Jussi Björling is one of those diamonds in the rough side of an old coffin, which one thinks perhaps has been inconsequently overrated, like many others artists, by time and memory. But, as one lets this tenor's voice crack one's concrete mood, the now only listener will notice it's harder to swallow than before. There is something sordid in Björling (perhaps a reflection of his yet to come alcoholic requiem), but there is something poetic in all that is sordid.
Crowned at the Metropolitan Opera in New York as the “Swedish Caruso”, the Swedish tenor resembles somehow the stereotyped story of the musical genius. Debut at the age of four, with the Björling Quartet; professional debut at the Royal Swedish Opera at 19; and concert debut in Carnegie Hall at 25.
