Birgit Nilsson: Wagner - Götterdämmerung, 'Brunhilde's Immolation'

Birgit Nilsson (17 May 1918 - 25 December 2005) was a celebrated Swedish dramatic soprano who specialized in operatic and symphonic works. Her voice was noted for its overwhelming force, bountiful reserves of power and the gleaming brilliance and clarity in the upper register. Nilsson made such strong imprints on many roles that they came to be known as the "Nilsson repertory". She sang the operas of Richard Strauss and made a specialty of Puccini's Turandot, but it was the music of Wagner that made her career; her command of his music was comparable to that of Kirsten Flagstad, who owned the Wagner repertory at the Metropolitan Opera during the years before World War II. Nilsson recorded all of her major roles. Partly because of her availability to play Brünnhilde, Decca Records undertook the expensive project of making the first studio recording of Wagner's four-opera Ring cycle, conducted by Solti and produced by John Culshaw. The effort took seven years, from 1958 to 1965. A film of the proceedings made her a familiar image for arts-conscious television viewers... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birgit_Nilsson
Lyrics & English Translation

Stack stout
logs for me in piles
there by the shore of the Rhine!
High and bright
let a fire blaze
which shall consume
the noble body of the mighty hero.
Lead here his horse,
that with me it may follow the warrior;
for my own body longs
to share the hero's
holiest honour.
Fulfil Brünnhilde's request!

Like sunlight
his clear radiance shines on me:
he was the purest,
he who betrayed me!
Deceiving his wife,
loyal to his friend,
with his sword he separated himself
from his own true love,
alone dear to him.
No man more honest
ever took an oath;
none more true
made treaty;
none was more pure
in love;
and yet none so betrayed
all oaths,
all treaties,
his truest love!

Do you know why this was?

O you, heavenly custodian
of oaths!
Turn your gaze
on my great grief,
see your everlasting guilt!
Hear my lament,
mighty god!
Through his most doughty deed,
that you rightly desired,
you sacrificed him
who wrought it
to the curse which had fallen on you:
this innocent had
to betray me
so that I should become a woman of wisdom!

Do I know now what is your will?

Everything, everything,
everything I know,
all is now clear to me!
I hear your ravens
stirring too;
with dreaded desired tidings
I now send them both home.
Rest, rest now, o god!

Now I take up
my inheritance.
Accursed ring,
terrible ring,
I take your gold
and now I give it away.
Wise sisters
of the water's depths,
you swimming daughters of the Rhine,
I thank you for your good counsel.
I give you
what you crave:
from my ashes
take it for your own!
The fire that consumes me
shall cleanse the ring from the curse!
You in the water,
wash it away
and keep pure
the gleaming gold
that was disastrously stolen from you.

Fly home, you ravens!
Recount to your master
what you have heard here by the Rhine!
Pass
by Brünnhilde's rock:
direct Loge, who still
blazes there, to Valhalla;
for the end of the gods
is nigh.
Thus do I throw this torch
at Valhalla's vaulting towers.

Grane, my steed,
greetings!
Do you too know, my friend,
where I am leading you?
Radiant in the fire,
there lies your lord,
Siegfried, my blessed hero.
Are you neighing for joy
to follow your friend?
Do the laughing flames
lure you to him?
Feel my bosom too,
how it burns;
a bright fire
fastens on my heart
to embrace him,
enfolded in his arms,
to be one with him
in the intensity of love!
Heiajoho! Grane!
Greet your master!
Siegfried! Siegfried! See!
Your wife joyfully greets you!

(She has jumped on to the horse and with one bound leaps into the burning pyre. The flames immediately crackle and flare up high, so that the fire fills the whole space in front of the hall and seems to seize on this too. Terrified, the men and women press to the extreme foreground.)
(When the entire stage appears to be completely filled with flame, the glare suddenly dies down, soon leaving only a cloud of smoke which drifts towards the background and lies on the horizon like a dark pall of cloud. At the same time the Rhine greatly overflows its banks, and its waters inundate the area of the fire. The three Rhinemaidens swim past on the waves and appear above the pyre. Hagen, who since the incident of the ring has been watching Brünnhilde's behaviour with growing anxiety, is filled with the utmost terror at the sight of the Rhinemaidens. He hastily throws aside his spear, shield and helmet and plunges, as if insane, into the flood.)
A link to this wonderful artists personal Website: http://sopranos.freeservers.com/birgitni.htm
Please Enjoy!

I send my kind and warm regards,

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