Jussi Bjoerling In Concert in Atlanta, 1959 [Import]

Jussi Bjorling (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Jussi Bjorling
• Audio CD (March 14, 1995)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: Myto Records Italy
• ASIN: B000001MIN
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #626,928 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Serse (Xerxes), opera, HWV 40: Frondi tenere... Ombra ami fu

2. Frühlingsglaube ('Die Linden Lüfte'), song for voice & piano (3 versions), D. 686 (Op. 20/2)

3. Die Forelle ('In einem Bächlein helle'), song for voice & piano, D. 550 (Op. 32)

4. Ständchen ('Leise flehen meine Lieder'), song for voice & piano (Schwanengesang), D. 957/4

5. Traum durch die Dämmerung ('Weite Wiesen im Dämmergrau'), song for voice & piano (or orchestra), Op. 29/1 (TrV 172/1)

6. Zueignung ('Ja, du weisst es, teur Seele'), song for voice & piano (or orchestra), Op. 10/1 (TrV 141/1)

7. Carmen, opera: La fleur que tu m'avais jetée

8. Fedora, opera: Amor ti vieta

9. Lilacs, song for voice & piano, Op. 21/5

10. In the silence of the secret night, song for voice & piano, Op. 4/3

11. Skogen sover (Sleeping Forest), song for voice & piano (or orchestra), Op. 28/6, R63/6

12. I Drömmen di är Mig Nära (You are near in my dreams), song for voice & piano

13. Jungfrun under lind, song for voice & piano, Op. 10/1

14. En Svane (A Swan), song for voice & piano, Op. 25/2

15. Ein Traum (A Dream), song for voice & piano, Op. 48/6

16. Tonerna (Visions), for voice & piano

17. Andrea Chénier, opera: Come un bel dì di maggio

18. La bohème, opera: Che gelida manina

19. Turandot, opera: Nessun dorma

20. Requiem Mass, for soloists, chorus & orchestra (Manzoni Requiem): Ingemisco

See all 23 tracks on this disc

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous live recital plus bonus, April 1, 2003

By 

Rosomax (Boulder, CO United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Jussi Bjoerling In Concert in Atlanta, 1959 (Audio CD)

The critics of Jussi Björling had a way of making everyone believe that the Swedish tenor's temper resembled the cool nature of his homeland's climate. This recital is a perfect testimony of them being mostly wrong. While in person he might have not displayed the jovial likeability of Caruso or Pavarotti, his inspired, rich-voiced singing (with slightly covered vowels) was gorgeous in all aspects.
The main body of this CD consists of never before released live recital, recorded 4/13/59 in Atlanta. This was Björling's last song recital in the United States. For the most part, it followed the programme, but the tenor also obliged to some requests from the audience, such as "Amor ti vieta" from Giordano's "Fedora" and "Che gelida manina" from Puccini's "La Boheme". My personal favorites of this recital are the songs but lesser-known Swedish composers. These songs have a great deal of dreamy beauty in them, and no one could do them a better justice than Jussi Björling. Sjöberg's "Tonerna" is a very interesting modern/romantic (for the lack of better term) art song, it's a great loss that we don't have complete recitals dedicated to this composer.
For die-hard fans, there is some bonus material recorded in 1939 (Ingemisco with orchestra from Verdi's Requiem) and 1949 (arias & duets with orchestra). I was surprised by a very pleasant lyric soprano sound of Mrs. Björling. What is striking about this inclusion is that we can observe how little has the voice changed over these 20 years. While it did become slightly more "grainy", it did not loose any of its velvety bloom. He did not have to resort to scooping and his atacca was always muscular and almost always right in the center of pitch (something for vocal students to watch for and admire). By the way, a couple of soft falsetto notes help to dispel the myth that a tenor is "cheating" when he uses this technique.
The recording quality is not all that great (the piano is booming, a few coughs, earlier recordings have plenty of hiss), but the material of this 78-min disc does justify its relatively high price. Perhaps Myto could pour some money into re-engineering some of the wonderful live recordings it has in its possession.