Opera Singer. Considered one of the greatest dramatic sopranos of the 20th century, she was admired for the sheer tonal beauty of her voice and its consistency of line and tone. Born in Hamar, Norway, her father was conductor Michael Flagstad and her mother pianist Marie Flagstad Johnsrud. She received early musical training in Oslo and made her stage debut at the National Theatre in 1913. Her first recordings date from 1913 to 1915. After further studies in Stockholm, Flagstad began a career in opera in Norway and became later engaged in the city theater of Göteborg. In 1932 she made her debut in "Rodelinda" by Händel. Critics claimed that her voice was too big for Händel, and much more suited to Wagner. In 1932, she took on the role of Isolde in Wagner's "Tristan and Isolde" and appeared to have found her true voice. Her Metropolitan Opera début as Sieglinde, broadcast nationwide on February 2, 1935, created a sensation. Almost overnight, she had established herself as the pre-eminent Wagnerian soprano of the era. She returned to Norway in 1941 and remained there throughout the war. Refusing to perform in any German occupied countries during that time, she made a point of singing in Sweden and Switzerland. Her husband was arrested for war profiteering after the war and his estate was impounded by the government. Although her own wartime record was free from controversy, Flagstad's return to Norway during the war created ill-feeling towards her, particularly in the United States where the Norwegian ambassador waged a relentless campaign against her. She toured South America in 1948 and returned to San Francisco in 1949 but was not invited back to the Met until Sir Rudolf Bing became manager. In the 1950-1951 season, although she was well into her 50s, Flagstad showed herself still in remarkable form as Isolde, Brünnhilde and Fidelio. She gave her farewell performance at the Met on April 1, 1952. "An artist's immortality means nothing to me. Honor and fame are meaningless words. You simply do what you can", she said towards the end of her life, after having enjoyed more honor and fame than almost any other Norwegian artist. Flagstad died in Oslo from bone marrow cancer at the age of 67. In accordance with her own wish, she was buried anonymously at Vestre Gravlund, Oslo.