Tributes pour in for Christa Ludwig, illustrious mezzo-soprano who has died aged 93

26 April 2021, 12:43

Legendary German opera singer, Christa Ludwig, has died aged 93.

Legendary German mezzo-soprano Christa Ludwig has died, aged 93.

Ludwig, who made her opera debut at Frankfurt Opera in a 1946 production of Johann Strauss’ Die Fledermaus, died at her home near Vienna on Saturday (24 April), her family has confirmed.

She was born into a musical family, growing up in Aachen, western Germany, with her parents – her father, Anton Ludwig, who was a tenor and opera conductor, and her mother, Eugenie Besalla-Ludwig, a mezzo-soprano who worked under maestro Herbert von Karajan during her own career.

Christa Ludwig studied voice with her mother, and continued her music education at Aachen Conservatory, where she studied piano, cello, flute and music theory, and at the Musikhochschule in Frankfurt, where she honed her vocal training.

Read more: Watch star mezzo Christa Ludwig rehearse Mahler with Leonard Bernstein >

Ludwig joined the Vienna State Opera in 1955, and soon became a principal artist at the illustrious company. She would perform there for over thirty years.

The mezzo, who sometimes performed soprano roles as well, is also known for performances at Salzburg Festival, the Royal Opera House in London, the New York Metropolitan Opera, La Scala in Milan, and many other famous opera venues around the world.

Roles Ludwig defined in her operatic career include Dorabella in Mozart’s Così fan tutte, Kundry in Wagner’s Parsifal, Leonora in Beethoven’s Fidelio and both Octavian and Marschallin in Strauss’s Der Rosenkavalier.

Read more: These are the 15 absolute greatest sopranos of all time >

As well as being a star of the opera stage, Ludwig will be remembered for her sublime contribution to the lied canon, with her recordings of songs by Schubert, Schumann, Brahms, Mahler among the finest in the genre.

She will also be remembered for inspiring, and honing the skills of, some of the best up-and-coming opera singers, through masterclasses and mentoring throughout the years.

In 2010, she was awarded France’s Legion of Honour.

Performers and institutions of the classical music world have paid their tributes to the legendary opera star.

“With the passing of Christa Ludwig, one of the greatest voices of the 20th century has fallen silent”, Daniel Froschauer, chairman of the Vienna Philharmonic, has said.

Both Vienna State Opera and La Scala have paid tribute, with the former stating, “It was the very special combination of a unique voice and intelligence of interpretation that made her so special.” La Scala took a moment to reflect that the music world has “lost a luminous and inimitable personality”.

British-Italian tenor, Freddie De Tommaso, shared: “I’m very sad to hear of the passing of Christa Ludwig. I had the good fortune to meet and sing for her twice; once in a masterclass at the Salzburg Festival and once as part of her 90th birthday celebration.”

Tributes and memories have poured in from all corners of the music world:

RIP to a legend of opera.