Ingrid Bjoner
Encyclopedia
Ingrid Kristine Bjoner Pierpoint (November 8, 1927 – September 4, 2006) was a Norwegian
soprano
who had a prolific international opera
career between 1956 and 1990. She was particularly celebrated for her portrayal of Wagnerian heroines and for her performances in operas by Richard Strauss
. In addition to performing in operas, Bjoner was an active concert soloist and recital performer throughout her career. In 1964 she was awarded the St Olav's medal
by King
Olav V of Norway
.
, Bjoner was educated as a pharmacist
at the University of Oslo
during which time she studied singing as a hobby with Gudrun Boellemose. She drew considerable public notice after an extraordinary performance at Oslo Cathedral
which reoriented her path towards a professional musical career. She travelled to Germany for further voice lessons with Paul Lohmann
at Frankfurt Musikhochschule and Franziska Mattienseen-Lohmann in Düsseldorf
.
In 1956 Bjoner made her first professional appearance singing the role of the Third Norn for a radio broadcast of Richard Wagner
's Götterdämmerung
produced by the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation and starring Kirsten Flagstad
as Brünnhilde. In 1957 she made her stage debut as Donna Anna in Mozart's Don Giovanni
with the Norwegian National Opera; reprising the role later that year for her debut at the opera house in Wuppertal
. Bjoner went on to sing several more roles in Wuppertal between 1957-1959. Also in 1957, she portrayed the title role in Handel
's Rodelinda at the Drottningholm Palace Theatre
for the Drottningholm Festival through the invitation of Flagstad.
where she sang regularly for three seasons. That same year she made her first appearance at the Vienna State Opera
where she returned periodically through 1986 in such roles as Ariadne in Ariadne auf Naxos
, Desdemona in Otello
, Leonore in Fidelio
, Rezia in Oberon
, and the title role in Turandot
.
In 1960, Bjoner made her United States debut with the San Francisco Opera
as Elsa in Wagner's Lohengrin
and her debut at the Bayreuth Festival
as Freia, Helmwige, and Gutrune in Wagner's The Ring Cycle, both of them critical successes. That same year she earned contracts with the Royal Swedish Opera
and the Norwegian National Opera which made her a repeat performer in those houses during the 1960s and 1970s. This was followed by engagements at various opera houses around the world throughout the 1960s, including the Polish National Opera, La Monnaie
, Teatro dell'Opera di Roma
, Hamburg State Opera
, Vienna State Opera
, Vancouver Opera
, Zurich Opera
, Miami Opera
, Philadelphia Lyric Opera Company
, and the Royal Opera
at Covent Garden
among others.
In 1961, Bjoner joined the roster at the Bavarian State Opera
where she performed repeatedly through 1965. Her roles with the company included the Empress in Richard Strauss
's Die Frau ohne Schatten
(1963), the title role in Strauss's Daphne
(1964), and Isolde in Wagner's Tristan und Isolde
(1965) among others. During this time, Bjoner was also engaged by the Metropolitan Opera
in New York City between 1961 and 1967. Her first appearance at the Met was as Elsa on October 28, 1961 opposite Sándor Kónya
as Lohengrin. Her other roles at the Met during this time included Ariadne, Countess Almaviva in Le nozze di Figaro, Donna Anna, the Empress, Eva in Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg
, and Gutrune. While in New York, she sang the role of The Duchess of Parma for the American premiere of Ferruccio Busoni
's Doktor Faust
presented in a concert setting at Carnegie Hall
on December 1, 1964.
as Elsa and in 1967 she returned to Covent Garden to appear in three operas: Leonore in Fidelio
, Senta in The Flying Dutchman
, and Sieglinde in Die Walküre
. She appeared at the Salzburg Festival
in both 1969 and 1970 as Leonore and reprised that role again in a return to the Met in 1971. In 1970 she performed for the first time at the Teatro Real
, the Royal Danish Opera, and the Pittsburgh Opera
. In 1972 she made her debut at the Palais Garnier
singing Isolde and the title role in Giacomo Puccini
's Tosca
. She returned to the Met again in 1974 to sing Turandot. She returned to La Scala in 1975 to sing Brünnhilde in Götterdämmerung. Other notable appearances during the 1970s include performances at the Staatsoper Stuttgart
, Royal Swedish Opera, Norwegian National Opera, Deutsche Oper Berlin
, Vienna State Opera, and several Bayreuth festivals among others.
