The Birgit Nilsson Prize Award Ceremony 200913 October 2009Royal Swedish Opera Stockholm

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Your MajestiesDistiNGuisHeD Guests

on behalf of the Birgit Nilsson Foundation, welcome

to the first award Ceremony of the Birgit Nilsson Prize.

Here at the royal opera in stockholm, the legendary

Birgit Nilsson made her debut 63 years ago. this evening

the Foundation is awarding the first Birgit Nilsson Prize

for outstanding achievement in opera and Concert — to

honour those who, performance after performance, bring

the music to life, bridging the gap between composer

and audience.

Before her death in 2005 Birgit Nilsson chose Plácido

Domingo as the first recipient of the Prize. she held him

in high esteem as singer, conductor and humanitarian

and wanted to honour him as one of the greatest opera

singers of all time. the admiration was mutual: “she

personified musical excellence. and each time i was on

stage with her, i was so overwhelmed by her voice that

i almost forgot to sing,” says Plácido Domingo.

in the future, an appointed jury will recommend the

singer or conductor who has made an outstanding con-

tribution to the world of music, or select an exceptional

opera production which has been staged in the spirit

of the composer.

on behalf of the Birgit Nilsson Foundation, i trust this

evening will remain memorable, and i thank you for

taking part in this event.

Prof. Dr. rutbert reisch

President of the Birgit Nilsson Foundation

Welcome

Birgit Nilsson and Plácido Domingo in ‘turandot’, the Metropolitan opera 1970Photo: Louis Péres

Cover photo: sheila rock

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H.M. King Carl XVI Gustaf and H.M. Queen Silvia

at the award Ceremony, H.M. King Carl XVi Gustaf

will present the Birgit Nilsson Prize to Plácido Domingo

in the presence of H.M. the Queen.

as an enthusiast of the arts and music, H.M. King

Carl XVi Gustaf attended many of Birgit Nilsson’s

performances at the royal swedish opera. in 1981,

Birgit Nilsson was decorated with the illis Quorum

Gold Medal, the highest award conferred upon a swedish

citizen by the Government of sweden, in recognition of

her outstanding cultural and artistic contribution.

upon being informed of her death in 2005, H.M. King

Carl XVi Gustaf said, “With Birgit Nilsson’s passing away,

sweden has lost one of its greatest artists.”

H.M. King Carl XVi Gustaf and H.M. Queen silvia of swedenPhoto: Hans Hammarskiöld

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The Programme

the royal swedish opera will open its doors at 17.00 h.

all guests must be seated by 17.50 h at the latest.

the swedish television presenter Camilla Lundberg will

moderate the Ceremony.

the President of the Birgit Nilsson Foundation, Prof. Dr.

rutbert reisch, will open the Ceremony by welcoming the

guests. Hans-Peter Lehmann, former General Manager

of the state opera of Hanover and assistant Director

at the Bayreuth Festival, will then pay homage to

Birgit Nilsson. His laudatory speech will be followed by

a performance of the swedish soprano Nina stemme,

accompanied by the royal swedish orchestra conducted

by Gregor Bühl. they will perform the ‘Liebestod’ from

Wagner’s ‘tristan und isolde’. thereafter, the artistic

Director of the royal swedish opera, Birgitta svendén,

will give the laudatory speech for Plácido Domingo.

H.M. King Carl XVi Gustaf will then present the Birgit

Nilsson Prize to Plácido Domingo, who was chosen by

the late Birgit Nilsson to be the first Prize winner. to

conclude, the royal swedish orchestra will perform the

prelude to Wagner’s ‘Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg’.

the award Ceremony will finish at approximately 19.15 h.

after the Ceremony, the audience will be invited to

a cocktail reception at the royal swedish opera by the

Birgit Nilsson Foundation.

Photo: alexander Kenney

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The Royal Anthem

Birgit Nilsson in ‘Götterdämmerung’, the Metropolitan opera 1975Photo: Beth Bergman

Written around 1844, the royal anthem (‘ur svenska

hjärtans djup en gång’) pays homage to H.M. the King

as the symbol of the swedish nation. Lyrics by C.V. a.

strandberg, music by otto Lindblad.

to open the Ceremony,

the audience will stand and sing the royal anthem.

