Christa Ludwig (16 March 1928 – 24 April 2021) was a German

mezzo-soprano A mezzo-soprano (, ), or mezzo ( ), is a type of classical music, classical female singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the soprano and the contralto voice types. The mezzo-soprano's vocal range usually extends from the A bel ...

and sometime

dramatic soprano A dramatic soprano is a type of operatic soprano with a powerful, rich, emotive voice that can sing over, or cut through, a full orchestra. Thicker vocal folds in dramatic voices usually (but not always) mean less agility than lighter voices but a ...

, distinguished for her performances of opera,

lied In the Western classical music tradition, ( , ; , ; ) is a term for setting poetry to classical music. The term is used for any kind of song in contemporary German and Dutch, but among English and French speakers, is often used interchangea ...

er,

oratorio An oratorio () is a musical composition with dramatic or narrative text for choir, soloists and orchestra or other ensemble. Similar to opera, an oratorio includes the use of a choir, soloists, an instrumental ensemble, various distinguisha ...

, and other major religious works like masses, passions, and solos in symphonic literature. Her performing career spanned almost half a century, from the late 1940s until the early 1990s. She sang at many international opera houses and festivals, including at the

Vienna State Opera The Vienna State Opera (, ) is a historic opera house and opera company based in Vienna, Austria. The 1,709-seat Renaissance Revival venue was the first major building on the Vienna Ring Road. It was built from 1861 to 1869 following plans by ...

from 1955 to 1994, and at the

Metropolitan Opera The Metropolitan Opera is an American opera company based in New York City, currently resident at the Metropolitan Opera House (Lincoln Center), Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, situated on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Referred ...

in many roles. She is remembered for roles such as Mozart's Dorabella, Beethoven's Leonore in ''

Fidelio ''Fidelio'' (; ), originally titled ' (''Leonore, or The Triumph of Marital Love''), Opus number, Op. 72, is the sole opera by German composer Ludwig van Beethoven. The libretto was originally prepared by Joseph Sonnleithner from the French of ...

'', Wagner's Kundry, and both Octavian and the Marschallin in ''

Der Rosenkavalier (''The Knight of the Rose'' or ''The Rose-Bearer''), Op. 59, is a comic opera in three acts by Richard Strauss to an original German libretto by Hugo von Hofmannsthal. It is loosely adapted from Louvet de Couvrai's novel ''Les amours du cheva ...

'' by Richard Strauss. In Vienna, she created the title role of Gottfried von Einem's '' Der Besuch der alten Dame'' in 1971. She is widely recognised as having been one of the most significant and distinguished singers of the 20th century. ''The NPR Listener's Encyclopedia of Classical Music'' (2006) stated "Ludwig possessed a voice of exquisite richness and, when needed, breathtaking amplitude. She had the ability to impart dramatic urgency to a performance, the hallmark of a great singer."

Early life and education

Ludwig was born in Berlin to a musical family. Her father, Anton Ludwig, who began his singing career as a baritone and later moved into the tenor repertory, was also an opera administrator, and her mother, Eugenie Besalla-Ludwig, was a mezzo-soprano who sang at the Aachen Opera during Herbert von Karajan's period as conductor. Ludwig grew up in

Aachen Aachen is the List of cities in North Rhine-Westphalia by population, 13th-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, 27th-largest city of Germany, with around 261,000 inhabitants. Aachen is locat ...

, where her first voice teacher was her mother. At age eight, she sang an aria of the Queen of the Night in Mozart's ''

The Magic Flute ''The Magic Flute'' (, ), K. 620, is an opera in two acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to a German libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder. It is a ''Singspiel'', a popular form that included both singing and spoken dialogue. The work premiered on ...

''. At Aachen Conservatory, she studied piano, cello, flute and music theory. The family moved to

Hanau Hanau () is a city in the Main-Kinzig-Kreis, in Hesse, Germany. It is 25 km east of Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main and part of the Frankfurt Rhine-Main, Frankfurt Rhine-Main Metropolitan Region. Its railway Hanau Hauptbahnhof, station is a ma ...

when their home was bombed in 1944. She studied voice at the Musikhochschule Frankfurt.

