Nina Stemme 1993 - Der Freischütz "Wie nahte mir der Schlumm

"Singer of the World" competition 1993. 30 years old Nina Stemme sings Carl Maria von Weber: Der Freischütz
AGATHE

(Arie)
Wie nahte mir der Schlummer,
Bevor ich ihn gesehn?
Ja, Liebe pflegt mit Kummer
Stets Hand in Hand zu gehn!
Ob Mond auf seinem Pfad wohl lacht?
Welch schöne Nacht!
Leise, leise, Fromme Weise!
Schwing dich auf zum Stemenkreise.
Lied, erschalle! Feiernd walle
Mein Gebet zur Himmelshalle!
O wie hell die goldnen Sterne,
Mit wie reinem Glanz sie glühn!
Nur dort in der Berge Ferne
Scheint ein Wetter aufzuziehn.
Dort am Wald auch schwebt ein Heer
Dunkler Wolken dumpf und schwer.
Zu dir wende Ich die Hände,
Herr ohn' Anfang und ohn' Ende!
Vor Gefahren
Uns zu wahren
Sende deine Engelscharen!
Alles pflegt schon längst der Ruh?
Trauter Freund, wo weilest du?
Ob mein Ohr auch eifrig lauscht,
Nur der Tannen Wipfel rauscht;
Nur das Birkenlaub im Hain
Flüstert durch die hehre Stille;
Nur die Nachtigall und Grille
Scheint der Nachtluft sich zu freun.
Doch wie? Täuscht mich nicht mein Ohr?
Dort klingt's wie Schritte!
Dort aus der Tannen Mitte
Kommt was hervor!
Er ist's! Er ist's!
Die Flagge der Liebe mag wehn!
Dein Mädchen wacht
Noch in der Nacht!
Er scheint mich noch nicht zu sehn!
Gott, täuscht das Licht
Des Monds mich nicht,
So schmückt ein Blumenstrauss den Hut!
Gewiss, er hat den besten Schuss getan!
Das kündet Glück für morgen an!
O süsse Hoffnung, neu belebter Mut!
All meine Pulse schlagen,
Und das Herz wallt ungestüm,
Süss entzückt entgegen ihm!
Konnt'ich das zu hoffen wagen?
Ja, es wandte sich da Glück
Zu dem teuren Freund zurück,
Will sich morgen treu bewähren!
Ist's nicht Täuschung? Ist's nicht Wahn?
Himmel, nimm des Dankes Zähren
Für dies Pfand der Hoffnung an!


Born in Stockholm, the daughter of an architect and a psychologist, she studied economics at university and kept music as a sideline. "There was never a moment when I thought I had to make singing my career. Everything just developed step by step, and the more I tried, the further it took me." With a plum-coloured middle voice reminiscent of the organ-like majesty of Flagstad's, she started as a mezzo, but never felt comfortable singing in that range. In her late twenties, she slowly retrained as a soprano and reached the final of the 1993 Cardiff Singer of the World before winning one of the top prizes in the first of Placido Domingo's Operalia competitions.

[@Azzenstudent]

She is amazing. How many big voices can sing with such shimmering legato? I didn't sense a moment of strain anywhere in this aria. If only she could sing like this forever.

[@erpollock]

A thrilling performance by a singer I never knew before. Nina Stemme is simply a great artist.

[@tiggywinkle20]

I am delighted to have found this. I discovered Nina in this competition and heard nothing for ages afterwards. I am not sure about her voice now but in 1993 it sounded wonderful. Thank you for uploading.🇬🇧

[@takekotoyama8147]

Nina Stemme sang this 27 years ago. She was glorious. Now she is the best dramatic soprano!

[@piperlapap]

Nina Stemme war für mich einer hinreißendsten Sängerinnen mit einer unvergleichlich schönen Stimme. Jedes Lied von ihr ist ein Genuss!

[@voltape]

What a girl! she is as perfect as can possible be! What an expression!! An a beauty queen in her own right!!!

[@destravlr]

Will be visiting here over and over. Voice and expressions are wonderful.

[@xptrail]

Sie ist wunderschön...Ihr schönheit und besonders intelligenz...Gottes Wunder...

[@schnoodc]

Stunning performance. What a glorious singer Ms. Stemme was and is.

[@takekotoyama8147]

I love her singing. Color of her voice is fascinating. The best Brunhilde of our generation. Brave, Nina Stemme!

[@thepalacemaid]

The best I've ever heard this aria

[@peace-now]

Wonderful singer. Beautiful woman.

[@erpollock]

What fierce excitement she conveys at the climax!

[@jordipanadesribera6890]

Love this.

[@FranciscoFerrerGaliana1930]

Magnifica Aria --Nina Stemme, magistral interpretación.

