Jussi (Opera Biographies (Amadeus)) [Hardcover]

Andrew Farkas (Author), Anna-Lisa Bjorling (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2003 | Series: Opera Biographies (Amadeus) (Book 7)

This is the first English-language biography of the beloved Swedish tenor, incorporating recollections by his widow, information from the family archives, and material from operatic archives the world over. A chronology of his performances is also included.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A major English-language biography of Jussi Bjorling (1912-1960), the Swede who from the late 1930s to his untimely death was the premier lyric tenor of his time, the logical successor to Enrico Caruso and Beniamino Gigli, has been long overdue. The fact that it has finally been produced by Bjorling's widow, who in later years frequently sang with him, might be suspect; but she has, as it turns out, been exceptionally frank about Bjorling's weakness for alcohol, which seems to have been his only dark side. He was a professional from the age of five, touring the States with his brothers and father as part of a family choral act, and soon developed, at the Swedish Royal Opera, into a singer who attracted international attention with the lyric purity of his voice, his apparently effortless virtuosity and his adaptability: he was equally at home in opera (where he favored the Italian lyric roles) and on the recital stage, where he commanded a large repertoire including Sibelius and lesser-known Scandinavians. His professional colleagues, many of whom speak of him here, were unanimous in their admiration of his voice (if not always of his acting), but a 1960 recording contretemps with Georg Solti, at a time when Bjorling's heart was showing alarming weakness, seems to have hastened his death. His story, of inspired professionalism in what now seems a golden age of extraordinary singers, is a salutary one for the present exhibitionist, star-obsessed, fickle time. (A discography is to be published separately.) Photos.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Amidst the recent hype about "The Three Tenors," many opera lovers remain convinced that Jussi Bjorling, "the Swedish Caruso," surpassed them all. Although he died in 1960 at the age of 49, his recording career spanned 30 years, and his performing career was even longer. His wife, an accomplished singer, and Andrew Farkas (with Enrico Caruso Jr., Enrico Caruso: My Father and My Family, LJ 7/90) have collaborated to produce this long-overdue English-language biography. The early years?touring with his father and brothers, his first adult professional engagements, and his courtship of Anna-Lisa?are particularly fascinating. The remarkable international career that followed is well documented, with excerpts from reviews, letters from the singer to his family, and reminiscenses by his many famous colleagues. The authors have been honest about the alcoholism and sometimes erratic behavior that troubled Bjorling's personal and professional life. Highly recommended.?Kate McCaffrey, Onondaga Cty P.L., Syracuse, N.Y.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 460 pages
• Publisher: Amadeus Press (March 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1574670107
• ISBN-13: 978-1574670103
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #840,587 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A splendid biography of the 20th Century's greatest tenor, April 26, 2002

By 

Joy Fleisig (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Jussi (Opera Biographies (Amadeus)) (Hardcover)

In a world where most opera biographies are either useless, gushy fan magazines or vicious, gossipy garbage, this loving yet warts-and-all account of the life of the great Swedish tenor Jussi Bjorling (1911-1960) is a standout. Although the book is written primarily by his widow Anna-Lisa, there is additional, exhaustive research and editing by Andrew Farkas (who also co-authored an Enrico Caruso biography with Caruso's son). Many of Bjorling's colleagues are also interviewed, and reviews of both his live performances and opera recordings are extensively quoted. As a supplement, there is also a 58-page listing of Bjorling's performances (933 in opera and nearly twice as many concerts and recitals) at the end of the book. The cover shows Bjorling as Romeo in `Romeo et Juliette', perhaps his greatest role.

Anna-Lisa Bjorling, who was married to Jussi for 25 years, was herself a fine soprano who often partnered her husband in concert. As of this writing she is still alive at 92. Although Anna-Lisa clearly loved Jussi very deeply, she is still capable of being objective about him when required. She is a wonderful writer, providing vivid portraits not only of Jussi, herself, and their children, but just about everybody they ever came into contact with, as well as of life in Sweden in general. After reading this book, I felt like Jussi and Anna-Lisa were old friends.

Bjorling had not only what was probably the most beautiful tenor voice to ever come out of a human throat, but also a nearly perfect technique, a superb sense of style, and the ability to truly stir the souls of his listeners. While he had a reputation for being a very poor stage actor, this was at least occasionally exaggerated. Although Bjorling died tragically young at the age of 49 of heart failure, he had a magnificent and very long career which lasted 45 years, 32 as a tenor. He is probably the only opera singer whose recording career (which began when he was 9!) lasted from acoustic to electric to LP to stereo recordings. He made his stage debut at 19 as Don Ottavio at the Royal Opera, Stockholm, after having studied first with his father, his principal singing teacher, and then at the Royal Opera School with the Royal Opera's director, baritone John Forsell. His career expanded to Europe and the rest of the world very quickly. He made his Metropolitan Opera debut in 1938, and with the exception of the WWII years and several years in the 1950s due to fights with Rudolf Bing, he remained there until his death. He concentrated on about 10 or 15 Italian and French operatic roles, and was also an avid recitalist with several hundred songs in his `inventory'.

