University of Virginia Library

Triumph

This concert turned to be
another specifically "Nilsson
Triumph." Miss Nilsson started her
recital with Beethoven's concert
aria, "Ah! Shmerzan" and
Traume" seemed best, and then
songs by Richard Strauss which
were the best lieder of the evening.

Songs of Sibelius, Rangstrom
and Grieg followed in part two of
Miss Nilsson's program. One can tell
when Miss Nilsson is warming to
her audience in that she gets
"chatty" about the pieces. This
attitude on her part of course is
appreciated since it means she is
going to sing more perfectly than
before. By far the greatest success
of the evening was her rendering of
Verdi's aria from La Forza Del
Destino, "Pace, pace, mio Dio."
Her stage presence here was
consummate.

Miss Nilsson gave the most
effective reading of Verdi that I
have heard on or off the stage. I
purposely moved from the
orchestra section to the last row of
the balcony. Without the aid of any
electronic equipment, Birgit Nilsson
filled University Hall with perfectly
supported sound in each register of
her voice. Her coloration, dynamics
and fantastic vocal placement are
simply astounding.