Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Several Perspectives On Jussi Björling And La Bohème, Dan Shea

Journal of the Jussi Björling Societies of the USA & UK

Browsing the internet recently, I noticed Pristine Classical’s announcement of their new remastering of the “Beecham Bohème” and wondered how powerful modern sound engineering might affect the glorious vocalism of that 64 year old recording. The transcript engineer in charge, Andrew Rose, has built up a substantial catalogue of renovated recordings, mostly from the early LP era, often having surprising clarity and spatial ambience. Mr. Rose definitely seems to have very good taste concerning the artists his company features, including 13 of Jussi’s recordings from the era 1940-1957.

John Steane On Richard Caniell, John Steane

Newsletter of the Jussi Björling Societies of the USA & UK

In a book published almost forty years ago I wrote of the invaluable supply of ‘private’ recordings, mostly taken ‘off-the-air’ of live performances, some of them from the 1930s, noting that unfortunately they came with much factual misinformation and were unreliable in matters such as speed and pitch. I added that it was to be hoped that one day these faults could be amended, with proper editing of the originals and with more scholarly care over documentation. In one instance (and by no means the most important) I said that attention of this kind, by whoever provided it, “would earn …

Audio Update And Observations, Kristian Krogholm

Newsletter of the Jussi Björling Societies of the USA & UK

Under the guidance of Andrew Rose, Pristine Audio has issued no less than three Puccini recordings with Jussi Björling. Earlier I commented on PACO158 Manon Lescaut (Met-1956). To sum up my reactions from that set, I find the sound of orchestra absolutely exemplary. Few can make an old recording of an orchestra sound more up-to-date than Mr. Rose. I have in my collection most of Pristine’s Furtwängler and Toscanini sets and they are second to none. Björling`s voice on the other hand, I find sounds more “muscular” than is to my liking. And it is the restoration that has made …

The Avid Listener, Walter B. Rudolph

Newsletter of the Jussi Björling Societies of the USA & UK

During an email exchange, I encountered a link to a Charlie Rose interview with Eileen Farrell, whose inflection when pronouncing the name of “Jussi Björling” was indicative of her impression and respect (https://www. youtube.com/watch?v=xwwwK-MNdNI). It was even more specifically spelled out in Brian Kellow’s (Farrell) biography where she says, I was in awe of Björling—I would get so caught up listening to the gorgeous sounds that came out of his throat that I would forget to sing! (p. 151, Can’t Help Singing)

Cds Order Form Jussi Bjorling Society

Newsletter of the Jussi Björling Societies of the USA & UK

Our latest Bjorling CDs available now and perfect for gifts your Bjorling-Appreciative friends (or yourself):

Writing About Jussi's Recordings, Stephan Hastings

Newsletter of the Jussi Björling Societies of the USA & UK

In his 1945 autobiography Jussi Bjorling advocated setting up a national archive of sound recordings. There is thus no doubting his awareness of the significance of his own legacy in this field, as well as that of earlier singers like Caruso. The Neapolitan of course was the tenor who influenced the adult Bjorling more than any other, and in writing a full length study of Jussi's most significant recordings-building on the invaluable research undertaken by Harald Henrysson for his PHONOGRAPHY- I have come across multiple examples of that influence.

Jussi Bjorling Live Broadcast Concerts 1937-1960 (West Hill Radio Archives), Kristian Krogholm

Newsletter of the Jussi Björling Societies of the USA & UK

Finally it arrived in my mailbox: the Jussi Bjorling four-CD set, a masterpiece from the Jussi Bjorling Society issued by West Hill Radio Archives. A superb compilation with splendid layout, texts, photos and great sound covering roughly half of Bjorling's known radio appearances in America between 1937 and 1956 . An impressive feat by any standards considering how frequently he sang on American radio. As a bonus on this four CD set, we get excerpts from some of his concerts in Sweden to complete the picture of a divinely gifted and beloved artist. We are offered a wide range of …

"Jussi Bjorling Live: Broadcast Concerts 1937 - 1960", Dan Shea

Newsletter of the Jussi Björling Societies of the USA & UK

Jussi Bjorling introduced himself to America not by his first performances at the Metropolitan Opera starting in 1938, but rather in a remarkable series of three nationwide radio broadcasts made during 1937, on November 28 and December 5 and 19. As you can hear from a few surviving recordings made of those broadcasts, the 26-year-old tenor's brilliant voice and innate musicality projected beautifully through the microphone and the resulting attention enabled him to get a quick start on what became a major career in this country.