Ur svenska hjärtans djup en gång

en samfälld och en enkel sång,

som går till kungen fram!

Var honom trofast och hans ätt,

gör kronan på hans hjässa lätt,

och all din tro till honom sätt,

du folk av frejdad stam!

From the depth of Swedish hearts,a joint and simple song,which to the King reaches forth!Be faithful to him and his line,the crown upon his head, make light,and all your faith in him invest,you folk of high renown.(unofficial translation)

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Birgit Nilsson

No one could have predicted that Birgit Nilsson would

one day become an icon among the interpreters of

Wagner, strauss, Puccini and Verdi, and perform at the

world’s leading opera houses. Born on 17 May 1918 in

Västra Karup, a town in the southern swedish province

of skåne, the young farmer’s daughter was at first simply

seen as an exceptional vocal talent who was welcome

to sing in the local church choir.

Birgit Nilsson completed her professional training as a

soprano at the stockholm opera school, and in 1946

made her debut as agathe in ‘Der Freischütz’ at the

royal swedish opera in stockholm. Her stage repertoire

quickly broke through the lyrical and youthful-dramatic

roles. soon she achieved great acclaim at international

level, both from her audiences and the critics.

Wagner’s isolde and Brünnhilde, Puccini’s tosca and

turandot, richard strauss’ elektra, salome and the

Dyer’s Wife in ‘Die Frau ohne schatten’ — these were

parts that became the core repertoire of Birgit Nilsson.

the opening of the La scala season 1958 as turandot,

her debut at the Metropolitan opera as isolde in Decem-

ber 1959, and her Brünnhilde and isolde in Wieland

Wagner’s productions in Bayreuth were considered

milestones in her career. a collegial recognition of Birgit

Nilsson’s artistry was evident during a television inter-

view several years ago when Plácido Domingo was asked

what musical recordings he cherished most — he

answered, “one of my all-time favorites is ‘in questa

reggia’ sung by Birgit Nilsson but the recording cannot

compare to the sound i heard when singing with her.”

after 36 years, Birgit Nilsson suddenly retired from the

opera stage in 1982, without giving a farewell perform-

ance, remarking in her typical style, “it’s better to be

retiring two years too early than two years too late!”

there followed a concert tour in 1984, after which she

devoted her time to sharing her experience with young

talented singers. Her life continued to be dedicated

to opera even after she left the stage. Birgit Nilsson

died on 25 December 2005, at the age of 87, in her

swedish homeland, where she was buried in a quiet

ceremony.

Birgit Nilsson in ‘turandot’,Vienna state opera 1961

Photo: Foto Fayer

Birgit Nilsson in ‘tristan und isolde’, Vienna state opera 1967Photo: Foto Fayer

Birgit Nilsson with Wieland Wagner in ‘tristan und isolde’, Bayreuth Festival 1965–1970Photo: siegfried Lauterwasser

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Birgit Nilsson with Franco Corelli in ‘tosca’, the Metropolitan opera 1968Photo: Beth Bergman

Birgit Nilsson with james Levine in ‘elektra’, the Metropolitan opera 1980Photo: Beth Bergman

Birgit Nilsson with conductor Karl Böhm in ‘salome’, the Metropolitan opera 1965 Photo: Beth Bergman

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Plácido Domingo Recipient of the first Birgit Nilsson Prize

Plácido Domingo’s worldwide career is legendary —

singing 130 different roles, more than any other tenor

in history. ten years ago, Plácido Domingo surpassed

enrico Caruso’s longstanding record of opening the

Metropolitan opera season, and in 2009, he celebrates

his 40th year of singing at the Metropolitan opera,

having opened the season 21 times. Plácido Domingo’s

musicality is confirmed by his extraordinary repertoire

and singing career, as well as his accomplishments as a

conductor, administrator, humanitarian, and creator of

young artist programmes and competitions.

Plácido Domingo was born in the Barrio de salamanca

district of Madrid on 21 january 1941. after moving

to Mexico at the age of 8, he went to Mexico City’s

Conservatory of Music to study piano and conducting,

but then studied vocal training after his voice was

discovered.

in 1961, Plácido Domingo made his operatic debut in

a leading role as alfredo in ‘La traviata’ at Monterrey.