Career

Ludwig made her stage debut in 1946 at the age of 18 as Orlovsky in '' Die Fledermaus'' by Johann Strauss at the Oper Frankfurt, where she sang until 1952. She was a member of the Staatstheater Darmstadt from 1952 to 1954, then sang for the 1954/55 season at the Staatsoper Hannover. She joined the

in 1955, where she became one of its principal artists and was awarded the title ''

Kammersänger Kammersänger (male; ) or Kammersängerin (female; ), abbreviated Ks. or KS, is a German Title of honor, honorific title for distinguished singers of opera and classical music. It literally means "chamber singer". Historically, the title was besto ...

in'' in 1962. She performed with the company for more than thirty years in 43 opera roles and 769 performances. In 1954, she made her debut at the

Salzburg Festival The Salzburg Festival () is a prominent festival of music and drama established in 1920. It is held each summer, for five weeks starting in late July, in Salzburg, Austria, the birthplace of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Mozart's operas are a focus of ...

as Cherubino in Mozart's ''

The Marriage of Figaro ''The Marriage of Figaro'' (, ), K. 492, is a ''commedia per musica'' (opera buffa) in four acts composed in 1786 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, with an Italian libretto written by Lorenzo Da Ponte. It premiered at the Burgtheater in Vienn ...

'', conducted by Karl Böhm, and appeared there regularly until 1981. At the Vienna State Opera, she created the title role of Gottfried von Einem's '' Der Besuch der alten Dame'' on 23 May 1971, conducted by

Horst Stein Horst Walter Stein (2 May 1928 – 27 July 2008) was a German conductor. Biography Stein was born in Elberfeld, Germany; his father was a mechanic. At school in Frankfurt, he studied piano, oboe, and singing. Later, he continued studies ...

and alongside Eberhard Waechter as her lover Alfred Ill. The performance was recorded by

Deutsche Grammophon Deutsche Grammophon (; DGG) is a German classical music record label that was the precursor of the corporation PolyGram. Headquartered in Berlin Friedrichshain, it is now part of Universal Music Group (UMG) since its merger with the UMG family of ...

, and reissued on CD by Amadeo and later Orfeo. She first performed in the U.S. at the

Lyric Opera of Chicago Lyric Opera of Chicago is an American opera company based in Chicago, Illinois. The company was founded in Chicago in 1954, under the name 'Lyric Theatre of Chicago' by Carol Fox (Chicago opera), Carol Fox, Nicola Rescigno and Lawrence Kelly, w ...

as Dorabella in Mozart's ''

Così fan tutte (''Women are like that, or The School for Lovers''), Köchel catalogue, K. 588, is an opera buffa in two acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. It was first performed on 26 January 1790 at the Burgtheater in Vienna, Austria. The libretto was written ...

'' in 1959. The same year, she appeared at the

(Met) in New York City as Cherubino in ''The Marriage of Figaro'', conducted by Erich Leinsdorf. Louis Biancolli wrote in his review for the World Telegram and Sun: She subsequently sang 121 performances in 15 roles with the Met, where she quickly became one of the audience's favourites. Her next role, again in trousers, was Octavian in ''

'' by Strauss, in a live broadcast conducted by Leinsdorf, with Lisa Della Casa as the Marschallin, Elisabeth Söderström as Sophie, and Oskar Czerwenka in his Met debut as Ochs. Her repertoire there also included The Dyer's Wife in the Met's first performances of ''

Die Frau ohne Schatten ' (''The Woman without a Shadow''), Op. 65, is an opera in three acts by Richard Strauss with a libretto by his long-time collaborator, the poet Hugo von Hofmannsthal. It was written between 1911 and either 1915 or 1917. When it premiered at the V ...

'' by Richard Strauss, then (in 1969) the Marschallin in ''Der Rosenkavalier'', Klytemnestra in '' Elektra'', Ortrud in Wagner's '' Lohengrin'', Brangäne in ''

Tristan und Isolde ''Tristan und Isolde'' (''Tristan and Isolde''), WWV 90, is a music drama in three acts by Richard Wagner set to a German libretto by the composer, loosely based on the medieval 12th-century romance ''Tristan and Iseult'' by Gottfried von Stras ...

'', Fricka in both ''

Das Rheingold ''Das Rheingold'' (; ''The Rhinegold''), Wagner-Werk-Verzeichnis, WWV 86A, is the first of the four epic poetry, epic music dramas that constitute Richard Wagner's Literary cycle, cycle ''Der Ring des Nibelungen'' (English: ''The Ring of the Nib ...

'' and ''

Die Walküre (; ''The Valkyrie''), Wagner-Werk-Verzeichnis, WWV 86B, is the second of the four epic poetry, epic music dramas that constitute Richard Wagner's Literary cycle, cycle ''Der Ring des Nibelungen'' (English: ''The Ring of the Nibelung''). It was ...

