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Newsletter of the Jussi Björling Societies of the USA & UK

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Personal Memories Of Nicolai Gedda, Calle Friedner

Newsletter of the Jussi Björling Societies of the USA & UK

On 11 June, Nicolai Gedda, one of the foremost Swedish lyrical tenors after Jussi Björling, would have become 100 years old. Calle Friedner heard and met him several times and remembers him warmly.

During the 1950s, it was on the radio one generally heard a singer for the first time, particularly if you didn’t live in Stockholm, which I didn’t then. And that was the case for me concerning Nicolai Gedda.

What I heard was a radio broadcast of a performance at the Stockholm Opera of Adolph Adam’s opera comedy, Le postillon de Lonjumeau. If my memory isn’t wrong, the …

Three Gentlemen In Berlin, Briefly, Ray Harsant, Norm Krasne, Dan Shea

Newsletter of the Jussi Björling Societies of the USA & UK

Here’s a tale of three friends, longtime members of the USA’s Jussi Björling Society and each eager during late summer 2024 for some insight on the upcoming opera scene of winter 2024-25, especially in Berlin with its three world-class houses: the premier Deutsche Oper Berlin (“DOB” below), the Staatsoper Berlin, and the Komische Oper – (currently not in its usual hall and missed by us due to our time constraints).

Our main guide to the available musical choices was the UK’s Opera magazine, where the sheer volume of offerings available in Berlin week after week was impressive. Our personal schedules …

Swedish Summer Highlights:, Sue Flaster

Newsletter of the Jussi Björling Societies of the USA & UK

The force of traditions alone would not be enough to bring several hundred people together in a plain church far off every path, beaten or otherwise, but following those traditions is deeply satisfying. This year, as in previous years, Stefan Olmårs gathered up a group of performers intriguing enough so that the concert needed to be performed twice to filled pews. We attended the 5pm edition, along with members of the Scandinavian Society who had arrived by train.

As always, the musical part of the program was based on veteran singers as well as a relative newcomer, in this case …

Join Us This Fall, Janel E. Lundgren

Newsletter of the Jussi Björling Societies of the USA & UK

Join former Washington Post chief classical music critic Anne Midgette and Composer, Music Critic and Professor Greg Sandow for a lively conversation about the myth of “park and bark.” In the 21st century, audiences have been led to believe that we’ve seen a renaissance of acting in opera, and that singers of the past tended to stand still on stage and simply power out their music: the so-called “park and bark.” Nothing could be further from the truth. Midgette and Sandow offer a look at the true history of “singing actors,” acting singers, and how opera singers have long moved …

Roméo Et Juliette, Pristine Classical, Paco 222, Kristian Krogholm

Newsletter of the Jussi Björling Societies of the USA & UK

Pristine Classical released on Valentines Day, 2025, the Roméo et Juliette above all other performances, namely that from the Met on February 1, 1947 with Jussi Björling as Roméo, Bidú Sayão as Juliette and conducted by Emil Cooper.

The releases on cd of this memorable evening have been numerous. And I think it was crowned by Immortal Performances and Richard Caniell`s release some years ago which had access to a previously unknown source. Up to then, all the various editions on cd had been copied from LP sets by EJS and Met.

Good News:, Janel E. Lundgren

Newsletter of the Jussi Björling Societies of the USA & UK

In connection with our Webinar Guest Speaker Series (see facing page), WFMT’s Oliver Camacho will broadcast discussions with two of our guest speakers about Jussi’s legacy and the webinar topics. Anne Midgette will be interviewed on his Opera Box Score podcast, and Will Crutchfield will be featured on his WFMT hour-long radio show, Listening to Singers.

