Christa Ludwig sings Bernstein's "I Am Easily Assimilated"

[andysbg77]

Christa Ludwig als Old Lady! Sie ist die Beste!

[pega17pl]

if you like her at this role as Old Lady don't miss "Christa Ludwig sings and dances a tango?" at YT, too :)

[Youkali67]

WOW SHE IS WUNDERBAR!!!

[mlkoln]

Sicherlich nicht die beste Interpertation.

Aber es ist entzückend zu sehen, mit welchen Charme die Ludwig das darbietet.

Von daher: Höchste Punktzahl!

[rwdust]

What's not to love! This always cheers me up.

[AndrewRudin]

Fabulous. She can do THIS.... AND sings the definitive "Abschied" from Lied von der Erde! What a gal!

[sam2009162]

I love it! Wonderful that Bernstein plays along in that way, too.

[choirmember100]

She also sang this at Leonard Bernstein's 70th Birthday - LOVE IT!!!! and so did he!

She was having so much fun!!!

[leprincebeaumont]

Grandissima dama del canto!

[Kiarinadia]

Thank you! Mouving to see late Bernstein having fun...and there heartly hug at the end!

[BGSourgas]

lovelovelove

[iteachbass]

The grande dame of the opera world! This has to be the best performance of this aria ever!

[microbestudents]

I love the conductor... hehe

[maggiepower]

@microbestudents that's Leonard Bernstein, the composer.

[microbestudents]

Drei Viertel Takt.. jajaja. lol

[NiklasNydahl]

Is this aria about the Borg collective?

[Jotace68]

Me muero me sale una hernia!!! Christa is lovely!

[ravel0413]

proud to be a German

[MrFalconford]

I'm glad when Christa Ludwig sings and acts.

[Thespian01]

She's absolutely wonderful! :)

[garfreed]

Ben Bregman has a close friend who's schizoid -- he loves show tunes! Why did Ben Bregman tell me that?

[sonokosuzuki]

Wow, her diction is EXCELLENT! No problem understanding this at all!

[chorus8]

Awesome performance, fun to watch. Have always loved Christa.

[benkejozsi]

This is simply congenial!

[happywandy457]

Happywandy457, What an overwhelming masterpiece of universal - language - music - performance: Only Bernstein/Ludwig can achieve this. Listen to the

gifted musical composing towards eternal joy of being juewish universal assimilated!

An escence of Art

Hans Fröhlich from Germany

[mkmih01]

really slowwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww­w

[zieckzack]

Por favor! Toreador! I am Easily Assimilated! Hahahaah! Just love it! Viva Bernstein!

[gomosto]

This is what life shoul be and alas is not.God bless dear unforgettable Lenny and marvellous Christa.Thank you for making life better

[garfreed]

delightful!

[linguistmuz]

me = loves this soooooooo much

[skyboyq]

Fabulous!

[Jechtmeister]

LOOOOOOOL

is only.... the Leonard Bernstein lol

[zuppup1]

look at the old conductor gettin jiggy with it. woo!

[SatanAteMySocks]

The 'old conductor' is Leonard Bernstein himself, by the way.

[zuppup1]

:O

that makes it even more epic.

[shavinggay]

Hiw is it that Jerry Hadley committed suicide. Story goes he was depressed because his voice wasnt good enough for the Met. Killed himself over it a few years ago.

[qyzuf]

@shavinggay

thanks for the info!

how interesting, and sad...and ironic in considering the great uplifting embrace of life at the end of candide..

[MrOperadirector]

Good to see a great singer having fun, and still being a great singer.

[qyzuf]

indeed entertainment, but also, on a serious side : An autobiographic account on  the determined Jewish approach as a coping mechanism for the neccesity to wander and integrate everywhere

[argensons]

"Monuments on stage"

Unique performance and great entertainment.

Thank you for the generosity.

Wonderfully done!

X

[11777766]

Ira Petina sang this satirical putdown of such asides in classic operas in the original Candide. She was spectacular. Christa Ludwig's rendition here is wonderul, too. Of course, Barbara Cook began her fabulous career as Cunegonde is the original production. Bernstein's best score ever.

[AnnaMy80]

thats entertainment

[xxochristaxox]

hahaha my name is christa >:D

[imkulei]

Unique! Einmalig! Niet te overbieden!