'', Waltraute in ''

Götterdämmerung ' (; ''Twilight of the Gods''), Wagner-Werk-Verzeichnis, WWV 86D, is the last of the four epic poetry, epic music dramas that constitute Richard Wagner's Literary cycle, cycle ''Der Ring des Nibelungen'' (English: ''The Ring of the Nibelung''). I ...

'', Kundry in '' Parsifal'', the title role in Beethoven's ''

'', Didon in '' Les Troyens'' by Berlioz, Charlotte in Massenet's '' Werther'', and Amneris in Verdi's '' Aida''. In 1960, she performed as Adalgisa alongside Maria Callas as Bellini's Norma for an EMI recording. She appeared at the

Bayreuth Festival The Bayreuth Festival () is a music festival held annually in Bayreuth, Germany, at which performances of stage works by the 19th-century German composer Richard Wagner are presented. Wagner himself conceived and promoted the idea of a special ...

first as Brangäne in ''

'' in 1966. She first appeared at the

Royal Opera House The Royal Opera House (ROH) is a theatre in Covent Garden, central London. The building is often referred to as simply Covent Garden, after a previous use of the site. The ROH is the main home of The Royal Opera, The Royal Ballet, and the Orch ...

in London in 1968 as Amneris in Verdi's '' Aida''. As Ludwig's voice matured, she expanded her repertoire from

lyric Lyric may refer to: * Lyrics, the words, often in verse form, which are sung, usually to a melody, and constitute the semantic content of a song * Lyric poetry is a form of poetry that expresses a subjective, personal point of view * Lyric, from t ...

and '' spinto'' mezzo-roles to dramatic roles. Her vast repertory eventually grew to encompass Princess Eboli in Verdi's '' Don Carlo'' which she sang at

La Scala La Scala (, , ; officially , ) is a historic opera house in Milan, Milan, Italy. The theatre was inaugurated on 3 August 1778 and was originally known as (, which previously was Santa Maria della Scala, Milan, a church). The premiere performa ...

in Milan, in Salzburg and in Vienna, the title role in Bizet's ''

Carmen ''Carmen'' () is an opera in four acts by the French composer Georges Bizet. The libretto was written by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on the novella of the same title by Prosper Mérimée. The opera was first performed by the O ...

'', Ulrica in Verdi's '' Un ballo in maschera'', Octavia in Monteverdi's ''

L'incoronazione di Poppea ''L'incoronazione di Poppea'' (Stattkus-Verzeichnis, SV 308, ''The Coronation of Poppaea'') is an Italian List of operas by Claudio Monteverdi, opera by Claudio Monteverdi. It was Monteverdi's last opera, with a libretto by Giovanni Francesco Buse ...

'', and contemporary roles by von Einem and Orff. She also ventured briefly into the spinto and dramatic

soprano A soprano () is a type of classical singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hertz, Hz to A5 in Choir, choral ...

repertoire with performances as Lady Macbeth in Verdi's ''

Macbeth ''The Tragedy of Macbeth'', often shortened to ''Macbeth'' (), is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, estimated to have been first performed in 1606. It dramatises the physically violent and damaging psychological effects of political ambiti ...

'', the Dyer's Wife, the Marschallin and Leonore in ''Fidelio''. In addition to her opera performances, Ludwig regularly gave recitals of

er, with pianists including Sebastian Peschko, Gerald Moore, Geoffrey Parsons and on occasion

Leonard Bernstein Leonard Bernstein ( ; born Louis Bernstein; August 25, 1918 – October 14, 1990) was an American conductor, composer, pianist, music educator, author, and humanitarian. Considered to be one of the most important conductors of his time, he was th ...

. She performed as a soloist with orchestras, including works by

Schubert Franz Peter Schubert (; ; 31 January 179719 November 1828) was an Austrian composer of the late Classical period (music), Classical and early Romantic music, Romantic eras. Despite his short life, Schubert left behind a List of compositions ...

, Schumann, Brahms,

Wolf The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the grey wolf or gray wolf, is a Canis, canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of Canis lupus, subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been recognized, includin ...

Mahler Gustav Mahler (; 7 July 1860 – 18 May 1911) was an Austro-Bohemian Romantic composer, and one of the leading conductors of his generation. As a composer he acted as a bridge between the 19th-century Austro-German tradition and the modernism ...

and Strauss. She was one of few women to tackle and record Schubert's ''

Winterreise ''Winterreise'' (, ''Winter Journey'') is a song cycle for voice and piano by Franz Schubert (Schubert Thematic Catalogue, D. 911, published as Opus number, Op. 89 in 1828), a setting of 24 Poetry, poems by German poet Wilhelm Müller. It is the ...

''. She also sang

Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (German: �joːhan zeˈbasti̯an baχ ( – 28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his prolific output across a variety of instruments and forms, including the or ...

