Around the Music Festival

German mezzo-soprano singer Christa Ludwig died on April 24 at her home in Klosterneuburg, near Vienna. She was 93 years old.

She has been appointed by many prominent conductors in the latter half of the 20th century and co-starred. Since around 1960 , she has added the role of dramatic soprano to her repertoire, and sung many roles worldwide as Germany’s leading prima donna.

She was born in Berlin and her parents were Opera singers. She studied at the Frankfurt Conservatory and made her debut in Hamburg in 1946 as her Orlofsky of “Die Fledermaus”.

She became a theater singer in Darmstadt and Hanover. She was in the limelight at the Salzburg Festival in 1954 when she sang the role of Cherubino in “The Marriage of Figaro”.

The following year, she was invited to the Vienna State Opera at the invitation by Karl Böhm. She was awarded the title of “Kammersängerin” as early as 1962.

She has appeared in the Vienna State Opera 769 times and she has sung 42 roles. Her last stage was in 1994, when she sang Clytemnestra from “Electra”.

She also received a lot of attention at the Salzburg Festival in the late 1950s when she Co-starred with Elisabeth Schwarzkopf in “Der Rosenkavalier” and “Così fan tutte”.

She made her debut at the Metropolitan Opera in New York in 1959, singing the role of Cherubino. By 1993 she had 121 appearances and sang 15 roles.

She also made her debut at the Bayreuth Festival in 1966 and at the Royal Opera in London in 1969. She also co-starred with Maria Callas at Teatro alla Scala in Milan.

With her warm voice quality, rich voice volume, and delicate expressiveness, she has also served as a soloist in concerts and choruses in addition to opera.

In addition to Böhm, she was heavily appointed by famous conductors such as Herbert von Karajan and Leonard Bernstein.

She is particularly well-received for Mahler’s work, in “Das Lied Von”, she has performed with Otto Klemperer, Carlos Kleiber, Václav Neumann and others in addition to Karajan and Bernstein.

In her private life, she married bass baritone singer Walter Berry in 1957. After her divorce in 1970, she remarried in 1972 with French actor and director Paul-Emile Deiber.

From 1993 to 1994, she toured her retirement and left the stage. After Then she taught younger generations, including the Master Class at the Salzburg Festival.

She has received numerous awards in addition to the Order of Culture of Germany, Austria and France.

Photo：Wiener Staatsoper