Unfortunately, Bjorling is nearly as famous in operatic circles for his alcoholism as for his glorious singing, and I think that is appalling. In fact, the one thing this book makes very clear is that although the disease was a tragedy for him personally and traumatic for his family, it had comparatively little effect on his actual career, at least outside Sweden. Working actually kept him from drinking. Anna-Lisa offers considerable proof that many of the stories about Jussi's drinking were exaggerations, gossip or outright lies, most tellingly in the true story of the cancellation of the `Un Ballo in Maschera' recording under Sir Georg Solti, which was a product of producer John Culshaw's malice. Nearly all his colleagues also defend him on this regard. As far as I'm concerned, the only people who have any right discussing Jussi's alcoholism are Anna-Lisa and his children, as they are the only ones who really had to deal with it. ....

Overall, Jussi comes across as a beautiful human being - simple, warmhearted and lovable, a wonderful husband and father, adored by almost everybody who worked with him or knew him. The book is full of stories about his kindness and generosity to colleagues. He was also an avid pike fisherman who loved westerns and was unbeatable at arm wrestling. He basically had only three serious flaws as a human being: impulsiveness that on occasion bordered on irrationality, stubbornness, and what Anna-Lisa calls, for lack of a better term, a deep inner restlessness - the inner demon that drove him to drink.

I only wish `Jussi' could have been longer. A year before it was published, I spoke with leading Bjorling authority Cantor Don Goldberg, one of the book's proofreaders. He told me that the first draft was 1100 pages. As the final copy is only 520 pages, I wonder what was cut besides the many laudatory comments from colleagues that were considered repetitive. I was surprised that there wasn't more information about Jussi's brothers once they reached adulthood, especially Gosta, who was so close to Jussi that they had an almost telepathic relationship. And while this book does full justice to such fundamental influences on Jussi's singing as his father, John Forsell (who emerges as quite a character!), and Tullio Voghera, I would have liked a bit more on Nils Grevilius, who conducted nearly every recording Jussi made before 1950. There is also virtually nothing about Hjordis Schymberg, the fine Swedish soprano who partnered Jussi over 100 times in Stockholm. More mention of his recordings besides the complete opera sets would have been welcome, although I am aware that his recordings are covered in the companion volume `A Jussi Bjorling Phonography'. Finally, while I am aware this would have added to the price of the book, there are so few color photos of Bjorling that I think they should have had one on the cover.

`Jussi' is essential reading for anyone with any interest in good music, let alone opera. It is the definitive biography of one of the most magnificent singers and human beings ever to appear on an opera or concert stage. If you haven't heard this man sing, remedy that immediately!

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating, February 11, 2001

By 

G. Greene - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Jussi (Opera Biographies (Amadeus)) (Hardcover)

I had never heard of Bjorling until several months ago one late evening when the local classical music station played some of his arias. I had missed the intro to the work and couldn't figure out to whom this incredible and unique voice belonged; I knew I'd never heard anything remotely like it. You have to hear Jussi only once to want to listen endlessly to his voice. (Needless to say, my opera CD collection is expanding exponentially.)

So it was a great pleasure to discover this excellent biography, which illuminates not only his life but also the opera world from the 20s through the 50s. His early life and training from his father are particularly interesting if you wonder how such a great talent was discovered and developed. (The only question in my mind not answered is the extent to which his children inherited the incredible musical talent that was in his family for generations; that they perform is mentioned but never elaborated on.) The book is well documented with quotes from his peers, and the authors do a splendid job of presenting the entire person with his strengths and weaknesses in a very objective way that holds the reader's interest from beginning to end.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A work of historical significance to opera lovers., November 22, 1998

By 

[e-mail] (Toms River, NJ) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Jussi (Opera Biographies (Amadeus)) (Hardcover)

That Jussi Bjorling was a man beset by demons from within, against which he frequently lost battles, is a revelation to those of us who only thought of him as the greatest tenor of the 20th century. Anna-Lisa does justice to his memory by openly discussing his problems. But of equal importance, she depicts a warm, friendly man whose life was his family and his singing. He was a loving and devoted husband and father, and, simultaneously, a consummate professional who took enormous pride in his craft. He achieved a level of success that will remain the standard for future generations of singers. The heights of adoration he engendered in his fans and colleagues, combined with the critical praise he enjoyed, will probably remain unequalled. His passing created a void that will NEVER be filled.