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Christa Ludwig, 2013 in Cannes
Photo: Guillaume Horcajuelo / dpa
In 2018 she received the Opus-Klassik award for her life's work: Born in Berlin, Christa Ludwig died on Saturday at the age of 93 in her adopted home Klosterneuburg near Vienna.
This was confirmed by the family of the Austrian news agency APA.
Ludwig was considered one of the great opera stars of the 20th century, in 1994 she celebrated her stage farewell after 769 appearances in the Vienna State Opera.
In addition to her singing, she was also known for her direct manner. The conductor Georg Solti, who has since died, told SPIEGEL his favorite memory of the singer in 1996: “The director kept talking to the exasperated Christa to explain the role to her.
She listened patiently to the chatter for a while, and then went on: 'My dear, everything you say is shit.
But I do it because I get paid well! ‹«
Ludwig made his debut in 1946 as Prince Orlofsky in «Fledermaus» at the city stages in Frankfurt.
After stints in Darmstadt and Hanover, she came to the Vienna State Opera in 1955, where she was to sing a total of 43 roles.
Since her first appearance at the Salzburg Festival in 1955, she has been a regular guest there as well as in Bayreuth and at many other important music festivals and venues.
sem / dpa