's music and recorded many of his large vocal works, such as the St Matthew Passion conducted by Otto Klemperer in 1961, with Peter Pears as the Evangelist and

Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau (; 28 May 1925 – 18 May 2012) was a German lyric baritone and conductor of classical music. One of the most famous Lieder (art song) performers of the post-war period, he is best known as a singer of Franz Schubert's ...

as the voice of Christ, and the Mass in B minor the same year, Karajan's third recording of the work, with

Leontyne Price Leontyne Price ( born Mary Violet Leontine Price February 10, 1927) is an American spinto soprano who was the first African-American soprano to receive international acclaim. From 1961 she began a long association with the Metropolitan Opera. ...

, Nicolai Gedda, Gérard Souzay and her husband Walter Berry. She recorded Bach's ''

Christmas Oratorio The ''Christmas Oratorio'' (German: ''Weihnachtsoratorium''), , is an oratorio by Johann Sebastian Bach intended for performance in church during the Christmas season. It is in six parts, each part a cantata intended for performance in a churc ...

'' conducted by Karl Richter in 1965, with Gundula Janowitz,

Fritz Wunderlich Friedrich "Fritz" Karl Otto Wunderlich (26 September 1930 – 17 September 1966) was a German lyric tenor, famed for his singing of the Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Mozart repertory and various lieder. He died in an accident aged 35. Biography Wunde ...

and Franz Crass. She performed Mahler's Second Symphony with Bernstein in 1967. and Mahler's 3rd Symphony with Bernstein in Vienna in 1972, the video recording of which is available on Youtube. In the same year 1967, she recorded a definitive '' Das Lied von der Erde'' with tenor Fritz Wunderlich, conducted by Otto Klemperer. From September 1973 to January 1974, she took part in Karajan's fourth recording of Bach's Mass in B minor, with Janowitz, Peter Schreier, Robert Kerns and Karl Ridderbusch. In 1993 and 1994, she gave a series of farewell recitals in many cities; her last appearance at the Metropolitan Opera was as Fricka in ''Die Walküre''. Her final live operatic performance was as Klytemnestra in ''Elektra'' for the Vienna State Opera in December 1994.

Personal life

From 1957 to 1970, Ludwig was married to the bass-baritone Walter Berry; they had a son. The couple performed together frequently, notably as the Dyer and his wife in ''

''. In 1972, she married the French theatre actor Paul-Emile Deiber, who died in 2011. Ludwig's first memoir, ''Und ich wäre so gern Primadonna gewesen'' (And I would gladly have been a primadonna), was published in 1994; an English translation by Regina Domeraski titled ''In My Own Voice'' was published in 1999. Her second memoir, ''"Leicht muss man sein": Erinnerungen an die Zukunft'' ("One must be lighter": memories of the future), as told to Erna Cuesta and Franz Zoglauer, was published in 2018. Ludwig died at her home in Klosterneuburg, Austria in April 2021, at the age of 93.

Decorations and awards

* 1962: Austrian

in * 1969:

Austrian Decoration for Science and Art The Austrian Decoration for Science and Art () is a state decoration of the Republic of Austria and forms part of the Orders, decorations, and medals of Austria, Austrian national honours system. History The "Austrian Decoration for Science a ...

* 1980: Golden Ring of the

* 1980: Silver Rose of the Vienna Philharmonic * 1980: Golden Gustav Mahler Medal * 1980: Hugo Wolf Medal of the International Hugo Wolf Society * 1981: Honorary Member of the Vienna State Opera * 1989: Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters (France) * 1994: Grand Decoration of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria * 2004: Commander's Cross of the

Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany The Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (, or , BVO) is the highest state decoration, federal decoration of the Federal Republic of Germany. It may be awarded for any field of endeavor. It was created by the first List of president ...

* 2007: Grand Decoration of Honour in Silver for Services to the Republic of Austria * 2008: Lifetime Achievement Award at Midem * 2008: Saeculum-Glashütte Original Music Festival award at the Dresden Music Festival * 2008: Honorary doctorate from the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music, Warsaw * 2010: Commander of the Legion of Honour (France) * 2010: Hugo Wolf Medal of the * 2016: Lifetime Achievement Award at the

Gramophone Awards The Gramophone Classical Music Awards, launched in 1977, are one of the most significant honours bestowed on recordings in the Classical music, classical record industry. The British awards are often viewed as equivalent to or surpassing the ...

* 2018: Lifetime Achievement Award at the Opus Klassik Awards 2018 by Chris O'Reilly
prestomusic.com

References

External links