The Bjorling Sound: A Recorded Legacy

by Hastings, Stephen

• ISBN13: 9781580464062
• ISBN10: 1580464068
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2012-05-30
• Publisher: Boydell & Brewer Inc

Summary

A half century after his death in 1960, Swedish tenor Jussi Björling remains one of the most beloved singers in the world. He spent forty-five of his forty-nine years performing in public, rapidly conquering opera house and concert stages on both sides of the Atlantic. Along the way, he left a vast recorded legacy that continues to enchant lovers of vocal music and inspire young singers. In this ground-breaking book, Stephen Hastings analyzes 445 of the great tenor's recordings, comparing them with the output of ninety-nine other tenors, from Caruso to Alagna. The repertoire ranges from brief art songs by Schubert and Sibelius to entire opera recordings--some made in the studio, others captured "live." What emerges is a richly stratified portrait of this most musical of singers. As Hastings's comparisons demonstrate, Björling left his unique imprint on almost all the scores he sang, combining a perennial freshness of approach with the richly inflected phrasing made possible by a perfectly honed technique. Born in London and educated in Oxford, Stephen Hastings has been the Milan correspondent of Opera News since 1991 and editor-in-chief of the Italian monthly Musica for the past twelve years.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations	p. ix
Preface	p. xi
A Biographical Note	p. xv
Introduction	p. 1
Adam	p. 8
Alfvén	p. 11
Atterberg	p. 15
Beethoven	p. 18
Bizet	p. 26
Borodin	p. 34
Brahms	p. 38
Donizetti	p. 41
Gounod	p. 45
Grieg	p. 81
Handel	p. 85
Leoncavallo	p. 87
Mascagni	p. 101
Massenet	p. 111
Meyerbeer	p. 115
Mozart	p. 118
Puccini	p. 122
Rangström	p. 200
Rossini	p. 202
Schubert	p. 206
Sibelius	p. 223
Richard Strauss	p. 231
Verdi	p. 238
Wagner	p. 329
Björling's Remaining Recordings: A Survey of the Best (1920-60)	p. 332
Evolution and Influence	p. 349
Notes	p. 353
Discography	p. 371
Bibliography	p. 391
Index	p. 395
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