Christa Ludwig, at her home in 1992.Eric Robert / Sygma via Getty Images
The German mezzo-soprano Christa Ludwig, considered one of the best voices in opera, died on Saturday at the age of 93 in Austria, her adopted homeland, the Austrian public radio television ORF reported this Sunday.
Ludwig was born in Berlin in 1928 and developed the first decade of his musical career in Germany, until being hired in 1955 by the Vienna State Opera, of which he would continue to be a part for almost 40 years, until saying goodbye to the stage in 1994. The interpreter He died on Saturday in Klosterneuburg, a municipality on the northern outskirts of Vienna, where he had resided for years.
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Christa Ludwig, 'mezzo-soprano' from Karajan
The mezzo-soprano has performed with conductors and composers such as Herbert von Karajan, Karl Böhm, Otto Klemperer and Leonard Bernstein throughout a career in which her peculiar voice timbre allowed her to tackle a wide range of repertoires and embody the greats. heroines of Beethoven, Strauss, Verdi, Wagner and Berlioz.
Apart from Vienna, Ludwig was also a regular performer on great opera houses such as Bayreuth, Milan, London, New York, and Chicago.
Among the dozens of awards received is the award for an entire musical career that he collected at the age of 81 in Oviedo during the Campoamor Theater Lyrical Awards gala.
Ludwig made his debut in Frankfurt in 1946, and his career includes roles such as Cherubino, Marschallin, Octavio, Éboli or Leonora. Also numerous song cycles. In an interview with EL PAÍS in 1989, she recalled moments in her career that brought her closer to happiness. For example, when in Salzburg the duo
A, guarda, sorela,
from
Cos
ì
fan tutte,
with Elisabeth Schwarzkopf and conducted by Karl Böhm
sang outdoors and in the evening
. Also, his debut in Vienna, with Octavio from
E
l
Caballero de la Rosa,
which he recorded with Karajan in 1957, and another character from this opera, La Mariscala, which he recorded with Bernstein in 1972.
Christa Ludwig with Hermann Prey in a performance of 'Cosi fan tutte' at the Salzburg festival in 1963.Erich Auerbach / Getty Images