In 1981 Bjoner made her debut at the Oper der Stadt Köln as Elisabeth in Tannhäuser
. In 1985 she directed her first opera, Strauss's Elektra
, at the Norwegian National Opera which she also starred in as the title part. She repeated that feat the following year at the Royal Danish Opera. In 1986 she returned to the Bayreuth festival once again to sing Isolde and Kostelnička Buryjovka in Jenůfa
. In 1987 she recorded Elektra for the Italian radio RAI
and in 1988 returned to the Bavarian State Opera
to sing Färberin in Die Frau ohne Schatten
. In 1989 she appeared as Senta at the Norwegian National Opera and gave her last opera performance in 1990 as Färberin at the Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe
.
After retiring from her performing career, Bjoner served on the faculty of the Norwegian Academy of Music
and Royal Danish Academy of Music.
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
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...
who had a prolific international opera
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...
career between 1956 and 1990. She was particularly celebrated for her portrayal of Wagnerian heroines and for her performances in operas by Richard Strauss
Richard Strauss
Richard Georg Strauss was a leading German composer of the late Romantic and early modern eras. He is known for his operas, which include Der Rosenkavalier and Salome; his Lieder, especially his Four Last Songs; and his tone poems and orchestral works, such as Death and Transfiguration, Till...
. In addition to performing in operas, Bjoner was an active concert soloist and recital performer throughout her career. In 1964 she was awarded the St Olav's medal
St Olav's medal
The St. Olav's Medal and the St. Olav's Medal With Oak Branch were instituted by King Haakon VII of Norway on 17 March 1939. They are awarded in recognition of "outstanding services rendered in connection with the spreading of information about Norway abroad and for strengthening the bonds between...
by King
King
- Centers of population :* King, Ontario, CanadaIn USA:* King, Indiana* King, North Carolina* King, Lincoln County, Wisconsin* King, Waupaca County, Wisconsin* King County, Washington- Moving-image works :Television:...
Olav V of Norway
Olav V of Norway
Olav V was the king of Norway from 1957 until his death. A member of the House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, Olav was born in the United Kingdom as the son of King Haakon VII of Norway and Queen Maud of Norway...
.
Early life and career
Born in KråkstadKråkstad
Kråkstad is a village and former municipality in Ski municipality, Akershus county, Norway.The parish of Kraakstad was established as a municipality January 1, 1838...
, Bjoner was educated as a pharmacist
Pharmacist
Pharmacists are allied health professionals who practice in pharmacy, the field of health sciences focusing on safe and effective medication use...
at the University of Oslo
University of Oslo
The University of Oslo , formerly The Royal Frederick University , is the oldest and largest university in Norway, situated in the Norwegian capital of Oslo. The university was founded in 1811 and was modelled after the recently established University of Berlin...
during which time she studied singing as a hobby with Gudrun Boellemose. She drew considerable public notice after an extraordinary performance at Oslo Cathedral
Oslo Cathedral
Oslo Cathedral — formerly Our Savior's Church — is the main church for the Oslo bishopric of the Church of Norway, as well as the parish church for downtown Oslo. The present building dates from 1694-1697....
which reoriented her path towards a professional musical career. She travelled to Germany for further voice lessons with Paul Lohmann
Paul Lohmann
Paul Lohmann is a cinematographer. In 1976, he won an Emmy for Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography for Entertainment Programming for a Special for Eleanor and Franklin, an award he shared with Edward R...
at Frankfurt Musikhochschule and Franziska Mattienseen-Lohmann in Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and centre of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region.Düsseldorf is an important international business and financial centre and renowned for its fashion and trade fairs. Located centrally within the European Megalopolis, the...
.
In 1956 Bjoner made her first professional appearance singing the role of the Third Norn for a radio broadcast of Richard Wagner
Richard Wagner
Wilhelm Richard Wagner was a German composer, conductor, theatre director, philosopher, music theorist, poet, essayist and writer primarily known for his operas...
