Very early Birgit Nilsson sings a resplendent Ariadne in Swedish (1949)

Ariadne auf Naxos (1916)
Prologue and opera by German composer Richard Strauss.
In these excerpts from the opera (The first scene of Ariadne 'Wo war ich?' and her aria 'Es gibt ein reich'), Ariadne is shown abandoned by her former lover, Theseus, on the desert island of Naxos, with no company other than the nymphs Naiad, Dryad, and Echo. Ariadne bewails her fate, mourns her lost love, and longs for death. Ariadne is sung by the great Swedish soprano Birgit Nilsson, very early in her career (aged 31). The performance took place on May 23rd, 1949 in the Royal Swedish Opera of Stockholm, Sweden. Conducting was Herbert Sandberg with the Kungliga Hovkapellet orchestra. For more information about the cast, refer to: www.operapassion.com/mp3-15769... (which is where I have bought this record).
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[@MrQbenDanny]

VIVA!!!!
What stands out for me in this post is the raw analogous emotions she put into this extraordinary moment. Sometimes an artist GENIUS personalization of text, music, rhythm and delivery coexist in perfect harmony together, she's amazing here in the "NILSSON zone". As always the deeper, hurtful the pain, the soul reaches levels of discovery one didn't know they had, what makes it so is the tug of war between pain and survival. LA NILSSON lived this in life. I love this MORE than her patented Liebestod. If it sounds REAL, it IS. Fabulous post, I have never heard. Strauss is a wizard here, reaching out to EVERY heartstring, and piercing them. BRAVO. Love It.

[@LohengrinO]

Magnificent singing... perfectly suited for Ariadne in all 3 registers... and it shows that Birgit was much more than a blaster of super loud high notes

[@thorvonoden5879]

Interesting how she developed this ruff diamond of a voice, to what it became some years later. The most powerful, controlled, and flexible voice I have ever heard. The greatest opera singer ever. Saw her live a few times, 60ties, simply amazing,,,,,,,,

[@meraveldan9658]

Amazing. I think the only difference between this and her older self is that, over time, she gained even more control over her vibrato during high long notes. Some darker shades in her rich voice came in with time, otherwise she stayed very consistent in her great technique at list till later on. Such beautiful recording thanks for posting!

[@NLidar]

My pleasure! I love both this young, almost naïve Nilsson and the gargantuan operatic hero she later became. I find it very telling to hear these great artists in the earlier stages of their development, in particular those equipped with hefty, dramatic instruments.

[@theoperatripleaxel5417]

Wow, she was 31 and yet the voice sound nothing like in her prime, that came almost 10 years after this! Dramatic sopranos today have a wobble age 30, cant sing on tune age 40 and retire age 55...

[@celloguy]

The pianissimo high Bb is remarkably good. Wobbles a bit, but it’s actually quiet!