Ludwig, Christa

German mezzo-soprano, b. 1928

Biographical notes:

She was born in Berlin and was a true child of the theatre. Her father was the tenor Anton Ludwig and her mother the contralto Eugenie Besalla-Ludwig. Her mother was engaged at the Aachen Opera House during Karajan’s period as conductor where she sang roles from Senta to Rezia to Azucena, from Ulrica to Elektra and Fidelio. At the age of 40 she had ruined her voice and had to give up her career. Christa studied exclusively with her mother. She made her debut as Orlovsky at Frankfurt at the age of 18, where she sang until 1952. She was engaged to Hanover and Darmstadt. She joined the Vienna Staatsoper in 1955 and remained there for more than 30 years. In 1954 she appeared in Salzburg as Cherubino and returned there until 1981. Her American debut was in Chicago as Dorabella in 1959. At the Met (1959 - 1990) her roles included the Dyer’s wife, Dido, Ortrud, Kundry, Marschallin, Charlotte, Waltraute, Fricka and Klytemnestra. At Bayreuth she sang Brangäne and Kundry. She appeared at the Covent Garden opera in 1968 as Amneris, returning as Carmen. The three conductors who have mostly influenced her were Böhm, von Karajan and Bernstein. She also sang at Hamburg, San Francisco, Munich, La Scala and Paris. Her repertory included all the mezzo-roles and some dramatic soprano roles such as Leonore,  the Dyer’s wife, Judith, Marschallin and others. From 1957 to 1971 she was married to the great bass-baritone Walter Berry. She was one of the most superb Lieder-  and oratorio singers of her time. In 1972 she married the French stage-manager Jean-Emile Deiber. In 1993 she appeared in a farewell Lieder tour in Europe and the USA. Today, she frequently teaches young singers in master-classes.

Christa Ludwig in four of her greatest roles

As Octavian (she did not like this role...)

 

As Kundry

 

As Leonore

 

As Ortrud

 

Recordings: (selection, my favorites in bold)

Operas:

Bartók - Bluebeard’s Castle (Kertesz 1965)

Decca

Beethoven - Fidelio (Klemperer 1962)

EMI

Bellini - Norma (Serafin 1960)

EMI

Berlioz - Les Troyens (Albrecht 1976)

Gala

Bernstein - Candide (Bernstein 1989)

DG

Bizet - Carmen (Stein 1961)

EMI

Debussy - Pelléas et Mélisande (Abbado 1991)

DG

Giordano - Andrea Chénier (Chailly 1984)

Decca

Gluck - Iphigénie en Aulide (Böhm 1962)

Orfeo

Händel - Giulio Cesare in Egitto (Leitner 1965)

Orfeo

Humperdinck - Hänsel und Gretel (Eichhorn 1971)

RCA

Liebermann - Die Schule der Frauen (Szell 1957)

Orfeo

Mozart - Così fan tutte (Böhm 1955)

Decca

Mozart - Così fan tutte (Böhm 1962)

EMI

Mozart - Don Giovanni (Klemperer 1966)

EMI

Mozart - Le Nozze di Figaro (Böhm 1956)

Philips

Mozart - Le Nozze di Figaro (Böhm 1957)

Orfeo

Mozart - Die Zauberflöte (Böhm 1955)

Decca

Mozart - Die Zauberflöte (Klemperer 1964)

EMI

Pfitzner - Palestrina (Heger 1964)

Myto

Pizzetti - Assassinio nella Cattedrale (Karajan 1960)

DG

Puccini - Madame Butterfly (Karajan 1974)

Decca

Puccini - Suor Angelica (Bonynge 1978)

Decca

Saint-Saëns - Samson et Dalila (Patané 1973)

RCA

Strauss J. - Die Fledermaus (Ackermann 1959)

Classic for pleasure

Strauss - Capriccio (Sawallisch 1958)

EMI

Strauss - Elektra (Ozawa 1988)

Philips

Strauss - Die Frau ohne Schatten (Karajan 1964)

DG

Strauss R. - Der Rosenkavalier (Karajan 1956)

EMI

Strauss - Der Rosenkavalier (Böhm 1969)

DG

Strauss - Der Rosenkavalier (Bernstein 1971)

Sony

Verdi - Aida (Schröder 1952)

Myto

Verdi - Aida (Cleva 1970)

Melodram

Verdi - Un Ballo in Maschera (Solti 1983)

Decca

Verdi - Falstaff (Karajan 1980)

Philips

Verdi - Macbeth (Böhm 1970)

Legato

Verdi - Il Trovatore (Karajan 1977)

Artists

Wagner - Götterdämmerung (Solti 1964)

Decca

Wagner - Götterdämmerung (Karajan 1970)

DG

Wagner - Götterdämmerung (Levine 1990)

DG

Wagner - Lohengrin (Kempe 1962)

EMI

Wagner - Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (Jochum 1976)

DG

Wagner - Parsifal (Karajan 1961)

RCA

Wagner - Parsifal (Solti 1972)

Decca

Wagner - Das Rheingold (Levine 1988)

DG

Wagner - Tannhäuser (Karajan 1963)

DG

Wagner - Tannhäuser (Solti 1971)

Decca

Wagner - Tristan und Isolde (Böhm 1966)

DG

Wagner - Tristan und Isolde (Karajan 1971)

EMI

Wagner - Die Walküre (Solti 1965)

Decca

Von Einem - Der Besuch der alten Dame (Stein 1971)

Amadeo

Compilations:

Les Introuvables de Christa Ludwig

EMI

Highlights 1955 - 1974 - Live recordings

Orfeo

Farewell to Salzburg - Lieder by Brahms, Mahler, Schumann, Strauss (Spencer)

RCA

A 70th Birthday Tribute - The Classic 1964 Recordings 

RCA

Mike Richter’s Opera Page: The Record of Singing Vol. 4

CD-ROM

Songs/Orchestral Songs:

Mahler - Das Lied von der Erde (Klemperer/Wunderlich)

EMI

Mahler - Des Knaben Wunderhorn (Bernstein/Berry)

Sony

Mahler - Kindertotenlieder, Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen and five Orchesterlieder (Boult, Klemperer)

EMI

Ausgewählte Lieder by Mahler, Berg, Brahms, Pfitzner, Strauss - Live recordings 1963/68 (Werba)

Orfeo

Schubert - Lieder (Gage)

DG

Schubert - Lieder (Parsons)

EMI

Schubert - Winterreise (Levine)

DG

Wagner - Wesendonck-Lieder/Brahms - Altrhapsodie/Mahler - Orchesterlieder (Klemperer)

EMI

Mahler - Symphonies 2 and 3 (Bernstein)

DG

Oratorios :

Bach - Johannes-Passion (Forster)

EMI

Bach - Matthäus-Passion (Karajan and Furtwängler)

EMI/DG

Bach - h-moll Messe (Karajan)

DG

Beethoven - Missa solemnis (Karajan)

DG

Bruckner - Messe Nr. 3 (Forster)

EMI

Verdi - Messa da Requiem (Giulini)

EMI

 

Comment:

Without Christa Ludwig we would have a limited notion of how a mezzo-soprano voice can sound. Her voice possessed a constantly shifting variety of tonal shades of an oscillating and even erotic timbre. Her tones always remained rounded, soft and richly colored.

In temperament , technique and expressiveness, Christa Ludwig transcends the standard categories of her profession. Her voice ranged from the heights of soprano to the depths of contralto and the discography represents her enormous versatility.

 Hast du von den Fischerkindern (Pfitzner / Salzburg 1957 live)

 

As a beautiful and passionate Eboli