Adam: | O Holy Night Recorded 20th December 1954 |
Alfvén: | Skogen sover, Op. 28 No. 6 Recorded 11th April 1949 Jag längtar dig (Text: Ernest Thiel) Recorded 5th August 1960 |
Althen: | Land, du välsignade (Thou Blessed Country) Recorded 12th May 1946 Land, du välsignade (Thou Blessed Country) Recorded 25th May 1952 |
Flotow: | M'appari (from Martha) Recorded 19th November 1945 |
Foster, S: | I Dream of Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair Recorded 19th November 1945 I Dream of Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair Recorded 7th November 1949 |
Geehl: | For You Alone Recorded 21st January 1946 For You Alone Recorded 8th January 1951 |
Giordano, U: | Come un bel dì di maggio (from Andrea Chénier) Recorded 23rd October 1950 |
Glover: | Rose of Tralee Recorded 12th March 1951 |
Godard, B: | Cachès dans cet asile (Jocelyn) Recorded 25th March 1946; sung in English Cachès dans cet asile (Jocelyn) Recorded 11th August 1949; sung in English |
Gounod: | Quel trouble inconnu me pénètre… Salut! Demeure chaste et pure (from Faust) Recorded 12th May 1946 Nuit d'hyménée from Roméo et Juliette Recorded 23rd October 1949 Anna-Lisa Björling (soprano) Nuit d'hyménée from Roméo et Juliette Recorded 30th September 1951 Bidú Sayão (soprano) Prison Scene (from Faust) Recorded 5th December 1937; Björling sings in Swedish |
Grieg: | Jeg Elsker Deg, Op. 41 No. 3 Recorded 25th March 1946 |
Hardelot: | Because Recorded 25th March 1946 |
Herbert, V: | Neapolitan Love Song Recorded 25th March 1946 Neapolitan Love Song Recorded 4th April 1949 |
Leoncavallo: | Recitar!...Vesti la giubba (from I Pagliacci) Recorded 16th February 1951 Mattinata - 'L'aurora di bianco vestita' Recorded 15th March 1948 Recitar!...Vesti la giubba (from I Pagliacci) Recorded 12th March 1951 |
Mascagni: | Addio alla madre (from Cavalleria Rusticana) Recorded 4th April 1949 |
Massenet: | Instant charmant … En fermant les yeux (from Manon) Recorded 19th November 1945 Je suis seul, seul enfin... Ah fuyez douce image (from Manon) Recorded 23rd October 1949 Je suis seul, seul enfin... Ah fuyez douce image (from Manon) Recorded 15th March 1948 Instant charmant … En fermant les yeux (from Manon) Recorded 8th January 1951 |
Meyerbeer: | Pays merveilleux... Ô paradis (from L'Africaine) Recorded 23rd October 1950 Pays merveilleux... Ô paradis (from L'Africaine) Recorded 5th December 1937 |
Millöcker: | Ich hab' kein Geld, bin vogelfrei (from Der Bettelstudent) Recorded 25th May 1952; sung in Swedish |
Morgan, O: | Clorinda Recorded 15th March 1948 |
Nordqvist: | Till havs (Towards the Sea) Recorded 20th December 1954 |
Peterson-Berger: | Jungfrun under lind (Ernst von der Recke) Recorded 12th May 1946 Jungfrun under lind (Ernst von der Recke) Recorded 11th April 1949 Jungfrun under lind (Ernst von der Recke) Recorded 8th January 1951 När jag för mig själv (When I Walk by Myself) Recorded 20th December 1954 |
Ponchielli: | Cielo e mar! (from La Gioconda) Recorded 30th September 1951 |
Puccini: | O soave fanciulla (from La Bohème) Recorded 25th September 1949 Licia Albanese (soprano) Che gelida manina (from La Bohème) Recorded 23rd October 1949 O soave fanciulla (from La Bohème) Recorded 23rd October 1949 Anna-Lisa Björling (soprano) E lucevan le stelle (from Tosca) Recorded 30th September 1951 Che gelida manina (from La Bohème) Recorded 7th November 1949 Donna non vidi mai (from Manon Lescaut) Recorded 8th January 1951 O sventata, sventata (from La Bohème) Recorded 30th January 1956 Che gelida manina (from La Bohème) Recorded 30th January 1956 Si, mi chiamano Mimi (from La Bohème) Recorded 30th January 1956 O soave fanciulla (from La Bohème) Recorded 30th January 1956 Renata Tebaldi (soprano) Recondita armonia (from Tosca) Recorded 5th December 1937 |
Rachmaninov: | Lilacs, Op. 21 No. 5 Recorded 15th March 1948 V molchanii nochi taynoy, Op. 4 No. 3 Recorded 23rd October 1950 |
Rangström: | Tristans död Recorded 11th April 1949 |
Romberg, S: | Will You Remember (from Maytime) Recorded 21st January 1946 |
Schubert: | An Sylvia, D891 sung in English; recorded 19th November 1945 Ständchen 'Leise flehen meine Lieder', D957 No. 4 Recorded 4th April 1949 |
Sjögren: | I drömmen du är mig nära Recorded 11th April 1949 |
Söderman: | Trollsjön Recorded 11th April 1949 Trollsjön Recorded 25th May 1952 |
Strauss, R: | Ständchen, Op. 17 No. 2 Recorded 7th November 1949 Zueignung, Op. 10 No. 1 Recorded 23rd October 1950 |
Tchaikovsky: | Kuda, Kuda 'Lensky's Aria' (from Eugene Onegin) Recorded 5th August 1960; sung in Swedish |
Tosti: | L'alba separa dalla luce l'ombra Recorded 30th September 1951 L'alba separa dalla luce l'ombra Recorded 11th April 1949 |
Verdi: | Quel suon…Ah! Che la morte ognora (from Il Trovatore) Recorded 21st January 1946 Eleanor Steber (soprano) Solenne in quest'ora (from La Forza del Destino) Recorded 5th December 1937 Se quel guerrier io fossi!…Celeste Aida (from Aida) Recorded 12th March 1951 Celeste Aida (from Aida) Recorded 12th March 1951 |
Wagner: | In fernem Land (from Lohengrin) Recorded 20th December 1954 In fernem Land (from Lohengrin) Recorded 5th August 1960; sung in Swedish |
This month is an excellent one for Björling fans. This collection is a treasury of rare performances from the US and Sweden and includes previously unreleased material. There is commentary and interviews, as well as Art and popular songs, Arias and duets and there are many guest artists such as Licia Albanese, Anna Lisa Björling and Renata Tebaldi.
“Björling recorded [Lensky's aria] many times but never, I think, so poignantly as here. As a prologue to this year's centenary celebrations the album is a worthy offering and this track an especially moving example of the great tenor's art at its best.” Gramophone Magazine, March 2011