's Götterdämmerung
Götterdämmerung
is the last in Richard Wagner's cycle of four operas titled Der Ring des Nibelungen...
produced by the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation and starring Kirsten Flagstad
Kirsten Flagstad
Kirsten Målfrid Flagstad was a Norwegian opera singer and a highly regarded Wagnerian soprano...
as Brünnhilde. In 1957 she made her stage debut as Donna Anna in Mozart's Don Giovanni
Don Giovanni
Don Giovanni is an opera in two acts with music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and with an Italian libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte. It was premiered by the Prague Italian opera at the Teatro di Praga on October 29, 1787...
with the Norwegian National Opera; reprising the role later that year for her debut at the opera house in Wuppertal
Wuppertal
Wuppertal is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in and around the Wupper river valley, and is situated east of the city of Düsseldorf and south of the Ruhr area. With a population of approximately 350,000, it is the largest city in the Bergisches Land...
. Bjoner went on to sing several more roles in Wuppertal between 1957-1959. Also in 1957, she portrayed the title role in Handel
HANDEL
HANDEL was the code-name for the UK's National Attack Warning System in the Cold War. It consisted of a small console consisting of two microphones, lights and gauges. The reason behind this was to provide a back-up if anything failed....
's Rodelinda at the Drottningholm Palace Theatre
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...
for the Drottningholm Festival through the invitation of Flagstad.
Rise to fame
In 1959, Bjoner joined the roster at the Deutsche Oper am RheinDeutsche Oper am Rhein
The Deutsche Oper am Rhein is an opera company based in Düsseldorf and Duisburg. The opera also has an associated classical ballet company....
where she sang regularly for three seasons. That same year she made her first appearance at the Vienna State Opera
Vienna State Opera
The Vienna State Opera is an opera house – and opera company – with a history dating back to the mid-19th century. It is located in the centre of Vienna, Austria. It was originally called the Vienna Court Opera . In 1920, with the replacement of the Habsburg Monarchy by the First Austrian...
where she returned periodically through 1986 in such roles as Ariadne in Ariadne auf Naxos
Ariadne auf Naxos
Ariadne auf Naxos is an opera by Richard Strauss with a German libretto by Hugo von Hofmannsthal. Bringing together slapstick comedy and consuming beautiful music, the opera's theme is the competition between high and low art for the public's attention.- First version :The opera was originally...
, Desdemona in Otello
Otello
Otello is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Arrigo Boito, based on Shakespeare's play Othello. It was Verdi's penultimate opera, and was first performed at the Teatro alla Scala, Milan, on February 5, 1887....
, Leonore in Fidelio
Fidelio
Fidelio is a German opera in two acts by Ludwig van Beethoven. It is Beethoven's only opera. The German libretto is by Joseph Sonnleithner from the French of Jean-Nicolas Bouilly which had been used for the 1798 opera Léonore, ou L’amour conjugal by Pierre Gaveaux, and for the 1804 opera Leonora...
, Rezia in Oberon
Oberon (opera)
Oberon, or The Elf King's Oath is a 3-act romantic opera in English with spoken dialogue and music by Carl Maria von Weber. The libretto by James Robinson Planche was based on a German poem, Oberon, by Christoph Martin Wieland, which itself was based on the epic romance Huon de Bordeaux, a French...
, and the title role in Turandot
Turandot
Turandot is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini, set to a libretto in Italian by Giuseppe Adami and Renato Simoni.Though Puccini's first interest in the subject was based on his reading of Friedrich Schiller's adaptation of the play, his work is most nearly based on the earlier text Turandot...
.
