Ingvar Wixell (1931-2011)
I've been involved in opera for most of my life and was only dimly aware of Ingvar Wixell until I came across his obituary and beautiful voice this morning. Such is the glory of the internet. You can read about and listen to a great singer within minutes. But I am kicking myself! How could I have missed him? Ok. So he won the Eurovision Song Contest when I was seven and stopped singing before I found my way to New York City Opera. But that doesn't seem like a good enough excuse. My first reaction to Wixell from the Utube video below? He was a great singer with Old School technique. Glorious singing!
Opera Fresh has an excellent information on Wixell's career and studies. Curiously, his voice teacher, Dagmar Gustafson (1895-1989), also taught the noted voice scientist Johan Sundberg. My mind is already at work, wanting to know who Gustafson studied with (I won't be surprised to discover that she falls within the Lamperti School). Undoubtedly Mr. Sundberg would know since he belongs to an association that has compiled a book of her teaching. Unfortunately, I don't read Swedish. However, isn't that what google translation is for?
If you really want to know something you have to leave no stone unturned.
Maybe you could suggest to Mr. Sundberg to publish an English translation of DG's teachings?
ReplyDeleteThank you for the suggestion! I did just that and heard back this morning. Though written in Swedish, a text on Dagmar Gustafson's teaching is available from the DG Student Society.
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