Jussi

Scandinavian Review, Winter 1996

by Anna-Lisa Bjorling and Andrew Farkas Portland, OR: Amadeus Press, 1996 520 pages. BIW Photos. Cloth. $39.95

Sweden has given many great singers to the lyric stage, but none so widely acclaimed and admired in this century as the tenor Jussi Bjorling. His exceptional voice, flawless technique, outstanding musicianship, and impeccable musical taste earned him critical acclaim and enthusiastic audiences on three continents. These great gifts were combined with genuine humility and simplicity; Bjorling remained unspoiled and deeply devoted to his family. His tragically early death at the age of forty-nine ended a professional singing career that had started when he was only five.

Authored by his widow, this is the first English-language biography of Bjorling. In addition to her recollections, it incorporates information from the family archives, the Jussi Borling Museum in Borlange, Sweden, and operatic archives in Stockholm, New York, London and San Francisco. Extensive interviews with former colleagues, associates, and friends, plus a chronology provide further insights into Bjorling's life and career. The result is an honest portrait of one of the outstanding opera and concert artists of the 20th century.