In 1960, Bjoner made her United States debut with the San Francisco Opera
San Francisco Opera
San Francisco Opera is an American opera company, based in San Francisco, California.It was founded in 1923 by Gaetano Merola and is the second largest opera company in North America...
as Elsa in Wagner's Lohengrin
Lohengrin (opera)
Lohengrin is a romantic opera in three acts composed and written by Richard Wagner, first performed in 1850. The story of the eponymous character is taken from medieval German romance, notably the Parzival of Wolfram von Eschenbach and its sequel, Lohengrin, written by a different author, itself...
and her debut at the Bayreuth Festival
Bayreuth Festival
The Bayreuth Festival is a music festival held annually in Bayreuth, Germany, at which performances of operas by the 19th century German composer Richard Wagner are presented...
as Freia, Helmwige, and Gutrune in Wagner's The Ring Cycle, both of them critical successes. That same year she earned contracts with the Royal Swedish Opera
Royal Swedish Opera
Kungliga Operan is Sweden's national stage for opera and ballet.-Location and Environment:...
and the Norwegian National Opera which made her a repeat performer in those houses during the 1960s and 1970s. This was followed by engagements at various opera houses around the world throughout the 1960s, including the Polish National Opera, La Monnaie
La Monnaie
Le Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie , or the Koninklijke Muntschouwburg is a theatre in Brussels, Belgium....
, Teatro dell'Opera di Roma
Teatro dell'Opera di Roma
The Teatro dell'Opera di Roma is an opera house in Rome, Italy. Originally opened in November 1880 as the 2,212 seat Costanzi Theatre, it has undergone several changes of name as well modifications and improvements...
, Hamburg State Opera
Hamburg State Opera
The Hamburg State Opera is one of the leading opera companies in Germany.Opera in Hamburg dates back to 2 January 1678 when the "Opern-Theatrum" was inaugurated with a performance of a biblical Singspiel by Johann Theile...
, Vienna State Opera
Vienna State Opera
The Vienna State Opera is an opera house – and opera company – with a history dating back to the mid-19th century. It is located in the centre of Vienna, Austria. It was originally called the Vienna Court Opera . In 1920, with the replacement of the Habsburg Monarchy by the First Austrian...
, Vancouver Opera
Vancouver Opera
Vancouver Opera is the second largest performing arts organization in British Columbia and the largest opera company in western Canada.It performs in the Queen Elizabeth Theatre accompanied currently by the Vancouver Opera Orchestra, one of two specialized opera orchestras in Canada...
, Zurich Opera
Zurich Opera
Oper Zürich is an opera company based in Zurich, Switzerland. The company gives performances in the Opernhaus Zürich which has been the company’s home for fifty years.-History:...
, Miami Opera
Florida Grand Opera
Florida Grand Opera is an American opera company based in Miami, Florida. FGO was created in 1994 from the consolidation of two opera companies in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale region:...
, Philadelphia Lyric Opera Company
Philadelphia Lyric Opera Company
The Philadelphia Lyric Opera Company was an American opera company located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that was active between 1958 and 1974. The company was led by a number of Artistic Directors during its history, beginning with Aurelio Fabiani. Other notable Artistic Directors include Julius...
, and the Royal Opera
Royal Opera, London
The Royal Opera is an opera company based in central London, resident at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. Along with the English National Opera, it is one of the two principal opera companies in London. Founded in 1946 as the Covent Garden Opera Company, it was known by that title until 1968...
at Covent Garden
Covent Garden
Covent Garden is a district in London on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St. Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit and vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist site, and the Royal Opera House, which is also known as...
among others.
In 1961, Bjoner joined the roster at the Bavarian State Opera
Bavarian State Opera
The Bavarian State Opera is an opera company based in Munich, Germany.Its orchestra is the Bavarian State Orchestra.- History:The opera company which was founded under Princess Henriette Adelaide of Savoy has been in existence since 1653...
where she performed repeatedly through 1965. Her roles with the company included the Empress in Richard Strauss
Richard Strauss
Richard Georg Strauss was a leading German composer of the late Romantic and early modern eras. He is known for his operas, which include Der Rosenkavalier and Salome; his Lieder, especially his Four Last Songs; and his tone poems and orchestral works, such as Death and Transfiguration, Till...
's Die Frau ohne Schatten
Die Frau ohne Schatten
Die Frau ohne Schatten is an opera in three acts by Richard Strauss with a libretto by his long-time collaborator, the poet Hugo von Hofmannsthal. It was written between 1911 and either 1915 or 1917...
(1963), the title role in Strauss's Daphne
Daphne (opera)
Daphne is an opera in one act by Richard Strauss, his 13th opera, subtitled "A Bucolic Tragedy in One Act". The German libretto was by Joseph Gregor. The opera is based loosely on a myth from Ovid's Metamorphoses, and also includes elements taken from The Bacchae by Euripides...
