My brother just told me, that two of the greatest sopranos of all times died this Monday Sept.4rth, 2006:
Ingrid Bjoner, fantastic Chrysothemis, Ariadne, Imperatrice, Sieglinde, Elsa etc. in Oslo. She sang of of ther career in Munich & Vienna. Astrid Varnay followed her great colleague Birgit Nilsson a few weeks distant. She was just about two weeks older than Nilsson but lived just for another couple weeks longer. Astrid Varnay was 88. Varnay was the allround of the great dramatic sopranos Bruennhilde, Elektra, Klytemnestra, Herodias, Kuesterin, Amme, Kundry, Ortrud. She sang Bruennhilde over 140-time & Ortrud a hundredtimes. Even around eighty, she still appeared on the Munich State Opera stage, even in silent roles as in Eugen Onegin or Boris Godunov. Varnay lived in Munich after her husbands deat soince about 1960. She made her debut at the Met in N.Y. 1941, when she saved a premiere of Walkuere replacing ill Lotte Lehman as Sieglinde without a rehearsal. She als had not appeared on stage before. What a singer & what a career, jumpstarting in one of the most difficult roles, but at the Met. We have the recording of this geat premiere, wher Max Lorenz sang Siegmund. The premiere of Tristan & Isolde followed just three weks later. I had the great honour & pleasure to go along with her from 1965 (Duesseldorf) to Munich (just a few years ago) & playing in the orchestra, when she was singing all the great roles so many times & incompareably. Talking with her, - and I was so fortunate having the opportunity for longer talks quite often - were my most inspiring experiences in my musical life. Astrid & Ingrid, we will never forget you & your voices. _______________________________________________ post: horn@music.memphis.edu unsubscribe or set options at http://music2.memphis.edu/mailman/options/horn/archive%40jab.org
