Joel Berglund

Lebendige Vergangenheit

"This evening's guest was Joel Berglund from Sweden, country of vocal talents, who, in a most impressive way, did füll justice to the extraordinary reputation which has anticipated him. A splendid singer, an interesting artist, a strong personality dominates the stage with distinguished and noble style. He posesses a rich and cultivated voice whose numerous shades and colourings reveal a fascinating personality. A broadly flooding middle register, a light and clear top and darkly shaded low notes: one melts smoothly into the other and the wide range of this singer's voice results in a well coordinated unity. There is something spiritual in this voice which is as clearly audible as a sensual and substantial accent. Notes and lyrics are being phrased in a very plastic and alive way. The role, the figure is acted with a noble and impressing attitude. Berglund searches for the mystic and sinister nimbus of his "Holländer", his artistic aim always remains the humanization of the phantom; he reveals the soul, the desire, the hope of this figure and its longing for salvation: the voice, the characterization and the expressive gesticulation of his hands let everything shiver with romantic ecstasy". This review of Heinrich Kralik was published in a Viennese newspaper on the occasion of the first guest appearance of Berglund at the Vienna State Opera on November 4th 1936 and gives us an impression what great impact this singer must have made on his public. The accurate voice-analysis can be verified by listening to Berglund's records. On November 16th 1936 he appeared as Mephisto in "Faust". The same critic wrote on this occasion: "Berglund as Mephisto this time he sings in Swedish and his Swedish opera devil offers an intelligent selection of the best of operatic devils. He thinks like a German Mephisto, behaves like an Italian and emphasizes like a French one. Still, everything is very individual and linked to Berglund's own personality. He is a splendid singer and a complete artist. Berglund does neither too much nor too little, he follows a straight and classical line, his concept is clear and simple. The characterization is always pointed and exact without becorning a caricature. He has comnic temperament but it is well controlled. The voice laughs out diabolically or thunders satanically but never interrupts the noble vocal line. His is a gentleman Mephisto, he sings the Rondo with rich and full so­ und and also in the Serenade the musical and vocal effects are placed in the foreground. Especially the Serenade whose bizarre melody was crowned with powerful and ringing notes was a double success". Joel Berglund was born on June 4th 1903 in Torsäker and studied at the Royal Music School of Stockholm with 0. Lejdström and John Forsell. In 1929 he made his debut at the Opera of Stockholm as Monterone in "Rigoletto" and throughout his career this institute remained his artistic home. Apart from the already mentioned appearances in Vienna Berglund was heard in Berlin, Budapest, Zurich, at the Teatro Colon and at the Chicago Opera. From 1937 to 1939 he undertook two concert tours through North-America. At the Bayreuth Festival he alternated with Rudolf Bockelmann as Hans Sachs. In 1943 he was appointed "Hofsänger". In the years between 1945 and 1949 Berglund was a member of the Metropolitan Ensemble where he shared his repertory with Herbert Janssen. He was the artistic director of Stockholm's Opera House from 1949 to 1956 and he regularly appeared there in guest performances until 1964. He died in Stockholm in 1985. Joel Berglund avoided to dedicate himself entirely to the Wagner repertoire although his voice seemed especially suited for this music. Consequently, he continued to sing also the roles of the bass-baritone repertoire. In this aspect he resembled the legendary Friedrich Plaschke (1875-1951) who also started out as a bass but soon began to sing the heroic baritone repertoire without ever abandoning the bass roles. That way, he could afford to give up the Wagner roles in later years without having to end his career. One must also consider that the operas of Richard Wagner were never as popular in Sweden as in other countries. In Berglund's activity as a guest singer probably especially Wagnerian roles dominated his repertory since German representatives of this field like Rudolf Bockelmann and Hans Hermann Nissen were very restricted in their performing abroad after the outbreak of World War II while Berglund himself being the citizen of a neutral country was specially privileged.