Jussi Björling was one of the finest tenors of the twentieth century. He was not always the most consistent artist, but his galvanizing voice is still among the most remarkable on record 40 years after his death. Those wanting an introduction to Björling's singing, or fans wanting a good collection, should be very happy with EMI's The Very Best of Jussi Björling. Not every performance is a hit, but many of them do represent the best he had to offer, and in every case, the unique beauty of his voice is on full display. Most ...
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Jussi Björling was one of the finest tenors of the twentieth century. He was not always the most consistent artist, but his galvanizing voice is still among the most remarkable on record 40 years after his death. Those wanting an introduction to Björling's singing, or fans wanting a good collection, should be very happy with EMI's The Very Best of Jussi Björling. Not every performance is a hit, but many of them do represent the best he had to offer, and in every case, the unique beauty of his voice is on full display. Most of the recordings are from the 1930s and 1940s, and some of them sound their age, but the sound quality is mostly excellent. Björling sang Italian opera better than anyone in his day, tackling the challenges of Verdi and the verismo composers as if the style and language were native to him. Furthermore, unlike most Italianate tenors of that (or any) time, he sang equally convincingly in French, German, his native Swedish, and even English (the least successful). Hearing him traverse...
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