Tag Archives: Jussi Björling

Classical, Opera, Soundtrack

Jussi Björling sings Till Havs (at sea)

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One of the leading operatic tenors of the 20th century, Jussi Björling sings Till Havs (English: at sea). It is originally a poem by the Finnish-Swedish poet Jonathan Reuter, the opening words “Smokey and the ocean’s healthy wind”. In 1922, the song set to music by the Swedish composer Gustaf Nordqvist (born 12 February 1886 in Stockholm, Sweden, dead 28 January 1949 in Stockholm, Sweden) as part of the “Three Songs” for solo voice and piano or orchestra. The song was one of Jussi Björling’s showpieces.

The video below is from Björling’s movie “Resan till dig” (English: The Journey to You), a 1953 Swedish comedy film directed by Stig Olin. It is recorded from Swedish TV, restored and repitched. Royal Orchestra conducted by Sune Waldimir, September 27, 1953.
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Classical, Opera

The best versions of “Je crois entendre encore”

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The best versions of “Je crois entendre encore” (I still believe I hear), a beautiful aria from Georges Bizet‘s Les pêcheurs de perles.

Les pêcheurs de perles (The Pearl Fishers) is an opera in three acts by the French composer Georges Bizet, to a libretto by Eugène Cormon and Michel Carré. It was first performed on 30 September 1863 at the Théâtre Lyrique in Paris and was given 18 performances in its initial run. Set in ancient times on the island of Ceylon, the opera tells the story of how two men’s vow of eternal friendship is threatened by their love for the same woman, whose own dilemma is the conflict between secular love and her sacred oath as a priestess.

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Classical, Opera

“O Sole Mio” from three great tenors

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Three versions of the famous Neapolitan song “O Sole Mio”: Enrico Caruso, Jussi Björling, and Luciano Pavarotti.

“O sole mio” is a globally known Neapolitan song written in 1898. Its lyrics were written by Giovanni Capurro and the melody was composed by Eduardo di Capua. There are other versions of “‘O sole mio” but it is usually sung in the original Neapolitan language. ‘O sole mio is the Neapolitan equivalent of standard Italian Il sole mio and translates literally as “my sunshine“.

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