Christa Ludwig
(Masterclasses)
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Christa Ludwig
(Masterclasses) Biography:
The celebrated German mezzo-soprano, Christa Ludwig, was a true child of the theatre. Her father, Anton Ludwig, was a tenor and an operatic administrator, her mother the mezzo-soprano Eugenie Besalla-Ludwig. Her mother was engaged at the Aachen Opera House during Herbert von Karajan’s period as conductor where she sang roles including Senta, Rezia, Azucena, Ulrica, Elektra and Fidelio. At the age of 40 she had ruined her voice and had to give up her career. Christa Ludwig studied primarily with her mother but also in Frankfurt am Main with Hüni Mihacsek and the three conductors who exercised the greatest influence on her were Karl Böhm, Herbert von Karajan and Leonard Bernstein. She made her debut as Orlovsky in Frankfurt at the age of 18 and sang there regularly until 1952. After a period in Darmstadt from 1952 to 1954 she spent a year in Hannover. She joined the Wiener Staatsoper in 1955 and became one of its principal artists. She was made a Kammersängerin in 1962. She remained with the company for more than 30 years. In 1954 she appeared at the Salzburg Festival as Cherubino and returned there annually until 1981. Christa Ludwig’s American debut was in Chicago as Dorabella in 1959. In December 1959 she made her first appearance at the Metropolitan Opera in New-York as Cherubino, and subsequently returned there regularly until 1990. Her repertory included all the mezzo-roles and some dramatic soprano roles, including the Dyer’s Wife, Judith, Leonora, Dido, Ortrud, Kundry, Marschallin, Charlotte (Werther), Waltraute, Fricka (Die Walküre), Lady Macbeth, Didon (Les Troyens) and Klytemnestra. In 1966 she sang Brangäne at Bayreuth Festival and later appeared there as Kundry. She appeared at the Royal Opera Covent Garden Opera in 1968 as Amneris, returning as Carmen. She also sang regularly in the opera houses of Hamburg, San Francisco, Munich, Paris and La Scala Milan. In addition to her appearances as an opera singer, Christa Ludwig pursued a significant career both as a soloist with orchestras and as a lieder artist. She was one of the most superb lieder and oratorio singers of her time. Her performances of lieder by Schubert, Schumann, Brahms, Wolf, Mahler and Strauss were remarkable. She was also an excellent Bach singer and performed and recorded most of his major vocal works. From 1957 to 1970 Christa Ludwig was married to the great bass-baritone Walter Berry. During the marriage, and even afterwards, they appeared together both in opera and in concert. In 1972 she married the French stage-manager Jean-Emile Deiber. In March 1993 Christa Ludwig made her farewell appearance at the Met singing Fricka in Die Walküre. In 1993 she appeared in a farewell Lieder tour in Europe and the USA. Her career closed with concert and operatic farewells in Vienna in 1994. In 1980 she received the Golden Ring of the Vienna State Opera, and in 1981 she was made an honorary member. In 1989 she was honoured by the French government as a Chevalier of the Légion d’honneur and as a Commandeur de l’Ordre des arts et des lettres. Her biography was published as “…und ich wäre so gern Primadonna geworden” (Berlin, 1994). Ludwig’s fine vocal gifts and compelling musical integrity gained her a distinguished reputation as one of the outstanding operatic and concert artists of her day. Today Christa Ludwig frequently teaches young singers in master-classes. This biography is for website use only. For a full and updated biography please email info@ingpen.co.uk Contact Details: Territories: |
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