Jussi Björling - Var det en dröm (Stockholm, 1952)

With apologies to Nicolai Gedda, Gösta Winbergh, Set Svanholm, Torsten Ralf and Aroldo Lindi, when one mentions the term “Great Swedish Tenor”, a single name comes to mind…Jussi Björling (1911-1960). This legendary artist’s 30 year career encompassed opera, concert, film, radio and television, not to mention hundreds of recordings. Born Johan Jonatan Björling in Stora Tuna, Borlänge, the young Björling was initially trained by his father, tenor David Björling, a former member of the Met’s Opera School. Along with brothers Olle and Gösta, Jussi began touring as part of the Björling Boys Trio in 1915. The boys enjoyed a certain regional acclaim and even toured the U.S. in 1920, making a few recordings along the way. Following David’s death in 1926, the group disbanded and Jussi found work as a car washer and lamp salesman. In 1928, he enrolled in the Stockholm Royal Conservatory, where he pursued further studies with baritone John Forsell. Björling’s preliminary debut took place on July 21, 1930 as the Lamplighter in Manon Lescaut at the Stockholm Royal Opera, with his official debut occurring a month later as Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni.
It was in Stockholm that the tenor built an impressive repertoire in a relatively brief time. In fact, about 90% of Björling’s roles were learned during his early years with the Royal Opera including the leads in Rigoletto, La Traviata, La Bohème, Un Ballo in Maschera, Tosca, Faust, Roméo et Juliette and even such unlikely roles as Florestan in Fidelio, Erik in Der Fliegende Holländer and the title role in Tannhäuser. During this period, Björling sang only in Scandanavia. A pair of radio concerts in Vienna in March of 1936 changed all that. Operatic engagements in Prague followed shortly thereafter and a much heralded debut as Manrico in Il Trovatore with the Vienna Staatsoper occurred in May. Although he sang his role in Swedish while the rest of the cast sang in German, it marked the beginning of the tenor’s international career. Björling’s North American debut took place in a Carnegie Hall concert on November 28, 1937. One year later, on November 24, 1938, Björling debuted at the Met in one of the most frequently sung roles of his career, Rodolfo in La Bohème.
In early 1941, Björling returned to Sweden, where he spent the most of war years. He kept busy with concerts, radio broadcasts and stage work, including his 1943 Italian debut in Florence as Manrico. At the war’s end, the tenor returned to the Met, where he was welcomed with open arms. As beloved a figure as he was in New York, Björling’s Met career was rather spotty. Over the course of 15 seasons with the company, he sang just under 120 performances of 10 roles. In fact, Björling’s operatic appearances with major companies such as La Scala, the Vienna Staatsoper, Covent Garden, Lyric Opera of Chicago, as well as the theaters of Dresden, Zurich, Budapest, Helsinki, Copenhagen, and Berlin were relatively few. San Francisco Opera saw him the most…44 performances. This contrasts dramatically with his 660 performances of 54 roles at the Stockholm Royal Opera, which the tenor considered his artistic home.
During the ‘50s, Björling remained busy with operatic performances on both sides of the Atlantic, as well as concert and recital appearances. The new medium of television also appealed to the tenor and he made numerous appearances on a variety of programs. As he entered his 40s, his voice darkened somewhat, while still retaining its smooth lyric quality. He spoke of essaying more dramatic roles, including Lohengrin and even Otello…but time was running out. The Björlings were not a long lived family, and the tenor’s alcoholism no doubt added to his own health issues. A series of heart attacks did little to curtail his activities. Ignoring doctors’ advice, he stubbornly insisted on singing Rodolfo at Covent Garden, despite suffering an attack an hour before curtain. An April 1st Faust in San Francisco proved to be his final stage appearance, although he continued concertizing throughout the summer. Following a recital in Stockholm on August 20, the tenor returned to his summer home to relax before the start of the new opera season. Three weeks later, during the early hours of September 9, 1960, Jussi Björling died in his sleep. He was only 49 years old.
Jussi Björling left a remarkable legacy of recordings, made for HMV over a 30 year span. This includes several complete operas that remain, to this day, hallmarks of recorded music. The tenor’s recordings showcase a silvery lyric voice that darkened with age, as well as an impeccable sense of artistry. Some 60 years after his death, Björling’s recordings of opera, Italian songs, Lieder and Swedish ballads continue to entertain, inspire and sometimes astonish. Here, Björling sings “Var det en dröm” by Jean Sibelius. This was recorded in Stockholm for a Swedish radio broadcast on October 3, 1952.

[@greatcanio1529]

Grazie a Dead Tenors Society per questo splendido Tenore Svedese una voce
veramente bella un timbro unico ho avuto la fortuna di sentirlo in persona era
oro colato,grazie e Bravo.

[@hrbooksmusic8083]

Traumhaft jedenfalls war die Stimme dieses Ausnahmesängers... 😍
Danke fürs Einstellen eines weiteren schwedischen Lieds, gesungen von DEM schwedischen Tenor.

[@sananton2821]

Pitch seems off. It's in between 440 note values, so this probably isn't how it was performed.