Unbelievable! Saw her Isolde at Covent Garden in the early 70s at Soltis farewell.Something about those Scandinavians, Flagstad, Nilsson, Bjorling , Melchior and now Lise Davidsen😁
Davidsen got a resemblance of timbre sometimes with Flagstad or Varnay but an amazingly easy top. Her technique on the other hand is no way near the best.
@@ednewyork1 Vickers was surely the great Tristan of his time. The artistry was great indeed, ranking him with the greatest Tristans of recorded history.
I don't know what Wagner would have thought. But I think that she held them within the bounds of good taste and didn't stop the line when doing so. So it's just good old fashioned musicality.
They are not in good taste at all and quite egotistic. The second B should be very brief and sarcastic; hers contradicts Wagner explicitly. Wagner meant for the ensuing Curse to be the climax. Nilsson distorts his intent.
Wagner would probably have preferred Frida Leider's more tasteful but also more dramatically effective way with this scene. Leinsdorf could be so dull at this point in his career, but he does wake up for the 2nd half of this. Nilsson is not in peak vocal shape but I agree, artistically, this may well be her best performance. The thing is that Leider as soprano and Blech as conductor overshadow all other attempts at this scene, still, nearly 100 years after their recording -- was it 1929?
This must be from the sole performance of Tristan that she performed with Vickers at the Met. Historic. I think that the high A is a tiny bit spread. Just a tiny bit! But the high B stops time.
Wagner would probably have preferred Frida Leider's more tasteful but also more dramatically effective way with this scene. Leinsdorf could be so dull at this point in his career, but he does wake up for the 2nd half of this. Nilsson is not in peak vocal shape but I agree, artistically, this may well be her most involved (put it that way) performance. The thing is that Leider as soprano and Blech as conductor overshadow all other attempts at this scene, still, nearly 100 years after their recording -- was it 1929?
@@billtroop4236 I admire Leider very much, but from a vocal emission standpoint, I don’t think she was in the caliber of Flagstad and Nilsson. My hunch is that the unfamiliar yet learned listener would be underwhelmed if he/she heard her with either of the other two back-to-back in the house. I’m speaking hypothetically, of course.
It's a fair point but I disagree. Let's start with Flagstad/Nilsson. Nobody I know (or rather, knew!) who heard Flagstad live considered Nilsson to be exceptional. Now if you listen to this recording and go straight to Leider's Narrative, Leider sounds a stronger singer. To be fair, Leider was in her vocal prime in 1928, and Nilsson is strained here in 1975 and it's not her greatest vocal night, even if it may be one of her greatest interpretative nights. But Leider always had much more technique and variety of sound than Nilsson ever did (Leider's trill, Leider's coloratura, etc. etc. ). And Nilsson for all her artistry and fabulous sound, never gave as satisfying a total performance as Leider and I say that while acknowledging that Nilsson had great psychological gifts and studied her roles with utmost seriousness. That said, I am glad I heard her as often as I did, especially in Elektra and Turandot, less so in Wagner. It's more difficult when you compare Flagstad to Leider. Flagstad was not an actress and was not a psychologist and not a particularly good musician. Again and again she disappoints in the great Wagner roles. BUT, there is that overwhelming sound that drove everyone mad with joy. The sheer visceral pleasure of hearing her live, which recordings do suggest . . . . . one cannot take that away from her. (I would particularly praise the 1936 Tristan under Reiner in the VAI transfer most particularly.) The Tristan Duet shows in the first half that Leider simply does not have the horsepower of Flagstad, though that could be microphone placement, as she is much better in the 2nd half. There is also an unpublished alternate. The only person I knew who heard a lot of Frida Leider live was Friedelind Wagner. Yet I don't think she was that impressed. She told me that at the memorial service for Leider, they played the Liebestod recording, and everyone said the same thing: my goodness, she really WAS great. - - and I thought, but did not say, but the Liebestod is one of her weakest recordings. It is the Narrative and Curse that shows her at her absolute best. . . . .
@@tobiaspeter6555 listening to it again, and I know the libretto very well, I am simply overwhelmed at the variety of her emotional painting, so that even two syllables in a single word can have different emotions. And the power of the voice, its very reach, seems here beyond anything else I have ever heard in a Wagner recording.
@@dramaticsoprano5168 I'm very sensitive to pitch, and the recording sounds fine to me. Nilsson is sometimes a bit sharp, as was typical of her during this period of her career.
Unbelievable! Saw her Isolde at Covent Garden in the early 70s at Soltis farewell.Something about those Scandinavians, Flagstad, Nilsson, Bjorling , Melchior and now Lise Davidsen😁
Davidsen got a resemblance of timbre sometimes with Flagstad or Varnay but an amazingly easy top. Her technique on the other hand is no way near the best.
the absolute greatest! i got to hear her do this at the met with vickers. talk about once in a lifetime!!!
@@ednewyork1 Vickers was surely the great Tristan of his time. The artistry was great indeed, ranking him with the greatest Tristans of recorded history.
The high B is stuning
I was at this performance. She was on fire.
