Page 191 - Birgit Nilsson Book

Recognizing the historic nature of these performances, Maestro Levine and the Met secured funding for this unexpected telecast in less than ten days. The result is a document of historic importance. The dignity and intensity of Nilsson’s Elektra and its contrast with Rysanek’s impassioned Chrysothemis are profoundly moving. With telling facial gestures and body language Nilsson’s stoic Elektra leaves no doubt as to the immensity of her burden, her all-consuming obsession with revenge and her exhaustion. Nilsson’s frustration with Chrysothemis and her disdain for Mignon Dunn’s Clytemnestra are palpable. The Recognition Scene with Donald McIntyre’s Orestes, as so often with this opera, is the musical and dramatic highlight of the performance. Throughout this DVD one can approximate the size and intensity of Nilsson’s voice as well as appreciate the relative technical ease with which this formidable artist encompasses Strauss’s most vocally demanding passages in one moment yet produces effortless pianissimi in the next. Nilsson’s attention to text and dramatic intelligence are exemplary.
This performance also marks one of the last appearances of Leonie Rysanek in one of her signature roles. By 1984 the soprano had moved into the title role of Elektra, though only for a film production by Götz Friedrich, conducted by Karl Böhm (also available on Deutsche Grammophon DVD). Later, as Rysanek’s voice darkened, she took on the role of Clytemnestra. Many attending this performance were unaware that she had a 38.9o C. (102o F.) fever and contemplated cancelling midway through. Fortunately, Rysanek chose to finish the opera. While this “live” and “unedited” Saturday matinée performance of Elektra may not be flawless, it remains a remarkable testament to two great sopranos who never avoided a challenge or accepted compromise. In return, the public rewards these artists with prolonged curtain calls (made available for the first time as a bonus feature of this DVD, with a glimpse, approximately 16 minutes into the track, of the Met’s fondly remembered white “safety” curtain, which was retired not long after this taping).
Birgit Nilsson returned to the Met in 1981-82 as the Dyer’s Wife in Die Frau ohne Schatten and in 1983-84 for the company’s Centennial Gala, at which she was the sole artist accorded an encore (also in the bonus material of this DVD). She officially retired from the stage in 1984, but continued to sing periodically at the local church in her birthplace, Västra Karup. On 27 April 1996 Nilsson, enthusiastically greeted, made her final appearance on the Met stage, offering a personal tribute to James Levine on his 25th anniversary with the company (a further bonus track). She returned periodically to New York for masterclasses and, coincidentally, attended her last Met performance – Tristan und Isolde on 18 December 1999 – 40 years to the day after her legendary company début. When they spotted her in the General Manager’s box, the audience rose to their feet one last time to acknowledge with deep affection their four-decade-long love affair with Birgit Nilsson.
J. F. Mastroianni
LA NILSSON 191