Big Ben Phonogram

Inga Nilsen
Soprano

Recording on Big Ben

A Portait of Inga Nilsen

571 004-2

Artist Biography

Born: June 2, 1946 – Holbaek (Copenhagen), Denmark
Died: February 10, 2008 – Copenhagen, Denmark

The Danish soprano, Inga Nielsen, made her first recording at the age of nine singing Danish folk songs and Christmas carols. After finishing her studies in Vienna, Stuttgart and Budapest, the soprano began her career in the opera houses of Germany and Switzerland, and in 1975 became an ensemble member of the Frankfurt Opera.

Since 1980 Inga Nielsen has been working on a freelance basis. She is now a regular guest performer at the Vienna State Opera, Milan's La Scala, Royal Opera Covent Garden in London, as well at the houses of Munich, Hamburg, Berlin, Paris, Zürich, Barcelona, New York and Buenos Aires, as well as Florence and Bologna. Inga Nielsen has also performed at the festivals of Bayreuth, Salzburg, Vienna, Munich, Aix-en-Provence, Edinburgh, Ludwigsburg, Schwetzingen, Holland, Athens, and New York's ìMostly Mozart Festival.

Career highlights include new productions of Die Entführung aus dem Serail (Konstanze) at the Salzburg Festival (1987-1989) and at Covent Garden under the baton of Georg Solti (both presentations have been televised internationally and are available on video), as well as the Marschallin in Der Rosenkavalier at Copenhagen's Royal Opera. With a new staging of Salome led by Jiri Kout in Leipzig in 1994, Inga Nielsen began a new direction into the dramatic repertoire. Her first Chrysothemis in Elektra was sung in Japan under the baton of Giuseppe Sinopoli, and was followed by performances of the role in Munich, Hamburg, Dresden, Amsterdam and Paris. At the 1990 Munich opera festival she sang the Aspasia in Mozart's Mitridate and at the Salzburg festival the same year she performed in Beethovenís Ninth conducted by Sir Georg Solti.

Most recently, Inga Nielsen has scored successes as Salome in Santa Fe, Ursula in Mathis der Maler at Covent Garden, and in the title role of Tosca in Copenhagen. Upcoming engagements include three role debuts: the Empress in Die Frau ohne Schatten in Dresden, Elsa in Lohengrin in Hamburg, and Lady Macbeth in Macbeth in Nice.

Inga Nielsen, equally at home on the opera stage and the concert platform, has been involved in numerous radio and television productions and has made many records, including a recital with arias from operas by Händel, Mozart, Massenet, Puccini and Verdi.

In 1992, Inga Nielsen was honoured by the Queen of Denmark with the title of "Ridderkorset" equivalent of the English Dame.