Kirsten Flagstag

Norwegian opera singer and a highly regarded Wagnerian soprano, one of the greatest singers of the 20th Century.

Flagstad is many considered the greatest dramatic soprano ever and she created a huge sensation when she made her debut at the Metropolitan on 2 February 1935. At Metropolitan she sang all the great Wagner roles. After the war she had great success at Covent Garden, where she sang 1948-52. She made numerous recordings.

Her decision to stay in occupied Norway during the war made her unpopular in the Unites States. When Rudolf Bing invited her back to sing at the Metropolitan in 1950 there were protests from people who erroneously thought she was a Nazi.

Desmond Shawe-Taylor wrote of her in the New Grove Dictionary of Opera: "No one within living memory surpassed her in sheer beauty and consistency of line and tone”

This is a rare glossy sepia vintage photograph (7.75" x 10"), elegantly signed and inscribed ("John Street, sincerely yours, Kirsten Flagstad") in blue fountain pen ink. There are some minor faults - the odd small crinkle, partial crease and handling ding and one small area near the central right edge where a tiny name label has been removed (if you look closely you can just about see the indentation). The beauty of her signature, however, more that compensates for these flaws, and overall condition has to be rated good.