Borg (1919-2000) was an extraordinary, yet under-recorded bass-baritone, who hailed from Finland. He debut at the Metropolitan in a role that was probably not quite suitable to him, Mozart’s Count Almaviva. His most important achievement, is to have sung Boris Godunov in Moscow.
He was both an accomplished buffo singer (Osmin, Rossini’s Don Basilio) and a dramatic bass of superb quality (King Philip II, and Wagner’s King Marke). His voice had a remarkable warmth to it, the aural equivalent of a deep purple velvet fabric. Moreover, he was a master in combining vocalism with fine acting, drawing full character studies when on stage.
On record, this hard to find album (originally released on Deutsche Grammophon), reflects his varied gifts at their best:
He was also He was a specialist in the songs of his fellow Finns Sibelius and Kilpinen. Borg was an avid hobby photographer.
Here he is in a studio rendition of Fiesco’s aria from Simon Boccanegra prologue:
