Anna Elisabeth Söderström (married name Olow; 7 May 192720 November 2009) was a Swedish

soprano A soprano () is a type of classical 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 Hertz, Hz to A5 in Choir, choral ...

who performed both opera and song, and was known as a leading interpreter of the works of Janáček, Rachmaninoff and Sibelius.Elizabeth Sleeman, ''International Who's Who 2004,'' Routledge, 2003. p. 1579. She was particularly well known for her recordings of the lead soprano roles in the three Janáček operas ''

Jenůfa ''Její pastorkyňa'' (''Her Stepdaughter''; commonly known as ''Jenůfa'' ) is an opera in three acts by Leoš Janáček to a Czech libretto by the composer, based on the Play (theatre), play ''Její pastorkyňa'' by Gabriela Preissová. It was ...

'', ''

Káťa Kabanová ''Káťa Kabanová'' (also known in various spellings including ''Katia'', ''Katja'', ''Katya'', and ''Kabanowa'') is an opera in three acts, with music by Leoš Janáček to a libretto by the composer based on ''The Storm (Ostrovsky), The Storm'' ...

'', and '' The Makropoulos Affair'', all of which received

Gramophone Awards The Gramophone Classical Music Awards, launched in 1977, are one of the most significant honours bestowed on recordings in the Classical music, classical record industry. The British awards are often viewed as equivalent to or surpassing the ...

. The ''Gramophone'' critic

John Warrack John Hamilton Warrack (born 9 February 1928) is an English music critic, writer on music, and oboist. Career Born in London, Warrack is the son of Scottish conductor and composer Guy Warrack and Jacynth Mary Ellerton. He was educated at Winches ...

described her portrayal of Káťa Kabanová as "establishing by an infinity of subtle touches and discreet, sensitive singing the picture of Káta as the richest and most human character in the drama".

Career

Born in

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

, Söderström received her first musical schooling from

Adelaide von Skilondz Adelaide Andreyeva von Skilondz (also Andrejewa de Skilondz; – 5 April 1969) was a Russians, Russian operatic coloratura soprano. Career She was born in Saint Petersburg, the daughter of daughter of Colonel Leo Andreyev and Adelaide Chris ...

and later studied at the

Royal College of Music, Stockholm The Royal College of Music, Stockholm () is the oldest institution of higher education in music in Sweden, founded in 1771 as the conservatory of the Royal Swedish Academy of Music. The institution was made independent of the Academy in 1971, and ...

. She made her debut in 1947 at the

Drottningholm Palace Theatre The Drottningholm Palace Theatre () is an opera house located at Drottningholm Palace in Stockholm, Sweden. It is one of the few 18th century theatres in Europe that is still used as a theatre with its original stage machinery. Currently, the r ...

singing in one of

Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 1756 – 5 December 1791) was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition and proficiency from an early age ...

's lesser-known works '' Bastien et Bastienne''. From 1949 to 1980 she called the

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

her home but she frequently appeared at some of the largest opera houses in the world. She was also a regular visitor to the recording studio. Between 1959 and 1964 Söderström was contracted by the

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

in New York City to which she would return in 1983–87. Her last stage performance was in 1999 in

Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky ( ; 7 May 1840 – 6 November 1893) was a Russian composer during the Romantic period. He was the first Russian composer whose music made a lasting impression internationally. Tchaikovsky wrote some of the most popular ...

's '' The Queen of Spades'' at the Metropolitan Opera. In 1978 she created the role of Amanda/Clitoria in

György Ligeti György Sándor Ligeti (; ; 28 May 1923 – 12 June 2006) was a Hungarian-Austrian composer of contemporary classical music. He has been described as "one of the most important avant-garde music, avant-garde composers in the latter half of the ...

's '' Le Grand Macabre'' at the Royal Swedish Opera. During her long career, Söderström made a name for herself as a technically perfect and at the same time warm soprano with a personal style which allowed her to sing in a wide variety of works ranging from the 17th century to contemporary. Between appearances in fully staged operas, Söderström gave numerous concerts and recitals in all corners of the world. She made a variety of recordings, including the complete songs of

Sergei Rachmaninoff Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninoff; in Russian pre-revolutionary script. (28 March 1943) was a Russian composer, virtuoso pianist, and Conducting, conductor. Rachmaninoff is widely considered one of the finest pianists of his day and, as a compos ...

