As I was loosening the spine of the new English translation of Birgit Nilsson's autobiography, I chanced on this unforgettable confession: "That was the first and last time I went on stage without ...

Sweden’s Birgit Nilsson is the world’s reigning Wagnerian soprano. Austria’s Herbert von Karajan has no superior as a conductor of the Ring cycle. Alas, two great melodies do not always pro ...