Kirsten Flagstad
Kirsten Flagstad | |
|---|---|
| Born | Kirsten Malfrid Flagstad 12 July 1895 Hamar, Norway |
| Died | 7 December 1962 (aged 67) Oslo, Norway |
| Resting place | Vestre Gravlund |
| Occupation | |
| Years active | 1913–1957 |
| Spouses |
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| Children | 1 |
| Parent(s) | Michael Flagstad Maja Flagstad |
| Relatives | Karen-Marie Flagstad (sister) |
| Awards | Order of St. Olav Hollywood Walk of Fame |
Kirsten Malfrid Flagstad (12 July 1895 – 7 December 1962) was a Norwegian opera singer, who was the outstanding Wagnerian soprano of her era. Her triumphant debut in New York on 2 February 1935 is one of the legends of opera. Giulio Gatti-Casazza, the longstanding General Manager of the Metropolitan Opera said, "I have given America two great gifts — Caruso and Flagstad."
Called "the voice of the century", she ranks among the greatest singers of the 20th century. 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."