Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The Voice of the Century
Kirsten Flagstad (1895-1962), to whom there's a museum of memora-
bilia dedicated in Hamar, remains one of the all-time legends of opera.
Interpreting the operas of Henry Purcell or Richard Wagner among
other composers, Flagstad had no equal in her day. At the age of 40,
she was planning to retire but was invited to perform at New York's
Metropolitan Opera on February 2, 1935. The rest is history. Her per-
formance was broadcast across Canada and the United States, and it
created a sensation, with music critics labeling her “The Voice of the
Century.” Her Brunhild in San Francisco ensured her lasting fame in
America. Along with Lauritz Melchior, Flagstad is credited with keep-
ing the Metropolitan Opera alive in New York during its difficult days
of the Depression on the eve of World War II.
Her popularity waned when she returned to Nazi-occupied Norway
to be with her husband, Henry Johansen. It was a naive decision that
would harm her incredible popularity in the United States for the rest
of her life. During the war she never sang for the Germans. But her
husband, Johansen, in ill health, was arrested by the Norwegians at
the end of the war and labeled a war profiteer, even though he'd
aided the Allied resistance. He died a year later.
On Flagstad's return to postwar America, a political campaign,
labeled in the press as one of “extreme vituperation,” was waged
against her. Demonstrations marred each one of her performances in
New York and San Francisco. Nevertheless, her devoted fans still clung
to her. At age 54, when most divas are in retirement, Flagstad contin-
ued to perform with the San Francisco Opera, scoring some of her
greatest successes with Tristan und Isolde and Die Walküre. During the
tragic years of the war, her voice had “darkened” and lost some of its
brilliant upper register. But all of her concerts were still sold out by die-
hard fans.
Fortunately, her recorded voice remains to win new generations of
fans among opera lovers. Many music critics now hail her as “the Diva
of the 20th century.” Flagstad's recorded voice has become “immor-
tal,” glowing with richness, power, and an expressiveness that is not
only beautiful but also intensely dramatic.
Quality Hotel Astoria Originally built in the early 1970s in the com-
mercial center of town, this hotel was radically renovated in the late 1990s into
a clean, well-managed, middle-bracket enclave of efficiency and warmth.
Because of its renovations, it promotes itself as “the newest hotel in town.” Each
room has a writing table, comfortable, contemporary-looking furniture, and a
monochromatic color scheme, depending on the floor it's on, of pale yellow,
green, or soft red. Each of the tile-sheathed bathrooms has at least a shower, and
about half have tub/shower combinations. The in-house restaurant, the Pep-
perkvaerna Mat & Vinhus, is separately recommended in “Where to Dine,”
below.
Search WWH ::




Custom Search