Limelight — May 2017

http://www.limelightmagazine.com.au MAY 2017LIMELIGHT 15

KEYNOTES O

Composer lookalike

SOFIA

GUBAIDULINA

[Russian composer]

YDRA

[A kindly Podling]

ChristaLudwigmayhaveturned89onMarch

16butsheshowsnosignoflosingheredgeor

hersenseofhumour.Inafrank,wide-ranging

interviewwithChristianBerzinsfortheSwiss

publicationNZZ,thegreatGermanmezzo

sopranotalksfranklyabouthercareerandher

art,whiledeliveringtheoddservetothelikes

of Anna Netrebko and Fritz Wunderlich.

Unusually, for a famous opera singer, she

admits that opera never really interested her

with the possible exception of Wagner or

Strauss. “But all the Italian operas of Rossini,

Donizetti,andVerdi:Isthatreallyart?”she

says.Askedaboutcolleaguessheadmired,

she replies “actually, none”, however, she

makes something of an exception for the

late Jon Vickers and Maria Callas.

“WhenJonVickerssangGott, welch Dunkel

hier[God,whatdarknesshere–inFidelio], I

begantoweeponthestage,”shesays.“This

had nothing to do with beautiful singing,

that was expression... If, on the other hand,

IhearthestrettafromIl Trovatorewith the

highC,Iamdelighted,butIdonotadmire

him. Callas is probably the only one I admire:

hervoicewasthetragedyofherlife.”

She’slesskindabouttherespectedtenor

FritzWunderlich,asingerwithwhomLudwig

occasionally performed, saying: “At that time

hewasastupidboyfullofstupidjokes.”

Sheisrefreshinglyfrankabouthercareer

lows,inparticularthe1975SalzburgFestival.

“Iwasinthemiddleofadivorceandthe

menopause and had capillaries bursting

on my vocal chords. Everything happened

together.Isangthehighnotesbadly,leftthe

city and fell into a depression... In retrospect

RaisinganeyebrowatNetrebkoandhype

CHRISTA LUDWIG IS SOMETIMES HILARIOUSLY FRANK ABOUT HER CAREER AND OPERA COLLEAGUES

itwasablessing:otherwiseIwouldhavesung

these great heavy soprano parts for ever and

thevoicewouldhavebeenruined.”

Shesaysthatbecoming‘astar’isn’t

somethingonethinksabout,onejustbecomes

it, adding that she believes she was lucky

thather‘rivals’atthetimewereeithertoo

old or too young. She also insists that there is

no such thing as the best. “If today it is said

thatNetrebko,whohasalotofadvertising,

isthebestoperasingerintheworld,thisis

not true,” she declares. “Apart from Netrebko

there are many that are not known. In five

yearswewillhaveanotherNetrebko.”

She also has some advice for young singers.

“Youcansingthewrongroles,orawoman

canhaveachildtooearly,whichisbadfor

thecareer,”shesays.“Asasingeronemust

wear blinkers. A stupid singer can still make

acareer,butthatissodifficult!LookatMaria

Callas–shedidnothaveanicevoice,but

whatshemadeofit,theseinterpretations

• incredible! When Callas sings a Bellini
  recitative,Ibegintocry.Butsometimesyou
  cannot describe what a singer has or does not
  have.Isitcalledcharisma?Orpersonality?
  ‘It's a secret,’ my mother always said.”
  Ludwig admits that she stopped singing
  when she noticed that “some of the sounds
  were not as they were,” adding: “There are
  others who cannot stop. Plácido Domingo will
  soon be singing Sarastro. What’s the point of
  that?Ordoeshehavenothingbutthemusic?"
  Andherchoiceoffuneralmusic?"Ich bin
  derWeltabhandengekommen(I am lost to the
  world) from Gustav Mahler'sRückert Lieder...
  please sung by me! But I do not know yet
  which recording... No, I am serious!”

Steinway dumped at tip

MusicianWilThomaswas

staggeredtodiscovera

valuable Steinway baby grand

dumped at a Broome rubbish

tip. He came across the piano

when he heard 16-year old Tui

Warihana tickling the ivories.

Theinstrument,whichhad

belonged to Lord McAlpine, had

beentossedoutbytheCable

BeachClub.Thebatteredpiano

is now being restored.

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