Obviously the snippet of Birgit Nilsson‘s singing in the Curse Quiz does not represent the great dramatic soprano at her considerable best, since it’s taken from a post-retirement gala performance. Here’s Nilsson’s Isolde at her peak in one of La Cieca’s very favorite YouTube clips, from a 1967 telecast. (It’s been posted here before, but it certainly bears repetition.)

[kml_flashembed movie="http://youtube.com/v/UoVKiC-e65k" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]

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