Birgit Nordin
Encyclopedia
Birgit Nordin is a Swedish opera
soprano
. She was married to the Swedish bass-baritone Jerker Arvidson (1939–2007).
in Italy. After graduating she joined the company of the (Royal Opera) in Stockholm where she worked from 1958 to 1986. Her debut was as Oscar in Verdi's Masked Ball
on 21 October 1958 and she was part of the company which visited London and the Edinburgh Festival
in 1960.
From 1960 she appeared most years at the Drottningholm Festival
where she played twelve major Mozartian roles. Abroad she sang Jenny in the Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny
in Copenhagen and appeared on Danish television as Lulu
in 1970, also singing in the St Matthew Passion in Berlin that year. Other roles included Gilda in Rigoletto
, Rosina in The Barber of Seville
and Mélisande in Pelléas et Mélisande
.
Nordin received the Christina Nilsson Fellowship twice, and was appointed a court singer in 1973. Nordin appeared in the 1975 film Trollflöjten
as the Queen of the Night.
After retiring from the stage Nordin undertook some teaching and stage direction.
The article also incorporates material from the Swedish Wikipedia page.
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
soprano
Soprano
A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody...
. She was married to the Swedish bass-baritone Jerker Arvidson (1939–2007).
Life and career
Nordin studied at the Stockholm Royal College of Music from 1956 to 1958, studying under Britta von Vegesack. Later she trained with Lina PagliughiLina Pagliughi
Lina Pagliughi was an Italian-American opera singer. Based in Italy for the majority of her career, she made a number of recordings and established herself as one of the world's finest lyric coloratura sopranos of the 1930s and '40s.-Career:Pagliughi was born in Brooklyn, New York, to Italian...
in Italy. After graduating she joined the company of the (Royal Opera) in Stockholm where she worked from 1958 to 1986. Her debut was as Oscar in Verdi's Masked Ball
Un ballo in maschera
Un ballo in maschera , is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi with text by Antonio Somma. The libretto is loosely based on an 1833 play, Gustave III, by French playwright Eugène Scribe who wrote about the historical assassination of King Gustav III of Sweden...
on 21 October 1958 and she was part of the company which visited London and the Edinburgh Festival
Edinburgh Festival
The Edinburgh Festival is a collective term for many arts and cultural festivals that take place in Edinburgh, Scotland each summer, mostly in August...
in 1960.
From 1960 she appeared most years at the Drottningholm Festival
Drottningholm Palace Theatre
The Drottningholm Palace Theatre is an opera house located at Drottningholm Palace in Stockholm, Sweden, which has been described by Per-Erik Öhrn, the theatre’s former artistic director, as "the Swedish jewel in our European cultural heritage crown of centuries-old theatres".Currently the...
where she played twelve major Mozartian roles. Abroad she sang Jenny in the Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny
Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny
Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny is a political-satirical opera composed by Kurt Weill to a German libretto by Bertolt Brecht. It was first performed in Leipzig on 9 March 1930.-Composition history:...
in Copenhagen and appeared on Danish television as Lulu
Lulu (opera)
Lulu is an opera by the composer Alban Berg. The libretto was adapted by Berg himself from Frank Wedekind's plays Erdgeist and Die Büchse der Pandora .-Composition history:...
in 1970, also singing in the St Matthew Passion in Berlin that year. Other roles included Gilda in Rigoletto
Rigoletto
Rigoletto is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi. The Italian libretto was written by Francesco Maria Piave based on the play Le roi s'amuse by Victor Hugo. It was first performed at La Fenice in Venice on March 11, 1851...
, Rosina in The Barber of Seville
The Barber of Seville
The Barber of Seville, or The Futile Precaution is an opera buffa in two acts by Gioachino Rossini with a libretto by Cesare Sterbini. The libretto was based on Pierre Beaumarchais's comedy Le Barbier de Séville , which was originally an opéra comique, or a mixture of spoken play with music...
and Mélisande in Pelléas et Mélisande
Pelléas et Mélisande (opera)
Pelléas et Mélisande is an opera in five acts with music by Claude Debussy. The French libretto was adapted from Maurice Maeterlinck's Symbolist play Pelléas et Mélisande...
.
Nordin received the Christina Nilsson Fellowship twice, and was appointed a court singer in 1973. Nordin appeared in the 1975 film Trollflöjten
The Magic Flute (1975 film)
The Magic Flute is Ingmar Bergman's 1975 film version of Mozart's opera Die Zauberflöte. It was intended as a television production and was first shown on Swedish television but was followed by a cinema release later that year. The film was shown at the 1975 Cannes Film Festival, but was not...
as the Queen of the Night.
After retiring from the stage Nordin undertook some teaching and stage direction.
Sources
Kutsch KJ, Riemens L. Unvergängliche Stimmen: Sängerlexikon. Francke Verlag, Bern und Munchen, 1982.The article also incorporates material from the Swedish Wikipedia page.