He has sung and continues to sing in every major opera

House in the world. Being constantly challenged by

new roles — in six different languages —, he has made

an unparalleled amount of recordings, of which 101 are

full-length operas. the range of his repertoire extends

from Mozart to Verdi, from Berlioz to Puccini, from

Wagner to Ginastera.

as a conductor in the classical field of opera and concerts,

he has led performances in all the important theatres.

Furthermore, Plácido Domingo’s interest in helping

young singers is emphasized by his yearly competition

‘operalia’, which has taken place all over the world.

BirGit NiLssoN aND PLáCiDo DoMiNGo

Birgit Nilsson and Plácido Domingo first sang together

in New York at the Metropolitan opera on 15 February

1969, in a matinee production of ‘tosca’. Birgit Nilsson

remarked that, “Plácido acquitted himself splendidly.

He was an incredibly good Cavaradossi, his acting was

superb — he was the part, he loved the part and on top,

there was gorgeous singing.”

Birgit Nilsson chose Plácido Domingo as the first

recipient of the Birgit Nilsson Prize before her death in

2005. the Prize honours Plácido Domingo for his singular

contribution to the performing arts, his outstanding

musicianship, glorious voice, dramatic expressiveness,

thorough professionalism, and his commitment to serve

the composer.

Birgit Nilsson with Plácido Domingo backstage after ‘La traviata’, the Metropolitan opera 1981Photo: Patrick Farrell, Linda Gale

Photo: sheila rock

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Honouring Birgit Nilsson and Plácido Domingo

HaNs-Peter LeHMaNN

at the award Ceremony, the German Director Hans-Peter

Lehmann will reflect on his friendship with Birgit Nilsson

and the influence she had on the world of opera.

the stage Director and artistic Director, born in Kassel,

Germany in 1934, and married to the singer erika Maria

Lehmann, was assistant Director to Wieland and Wolfgang

Wagner in Bayreuth — and thus came to know Birgit

Nilsson in 1960. a close friendship developed as a result

of their long cooperation.

the long-time general manager of the Hanover state

opera has been an independent Director since 2001.

Wagner, strauss and Verdi are at the centre of his work

as stage Director at the leading musical institutions

around the world, including the Metropolitan opera and

La scala. Hans-Peter Lehmann also teaches at various

academies in Germany, and acts as a jury member at

international singing competitions.

BirGitta sVeNDéN

the artistic Director of the royal swedish opera,

Birgitta svendén, will give the laudatory speech on

Plácido Domingo.

Birgitta svendén is one of the most important swedish

opera singers and was appointed swedish royal Court

singer in 1995. she was a member of the royal opera

until 1994 and, during that time, in high demand world-

wide. For thirteen seasons at Bayreuth she sang in a

total of 157 performances. Birgitta svendén appeared as

erda in the ‘ring’, sang Waltraute in ‘Götterdämmerung’

and Magdalene in ‘Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg’, to

mention just a few of her roles. she also sang at the Metro-

politan opera for ten seasons between 1986 and 1998.

Hans-Peter Lehmann and Birgit Nilsson at the Bayreuth Festival, rehearsal of ‘tristan und isolde’, 1967Photo: Bayreuther Festspiele

Photo: alexander Kenney

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NiNa steMMe

the swedish soprano Nina stemme will perform the

‘Liebestod’ from ‘tristan und isolde’.

the opera world discovered Nina stemme in 1993,

when she was among the first outstanding young talents

at the operalia — the World opera Competition founded

by Plácido Domingo. in 1996, she won the scholarship of

the ‘stiftelsen Birgit Nilssons stipendiefond’.

since her first performance of isolde at the Glyndebourne

Festival, her interpretation of the ‘Liebestod’ has moved

countless opera lovers. she was also an acclaimed

success at the Bayreuth Festival. along with Plácido

Domingo, she made a now famous recording of ‘tristan

und isolde’ in 2005.

