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Kirsten Malfrid Flagstad (12 July 1895 – 7 December 1962) was a Norwegian opera singer and a highly regarded Wagnerian soprano. She ranks among the greatest singers of the 20th century, and many opera critics called hers "the voice of the century." Desmond Shawe-Taylor wrote of her in the ''New Grove Dictionary of Opera'': "No one within living memory surpassed her in sheer beauty and consistency of line and tone." ==Early life and career== Flagstad was born in Hamar, Norway, in her grandparents' home. Though she never actually lived in Hamar, she always considered it her home town. She was raised in Oslo within a musical family; her father was a conductor and her mother a pianist. She received her early musical training in Oslo and made her stage debut at the National Theatre in Oslo as Nuri in Eugen d'Albert's ''Tiefland'' in 1913. Her first recordings were made between 1913 and 1915. After further study in Stockholm with Dr. Gillis Bratt, she pursued a career in opera and operetta in Norway. In 1919, she married her first husband Sigurd Hall and a year later gave birth to her only child, a daughter, Else Marie Hall. Later that year she signed up with the newly created Opera Comique in Oslo, under the direction of Alexander Varnay and Benno Singer. Varnay was the father of the famous soprano Astrid Varnay. Her ability to learn roles quickly was noted, as it often took her only a few days to do so. She sang Desdemona opposite Leo Slezak, Minnie, Amelia and other lesser roles at the Opera Comique. She sang at the Stora Theater of Göteborg, Sweden, between 1928 and 1934. Flagstad made her debut there singing Agathe in ''Der Freischütz'' by Weber. In 1930, a revival of Nielsen's ''Saul and David'' featured Flagstad singing the role of Michal. On 31 May 1930 she married her second husband, the Norwegian industrialist and lumber merchant Henry Johansen, who subsequently helped her in expanding her career. In 1932 she made her debut in ''Rodelinda'' by Handel. After singing operetta and lyric roles such as Marguerite in ''Faust'' for over a decade, Flagstad decided to take on heavier operatic roles such as ''Tosca'' and ''Aida''. The part of Aida helped to unleash Flagstad's dramatic abilities. In 1932, she took on the role of Isolde in Richard Wagner's ''Tristan und Isolde'' and appeared to have found her true voice. Ellen Gulbranson, a Swedish soprano at Bayreuth, convinced Winifred Wagner to audition Flagstad for the Bayreuth Festival. Flagstad sang minor roles in 1933, but at the next season in 1934, she sang the roles of Sieglinde in ''Die Walküre'' and Gutrune in ''Götterdämmerung'' at the Festival, opposite Frida Leider as Brünnhilde. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Kirsten Flagstad」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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