Nina Maria Stemme (born Nina Maria Thöldte on 11 May 1963) is a Swedish dramatic soprano opera singer.
Stemme "is regarded by today's opera fans as our era's greatest Wagnerian soprano".[1] In 2010, Michael Kimmelman wrote of one of Stemme's performances in Richard Wagner's opera Die Walküre, "As for Brünnhilde, Nina Stemme sang gloriously. It's hard to recall anyone's sounding more commanding or at ease in the part, and that includes Kirsten Flagstad".[2]
Early life and education
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Born in Stockholm, the young Stemme played piano and viola. She attended Adolf Fredrik's Music School (Swedish: Adolf Fredriks Musikklasser), a high-profile song-and-chorus school in Stockholm.[3][4] During a year as an exchange student at Langley High School in McLean, Virginia, she joined the school chorus, sang solos and won awards.[5]
Parallel to her studies of business administration and economics at the University of Stockholm, Stemme followed a two-year course at the Stockholm Operastudio. Her debut as Cherubino in Cortona, Italy, in 1989 made Stemme decide to follow a professional singer's career; her studies at the University College of Opera in Stockholm were completed in 1994. In addition to two minor roles at the Royal Swedish Opera in Stockholm, she also sang Rosalinde (Die Fledermaus), Mimì (La bohème), Euridice in Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice, and Diana (La fedeltà premiata by Haydn).[4][6]
Her roles[11] include Rosalinde, Mimì in La bohème, Cio-Cio San in Madama Butterfly, Turandot, Tosca, Manon Lescaut, Suor Angelica, Euridice, Katerina in Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk, the Countess in Le nozze di Figaro, Marguerite, Agathe, Marie, Nyssia (König Kandaules), Jenůfa, Marschallin, Eva, Elisabeth, Elsa, Senta, Sieglinde, Elisabeth in Tannhäuser and Isolde. This last brought her critical acclaim at Glyndebourne Festival Opera in 2003, on disc for EMI Classics with Plácido Domingo, Antonio Pappano and the chorus and orchestra of the Royal Opera, Covent Garden released in 2005 and most recently at the Bayreuth Festival in 2005 and again in 2006. In 2007 Stemme returned in the role of Isolde to Glyndebourne Festival Opera where she made her debut in the role.[12]
In 2006, Stemme sang Maria in the premiere of Sven-David Sandström's Ordet – en passion, on March 24 in Stockholm.[13] She also made her role debut in the title role of Aida in a new production at Zürich Opera[14] and recorded her first album of Richard Strauss's Four Last Songs and final scenes. On the concert platform in 2006–07, she appeared in recital with Antonio Pappano (piano) in Barcelona and Dresden, in concert performances of Salome in Strasbourg and Paris and in recital at the Zürich Opera.[15]
2014: received the ninth annual Opera News Award "paying tribute to five superb artists who have made invaluable contributions to the art form: director Patrice Chéreau, tenor Juan Diego Flórez, mezzo-soprano Christa Ludwig, bass-baritone James Morris and soprano Nina Stemme"[31]
2014: awarded Stockholms Stads Hederspris 2014 (City of Stockholm Honorary Prize 2014)[32]
Victoria and She/soprano in Ingvar Lidholm, A Dream Play (Swedish: Ett drömspel) : opera with prelude and two acts. With Håkan Hagegård. Caprice CAP 22029:1–2. (2 CD)
^"Nina Stemme, opera's reigning dramatic soprano weighs in on Wagner for his birthday". EmergingPictures. November 8, 2012. Archived from the original on December 11, 2013. Retrieved February 1, 2014.
^Berit Nygren (May 28, 2009). "Stor festival för Adolf Fredrik 70". Sveriges Radio (Swedish Government radio broadcaster). Archived from the original on November 29, 2014. Retrieved October 11, 2014.
^ abcdeCollin, Lars (February 18, 2013). "En vanlig stjärna". Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). Retrieved February 1, 2014.
