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On the very stage where Birgit Nilsson made her debut, H.M. King Carl XVI Gustaf presented
the first Birgit Nilsson Prize to star tenor, conductor and opera house director Plácido
Domingo. With a one million dollar award, it is the most generous prize in the world of
classical music. "The Prize money will greatly benefit my annual competition Operalia," said a
visibly moved Plácido Domingo. In an emotional speech, he said it was "unbelievable" to be
standing on the stage where Nilsson had performed so many times, calling her "one of the
greatest artists, if not the greatest."
An evening to honour Nilsson
Plácido Domingo paid tribute to the primadonna assoluta in his acceptance speech, and the
evening's praise of Nilsson extended to include her fearsome business sense that so impressed
opera house directors and the humour, kindness and modesty that made her such a beloved
friend. In his tribute, Hans-Peter Lehmann, Director and former Artistic Director of the
Hanover State Opera, described her singing as a force of nature: "This was where art and
nature reached their pinnacle. Time, space, reality – they all simply melted away." In her
speech honouring the Prize winner, Royal Swedish Opera Artistic Director Birgitta Svendén
recalled how much the two great artists had in common. Although they shared the stage in
only three productions, they shared a lifelong mutual admiration: "They were artistic soul
mates."
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Glittering gala dinner
The award ceremony was accompanied by music from Nina Stemme, who was supported by
Birgit Nilsson and Plácido Domingo as a young artist, and from the Royal Swedish Orchestra
conducted by Gregor Bühl. Following the ceremony, guests were invited to Stockholm City Hall
to dine in the presence of Their Majesties. The menu featured venison from Södermanland, a
region south of Stockholm. Guests included Swedish Culture Minister Lena Adelsohn Liljeroth,
violinist Julian Rachlin and Eva Wagner-Pasquier, Director of the Bayreuth Festival.
An auspicious beginning
Professor Rutbert Reisch, President of the Birgit Nilsson Foundation, which organised the
event, was happy that the evening's celebration was a great success. "Expectations have been
set high for future award ceremonies." The location and date of the next presentation have
not yet been determined, but the Prize will be awarded every second or third year for
outstanding achievement in opera or concert by a singer or a conductor, or to a specific opera
production. Birgit Nilsson selected the first winner herself before her death. "We will now
appoint an international jury to name the next Prize winner," Professor Reisch added.
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