Der LieBestoD

Mild und leise.

isolde’s transfiguration — the ‘Liebestod’ — requires

a strong dramatic voice capable of soaring over the

full orchestra as well as floating a subtle pianissimo.

isolde was one of the roles Birgit Nilsson performed

most frequently over the course of her career. “one

never finishes with isolde, even if one has sung her

more than two hundred times, as i have,” she once

said. of the ‘Liebestod’ she remarked, “However

fantastic the performance of isolde is in the first

two acts, if it fails during the ‘Liebestod’, it is not a

good isolde.”

Nina Stemme performs the ‘Liebestod’

Nina stemme in ‘tristan und isolde’, royal swedish opera 2004Photo: Mats Bäcker

the famous soprano has sung at all the leading opera

houses, concert halls and festivals throughout the world.

Nina stemme, who was appointed swedish royal Court

singer in 2006, is a member of the royal swedish

academy of Music.

Nina stemme’s performance of the ‘Liebestod’ will be

accompanied by the royal swedish orchestra under

the baton of Gregor Bühl.

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The Royal Swedish Orchestra plays the prelude to ‘Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg’

Die MeistersiNGer VoN NürNBerG

Wagner experienced unforeseen popularity

following the premiere of ‘Die Meistersinger von

Nürnberg’ in 1868. it became a veritable success

and ensured a wide audience for Wagner’s

musical cosmos.

unlike Wagner’s other works, it is not based on

mythology but on the German history of music.

Wagner began to compose ‘Meistersinger’ as early

as 1845 and finished it 22 years later.

in the ‘Meistersinger’, Wagner focuses on people,

social structures and the arts establishment with

great humour and originality — all without fore-

going a few serious and melancholy undertones.

the setting is 16th century Nuremberg where

the winner of a singing contest wins the hand in

marriage of the cobbler’s daughter.

GreGor BüHL, CoNDuCtor

the German conductor Gregor Bühl has strong ties to

the royal swedish opera, where he not only conducted

their critically acclaimed new ‘ring’ Cycle but also

productions of ‘tristan und isolde’, ‘samson et Dalila’,

‘Werther’ and ‘Le Nozze di Figaro’.

He has also worked extensively in european opera

houses such as Dresden, the Deutsche oper Berlin and

Leipzig and made his North american debut in toronto,

with Fidelio. He has worked with orchestras in Hamburg,

Hanover, Munich, Weimar, the Gewandhaus orchester

Leipzig and the israel Philharmonic.

Gregor Bühl studied conducting with Wolfgang trommer

in Düsseldorf and started his career as Gerd albrecht’s

assistant at the Hamburg opera, before acting as

1st Kapellmeister at the staatstheater Hanover from

1995 to 2001.

tHe roYaL sWeDisH orCHestra

the royal swedish orchestra currently comprises

107 members. the orcherstra traces its origins back

to the Court Chapel of the 16th century and is one of

the world’s oldest orchestras. as the only professional

orchestra in 19th century sweden, it also regularly

gave concerts with symphonic and vocal works.

Many of the world’s most distinguished conduc-

tors have worked with the orchestra. the list of

noted 20th century conductors includes Leo Blech,

Fritz Busch, sixten ehrling, Lamberto Gardelli,

Michael Gielen, Nils Grevillius, armas jarnefelt,

Berislav Klobucar, siegfried Köhler, Leif segerstam

and silvio Varviso.

the Ceremony will be concluded with the prelude to

‘Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg’, performed by the

royal swedish orchestra, conducted by Gregor Bühl.

Photo: Mats Bäcker

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Photo: alexander Kenney

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The Royal Swedish Opera

Kungliga operan or the royal swedish opera is the venue

of the Birgit Nilsson Prize award Ceremony 2009. it lies

in the centre of stockholm, opposite the royal Palace.

it was designed by axel johan anderberg and opened in

september 1898. it is a majestic neo-classical building

with a magnificent gold foyer and an elegant grand

marble staircase leading to a three-tiered auditorium.

over the years, the royal opera has introduced many

outstanding opera singers to the world of opera. jenny

Lind, Kerstin thorborg, jussi Björling, set svanholm,

Birgit Nilsson and Nicolai Gedda are but a few of the

legendary swedish singers who once made their debut at

the royal opera. and the tradition continues with singers

like Nina stemme, Katarina Dalayman, Peter Mattei and

many more.

