orig. Märta Birgit Svennsson
born May 17, 1918, West Karup, Swed.
Swedish soprano.
She made her debut in Stockholm in 1946, and she performed in the complete Ring cycle of Richard Wagner in Munich (1954–55). She went on to sing most of the major Wagnerian soprano roles at Bayreuth between 1959 and 1970; she was acclaimed as the greatest Wagnerian soprano of her time for the astonishing power and capacities of her rich voice. From 1959 she often sang at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City. Her other significant roles include Richard Strauss 's Elektra and Salome, Giacomo Puccini 's Turandot, and Ludwig van Beethoven 's Leonora. She retired in 1984.