Here in Sweden we love Jussi Björling, not just for his exquisite singing but also because he was a man with strengths as well as weaknesses. In his great moments at the Metropolitan he was the urbane world tenor; in his weak moments he wasthe local ...
Here in Sweden we love Jussi Björling, not just for his exquisite singing but also because he was a man with strengths as well as weaknesses. In his great moments at the Metropolitan he was the urbane world tenor; in his weak moments he was
the local boy from the small Swedish village.
Jussi Björling was born in Borlänge in 1911. Together with his two brothers, he was trained in singing by his father, and the four of them toured in North America and Scandinavia as the Björling Quartet. When he was 19 years old, he made his debut at the Stockholm Opera. Jussi’s breakthrough came in 1931 when he performed at the Tivoli in Copenhagen and the unanimous critics praised his singing. He was soon in the middle of an international career. The Metropolitan, La Scala in Milan, Covent Garden in London, opera houses in Vienna, Chicago and San Francisco – he was a success wherever he performed.
He is universally regarded as the best tenor the world has known. He is one of a handful of Swedes who became world famous during (and after) their lives. And few have had such a devoted popular following as Jussi Björling.
The book includes a CD with about 20 recordings.