Nina Stemme

The Swedish soprano Nina Stemme is one of the leading Isoldes and Brünnhildes today. She has had tremendous success as Isolde at Covent Garden, also as Sieglinde and Brünnhilde in the Ring at Vienna State Opera. Her Isolde at Glyndebourne was acclaimed by critics and is now a best seller on DVD.

Nina Stemme sings at the major opera houses all over the world, like Bavarian State Opera Munich, Glyndebourne, Wiener Staatsoper, Salzburg, Bayreuth, Gran Teatre del Liceu Barcelona, Metropolitan Opera New York, San Francisco Opera, Semperoper Dresden, Stockholm, Geneva, Zürich and Teatro San Carlo in Naples.

Her Isolde (2005 and 2006) at the Bayreuth Festival in Christoph Marthaler's production was a great success, but unfortunately she did not return after the second year.

Nina Stemme as Isolde

"I thought my first offer of Isolde was a joke." Stemme, at that time, was more a lyric Mozartian singer than a dramatic Wagnerian. "But a seed was planted. I went away and studied the role and realised it would be possible."
Nina Stemme

Nina Stemme's Wagner roles include

Brünnhilde. Wiener Staatsoper, Bavarian State Opera Munich.
Isolde (Tristan und Isolde). Role debut at Glyndebourne Festival Opera.
This production by Nikolaus Lehnhoff is available on DVD
Eva (Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg)
Elisabeth (Tannhäuser)
Elsa (Lohengrin)
Senta (Der fliegende Holländer)
Sieglinde (Die Walküre)

Nina Stemme sings Isolde on Antonio Pappano's recording of Tristan und Isolde with Placido Domingo as Tristan.

Engagements include

Tristan und Isolde at Royal Opera Stockholm, Zürich Opera and Royal Opera House Covent Garden
Salome at Gran Teatre del Liceu Barcelona and Teatro Real Madrid
Katerina Ismailova/Lady Macbeth of Mzensk at the Metropolitan Opera New York
Brünnhilde in Vienna, San Francisco and at La Scala Milan
Der Fliegende Holländer and Rusalka at Bayerische Staatsoper
Tannhäuser at Opera Bastille Paris
Fidelio at Covent Garden

Nina Stemme was appointed Swedish Royal Court Singer in 2006. She is a member of The Royal Swedish Academy of Music. In June 2008, she was awarded with the medal “Litteris et Artibus” by H.M. the King of Sweden.

Nina Stemme's Homepage

Selected Biographies

Social Media

One of the finest monuments in sound ever to have been raised to the everlasting glory of music. (Claude Debussy on Parsifal)

"The thing about Wagner is that there can be no true success in any production of his operas, only degrees of failure. There is so much in these bloody pieces, all you can do is try to live up to them." (Keith Warner, The Guardian)

"I have never come across an audience with so much hatred, so much anger, such a thirst for revenge. They take everything personally. It makes you a little bit scared, and it's really quite terrifying." (Lance Ryan on the audiences at Bayreuth)

"People sometimes complain that Wagner operas are too long, that they get stiff and sore about 10.30 because they have rushed in to hear one of his works straight from work and are not properly prepared for listening to his music. The audience, as much as the artists, must be prepared for a performance."
(Benjamin Britten to Alan Blyth, Gramophone)

"I was bowled over. It was the year after Wieland Wagner had died; to be able to see his productions was a total knock-out. These bare stagings, where everything was done with lighting. The light changed with the music, and the shadows and patterns seemed as archetypal as the music itself. Nobody had done that on the stage before. I thought it was extraordinary and wonderful."
(Patrick Carnegy to The Guardian)

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