Stunning performance
She always sustained the high notes a second or two longer than other. Exciting, but I wonder how Wagner would have imagined they be sang?
In the score, the high-Bs are quarter-notes that should just be touched. But when you have a high-B like Nilsson, show them off!!
I don't know what Wagner would have thought. But I think that she held them within the bounds of good taste and didn't stop the line when doing so. So it's just good old fashioned musicality.
They are not in good taste at all and quite egotistic. The second B should be very brief and sarcastic; hers contradicts Wagner explicitly. Wagner meant for the ensuing Curse to be the climax. Nilsson distorts his intent.
@@captainamerica-qw1gl
She’s forgiven
Wagner would probably have preferred Frida Leider's more tasteful but also more dramatically effective way with this scene. Leinsdorf could be so dull at this point in his career, but he does wake up for the 2nd half of this. Nilsson is not in peak vocal shape but I agree, artistically, this may well be her best performance. The thing is that Leider as soprano and Blech as conductor overshadow all other attempts at this scene, still, nearly 100 years after their recording -- was it 1929?
This must be from the sole performance of Tristan that she performed with Vickers at the Met. Historic. I think that the high A is a tiny bit spread. Just a tiny bit! But the high B stops time.
The one at 0:18 or 4:26?
@@dramaticsoprano5168 4:26! But I'm really nitpicking. No one today can sing remotely close to this level.
Spread might not be the right word. I think a tiny bit of more cover would be ideal. But that's just my taste.
@@ER1CwC back in the day I always complained about Nilsson but, as you say, there is nobody of that calibre today either vocally or artistically.
First! Anways thanks for the great content as always...❤
Lord Have Mercy !!! Superhuman 😊
Wagner would probably have preferred Frida Leider's more tasteful but also more dramatically effective way with this scene. Leinsdorf could be so dull at this point in his career, but he does wake up for the 2nd half of this. Nilsson is not in peak vocal shape but I agree, artistically, this may well be her most involved (put it that way) performance. The thing is that Leider as soprano and Blech as conductor overshadow all other attempts at this scene, still, nearly 100 years after their recording -- was it 1929?
@@billtroop4236 I admire Leider very much, but from a vocal emission standpoint, I don’t think she was in the caliber of Flagstad and Nilsson. My hunch is that the unfamiliar yet learned listener would be underwhelmed if he/she heard her with either of the other two back-to-back in the house. I’m speaking hypothetically, of course.
It's a fair point but I disagree. Let's start with Flagstad/Nilsson. Nobody I know (or rather, knew!) who heard Flagstad live considered Nilsson to be exceptional. Now if you listen to this recording and go straight to Leider's Narrative, Leider sounds a stronger singer. To be fair, Leider was in her vocal prime in 1928, and Nilsson is strained here in 1975 and it's not her greatest vocal night, even if it may be one of her greatest interpretative nights. But Leider always had much more technique and variety of sound than Nilsson ever did (Leider's trill, Leider's coloratura, etc. etc. ). And Nilsson for all her artistry and fabulous sound, never gave as satisfying a total performance as Leider and I say that while acknowledging that Nilsson had great psychological gifts and studied her roles with utmost seriousness. That said, I am glad I heard her as often as I did, especially in Elektra and Turandot, less so in Wagner. It's more difficult when you compare Flagstad to Leider. Flagstad was not an actress and was not a psychologist and not a particularly good musician. Again and again she disappoints in the great Wagner roles. BUT, there is that overwhelming sound that drove everyone mad with joy. The sheer visceral pleasure of hearing her live, which recordings do suggest . . . . . one cannot take that away from her. (I would particularly praise the 1936 Tristan under Reiner in the VAI transfer most particularly.) The Tristan Duet shows in the first half that Leider simply does not have the horsepower of Flagstad, though that could be microphone placement, as she is much better in the 2nd half. There is also an unpublished alternate. The only person I knew who heard a lot of Frida Leider live was Friedelind Wagner. Yet I don't think she was that impressed. She told me that at the memorial service for Leider, they played the Liebestod recording, and everyone said the same thing: my goodness, she really WAS great. - - and I thought, but did not say, but the Liebestod is one of her weakest recordings. It is the Narrative and Curse that shows her at her absolute best. . . . .
Could you share a link to that performance with Leider as soprano and Blech, please?
@@tobiaspeter6555 sure: ua-cam.com/video/hvKrlRnh2kA/v-deo.htmlsi=sBDcDn_DEqyMDHK8
@@tobiaspeter6555 listening to it again, and I know the libretto very well, I am simply overwhelmed at the variety of her emotional painting, so that even two syllables in a single word can have different emotions. And the power of the voice, its very reach, seems here beyond anything else I have ever heard in a Wagner recording.
It seems a little pitchy to me. Has the pitch been corrected?
I didn’t correct it, no. Does it sound too high?
@@dramaticsoprano5168 I'm very sensitive to pitch, and the recording sounds fine to me. Nilsson is sometimes a bit sharp, as was typical of her during this period of her career.