, accompanied by

Vladimir Ashkenazy Vladimir Davidovich Ashkenazy (, ''Vladimir Davidovich Ashkenazi''; born 6 July 1937) is a Soviet-born Icelandic pianist, chamber music performer, and conductor. Ashkenazy has collaborated with well-known orchestras and soloists. In addition, ...

. Between 1993 and 1996 Söderström was the director of the Drottningholm Palace Theatre, the same stage where she had made her debut almost 50 years earlier. In 1983, she sang the final trio from

Strauss Strauss, Strauß, or Straus is a common Germanic surname. Outside Germany and Austria ''Strauß'' is usually spelled ''Strauss'' (the letter " ß" is not used in the German-speaking part of Switzerland). In classical music, "Strauss" most com ...

's ''

Der Rosenkavalier (''The Knight of the Rose'' or ''The Rose-Bearer''), Op. 59, is a comic opera in three acts by Richard Strauss to an original German libretto by Hugo von Hofmannsthal. It is loosely adapted from Louvet de Couvrai's novel ''Les amours du cheva ...

'' with

Kathleen Battle Kathleen Deanna Battle (born August 13, 1948) is an American operatic soprano known for her distinctive vocal range and tone. Born in Portsmouth, Ohio, Battle initially became known for her work within the concert repertoire through performances ...

and

Frederica von Stade Frederica von Stade (born 1 June 1945) is a semi-retired American classical singer. Best known for her work in opera, she was also a recitalist and concert artist, and she recorded more than a hundred albums and videos. She is especially associa ...

at The Metropolitan Opera Centennial Gala conducted by

James Levine James Lawrence Levine ( ; June 23, 1943 – March 9, 2021) was an American conductor and pianist. He was music director of the Metropolitan Opera from 1976 to 2016. He was terminated from all his positions and affiliations with the Met on March ...

. In 1978 she published a collection of stories from her career and thoughts on performing entitled ''I min tonart''; this was translated in English as ''In My Own Key''.

Personal life

Elisabeth Söderström was married to commander Sverker Olow from 1950 until her death. They lived in

Lidingö Lidingö (), also known in its definite form Lidingön and as Lidingölandet, is an island in the inner Stockholm archipelago, northeast of Stockholm, Sweden. In 2023, the population of the Lidingö urban area on the island was 48,162. It is the ...

Death

She died in the Swedish capital, Stockholm, on 20 November 2009, aged 82, from complications from a stroke.

Honours

Elisabeth Söderström received a number of honours, both in Sweden and abroad. Among them: *1959 – the Italian

Order of the Star of Italian Solidarity The Order of the Star of Italian Solidarity ( ) was founded as a national order by the first President of the Italian Republic, Enrico De Nicola, in 1947, to recognise civilian and military expatriates or foreigners who made an outstanding co ...

*1972 – the Swedish Commander of the Royal Order of Vasa *1973 – the French Commandeur de l´Ordre des Arts et Lettres *1985 – the British

Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

*1997 – one of the

Eurostar Eurostar is an international high-speed rail service in Western Europe, connecting Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. The service is operated by the Eurostar Group which was formed from the merger of Eurostar, ...

locomotives was named after her

Discography

* Humperdinck: ''Hänsel und Gretel'', Columbia CD, M2K-35898 (US), M2K-79217 (Europe), 1988 * '' The Metropolitan Opera Centennial Gala'', Deutsche Grammophon DVD, 00440-073-4538, 2009 * Janáček: Věc Makropulos (Sir

Charles Mackerras Sir Alan Charles MacLaurin Mackerras (; (17 November 1925 – 14 July 2010) was an American-born Australian conductor. He was an authority on the operas of Janáček and Mozart, and the comic operas of Gilbert and Sullivan. He was long associ ...

conducting) Decca LP D14402, 1979. London LP, 12109 (US), 1980. Decca CD 723702, 2006Schwann Catalogue, ArkivMusic.com catalogue, Gramophone Classical Catalogue

References

External links

An interview with Elisabeth Söderström recorded in 1992
– a British Library sound recording

by Bruce Duffie, 6 August 1997 {{DEFAULTSORT:Soderstrom, Elisabeth 1927 births 2009 deaths Singers from Stockholm Honorary members of the Royal Academy of Music Swedish operatic sopranos Royal College of Music, Stockholm, alumni Commanders of the Order of Vasa Commandeurs of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres Litteris et Artibus recipients Honorary commanders of the Order of the British Empire 20th-century Swedish women opera singers Burials at Galärvarvskyrkogården