Reputations

I recently heard a concert by a well-known artist, with many recordings to their credit and many favorable reviews. Mine won't be one of them. I found the voice and artistry quite less than advertised and frankly can't quite see what the fuss is about. Am I missing something?

It is just goes to prove that you may not like what the critics do. Or that they might just be plain wrong. Of course this artist sells has many bookings and performances to their credit. Is it a matter just of personal taste or is it a question of the Emperor's new clothes? For the record, my companion's view was even more negative than mine.

In my nostalgia, I have been listening to the late lamented Birgit Nilsson's recordings and I just got around to Un ballo in maschera which she made for Decca with Solti in the late 50s. It was to have been with Bjoerling, but, infamously according to John Culshaw (but denied by his widow), Bjoerling was obstructive and lubricated and he was replaced with Bergonzi.

In any case, this recording is a minor blip on the Nilsson reputation. If this is all we had, it wouldn't amount to much. She is unparalleled in Tristan and Walkure, but in Verdi, she would rank low in my book. A smart lady: for every Gotterdammerung and Tristan, there was a Tosca and Turandot. She is famously quoted as saying that Wagner made her famous and Puccini made her rich. But I prefer to remember her great steely interpretations of Wagner and Strauss to the ill-tuned, unidiomatic Verdi and Mozart that I've been listening to recently. It doesn't make her any less great. Just not infallible.