Movies With Jb Sound Recordings, Harald Henrysson

Newsletter of the Jussi Björling Societies of the USA & UK

Movies with JB sound recordings

• 40 Days and 40 Nights (4fijours et 40 nuits) Michael Lehmann, USA 2Q02: Recondita armonia
• Aria, Ken Russell (in segment with JB), USA 1987: Nessun dorma {240)
• and more

Notes

Newsletter of the Jussi Björling Societies of the USA & UK

Members of the Jussi Bjorling Society-USA can order the WHRA Don Carlo from the JB Museum via email for the bargain postage-included price of $42 and then pay via JBS-USA using a US bank check or Paypal: email your order and postal address to Jan-Olof Damberg at jussibjorlingmuseet@borlange. Then s end your check to Treasurer Art Skantz at 8317 W, Franklin Ave., St Loui s Park, MN 55426, USA (or, for Paypal, via askantz@iexposure.com).

Record Review: Jussi Bjorling In Song Testament Sbt 1427, Greg Fitzmaurice

Newsletter of the Jussi Björling Societies of the USA & UK

To my knowledge, this is the first release by Testament of a Bjorling album and it is to our good fortune that they've chosen the LP, RCA LM 1771, "Bjoerling in Song'; to base it on. For those not familiar with Testament, it is a company which obtains licenses from the original recording companies to release recordings that the original company has no plans for. As a result , Testament is allowed to use the original master tapes for the re- issue, which is important because that generally results in a recording superior to others which have had to rely …

4. The Hunt For Lost Broadcast Material In Good Sound, At Plates Like The Library Of Congress.

Newsletter of the Jussi Björling Societies of the USA & UK

This is a huge task but very little new has been accomplished during 2007 aside from the points mentioned above about the 1947 Met Trovatore, the coming new Bluebell CD, and Greg's CD. We have renewed our contacts with the Idabelle Firestone Library, the Bell Telephone archive, V AI. the Nostalgia Company, the Library of Congress, the NY Public Library archives of sound and other organizations. specially useful and enjoyable was a January visit to NYC to hear Seth Winner in two lectures about the Toscanini archive, and· the opportunity to consult with him about practicalities: What procedures are …

3. New Re-Releases Of Bjorling Recordings.

Newsletter of the Jussi Björling Societies of the USA & UK

There is a stream of multiple re-issues of many of the most famous of Bjorling's recordings available now in Europe, due to the copyright laws there: After 50 years, published recordings go into the public domain. Thus all of Jussi's complete operas up to 1957 have been re-released by companies like Naxos, Urania, and many others. Production values of these CDs vary, so 'caveat emptor'! A key point is that improvements in the sound of a later edition of a recording also are copyrighted for 50 years, and sometimes those improvements are worth having. As we learn of the most …

2. New Releases Of Bjorling Recordings, Including A Brand-New 78 Rpm Disk!

Newsletter of the Jussi Björling Societies of the USA & UK

Word has come from EMI that the two 78 rpm test pressings that Jussi made on September 4, 1929, and that supposedly were destroyed in 1930 [see the Henrysson "JB Phonography," pp. 76 and 160], actually do still exist! The Historic Masters organization ["HM"] intends to celebrate this fact by enabling a limited release of a 78 with these two sides: some 200-300 copies will be pressed (and sold probably for about $30-40 each). The two songs that Jussi chose for this occasion were Geehl's "For you alone" and Leoncavallo's "Mattinata," both sung in Swedish. While you certainly are familiar …

