What Do Confederate Monuments and German Composer Richard Strauss Have in Common?
Readers of these occasional pieces will know that in addition to political issues, I also sometimes take a look at cultural questions, especially the role that film, music, and the arts play determining the direction of our civilization. The arts are both the natural product and the creative work of our culture, a kind of essential gloss which more than most anything else expresses our values, our innermost beliefs, and, yes if within the Christian tradition, our devotion and thanks to our Creator. Thus, mankind from the earliest times has demonstrated its innermost convictions and understanding of who it is in the scheme of things and its place in that creation by artistic activity.
Mezzo-soprano Christa Ludwig dies, aged 93 The leading opera singer made a name for herself on the stages of the Salzburg Festival, and was celebrated equally for her song recitals as for her operatic appearances Published:
German mezzo-soprano Christa Ludwig has died at the age of 93.
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Having made her debut just after the end of World War Two, Ludwig joined the Vienna State Opera in 1955, performing at the Salzburg Festival under Karl Böhm in Mozart’s
The Magic Flute. She went on to give 169 performances at the festival: 126 opera appearances, 21 song recitals and 18 orchestral concerts. She will be remembered particularly for her interpretations of Mozart, Strauss and Wagner, performing alongside conductors such as Herbert von Karajan and Leonard Bernstein. ‘She is simply the best, and the best of all possible human beings,’ said Bernstein of Ludwig.