65 Years Ago, Janel E. Lundgren

Newsletter of the Jussi Björling Societies of the USA & UK

“When Jussi Björling was suddenly taken from us on 9 September 1960, there was intense dismay and great sorrow, for he was one of the greatest singers of our time, a fact to which an enormous and always enraptured public bore witness. His audiences were to be found not only in the opera houses and concert halls of the world’s great cities, but also in Swedish amusement parks and in front of hundreds of thousands of radio sets. He was humble before the art of music and, in the truth and meticulousness of his work, a true artist, something to …

Full Issue

Newsletter of the Jussi Björling Societies of the USA & UK

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Jussifest In Strömsbruk 2024, Janel E. Lundgren

Newsletter of the Jussi Björling Societies of the USA & UK

Jussi Björlingsällskapet’s second summer event takes place in Strömsbruk in the province of Hälsingland on the Baltic coast. Members of JBS-USA have attended several of these happy occasions in this beautiful place, most recently in 2018, when Stefan Olmårs not only organized and hosted the event as he always does, but also made all the special arrangements for an extra contingent of 25 Americans. We wish we could be there this summer to enjoy the following program!

Voxna Festival, 2024 Edition, Sue Flaster

Newsletter of the Jussi Björling Societies of the USA & UK

For the last 21 years, Sällskapet secretary Stefan Olmårs has managed to produce both outstanding concerts and evenings of warmth and fellowship in the environs of Voxna Church and Herrgård (estate manor) up in the Hälsingland province of Sweden. Harald Henrysson has attended nearly all of them, usually assigned the task of overseeing and narrating the part of the evening dedicated to playing Jussi Björling recordings. This year, the 22nd, was no exception. What was – for me – exceptional this year was the powerful emotional impact of the afternoon of July 8.

Jbs Board Meeting In Washington Dc Leads To New Marketing Project, Janel E. Lundgren

Newsletter of the Jussi Björling Societies of the USA & UK

Board members of JBS-USA, plus special guest Maija Budow, enjoyed a weekend in Washington, D.C., March 9-12, 2024, mixing Society business with musical and culinary pleasure.

On arriving, we joined the Saturday evening revelers to enjoy a feast at Il Piatto, a stylish Italian restaurant near our Club Quarters Hotel. Following the Sunday board meeting, we had a late, delightful brunch at the historic Tabard Inn, operating as an inn and restaurant since 1922 in historic Dupont Circle, and offering sumptuous French and Southern cuisine.

Vai Music Remastering:, Kristian Krogholm

Newsletter of the Jussi Björling Societies of the USA & UK

This DVD covers performances by Björling (both husband and wife), Melchior, Nilsson, Flagstad, Risë Stevens and Dorothy Warenskjold. It starts with Birgit Nilsson singing “Wien, Wien nur du allein soll stets die Stadt meiner träume sein.”

Lauritz Melchior, the great Danish tenor, is one I feel never got quite the reputation he deserved. There was no better Wagner tenor around. There were more beautiful sounding tenors perhaps but no one to match that stamina. He could sing Siegfried and Tristan as if his life depended on it day in and day out and he never got vocally tired. His ”In …

Pristine Classical Remastering:, Henry Fogel

Newsletter of the Jussi Björling Societies of the USA & UK

This 1953 recording of “Cav and Pag,” originally made by RCA in New York’s Manhattan Center, has largely remained in print in a variety of issues ever since. It has been criticized by some as being better sung than acted, but Pristine’s rich-sounding XR restoration by Andrew Rose gives us an opportunity to re-evaluate it. There can be little question about the singing—it is glorious. The performances also feel more dramatically engaged than the singers are often given credit for, with all of them invested in their roles and going far beyond the notes.

Stephen Hastings To Speak On, Janel E. Lundgren

Newsletter of the Jussi Björling Societies of the USA & UK

JBS-USA is delighted to announce another special Zoom presentation by the celebrated writer and author Stephen Hastings on Tuesday, October 22, 2024 at 7:30 pm EDT, which will be repeated on Saturday, October 26 at 12 noon EDT. After his presentation, he will be joined by Stefan Johansson, longtime chief dramaturg of the Swedish Royal Opera, for what promises to be a lively and informed discussion of performers and performance traditions. JBS board member Sue Flaster will serve as moderator.