(2) News Of Recent And New Recordings Of Interest

Newsletter of the Jussi Björling Societies of the USA & UK

All members of JBS-USA and JBAS-UK .during the current year should have received the new Bluebell ABCD103 set with rare and previously unreleased operatic performances by JB from the archives of Swedish Radio, 1934-51. Our chapters of JBS -helped underwrite this release by committing to purchase almost 600 copies of the 2-CD set, which at least in the US is not available except by mail order purchase from Europe.

2. Jbs-Usa Enters A Legal Thicket, To Liberate Jussi's Library Of Congress Recordings, Dan Shea

Newsletter of the Jussi Björling Societies of the USA & UK

Treasures of Bjorling broadcasts, at least 9 of them, lie buried in a governmental archive, guarded by Fafnerian dragons with law degrees: Where are Siegfried and Notung when you need them!

John Steane Recalls Some Of Bjorling's Great Performances, John Steane

Newsletter of the Jussi Björling Societies of the USA & UK

After the above century-long perspective on Bjorling, by Jurgen Kesting, we quote a few excerpts from John Steane's lecture on the same day. That perspective reached back to Gigli, Pertile, and implicitly Caruso, and was titled ' "Jussi Bjorling in London." Here Mr Steane compares Jussi's classic 1939 recordings for HMV of arias from Il Trovatore with the recording of an actual Covent Garden performance that year of that opera:

Some Observations About "New" Jb Recordings Recently Released . . ., Harald Henrysson, Tom Hines, Dan Shea

Newsletter of the Jussi Björling Societies of the USA & UK

The record-selling phenomenon called Jussi Bjorling continues to make news. Here are a few words about some of what's happening:

Viii. Musical Notes, Dan Shea

Journal of the Jussi Björling Societies of the USA & UK

Until our newsletter established, I'll use this space to keep you informed of events that may be of interest. Please keep me posted on these kinds of events so that I can inform the Society.

V. Musical Notes

Journal of the Jussi Björling Societies of the USA & UK

Met To Release Recording of the 1949 Manon Lescaut Broadcast

The 1950 Ballo May Be Remastered

Swedish Songs

Record-Breaking Seasons

Bjorling Memorial Concert

New Jussi Documentary

Heppner Acknowledges His Hero

Jussi Bjorling: The Emi Studio Recording Years (1930-1959), William C. Clayton

Journal of the Jussi Björling Societies of the USA & UK

The compact disk is rendering me obsolete! Or rather it is rendering my JB collection obsolete. For twenty years my collection was the talk of the town (or at least of the neighborhood). I had bought, begged, and (nearly) stolen those tapes, studio LPs (I have the original ten-inch LP of the JB/Merrill duets), pirated LPs (ANNA, UORC, EJS. etc.), and nothing made me happier than knowing that I had them and THEY didn't. But now all that is ending. Little by little, I am becoming non sui generis. Thanks to Bluebell, Preiser, Nimbus, et al, it seems that just …

On A Desert Island With Jussi, William C. Clayton

Journal of the Jussi Björling Societies of the USA & UK

The bad news is that you and your million-dollar yacht have foundered somewhere in the South Seas. The good news is that, as you groggily come to on a stretch of sandy beach, you see beside you a precious waterproof package. No, it is not potable water, nor is it food or clothing or matches. It is something far more precious- your Walkman, a goodly supply of AA batteries, and, yes, your tape of Ten Indispensable Items by the Beloved Bjorling. Now you know that you will survive, for no vagaries of wind, weather, or lack of wherewithal can overcome …

