece of momentum. Anyway, the top notes here are a pleasure, and I think the coldness of her voice fits the Lady quite well. The music is Italianate, but the Lady is not exactly an Italianate character, in my opinion, so Nilsson here is fine. Nicely resonant lower middle and chest registers as well.

[@matiasbustafan1205]

A goddess. An absolute QUEEN.

[@MrQbenDanny]

BRAVO! BRAVISSIMO! VIVA LA NILSSON!!! She sang the famous aria with astronomical sundial precision and showed off her high fashion chops in a "Don't mess with ME bitches" Couture gown. I'm sure Joan was seething with jealousies. What Maria was thinking, you can just imagine.

[@LohengrinO]

probably that the scales needed a little bit more polish and accuracy ;).. I personally enjoy a lot to listen to a first class voice singing this... and the C6s are so easily sung, u dont even notice them and amazing facial expressions that correlate with true acting (not pretending of acting) although the hand gestures are a bit awkward

[@josefhussek790]

Wahrscheinlich war sie die großartige Sängerin, die ich in meinem Leben gehört habe. Ich denke an Brünnhilde, Isolde, Elektra, Färberin...unerreicht und unübertroffen!

[@stevendaniel5649]

No one since !!!! I met her. I heard her I adored her Still do ...........

[@miguelferreira641]

Che bela voce!Dio mio.

[@aleubaldi5213]

Ho sempre creduto e credo che ogni voce debba tecnicamente poter cantare tutto,poi in base al colore e attitudini sceglie un repertorio,ma la tecnica è una per tutte le voci .Lei cantava tutto con grande tecnica.

[@pauloalexandrefazenda5560]

GREAT, GREAT BRIGIT! BRAVISSIMA!!!

[@pablocarrascosamiguel7680]

Este es un papel casi imposible, solo la Callas en plenitud pudo con él. Me sorprende agradablemente el recitativo, con esa voz regia e imponente, pero luego veo varios momentos de afinación dudosa y también algunas entradas un poco apresuradas... El director va un poco lento, estirando la parte cantabile del aria, y eso no sé si al final no le causa cierta ansiedad... La cabaletta debería ser un allegro maestoso, y suena casi a un andante tirante... Y, como ocurre también con Abigail, las sopranos dramáticas no pueden con los adornos endemoniados, resueltos con suciedad o haciendo un breve resumen...

[@eberlinpascal2837]

Très bonne Wagnérienne ,mais complètement étrangère au répertoire Italien .Callas dans ce rôle est infiniment supérieure et de très loin .

[@hadikheradmandpour7394]

A decade ago, my ex and I did attend a "puppetry" in Tehran. I wished to hear some high-quality stereo sound of Nilsson & Taddei. There was no dolby for sure and we read a pathetic argument which informed us: Giuseppe Tadei (Macbeth), Brigit Nelson (Lady Macbeth)!!! We came back to her place and cursed all wannabes.

[@ryan.engstrom]

I love her but I never thought of her singing technique as Bel Canto

[@swedeangel64]

She did quite a bit of Bel Canto in her younger years before her voice fully developed into a dramatic soprano.

[@Leanrosso]

Perfectaaaaaa. La amo.

[@romearomeo]

Fantastica!!!!

[@rosy3385]

Sublime ! Quelle voix !

[@theoperatripleaxel5417]

6:45, that chest...

[@renepaccard7914]

Bonjour bravo une voix superbe un regal et tres agreable a regarder une grande voixunique merci a vous pour cette belle vidéo qui nous permet de profiter de beau moment un grand plaisir merci vraiment et bravo à l immortelle merci

[@enthusedtosing9655]

Wise move not to read the letter aloud Great voice, not for difficult lines

[@carolphillipsart]

captivating, she was amazing

[@LuisGomez-xf3hn]

Fantastica

[@esterbruno8604]

Una Diva!!! 💫💛

[@esejsnake1503]

3:40 Wow

[@pump066]

Dahlings, Nilsson and Bel Canto is Mission Impossible!

[@jjh2456]

Remember she also sang Donna Anna in Don Giovanni. She wasn’t scared of roles with agility even though she didn’t have agility.

[@Mawrdew]

Loved it! Where do you find this stuff? More please!

[@LohengrinO]

I dont even remember where I got that from lol

[@stevendaniel8126]

Holy Smokes !!!!

[@FranciscoFerrerGaliana1930]

SENCILLAMENTE MARAVILLOSA

[@vegtamvanderveg]

I love this! Maybe too beautiful for Lady Macbeth!

[@philcoppa]

Verdi is said to have wanted the voice of Lady M to be an ugly one, fit for the part

[@jmiller05]

Her scales and coloratura are a bit bumpy here, but she has the weight and acidity the role needs. I actually love how she phrases the line at 3:57, softly and with a sense of anticipation, and her use of chest tones are quite good. Funny how as big as Nilsson's voice was, it sounds decidedly smaller in comparison to Callas in this role.

[@LohengrinO]

exactly.. the scales is the only drawback

[@jmiller05]

I was thinking it might be a slight distortion with the recording too. Also Nilsson had a big voice, but it was a brightly metallic voice, as opposed to a dark metallic hue like Dimitrova or Varnay, hence I think the discrepancy in size. But obviously here her voice is still bigger than most.

