Description

ELLEN GULBRANSON (STOCKHOLM, 1863, 8/3 – OSLO, 1947, 2/1)

 

 

 

 

Ellen Gulbranson (real name Ellen Norgren) was a Swedish soprano renowned for her interpretations of Wagnerian roles. She received her initial training at the Royal Conservatoire in Stockholm under Julius Günther and later studied in Paris with Mathilde Marchesi de Castrone and Ellen Kenneth. She made her concert debut in Stockholm in 1886 and her stage debut at the Royal Opera in Stockholm in 1889 as Amneris in Aida.

Gulbranson gained international acclaim as a Wagnerian specialist. Although she was invited to perform at the Bayreuth Festival in 1892, she first appeared there in 1896 and remained a regular performer at Bayreuth until 1914. Her roles included Elisabeth in Tannhäuser, Ortrud in Lohengrin, and Brünnhilde in Die Walküre. She also created the title role in August Enna’s opera Cleopatra (1893, Copenhagen).

Her guest appearances included performances at Covent Garden (1907–1908), the Berlin Court Opera (frequently from 1895), Vienna (1896), and opera houses in Frankfurt, Budapest, St. Petersburg, Copenhagen, Amsterdam, Hamburg, and Zurich, among others. She gave her final concert in Stockholm in 1923.

Gulbranson was married to Norwegian Major Gulbranson and resided near Oslo, where she later focused on teaching. In 1898, she was awarded the Swedish Litteris et Artibus medal, and in 1910, she became a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Music.

For further reading: F. Elsta, Boken om Ellen Gulbranson (Oslo, 1950).

 

Chronology of some appearances

 

1889 Stockholm Royal Opera

1890 Bremen Municipal Theater

1895 Berlin Court Opera

1899 Hamburg Municipal Theater

1901 Prague German Theater

1896-1914 Bayreuth Festival

1906 Zurich Municipal Theater

1907 Munich Court Opera

1907 Karlsruhe Court Theater

1907-1908 London Covent Garden

1910 Nuremberg Municipal Theater

 

TRACKLIST

 

 

1. Tannhäuser (Wagner) Dich, teure Halle Pathé 90290
2. Träume (Wagner) Pathé 90289
3. Vær hilset I damer (Grieg) Pathé 17228
4. Ack Wermeland du sköna (trad) Pathé 17216
5. En svane (Grieg) Pathé 17227
6. Og jeg vil ha mig en hjertenskjær (Grieg) Pathé 90380
7. Om dagen vid mitt arbete (trad) Pathé 17215

SWEDISH SOPRANO ELLEN GULBRANSON (1863-1947) CDR

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