According to Mr. Hastings, “Jussi Björling and Carlo Bergonzi belonged to different generations and their careers overlapped only in the …

Roger Pines To Speak On, Janel E. Lundgren

Newsletter of the Jussi Björling Societies of the USA & UK

JBS-USA is privileged to present Chicago’s nationally acclaimed opera expert in a special Zoom presentation for the Society on Tuesday, August 6, 2024, at 7:30 pm EDT, which will be repeated on Saturday, August 10 at 12 noon EDT. JBS board member John Haley will serve as moderator.

Mr. Pines will celebrate with audio clips and videos, multiple sopranos who partnered with Jussi over the years, but who were not as utterly identified with him as Milanov, de los Angeles, or Tebaldi. Included in his impressive list are Helga Görlin, Stella Andreva, Gina Cigna, Jarmila Novotná, Brita Hertzberg, Maria Németh, …

Full Issue

Newsletter of the Jussi Björling Societies of the USA & UK

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Bass Mark Elyn Lived Well, And Remembered Jussi Well, Dan Shea

Newsletter of the Jussi Björling Societies of the USA & UK

How many people are there who still can testify that they heard Jussi Björling on many occasions? Mark Elyn was one who heard Jussi in rehearsal and on stage with him, in three major Verdi operas, in rooms large and small, up close and personal. As a young singer himself, fresh from Seattle’s Cornish School of Music, he was eager to learn useful vocal technique and found inspiration from Jussi’s example.

Jussi-Fest In Voxnabruk July 3rd And 4th, Sue Flaster

Newsletter of the Jussi Björling Societies of the USA & UK

The 21st Annual Jussi-Fest in Voxnabruk went off successfully July 3 and 4 despite challenges: Norwegian tenor Bror Magnus Tödenes, who had been scheduled to appear, was forced to cancel due to a death in the family. As arranger Stefan Olmårs noted, you can’t have a Jussi event without a tenor, so he brought along veteran Swedish tenor Sonny Wallentin and his accompanist wife. They both performed valiantly.

Words Of Remembrance Of Jacob Forsell 1942-2023, Janel E. Lundgren

Newsletter of the Jussi Björling Societies of the USA & UK

The eminent photographer and writer Jacob Forsell has died at the age of 81. He has been of great importance both to Jussi Björling’s cause as well as to the Jussi Björling Society. He had a strong connection to Jussi via his close kinship with John Forsell: he was the grandson of the renowned singer and opera director, who meant so much to Björling’s early career. Therefore, he seemed specially sent to be the editor of a luxurious gift and anniversary book with the name: Jussi: the Song, the Man, the Pictures, together with Harald Henrysson and Björn Ranelid. This …

Jussi Björling Societies Planning To Sponsor New Release Of The 1952 Classic Rca Recording Of Il Trovatore In Outstanding Sound, John H. Haley

Newsletter of the Jussi Björling Societies of the USA & UK

The Jussi Björling Societies and I are pleased to announce plans for an upcoming new sponsored release that will be available by November 2023 exclusively through the Societies (ordering details to be provided soon). This release is being prepared through High Definition Tape Transfers (HDTT), a Canadian label, sourced on a very rare reel-to-reel tape release of this recording, which I am restoring. The tape source appears to be much closer to the master tape than all other releases through the years, and it has extraordinary sound quality, such that this new release will sound substantially better than any prior …

Henry Fogel Zoom Presentation For Jbs-Usa On Tuesday, October 24, 2023, On The Topic,, Janel E. Lundgren

Newsletter of the Jussi Björling Societies of the USA & UK

Arts executive extraordinaire Henry Fogel will conclude the JBS-USA Zoom Series for 2023 with a comparative presentation on Jussi’s live performance and studio recordings, drawing on his exceptional collection of recordings for musical examples. The broadcast will air live on Tuesday, October 24 at 7:30 pm ET, and will be repeated on Saturday, October 28 at 12 noon ET. Members and non-members will be able to register to attend this event on our website beginning September 1.

He Sings In The Spirit Of His Father, Calle Friedner

Newsletter of the Jussi Björling Societies of the USA & UK

It’s a beautiful summer’s day. We are in Jussi Björling’s and his family’s summer paradise on Siarö in the archipelago north of Stockholm, now divided between the two siblings, Ann- Charlotte and Lars. He has built a house of his own and couple of out-buildings in the part of the site where Jussi’s singing studio is situated. Lars is happy: this day he and his wife Leila have been married for exactly seven weeks. We’ll come back to that.

