FULL Birgit Nilsson sings from Götterdämmerung Sydney 1973

• Work Title: Birgit Nilsson sings from Götterdämmerung  
• Composer: Wagner Richard  
• Libretto: Richard Wagner  
• Venue & Opera Company: Sydney Opera House, Australia  
• Recorded: September 29, 1973
• Type: Concert Live
• Singers: Birgit Nilsson
• Conductor: Charles Mackerras  
• Orchestra: Sydney Symphony Orchestra  
• Stage Director:   
• Costume Designer:   

Information about the Recording

• Published by: ABC  
• Date Published: 1973  
• Format: Broadcast
• Quality Video: 3 Audio:3
• Subtitles: nosubs  
• Video Recording from: YouTube     FULL VIDEO
•  

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON THIS PERFORMANCE

The first official public concert in the Concert Hall at the Sydney Opera House on 29 September 1973 featured the Swedish soprano Birgit Nilsson. She was accompanied by the 110-member Sydney Symphony Orchestra conducted by Charles Mackerras, then 48, yet to be knighted (1979) and a former oboist with the orchestra during the fabled ‘Goossens decade’ (1946-56).

Nilsson sang the celebrated aria ‘Dich, teure Halle’ from act two of Wagner’s opera Tannhauser. Nilsson, 55 at the time, was at the height of her powers and it was a superb performance .

In fact, the entire program was devoted to the music of Richard Wagner (1813–83). Some saw this as deflecting from Australia’s history and identity, as well as delivering a backhander to its composers. Some members of the RSL were also unimpressed: what, they wondered, were we doing celebrating the opening of Sydney’s Opera House with the music of Hitler’s favourite composer?

The month leading up to the concert was an historic time for Sydney. In the middle of a transport strike, a petrol strike, a mail strike, a series of rolling power strikes and a garbage collection strike came the opening events of the Sydney Opera House.