[@LohengrinO]

well Nilsson had adequate coloratura skills for a pure dramatic soprano but she was never really into that... I see Nilsson's sound not as metalic bright but as thick pale crystal.. and I think no other dramatic soprano ever had crystalline sound surface.. the unbreakable crystal

[@beachfanatic2010]

Nilsson's middle voice was never even big, it was medium size, and the middle voice never had squillo and real resonance for the dramatic soprano that she was, I even thought that Sutherland's middle voice was better. Nilsson only had huge high notes.

[@LohengrinO]

good chest notes as well

[@anamarijaknego7551]

❤❤❤

[@gianpieromarabelli74]

Si apprezza la grandezza della voce, il timbro, la coloratura, ma i problemi della Nilsson in quest'aria sono evidenti, sono legati in particolare al fraseggio, molto piatto, scandito in modo pesante. L'aria in particolare è pesante...la cabaletta meglio..ma alla Nilsson non riesce di incrociare il periodare "tremendo" della musica di Verdi....

[@LohengrinO]

completely agree

[@josefhussek790]

Auch Bumbry und Ludwig waren großartige Lady Macbths, aber Nilsson übertraf sie alle.

[@robertotorrini111]

Spettacolare ma la Callas era una altra cosa ci vuole una voce sporca per questo ruolo come Verdi voleva e Maria era l interprete che lui avrebbe voluto e stato accontentato dalla Divina Callas!

[@Nunofurdambiznez]

Never noticed this before about her.. she tends to swoop up or down to some notes in her lower register...

[@LohengrinO]

give me exact second, I cannot even imagine what you are saying

[@tetianakariakina9066]

With whom she studied opera singing?

[@LohengrinO]

she was a student of Niki Minaj

[@olofholm8612]

Who is the conductor?

[@pump066]

Macbeth bel canto ???? Thank God, Birgit never ventured there.

[@paulcasadonte821]

You can all carp and criticize but if you were ever u=in the audience with Nilsson singing, you were transported to another thrilling dimension.She sang often at the MET to sold out houses with enthusiastic audiences, screaming g and pounding, Wanna-Be over-rated Netrebko cannot compare in this role.When she and Vickers sang Tristan there an old college professor was there and said" I have not heard the audience roar like that since Flagstad and Melchior"

[@manolis.799]

I love her a lot but she just didn't have the coloratura for this. Her high notes could cut a diamond though!!!

[@BLW888]

Is Macbeth considered bel canto? Either way, this is great!

[@LohengrinO]

early Verdi, full of Bel canto

[@BLW888]

@@LohengrinO I guess Verdi transitioned later on. Still, I really like Macbeth but it doesn’t come across as bel canto.

[@LohengrinO]

oh it does omg that is why all these dramatic ladies (Nilsson, Rysanek etc) failed miserably as Ladies M... because it is for soprano Assoluta demanding not only big voices but all the possible techniques of Bel Canto... name it and it has it inside... later Verdi became more veristic but remained a Master of Bel Canto

[@cubanm81]

Bravooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

[@anhminhle6578]

what is this aria name

[@joshuafurtado-mendes9327]

Vieni t’affretta from Verdi’s Macbeth

[@lhadzyan7300]

She sings nice but doesn´t match the level of Callas doing the same role, Nilsson voice is powerfull but a PRETTY VOICE while Callas got a much fierce beauty voice, specially at the caballetta, where Nilson seems to have somewhat harder time doing the coloraturas that Callas just did much naturally suited for her unique voice type which was different from Nilsson. Lady Macbeth was better fitted for Callas, as it isn´t much such a pretty voice as Nilsson got, but something fearsome and raw grittier too, like a steel-like warrior woman type, and that is less pure virgin-like as the Walkyries of Nilsson, as she isn´t a heroine but a villainess.

[@LohengrinO]

only harder? she can barely sing them... that is why Nilsson herself had once said: Callas in a good day was better than ALL the rest of us put together

[@Jdman5000]

I wonder if the day will come when we are simply able to enjoy performances without having to compare . That’s the beauty of theatre roles it’s about infinite interpretations and ideas on how to play the role , not a constant competition to see if anyone matches up to our favourite .

[@markdarenvillanueva7740]

lacks emotion. ok going back to Callas.

[@magicflute3]

Rather upsetting: she sings beautifully, she could be any other character, but NOT Lady Macbeth- definitely, she had no idea of what she was singing- maybe she didn't undestand the words, poor thing!

[@joshualouis4]

Oh there's nothing I hate more than the "she didn't know what she was singing" crowd. Please, Nilsson was one of the greats of all time, she knew what she was singing. This role may not have catered to her dramatic abilities, but it's not from lack of understanding.

[@andrew1598]

I'm sure she understood the words and could spell understand unlike you

[@johnrondeau8500]

Simply awful.

[@LohengrinO]

just because she is not Callas that doesnt mean she is awful... she is quite good in this aria

[@petercollins7848]

Let’s hear you sing it! 😣