(1964), and Isolde in Wagner's Tristan und Isolde
Tristan und Isolde
Tristan und Isolde is an opera, or music drama, in three acts by Richard Wagner to a German libretto by the composer, based largely on the romance by Gottfried von Straßburg. It was composed between 1857 and 1859 and premiered in Munich on 10 June 1865 with Hans von Bülow conducting...
(1965) among others. During this time, Bjoner was also engaged by the Metropolitan Opera
Metropolitan Opera
The Metropolitan Opera is an opera company, located in New York City. Originally founded in 1880, the company gave its first performance on October 22, 1883. The company is operated by the non-profit Metropolitan Opera Association, with Peter Gelb as general manager...
in New York City between 1961 and 1967. Her first appearance at the Met was as Elsa on October 28, 1961 opposite Sándor Kónya
Sándor Kónya
Sándor Kónya was an Hungarian tenor, particularly associated with German and Italianroles, especially Lohengrin and Calaf.- Biography :...
as Lohengrin. Her other roles at the Met during this time included Ariadne, Countess Almaviva in Le nozze di Figaro, Donna Anna, the Empress, Eva in Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg
Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg
Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg is an opera in three acts, written and composed by Richard Wagner. It is among the longest operas still commonly performed today, usually taking around four and a half hours. It was first performed at the Königliches Hof- und National-Theater in Munich, on June 21,...
, and Gutrune. While in New York, she sang the role of The Duchess of Parma for the American premiere of Ferruccio Busoni
Ferruccio Busoni
Ferruccio Busoni was an Italian composer, pianist, editor, writer, piano and composition teacher, and conductor.-Biography:...
's Doktor Faust
Doktor Faust
Doktor Faust is an opera by Ferruccio Busoni with a German libretto by the composer himself, based on the myth of Faust. Busoni worked on the opera, which he intended as his masterpiece, between 1916 and 1924, but it was still incomplete at the time of his death. His pupil Philipp Jarnach finished it...
presented in a concert setting at Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States, located at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east stretch of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street and West 57th Street, two blocks south of Central Park....
on December 1, 1964.
Later career
In 1965 Bjoner made her debut at La ScalaLa Scala
La Scala , is a world renowned opera house in Milan, Italy. The theatre was inaugurated on 3 August 1778 and was originally known as the New Royal-Ducal Theatre at La Scala...
as Elsa and in 1967 she returned to Covent Garden to appear in three operas: Leonore in Fidelio
Fidelio
Fidelio is a German opera in two acts by Ludwig van Beethoven. It is Beethoven's only opera. The German libretto is by Joseph Sonnleithner from the French of Jean-Nicolas Bouilly which had been used for the 1798 opera Léonore, ou L’amour conjugal by Pierre Gaveaux, and for the 1804 opera Leonora...
, Senta in The Flying Dutchman
The Flying Dutchman (opera)
Der fliegende Holländer is an opera, with music and libretto by Richard Wagner.Wagner claimed in his 1870 autobiography Mein Leben that he had been inspired to write "The Flying Dutchman" following a stormy sea crossing he made from Riga to London in July and August 1839, but in his 1843...
, and Sieglinde in Die Walküre
Die Walküre
Die Walküre , WWV 86B, is the second of the four operas that form the cycle Der Ring des Nibelungen , by Richard Wagner...
. She appeared at the Salzburg Festival
Salzburg Festival
The Salzburg Festival is a prominent festival of music and drama established in 1920. It is held each summer within the Austrian town of Salzburg, the birthplace of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart...
in both 1969 and 1970 as Leonore and reprised that role again in a return to the Met in 1971. In 1970 she performed for the first time at the Teatro Real
Teatro Real
The Teatro Real or simply El Real , is a major opera house located in Madrid, Spain.-History:...
, the Royal Danish Opera, and the Pittsburgh Opera
Pittsburgh Opera
Pittsburgh Opera is an American opera company based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is one of two opera companies in the city, the other being Opera Theatre of Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh Opera gives performances in several venues, primarily at the Benedum Center, with other performances at the...
