Since May 8th, 2007, there is a promenade in Kungsträdgården Park, downtown Stockholm, with the name Birgit Nilsson, proving the significance this mythical artist has for the in habitants of this Nordic territory.

Birgit, even though being born in a farm in Skåne, to the south of Sweden, established a strong connection with music since she was a child, and being only three years old, she used to hum and play some melodies in a toy piano her mother had given her.

She assured, as a grown up, she did not only learn how to sing before walking, but singing was also a constant in her childhood dreams.

Later, when she became outstanding in the church choir, the Chapel Maestro did not hesitate to recommend her family to have her take some singing lessons; so she studied first with Ragnar Blennow in Båstad, and later in the Royal Academy of Music in Stockholm, under the guidance of Joseph Hislop and Arne Sunnegard.

However, she used to say she was self-taught, and she assured the best Maestro was the stage. About her early vocal education she used to comment: “My first singing teacheralmost kills me, and the second one was equally bad”…

Apparently, these problems in her training had the result of delaying her debut in the opera, and in 1946, when she was 28 years old, Birgit Nilsson had her debut at the Royal Opera in Stockholm, performing one of Weber´s operas under the direction of Leo Blech.

The result was not what the Swedish soprano was expecting, she even felt so disappointed and depressed with her performance that she commented in her later memoires she had even thought about suicide.

But taking into consideration it is always better to take one day at a time (something that applies to everybody at all times), the following year Birgit Nilsson, with her powerful voice, her self-confidence and her good taste, called the attention of the audience and the critics in her country while playing the leading role in Lady Macbeth by Verdi, under the direction of Frizt Buch, who, later on, would have a decisive role in the career of the Swedish singer.

After that, she played other leading roles by Verdi himself, besides Puccini, Wagner and Tchaikovsky, while she started sharing the scene with performers that already had a great reputation.

In 1951, her career started going to fame while obtaining, thanks to the Director Fritz Busch, a contract to perform in the famous Festival of Glyndebourne, in the United Kingdom, and in 1953 and for 25 years, she became a frequent performer at the State Opera in Vienna, rising as one of the most prestigious sopranos.

From that time on, her voice was heard in the great opera temples around the world, and she was catalogued by the critics like the best soprano performing Wagner in her times, even though it is important to highlight this was not the only German composer she successfully performed.

Once, during a tour around the United Statesin which she performed Aida, Tosca, Electra and Salome, The New York Times commented: …”voice of the impeccable truthand impregnable resistance”…

Together with her excellent voice, Birgit Nilsson also showed two other great qualities: her sense of humor and her ability to make good business.

Turned into one of the best paid singers in her field, it is told that once, while she was rehearsing at the Staatsoperin Viennaunder the direction of Karajan (with whom she did not have a very good relationship) her pearls necklace broke and the German Director asked: Are those pearls bought with your fabulous salary at the Metropolitan Opera?, to which she answered: No, these pearls are fake and they were bought with your lousy salary at the Staatsoperin Vienna.

After performing the most important roles for her voice, recording numerous albums, receiving several acknowledgements and writing her memoires, Birgit Nilsson retired in 1984, and moved to the rural house where she was born in Skåne, admitting the phrase her mother always advised her: “Keep close to the land, because if you fall, it will not hurt too much."

Birgit Nilsson died on December 25th, 2005 and the world critics assured that, with her passing, one of the most brilliant dramatic sopranos in history was lost, and Wagner´s heroine by excellence, something that, as it usually happened, she used to deal with using her sense of humor. When she was asked how she was able to take on exhausting roles such as Brunhilde or Isolde she replied: “I wear a good pair of shoes”.

Birgit Nilsson was born on May 17th, 1918, exactly 100 years ago.

Translation by Alberto Morales