[@voltape]

Nina Stemme (Estocolmo, 11 de mayo de 1963) (Swedish, as many of the great artist of opera and cinema)

[@schicchi1160]

It's so nice to see that 15 years have done nothing but good for her. Such a fantastic instrument.

[@smeisha]

Wonderful Voice!

[@angelus2002]

During the competition she sang "Per pietà, ben mio, perdona" from Cosi fan Tute and one of the presenters said she sang the most beautiful note in the whole competition

[@Dr.DivaMa]

Dear God, this is singing! This! Now I can enjoy and hear a fab example of dramatic soprano :)

[@Max1961ish]

Sopran ?

[@zweisteinJ]

veeery nice one!!!! 5 stars for it!!!

[@jade03092007]

splendeur !

[@cappycapuzi1716]

A wonderful performance. I enjoyed her Elektra in Chicago a few years ago. Dramatic-soprano-land is definitely in good hands with Stemme. I enjoy her singing more than Goerke's.

[@Homoclassicus]

Wow, her voice was even more mesmerizing than nowadays, though she's more mature and even steadier now. Indeed, her voice is of a very rare kind nowadays, the dramatic voices with velvety, smooth timbres, like Flagstad's or Nilsson's. She's the greatest dramatic soprano of the last years, maybe only rivaling with Christine Brewer (another plum-coloured velvety voice). ;-)

[@myrtha77]

i like this very much! thanks!! (and i am sorry, german people, most of the german singers i have heard here in germany sing any other language with a horrible accent, totally careless and i dont understand an italian, french or english word neither.)

[@arnbjorgmaria]

it's really hilarious to read petty criticism of a video of Nina Stemme from before she even began her real career( she hadn´t even lived in Germany at this time)...I mean we are talking about the reigning queen of Wagnerian singing. Isn´t it just amazing that the great material and potential on display in this video blossomed into one of the greatest artist of her generation.

[@Max1961ish]

"regierende Königin wagnerischen Singens" ?

[@m4rkm4n]

@Rukasepar Wait, why is it "inappropriate" to roll the Rs? Rs are always spelt like that in classic interpretations, otherwise you couldn't even hear them.

[@Max1961ish]

Es ist nicht unpassend. Nur am Ende eines Wortes wird kein Zungen-r gesungen. Wir singen so, wie wir sprechen. Und kein Deutscher rollt am Wortende das r. ;-)

[@dgbx6]

At the age of thirty!!!

[@zonaras83]

@xptrail Ich gebe dir Recht!

[@celloguy]

It's sad to compare thi to anything she's sung in the last decade.

[@Altonahh10]

Unfortunately you´re right. Her magic is completely gone, her voice only a shadow of what it was like even 10 years ago

[@willworkforwages]

She sang Turandot last season at the Met to great acclaim.

[@willworkforwages]

She sang Turandot last season at the Met to great acclaim.

[@ilkertenor]

-die arie ist sehr schwer vor allem für eine damals noch so junge sängerin! -das ist ein wettbewerb-ganz andere situation für einen sänger! -die stimme ist auf dem atem und hat dadurch eine enorme durchschlagskraft..also bei weitem nicht hinten -live geht es kaum besser

[@Rukasepar]

@m4rkm4n Just like in the English language, "...er" at the end of a word is not pronounced with a rolling R. Take "fever" or "brother" or "butter". This type of R is inaudibly there. I guess that's why it is relatively easy to learn a language like Italian because one "speaks as one writes". :-)

[@Max1961ish]

Jawoll, sehr gut. Endlich einer, der Ahnung hat. ;-)

[@zonaras83]

@TheGoddessArroyo Not only her voice... ;-)

[@garconfrancais01]

@Azizascharms that is absurd! every bio lists her as being born in 63...you have no basis for that assumption

[@DrBen-hm5jj]

wo ist die 7d

[@Azizascharms]

Absolutely stellar singing! She's definitely over 30, though. Shame she had to lie about her age to be in this competition. Great singer!!!

[@xXHollowkillerXx]

das mit mit r is glaube eher so n tick, vom klassischen gesang, dieskau und quasthoff machen das auch so, nehme ma an, dass ma ndas auf frauen übertragen kann ;D

[@nittecat1907]

wah wah birde detone olmasa iyi olurmuş ama o zamandaki lerin kulakları hep bozkmuş .genetik sanırım 20 yıllık mazisi olan bi bozukluk..

[@Rukasepar]

German is my mother tongue and I cannot agree with your saying that you can hardly understand what Ms. Stemme is singing. I don't know where she hails from but I have no problem understanding her singing. My only (slight) complaint is that she is overemphasizing the R's. To roll the R at the end of the word Schlummer (for example) is inappropriate. Other than that - lovely artist, prone to singing the wrong repertoire at times.

[@Max1961ish]

Für diese Arie ungeeignet.

[@xptrail]

Sie ist wunderschön...Ihr schönheit und besonders intelligenz...Gottes Wunder...