Astrid Varnay, Bayreuth legend

MUNICH – US-Hungarian soprano Astrid Varnay, one of the greatest interpreters of the roles of Wagner and Strauss of her generation and a Bayreuth legend, has died aged 88.

Varnay, who was born in Stockholm on April 25 1918, died in a hospital in Munich last week, the report said. Varnay, whose parents were both opera singers, began her career in the United States.Her sensational breakthrough came in 1941 when she stood in for the indisposed Lotte Lehmann as Sieglinde in Richard Wagner’s ‘Die Walkuere’ (The Valkyrie) at New York’s Metropolitan Opera without any rehearsal.Varnay then made her debut at Covent Garden in London in 1948.And she was invited to Bayreuth, home of the legendary Richard Wagner Festival, in 1951 where she sang every year for the next 17 years and became one of the key players in the rebirth of the festival after the end of World War II.Among her most famous roles were that of Ortrud in ‘Lohengrin’, a role she sang more than 100 times, and Bruennhilde, which she sang more than 140 times.She was also the world’s leading interpreter of the title role of Richard Strauss’ ‘Elektra’.Varnay gave up heavy dramatic soprano roles in 1969, switching to mezzo-soprano, where she subsequently became equally famous for her interpretation of roles such as Klytemnestra in ‘Elektra’ and Herodias in ‘Salome’.Nampa-AFPVarnay, whose parents were both opera singers, began her career in the United States.Her sensational breakthrough came in 1941 when she stood in for the indisposed Lotte Lehmann as Sieglinde in Richard Wagner’s ‘Die Walkuere’ (The Valkyrie) at New York’s Metropolitan Opera without any rehearsal.Varnay then made her debut at Covent Garden in London in 1948.And she was invited to Bayreuth, home of the legendary Richard Wagner Festival, in 1951 where she sang every year for the next 17 years and became one of the key players in the rebirth of the festival after the end of World War II.Among her most famous roles were that of Ortrud in ‘Lohengrin’, a role she sang more than 100 times, and Bruennhilde, which she sang more than 140 times.She was also the world’s leading interpreter of the title role of Richard Strauss’ ‘Elektra’.Varnay gave up heavy dramatic soprano roles in 1969, switching to mezzo-soprano, where she subsequently became equally famous for her interpretation of roles such as Klytemnestra in ‘Elektra’ and Herodias in ‘Salome’.Nampa-AFP