Jussi And "Amor Ti Vieta", William C. Clayton

Journal of the Jussi Björling Societies of the USA & UK

"Amor ti vieta" was a popular encore with Jussi's fans. In fact, on the Atlanta Recital CD (Bluebell 020), he says that he will sing the aria in response to a specific request. I think that his approach to this aria is special, and one version, in particular, is peerless. I first heard my favorite in 1957, sung by JB as part of a recital on the fourth side of Cavalleria Rusticana, and it virtually spoiled all other versions for me (RCA LP LM 6059, September 1-7, 1957, conducted by Alberto Erede). Harald Henrysson lists four other renditions: a …

The Desert Isle Redux, William C. Clayton

Journal of the Jussi Björling Societies of the USA & UK

Though the members of JBS certainly have faultless taste in singers, some of them are obviously not very good sailors. Shortly after we published the ocean contretemps of a few of our company (the present editor included), we received word of three similar ship wrecks. Fortunately, these unlucky souls also managed to salvage their beloved JB tapes which contained their precious "top ten" favorites from Jussi's substantial recording career. Perhaps the beneficent hand of our dear honoree is stretched out over us, for all managed not only to survive the island ordeal but to return safely to their homes. Here, …

Jb Analogies: Same Recordings - Different Voices, Kristian Krogholm

Journal of the Jussi Björling Societies of the USA & UK

There is much discussion going on among Jussiologists about how he sounded in real life. But who's to tell? I think it is somehow easier to say how he did not sound, based on the telling of many people who had the good fortune to hear him live. Jussi's voice did NOT have that hard, metal-sound that would be easy to present to the listener with the use of certain digital remastering processes, and that would make him sound like the best of Corelli, Lauri-Volpi, del Monaco, di Stefano, Bergonzi and Pavarotti all put together. Jussi would out-sing any of …

Bjorling Rarities: A New Cd, William C. Clayton

Journal of the Jussi Björling Societies of the USA & UK

Here it is! Bjorling Rarities, brand new as of July, 2000, issued by VAI, # VAIA 1189. Contained are five selections never before issued in any form, and many others which ,Were hitherto available only on pirated LPs or hopelessly scattered. Before I comment on the selections and the booklet, following are the pieces. Note that they are all live broadcasts, but more about that later.

The Recorded Legacy- Reviews Of Recent Releases Of Interest To Jbs Members, Dan Shea

Journal of the Jussi Björling Societies of the USA & UK

It's a full-time job these days to keep track of new releases of Bjorling recordings, with recent CDs coming from Scandinavia, Italy, Germany, the U.S. and Korea. Luckily we have some dedicated folk monitoring the scene: Kristian Krogholm in Norway, Lars-Henrik Osterholm and Harald Henrysson in Sweden, Eric Wimbles in England, Yoel Arbeitman and Hal Sokolsky in New Jersey, Carlo Ceruri and Alessandro Sciocchetti in Italy and many others, with much exchange of information on the Bjorling@ yahoogroups.com list. Well discuss here just some of the recent releases of special interest and give some reactions to them, either from magazines …

A Remarkable Music Database, William C. Clayton

Journal of the Jussi Björling Societies of the USA & UK

If you are like me, you probably have a very large collection of recordings in all different forms catalogued, at best perhaps, on 3x5 cards. During my computer years, I have tried to achieve some order, but the result has been little more than glorified lists by composer.

New Jb Recordings "Rediscovered" In Rca-Bmg Archives, Cantor Don Goldberg, Harald Henrysson

Journal of the Jussi Björling Societies of the USA & UK

One of the high points of JBS's October Conference in New York City occurred during a lecture given by Daniel Guss, a executive in BMG's RCA Classics Division, when he announced that BMG would release Jussi's complete Carnegie Hall recital of September 24, 1955.

A Remarkable Cache Of Bjorling Recordings Retrieved From The Library Of Congress, Sue Flaster

Journal of the Jussi Björling Societies of the USA & UK

The Library of Congress [LC] collects every book published ln the Untied States. They also collect, when possible, copies of radio and television programs which have been somehow preserved, either on disc or tape. Could their archives contain anything interesting for the Bjorling recorded legacy?