Nanny Larsén-Todsen (2 August 1884 – 26 May 1982) was a Swedish

soprano A soprano () is a type of classical female singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hz to "high A" (A5) = 880&n ...

, renowned for her performances in works by

Richard Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, polemicist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most op ...

and counted as one of the most notable Wagnerian sopranos of the 20th-century, from the generation before

Frida Leider Frida Leider (18 April 1888 – 4 June 1975) was a German operatic soprano. Leider was a dramatic soprano. Her most famous roles were Wagner's Isolde and Brünnhilde, Beethoven's Fidelio, Mozart's Donna Anna, and Verdi's Aida and Leonora. She ...

and

Kirsten Flagstad Kirsten Malfrid Flagstad (12 July 1895 – 7 December 1962) was a Norwegian opera singer, who was the outstanding Wagnerian soprano of her era. Her triumphant debut in New York on 2 February 1935 is one of the legends of opera. Giulio Gatti-Casaz ...

. She was particularly popular at the

Bayreuth Festival The Bayreuth Festival (german: link=no, Bayreuther Festspiele) is a music festival held annually in Bayreuth, Germany, at which performances of operas by the 19th-century German composer Richard Wagner are presented. Wagner himself conceived ...

Brunnhilde Brunhild, also known as Brunhilda or Brynhild ( non, Brynhildr , gmh, Brünhilt, german: Brünhild , label= Modern German or ), is a female character from Germanic heroic legend. She may have her origins in the Visigothic princess Brunhilda ...

and Isolde. Active at the

Royal Swedish Opera Royal Swedish Opera ( sv, Kungliga Operan) is an opera and ballet company based in Stockholm, Sweden. Location and environment The building is located in the center of Sweden's capital Stockholm in the borough of Norrmalm, on the eastern side ...

1906–25, at

La Scala La Scala (, , ; abbreviation in Italian of the official name ) is a famous opera house in Milan, Italy. The theatre was inaugurated on 3 August 1778 and was originally known as the ' (New Royal-Ducal Theatre alla Scala). The premiere performan ...

1923–24, the

Metropolitan Opera The Metropolitan Opera (commonly known as the Met) is an American opera company based in New York City, resident at the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, currently situated on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The company is operat ...

1925–27, and Bayreuth in 1927–31, she also made guest appearances at most of the major European opera houses."Nanny Larsén-Todsen", ''

Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians ''Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians'' is a major reference work in the field of music, originally compiled by Theodore Baker, PhD, and published in 1900 by G. Schirmer, Inc. The ninth edition, the most recent edition, was published in 20 ...

'', 5th edition edited Nicolas Slonimsky (1958) Her last appearance was at the

Paris Opera The Paris Opera (, ) is the primary opera and ballet company of France. It was founded in 1669 by Louis XIV as the , and shortly thereafter was placed under the leadership of Jean-Baptiste Lully and officially renamed the , but continued to be ...

in 1937, as Isolde. She received

Litteris et Artibus Litteris et Artibus is a Swedish royal medal established in 1853 by Charles XV of Sweden, who was then crown prince. It is awarded to people who have made important contributions to culture, especially music, dramatic art and literature. The ob ...

in 1920, was elected into the

Royal Swedish Academy of Music The Royal Swedish Academy of Music ( sv, Kungliga Musikaliska Akademien), founded in 1771 by King Gustav III, is one of the Royal Academies in Sweden. At the time of its foundation, only one of its co-founder was a professional musician, Ferdin ...

in 1924, and made Hovsångerska in 1925. Living in Stockholm following her retirement from the stage, Larsén-Todsen taught singing.

Recordings

*1928: Wagner, Richard: ''

Tristan und Isolde ''Tristan und Isolde'' (''Tristan and Isolde''), WWV 90, is an opera in three acts by Richard Wagner to a German libretto by the composer, based largely on the 12th-century romance Tristan and Iseult by Gottfried von Strassburg. It was compose ...

'' (abridged); Nanny Larsen-Todsen (as Isolde), with

Anny Helm Anny Helm, later also Anny Helm-Sbisà (20 July 1903 – 21 August 1993), was an Austrian operatic soprano. She was a member of the ensemble at the Stadttheater Magdeburg and at the Deutsche Oper Berlin and gave guest performances at numerous G ...

(Brangäne), Gunnar Graarud (Tristan),

Rudolf Bockelmann Rudolf Bockelmann (born 2 April 1892 in Bodenteich, died 9 October 1958 in Dresden) was a German dramatic baritone and Kammersänger. He built an international career as an outstanding Wagnerian singer but damaged his reputation during the 1930s ...

(Kurwenal], Ivar Andrésen (König Marke), Joachim Sattler (Melot), Gustav Rodin (Ein junger Seemann), and Hans Beer (Ein Hirt). Bayreuth Festival Orchestra & Chorus, conducted by

Karl Elmendorff Karl Eduard Maria Elmendorff (October 25, 1891 – October 21, 1962) was a German opera conductor. Born in Düsseldorf Düsseldorf ( , , ; often in English sources; Low Franconian and Ripuarian language, Ripuarian: ''Düsseldörp'' ; ...

. Originally issued by Columbia EMI in 1929 on 20 discs (Columbia GOX 10532-10551), this was recorded (without audience) in the

Bayreuth Festspielhaus The ''Bayreuth Festspielhaus'' or Bayreuth Festival Theatre (german: link=no, Bayreuther Festspielhaus, ) is an opera house north of Bayreuth, Germany, built by the 19th-century German composer Richard Wagner and dedicated solely to the performa ...

with the approval of

Siegfried Wagner Siegfried Helferich Richard Wagner (6 June 18694 August 1930) was a German composer and conductor, the son of Richard Wagner. He was an opera composer and the artistic director of the Bayreuth Festival from 1908 to 1930. Life Siegfried Wagner ...

during the late summer of 1928. There were several CD reissues: Naxos CD 8.110200-02 (3 CDs) , Grammofono 2000 AB 78925-26 (2 CDs) , Preiser PSR 90383 (2 CDs)

References

*''

Barometern ''Barometern OT'' is a local newspaper published in Kalmar, Sweden. It is the leading paper in its circulation area. History and profile ''Barometern'' was established in 1841. The paper was published by the Tidningen Barometerns AB from 1903 ...

'', 1 August 1974. * Göransson, Roland, "Hagbyflickan som blev firad operastjärna", 1999 ''Södermörekrönikan''. Kalmar: Södermöre hembygdsförening. 1987– . Libris 662,229. * ''Sohlmans musiklexikon'' (''The Sohlman Music Dictionary'') * Warrack, John and West, Ewan (1992), ''The Oxford Dictionary of Opera'', 782 pages,

External links

Postcard portrait of Nanny Larsen-Todsen
{{DEFAULTSORT:Larsen-Todsen, Nanny 1884 births 1982 deaths Swedish operatic sopranos Members of the Royal Swedish Academy of Music Litteris et Artibus recipients 20th-century Swedish women opera singers