Skip to content
Independent and accessible public media is needed more than ever.
Help us continue keeping communities informed and inspired.
Keep public media independent and accessible
Donate Now

View thank you gift options

CapRadio

CapRadio

signal status listen live donate
listen live donate signal status
listen live donate signal status
  • News
    • topics
    • State Government
    • Environment
    • Health Care
    • Race and Equity
    • Business
    • Arts and Lifestyle
    • Food and Sustainability
    • PolitiFact California
  • Music
    • genres
    • Classical
    • Jazz
    • Eclectic
    • Daily Playlist
  • Programs + Podcasts
    • news
    • Morning Edition
    • All Things Considered
    • Marketplace
    • Insight With Vicki Gonzalez
    • music
    • Acid Jazz
    • At the Opera
    • Classical Music
    • Connections
    • Excellence in Jazz
    • Hey, Listen!
    • K-ZAP on CapRadio
    • Mick Martin's Blues Party
    • Programs A-Z
    • Podcast Directory
  • Schedules
    • News
    • Music
    • ClassicalStream
    • JazzStream
    • Weekly Schedule
    • Daily Playlist
  • Community
    • Events Calendar
    • CapRadio Garden
    • CapRadio Reads
    • Ticket Giveaways
  • Support
    • Evergreen Gift
    • One-Time Gift
    • Corporate Support
    • Vehicle Donation
    • Stock Gift
    • Legacy Gift
    • Endowment Gift
    • Benefits
    • Member FAQ
    • e‑Newsletter
    • Drawing Winners
    • Thank You Gifts
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Close Menu

Classical Communiqué Classical blog

Discussing the way classical music touches the mind and the heart.

subscribe

 We Get Support From:
Become a Supporter 
 We Get Support From:
Become a Supporter 

Remembering Christa Ludwig, The Master Singer Of Opera And Song

By Tom Huizenga | NPR
Tuesday, April 27, 2021

Listen
/
Update RequiredTo play audio, update browser or Flash plugin.

Classical music fans are mourning the loss of Christa Ludwig, seen in 1965, known for her versatility and the warmth of her voice. She died at her home in Austria on April 24 at age 93.

Erich Auerbach / Getty Images

Classical music fans are mourning the loss of Christa Ludwig, the beloved German mezzo-soprano celebrated both for her versatility and the warmth of her voice. She died at her home in Austria on April 24 at age 93.

Ludwig embraced a broad range of opera roles, with her silken tones, from the battered mistress Marie in Alban Berg's modernist Wozzeck, to the cheeky pageboy Cherubino in Mozart's Marriage of Figaro.

In a career that lasted nearly five decades, Ludwig made singing sound easy, says Anne Midgette, former classical music critic at The Washington Post. "When you listen to Ludwig it sounds like effortless pure music, and that is the byproduct of an exemplary technique. There's a tremendous amount to be learned from that alone."

Some of that technique Ludwig learned at the hands of her parents who were both opera singers. Born in Berlin in 1928, she debuted at the Frankfurt Opera as a teenager just after World War II, when her family was destitute. In 1955, she made a big career move to the storied Vienna State Opera, where she sang for more than three decades.

Although technically a mezzo-soprano, Ludwig soared high in soprano roles in operas like Strauss' Der Rosenkavalier and Beethoven's Fidelio. The breadth of her vocal range matched her wide repertoire, which she sung in Hungarian, Russian, French, Italian and, of course, German.

"If you want to sing German," Midgette says, "you could do no better than to listen to Ludwig, who managed to sing German art songs with tremendous nuance and feeling, but without the sort of preciousness that even some very great people get in that repertory."

Ludwig excelled at art songs — especially the music of Gustav Mahler. His set of symphonic songs called Das Lied von Der Erde ("The Song of the Earth") was a Ludwig specialty, Midgette says. "The final song, 'Der Abschied,' which means 'the farewell,' will break your heart. It's some of the greatest music ever written, and she does it full justice."

At the end of her long career, Ludwig pointed to three conductors who were important to her. She credited Karl Böhm with discovering her artistry. Herbert von Karajan taught her how to sing beautiful phrases, and from Leonard Bernstein she discovered the greater meaning of music itself. She named three cypress trees in her garden after them. When she retired, in 1994, she passed that wisdom along to her students.

Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

View this story on npr.org

Sign up for ReCap and never miss the top stories

Delivered to your inbox every Friday.

 

Check out a sample ReCap newsletter.

Thanks for subscribing!

Thank you for signing up for the ReCap newsletter! We'll send you an email each Friday with the top stories from CapRadio.

Browse all newsletters

Most Viewed

Abortion is still legal in California. Here are answers to questions about access in the state.

California coronavirus updates: Pfizer says tweaked vaccine offers better protection against omicron

California tax relief: What’s in the deal

Sacramento’s homeless population spikes 67% to nearly 9,300 since 2019

The Supreme Court has overturned Roe v. Wade. Here's what it means for California.

We Get Support From:
Become a Supporter

Back to Top

  • CapRadio

    7055 Folsom Boulevard
    Sacramento, CA 95826-2625

    • (916) 278-8900
    • Toll-free (877) 480-5900
    • Email Us
    • Submit a News Tip
  • Contact Us

  • About Us

    • Contact Us / Feedback
    • Coverage
    • Directions
    • Careers & Internships
    • Mission / Vision / Core Values
    • Press
    • Staff Directory
    • Board of Directors
  • Listening Options

    • Mobile App
    • On Air Schedules
    • Smart Speakers
    • Playlist
    • Podcasts
    • RSS
  • Connect With Us

    •  Facebook
    •  Twitter
    •  Instagram
    •  YouTube
  • Donate

  • Listen

  • Newsletters

CapRadio stations are licensed to California State University, Sacramento. © 2022, Capital Public Radio. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Website Feedback FCC Public Files: KXJZ KKTO KUOP KQNC KXPR KXSR KXJS. For assistance accessing our public files, please call 916-278-8900 or email us.