^"A Drama Queen With Her Head On Straight". The New York Times. May 17, 2012. Retrieved February 1, 2014.
^"Swedish soprano best in the world". Nordstjernan. Retrieved February 1, 2014.
^ ab"Winners 1993". Operalia. Retrieved February 1, 2014.
^"BBC Cardiff Singer of the World 30 years". Sinfini Music. Retrieved February 1, 2014.
^"Artist Biography by Blair Sanderson". AllMusic. Retrieved February 1, 2014.
^ ab"KS Nina Stemme – Soprano". Artists Management Zurich. Archived from the original on December 2, 2013. Retrieved February 1, 2014.
^ ab"Nina Stemme". Wagneropera.net. Archived from the original on May 28, 2009. Retrieved February 1, 2014.
^"Tristan und Isolde". Glyndebourne. Archived from the original on December 3, 2013. Retrieved February 1, 2014.
^"Ordet: en passion i tre akter (2004)" (in Swedish). Sven-David Sandström. Archived from the original on December 2, 2013. Retrieved February 1, 2014.
^"Aida – Nina Stemme (Opéra de Zurich)". Bel Air Media. Archived from the original on May 18, 2015. Retrieved February 1, 2014.
^"Nina Stemme – Soprano, Biography". InstantEncore. Retrieved February 1, 2014.
^"Die Walküre". Teatro alla Scala. Archived from the original on March 16, 2014. Retrieved March 15, 2014.
^McHugh, Dominic (September 13, 2009). "Nina Stemme on The Royal Opera's new production of Tristan und Isolde". MusicalCriticism.com. Retrieved June 15, 2013.
^"Nina Stemme i Notorious på GöteborgsOperan" (in Swedish). The Göteborg Opera. Retrieved February 1, 2014.
^"Tristan und Isolde". www.metopera.org. Metropolitan Opera. Archived from the original on August 20, 2016. Retrieved August 20, 2016.
^"Världens bästa operasångerska: Nina Stemme" (PDF) (in Swedish). Sveriges Radio. December 2013. Retrieved February 1, 2014.
^"Die "Sängerin des Jahres 2005"" (in German). Opernwelt. May 2007. Retrieved February 1, 2014.
^"Svenska ledamöter" (in Swedish). Kungliga Musikaliska Akademien. Retrieved February 1, 2014.
^"Nya hovsångare och hovdansare" (in Swedish). Swedish Royal Court. May 3, 2006. Retrieved February 1, 2014.
^"Medal presentations on June 6, 2008" (PDF). The Royal Court. Retrieved February 1, 2014.
^"Olivier Winners 2010". Olivier Awards. Archived from the original on February 10, 2015. Retrieved February 1, 2014.
^"XXX Premio della critica musicale "Franco Abbiati"" (in Italian). Associazione Nazionale Critici Musicali. Archived from the original on January 10, 2014. Retrieved February 1, 2014.
^"Sängerin des Jahres" (in German). Opernwelt. Retrieved February 1, 2014.
^"Nina Stemme Named 'Österreichische Kammersängerin'". BroadWay World. April 16, 2012. Retrieved February 1, 2014.
^Staatsoper, Wiener. "NINA STEMME ZUM EHRENMITGLIED DER WIENER STAATSOPER ERNANNT". upstream.wiener-staatsoper.at (in German). Retrieved 2023-06-11.
^"San Francisco Opera Medal presented to soprano Nina Stemme". www.sfopera.com. Retrieved 2023-06-11.
Further reading
Liese, Kirsten, Wagnerian Heroines. A Century Of Great Isoldes and Brünnhildes, English translation: Charles Scribner, Edition Karo, Berlin, 2013. OCLC 844683799
External links
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Official website
Biography in Artistman site
Royal Opera House Stockholm website
New York Times review of Stemme in Tristan in Bayreuth (2006)