Home | Programs | Best of Studs Terkel | Mezzo-soprano Christa Ludwig and bass-baritone Walter Berry (11/12/1959)

Mezzo-soprano Christa Ludwig and bass-baritone Walter Berry (11/12/1959)

April 30, 2021, 11:00 pm

(Creative Commons via parismuseescollections.paris.fr)

In this WFMT broadcast from 1959, Studs Terkel’s guests are German mezzo-soprano Christa Ludwig and her husband, the Austrian bass-baritone Walter Berry. They were in Chicago to perform in Lyric Opera of Chicago’s production of Cosi fan tutte.

Learn more about advertising and sponsorship on WFMT.

Meet the Host

Studs Terkel (1912-2008) radically redefined the concept of radio interviews. For 45 years starting in 1952, WFMT was his homebase. His daily radio show was a pillar of WFMT’s programming, with its eclectic and astute mix of music and conversation. Studs juxtaposed interviews with the many of the 20th century’s most significant figures with the voices of uncelebrated, working people from Chicago. As a Pulitzer Prize-winning author, Studs helped established oral history as a popular and socially ambitious literary genre. Some of his titles include: Division Street, Hard Times, Working, Race and And They All Sang (Adventures of an Eclectic Disc Jockey). Studs was also a recipient of the National Book Award.