Awards,
Christa Ludwig's Gramophone Lifetime Achievement Award
Sponsored by Presto Classical
When the Presto team heard that the Lifetime Achievement category at last week's Gramophone Awards had been given to the indomitable German mezzo Christa Ludwig, we could scarcely have been prouder to be sponsoring the prize this year.
It was a great pity that an out-of-date passport put paid to Frau Ludwig's planned trip to London to receive the award in person, but her acceptance speech by video-link (including reminiscences about her special fondness for London and the experience of recording Der Rosenkavalier with Karajan and Schwarzkopf in a foggy Abbey Road Studio during the 1950s!) nonetheless conveyed a clear picture of the wit, warmth and wisdom which mark her out as one of the most vivid musical personalities of the twentieth century.
You can watch her speech (plus a beautiful video montage celebrating her career) via the link below.
Christa Ludwig - some key recordings
(You can browse her complete available discography here)
Christa Ludwig (mezzo), Fritz Wunderlich (tenor), Otto Klemperer
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC
Ileana Cotrubas (soprano), Christa Ludwig (mezzo), Wiener Philharmoniker, Zubin Mehta
Available Formats: MP3, FLAC
Christa Ludwig (mezzo), Berliner Philharmoniker, Herbert von Karajan
Available Formats: MP3, FLAC
Christa Ludwig (Leonore), Jon Vickers (Florestan), Walter Berry (Don Pizarro), Gottlob Frick (Rocco); Philharmonia Orchestra, Otto Klemperer
Available Formats: 2 CDs, MP3, FLAC
Jess Thomas (Lohengrin), Claire Watson (Elsa), Walter Berry (Telramund), Christa Ludwig (Ortrud), Eberhard Waechter (Herald); Wiener Staatsoper, Karl Böhm
Available Formats: 3 CDs, MP3, FLAC
Ann Murray (Hänsel), Edita Gruberova (Gretel), Christa Ludwig (Witch), Gwyneth Jones (Gertrud), Barbara Bonney (Sandmännchen), Christiane Oelze (Taumännchen); Staatskapelle Dresden, Colin Davis
Available Formats: MP3, FLAC
Jerry Hadley (Candide), June Anderson (Cunegonde), Adolph Green (Dr. Pangloss/Martin), Christa Ludwig (Old Lady), Nicolai Gedda (Governor/Vanderdendur/Ragotski), London Symphony Orchestra, Leonard Bernstein
Available Formats: MP3, FLAC
Katherine Cooper - Head of Editorial