BirGit NiLssoN at tHe roYaL sWeDisH oPera

Birgit Nilsson made her first appearance at the royal

opera on 9 october 1946 in the role of agathe in

Carl Maria von Weber’s ‘Der Freischütz’, and won great

acclaim as Lady Macbeth the following year. For a

decade, Birgit Nilsson was a permanent member of

the royal opera. she performed regularly at the opera

house as a guest singer until 1981 when she gave her

last performance there as Brünnhilde in ‘Die Walküre’.

“the evening of october 9, 1946 was windy

and overcast. the young girl from skane was

on her way to the royal opera for her first-ever

performance as a professional opera singer.

just five days earlier, she had been told that

she was to replace the scheduled agathe in

Weber’s ‘Der Freischütz’. the choice of taking

over the role fell on the young singer, who had

never previously sung at the opera.”

Birgit Nilsson, autobiography ‘La Nilsson’

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CaMiLLa LuNDBerG is GuiDiNG tHrouGH tHe eVeNiNG

Camilla Lundberg will act as moderator at the

award Ceremony. she is one of the best known

television personalities in sweden.

Camilla Lundberg joined the swedish national

television sVt as Head of Music in 1999, where

her first major production was ‘ingmar Bergman

on Music’. she is executive producer of the award

winning documentary ‘La Nilsson’ (2005).

For more than twenty years, Camilla Lundberg was

a senior music critic for the newspaper ‘expressen’.

she is also a well-known radio personality, having

hosted a morning show on classical music since the

1970s. in the year 2000, she published her essays

on music, politics and the arts, which were nomi-

nated for the swedish Booker Prize, ‘august’.

the royal swedish operaPhoto: Mats Bäcker

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towards the end of her long and distinguished career,

Birgit Nilsson decided to establish a foundation for a

prize, worth one million dollars, to be awarded every

second or third year for outstanding achievement by

a singer in the field of opera or concert or oratorio, or

a conductor in the classical field of opera or concert, or

a specific production by an opera company, as long

as this production is outstandingly cast and conducted

and, most importantly, staged in the spirit of the

composer.

according to the provisions of the Birgit Nilsson Foun-

dation, the decision on the recipients is made by the

Foundation Board, based on the recommendation of an

international jury. it may be split between two artists;

it may not be awarded to the same person twice. the

Birgit Nilsson Prize is the biggest prize in the history of

classical music.

The Birgit Nilsson Prizefor Outstanding Achievement in Opera and Concert

Birgit Nilsson in ‘tristan und isolde’, Vienna state opera 1967Photo: Foto Fayer

Project Management by Farner Consulting Ltd., Zurichalexander roosdorp, Project ManagerPatrik rosenberg, Head of event Managementjun sarbach, Head of Press officeBarbara Koster, Press officer internationalHannes Hultcrantz, Prat Pr, Press officer swedenDunja tonnemacher, stage DirectorNina Bunschi, Guest relations Managertsunshan samson Ng, Design Director

© 2009 the Birgit Nilsson Prize. all rights reserved.

the Birgit Nilsson Foundation expresses its deepest gratitude

to their Majesties for honouring the Foundation with their

presence at the award Ceremony and for presenting the Birgit

Nilsson Prize to its recipient Plácido Domingo.

tHe FouNDatioN WouLD LiKe to eXPress its DeeP aPPreCiatioN to

Lars-Hjalmar Wide, First Marshal of the Court

Hans Norlén, surveyor of the Court

annika sönnerberg, information officer of the royal Court

anders Franzén, Managing Director of the royal swedish opera

Birgitta svendén, artistic Director of the royal swedish opera

Kurt Blomquist, technical Director of the royal swedish opera

the royal swedish opera and orchestra

Nina stemme

Gregor Bühl

Hans-Peter Lehmann

Camilla Lundberg

Margareta Dellefors

Bengt Hall

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The Birgit Nilsson Prize

c/o Farner Consulting Ltd.

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CH-8001 Zurich

info@birgitnilssonprize.org

www.birgitnilssonprize.org