. In 1972 she made her debut at the Palais Garnier
Palais Garnier
The Palais Garnier, , is an elegant 1,979-seat opera house, which was built from 1861 to 1875 for the Paris Opera. It was originally called the Salle des Capucines because of its location on the Boulevard des Capucines in the 9th arrondissement of Paris, but soon became known as the Palais Garnier...
singing Isolde and the title role in Giacomo Puccini
Giacomo Puccini
Giacomo Antonio Domenico Michele Secondo Maria Puccini was an Italian composer whose operas, including La bohème, Tosca, Madama Butterfly, and Turandot, are among the most frequently performed in the standard repertoire...
's Tosca
Tosca
Tosca is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. It premiered at the Teatro Costanzi in Rome on 14 January 1900...
. She returned to the Met again in 1974 to sing Turandot. She returned to La Scala in 1975 to sing Brünnhilde in Götterdämmerung. Other notable appearances during the 1970s include performances at the Staatsoper Stuttgart
Staatsoper Stuttgart
The Staatsoper Stuttgart is a German opera company based in Stuttgart, Germany.-History:The Stuttgart Staatsoper forms part of the Stuttgart State Theatre , which is a a three-branch-theatre complex and represents the largest theatre of its kind in Europe...
, Royal Swedish Opera, Norwegian National Opera, Deutsche Oper Berlin
Deutsche Oper Berlin
The Deutsche Oper Berlin is an opera company located in the Charlottenburg district of Berlin, Germany. The resident building is also home to the Berlin State Ballet.-History:...
, Vienna State Opera, and several Bayreuth festivals among others.
In 1981 Bjoner made her debut at the Oper der Stadt Köln as Elisabeth in Tannhäuser
Tannhäuser (opera)
Tannhäuser is an opera in three acts, music and text by Richard Wagner, based on the two German legends of Tannhäuser and the song contest at Wartburg...
. In 1985 she directed her first opera, Strauss's Elektra
Elektra (opera)
Elektra is a one-act opera by Richard Strauss, to a German-language libretto by Hugo von Hofmannsthal, which he adapted from his 1903 drama Elektra. The opera was the first of many collaborations between Strauss and Hofmannsthal...
, at the Norwegian National Opera which she also starred in as the title part. She repeated that feat the following year at the Royal Danish Opera. In 1986 she returned to the Bayreuth festival once again to sing Isolde and Kostelnička Buryjovka in Jenůfa
Jenufa
Jenůfa is an opera in three acts by Leoš Janáček to a Czech libretto by the composer, based on the play Její pastorkyňa by Gabriela Preissová. It was first performed at the Brno Theater, Brno, 21 January 1904...
. In 1987 she recorded Elektra for the Italian radio RAI
RAI
RAI — Radiotelevisione italiana S.p.A. known until 1954 as Radio Audizioni Italiane, is the Italian state owned public service broadcaster controlled by the Ministry of Economic Development. Rai is the biggest television company in Italy...
and in 1988 returned to the Bavarian State Opera
Bavarian State Opera
The Bavarian State Opera is an opera company based in Munich, Germany.Its orchestra is the Bavarian State Orchestra.- History:The opera company which was founded under Princess Henriette Adelaide of Savoy has been in existence since 1653...
to sing Färberin in Die Frau ohne Schatten
Die Frau ohne Schatten
Die Frau ohne Schatten is an opera in three acts by Richard Strauss with a libretto by his long-time collaborator, the poet Hugo von Hofmannsthal. It was written between 1911 and either 1915 or 1917...
. In 1989 she appeared as Senta at the Norwegian National Opera and gave her last opera performance in 1990 as Färberin at the Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe
Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe
The Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe is a theatre and opera house in Karlsruhe, Germany. It has existed in its present form and place at Ettlinger Tor since 1975...
.
After retiring from her performing career, Bjoner served on the faculty of the Norwegian Academy of Music
Norwegian Academy of Music
The Norwegian Academy of Music is a music conservatory located in Oslo, Norway, in the neighbourhood of Majorstuen, Frogner. It is the largest music academy in Norway and offers the country's highest level of music education. As a university college, it offers both undergraduate and postgraduate...
and Royal Danish Academy of Music.