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Christa Ludwig

Christa Ludwig

Christa Ludwig (16 March 1928 – 24 April 2021) was a German mezzo-soprano and sometime dramatic soprano, distinguished for her performances of opera, lieder, oratorio, 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 from 1955 to 1994, and at the Metropolitan Opera in many roles. She is remembered for roles such as Mozart's Dorabella, Beethoven's Leonore in Fidelio, Wagner's Kundry, and both Octavian and the Marschallin in Der Rosenkavalier 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." 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, 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. At Aachen Conservatory, she studied piano, cello, flute and music theory. The family moved to Hanau when their home was bombed in 1944. She studied voice at the Musikhochschule Frankfurt. 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 Vienna State Opera in 1955, where she became one of its principal artists and was awarded the title Kammersängerin 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 as Cherubino in Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro, 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 and alongside Eberhard Waechter as her lover Alfred Ill. The performance was recorded by Deutsche Grammophon, and reissued on CD by Amadeo and later Orfeo. ... Source: Article "Christa Ludwig" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0.

Personal information

Birthday

1928-03-16

Birth Place

Berlin, Germany

Movies and TV shows :

poster

alfredissimo! Kochen mit Bio

1994

5.0

TV
Beethoven · Missa Solemnis - Herbert von Karajan

Beethoven · Missa Solemnis - Herbert von Karajan

2020

10.0

Movie
Bernstein Mahler Rehearsal

Bernstein Mahler Rehearsal

1976

7.0

Movie
Candide

Candide

1991

7.0

Movie
Così fan tutte

Così fan tutte

1970

0.0

Movie
poster

Dalli Dalli

1971

8.0

TV
Das Lied von der Erde: A Personal Introduction

Das Lied von der Erde: A Personal Introduction

1972

0.0

Movie
Das Rheingold

Das Rheingold

1990

7.0

Movie
Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg

Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg

1970

8.0

Movie
Die Walküre

Die Walküre

1990

8.0

Movie
Eine Stadt als Bühne - 100 Jahre Salzburger Festspiele

Eine Stadt als Bühne - 100 Jahre Salzburger Festspiele

2020

0.0

Movie
poster

Erlesen

2010

0.0

TV
Faszinierende Frauen - Faszinierende Stimmen

Faszinierende Frauen - Faszinierende Stimmen

2009

0.0

Movie
Fidelio

Fidelio

1963

0.0

Movie
Götterdämmerung

Götterdämmerung

1990

8.0

Movie
Karajan - Beethoven: The 9 Symphonies DVD

Karajan - Beethoven: The 9 Symphonies DVD

2008

0.0

Movie
Karajan · Die Symphonien

Karajan · Die Symphonien

2005

0.0

Movie
Karajan: Beauty As I See It

Karajan: Beauty As I See It

2008

0.0

Movie
Karajan: Portrait of a Maestro

Karajan: Portrait of a Maestro

2019

7.0

Movie
poster

Le monde est à vous

1987

0.0

TV
Leonard Bernstein - Bernstein - Candide

Leonard Bernstein - Bernstein - Candide

1989

0.0

Movie
Leonard Bernstein: Chichester Psalms Symphony No's 1 & 2

Leonard Bernstein: Chichester Psalms Symphony No's 1 & 2

1977

0.0

Movie
Madama Butterfly

Madama Butterfly

1974

9.5

Movie
Mahler - Symphonies Nos. 1, 2 & 3

Mahler - Symphonies Nos. 1, 2 & 3

1973

10.0

Movie
Mozart Requiem

Mozart Requiem

2005

7.5

Movie
The Little Drummer Boy: An Essay on Mahler by Leonard Bernstein

The Little Drummer Boy: An Essay on Mahler by Leonard Bernstein

1985

8.0

Movie
Von Reinhardt bis Karajan - 50 Jahre Salzburger Festspiele

Von Reinhardt bis Karajan - 50 Jahre Salzburger Festspiele

1970

0.0

Movie
poster

Was bin ich?

1955

6.5

TV
poster

Zeugen des Jahrhunderts

1979

0.0

TV