The outdoor temperature is 77 degrees F, but we are sitting talking in the shadow of the trees. Lars says it …

Lars Björling To Speak On “Remembering My Father’S Met Performances, Fall 1959”, Janel E. Lundgren

Newsletter of the Jussi Björling Societies of the USA & UK

JBS-USA is privileged to present Jussi’s son Lars Björling in a special Zoom presentation from Sweden for the Jussi Björling Society USA on Tuesday, August 22, 2023, at 7:30 pm ET, a broadcast which will be repeated on Saturday, August 26 at 12 noon ET. Following the presentation will be a Q & A segment, to which attendees may submit questions.

Lars will recall the fabled performances by his father, on returning to the Met in November of 1959 after an absence of more than 2 ½ years. At Jussi’s first performance of Cavalleria rusticana, according to Harald Henrysson, “his …

Full Issue

Newsletter of the Jussi Björling Societies of the USA & UK

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The 2022 Jussi Björling Stipendium To Baritone John Lundgren

Newsletter of the Jussi Björling Societies of the USA & UK

Baritone John Lundgren has received the 2022 Jussi Björling Stipendium (Award). This award is given on behalf of The Royal Theatre’s Soloists Foundation, and previous recipients have included soprano Hillevi Martinpelto, violinist Kalle Moraeus and Harald Henrysson. This year’s award was 125,000 kroner (about $12,600 US). Lundgren has also received the Birgit Nilsson Prize in 2006, and was named a Royal Court Singer by King Carl XVI Gustaf in 2021.

Lundgren was educated at Vadstena Academy and in The Opera Academy in Copenhagen. During his studies he joined the ensemble of The Royal Danish Theatre and debuted as Schaunard in …

Thorborg Biography Published, Christer Eklund

Newsletter of the Jussi Björling Societies of the USA & UK

Of the many colleagues who sang with Jussi Björling over the course of his career, Kerstin Thorborg was the closest to him in home ground: she also was born in the province of Dalarna, about 50 miles North of Jussi’s birthplace of Borlänge. In many ways, their careers also were similar, since both had major parts of their professional lives in the United States, centered around the Metropolitan Opera. Thorborg was deeply admired for her vocal range as well as for her acting skills in a wide range of roles.

In 2003 I took over managing the archive of the …

Jussi Björling:, Sue Flaster

Newsletter of the Jussi Björling Societies of the USA & UK

As we announced in the February 2022 issue of the JBS-USA Journal, we are very excited to publish a book this Fall which will describe the founding of the three Jussi Björling Societies, the writing of the four “basic” books about Jussi Björling, and the history and founding of the Jussi Björling Museum, a unique and deeply admired institution. We have taken advantage of the fact that many of the primary members of our various groups are still with us, and have been enthusiastic participants in this project.

The same good fortune applies to the background of the writing of …

The Jussi Björling Museum Emptied

Newsletter of the Jussi Björling Societies of the USA & UK

As was previously announced, the Jussi Björling Museum in Borlänge was closed at the turn of the year 2021/22.

Borlänge municipality had debated the fate of the Museum for years, and a decision was made to move it to, or adjacent to, the municipal library. However, it was not until 10 January 2022 that the Museum Curator was informed that the building was to be emptied by the end of February to serve as an office for the upcoming redevelopment of the nearby Liljan building (for the needs of Dalarna University College). Since no new museum space is available now, …

Remembering Don Goldberg, Walter B. Rudolph

Newsletter of the Jussi Björling Societies of the USA & UK

In my mind, he was a human dynamo. I didn’t know him well, but one couldn’t be around Don Goldberg and not experience who he was. The evening before the official start of our first St. Peter Conference in 2001, everyone around gathered with a few of their favorite recordings. For most of us, this was our introduction to each other. Don was his typical magnetic self, drawing us all together in a manner that left us feeling like we’d known one another for years.

He and I had some natural connection via radio. He had his own show on …