Bravissimo!

Wann kommt der nächste Bernstein?

[intomybrain12345]

Brilliant!!

[lalagonegaga]

What a singer! What an actress! Perfection!

[styrianinchina]

@TheAmazingFlub

don't talk - just do it and shut up....

[emanuelrp]

Patti LuPone is a better actress

[TimonyErt03]

Yes, but Christa Ludwig is way more talented vocally then Patti LuPone. In her heyday Christa Ludwig was WAY better than Patti LuPone has or ever will be at singing.

[nclysander]

They're two totally different singers, who spend most of their lives in different GENRES! Can we not leave them alone?

[nclysander]

And emanuelrp, let's remember that the LuPone video is a semi-staged performance, whereas this is pure, traditional concert fare. That makes a huge difference in the amount of "acting" that takes place. Believe us, Christa could act up a storm when she wanted to, as those of us who love her opera performances well know!

[worldviolist]

Heck, there's another performance of this same song with Christa Ludwig singing, and it's slightly more fleshed out than this, but she's really acting it up in that one. She's just amazing, leave it at that.

[ilovepattilupone]

duh..

[11777766]

Ira Pettina's originated this tuneful tale about the lady "who's missing the half of her backside" among the many other tragedies in her eventful life. But Christa is almost as playful and funny.

[gabriellecorinne]

I love how June always keeps her eyes on Christa wit that smile...

[gabriellecorinne]

i love patti lupone, BUT for this song -im sorry- she nowhere near Christa Ludwig. Christa is AMAZING!

[gabriellecorinne]

She is AMAZING!! I'm speechless!

[madlutist]

What a voice. I love how you can hear her over everyone else. The orchestra, the chorus... Yeah, she wasn't bad.

[DieSonneSinkt]

Aagh, Christa, Christa... why?

[muschnik1961]

It is so wonderful to see this great composer and conductor so short before his untimely death in such a happy mood! He enjoyed this evening like a child! Love him!

[bellacantatrice]

I love this. A legendary mezzo, the composer himself conducting - nothing better!

[Selendomono]

i like the quicker patti lupone version better but hey he wrote it not me he can decide.

[operoma]

Gute Laune Musik....

[Klassizismus]

Die komplette DVD von "Candide" ist einfach ein MUSS!!! Leonard Bernstein, Christa Ludwig, Nicolai Gedda, June Anderson,... und einfach pure Unterhaltung!!!!

[operoma]

gerade gekauft,bin gespannt !!!! Danke

[Klassizismus]

Sie werden bestimmt nicht enttäuscht sein! :)

[operoma]

Die DVD von Candide ist klasse.....Danke für den Tip.Gibt wirklich gute Laune beim zuhören

[DivaDeb1234]

bernstein loved to have fun !

[VoyArrasando]

What a fun, fabulous performance, How about the conductor??!! Shaking his hips, lol it looks like it was terribly fun! Bravo!

[Mattbrain]

That's Leonard Bernstein!

[cinderpelt17]

THIS IS AWESOME! I know somebody who played the Old Lady this year, in April, 2008. I went to see it. Her name is Judy Blazer. She was SO funny! Everybody I know that saw her said she was the star of the show!

[ailsaz]

I love love love her voice.

[nicosupersex]

and she palys the castañuelas, mamasita, te amo

[nicosupersex]

she's so versatile... she sings whatever she wants

[Bendmac525]

I guess you could argue for Patti LuPone's performance of this or for Christa Ludwig's, acting-wise, but I think Ludwig outdistances LuPone by a long shot on the singing factor. What a voice!

[sexybookworm10]

I disagree. Patti LuPone sings the shit out of this; and captures the character better too. Oh, and this version is too slow.

[Klassizismus]

Bernstein himself wrote this piece and so I think he knew best in which tempo this piece should be played!!

[bertoluccio]

She is not the best.Christa is egregious!Bravissima!

[bertoluccio]

She is not the best.She is egregious!Bravissima!

[eligualao]

She was one of those who simply had it all...God bless Christa Ludwig

[mnwugn86]

One of the best performances of The Old Lady out there.

[aklokje]

I saw her farewell concert in 1993, it was beautiful.

It is great to see her having so much fun here.

[d199118]

she is great but i think lupone is better

[altodivo]

different is all. Plus Lupone needs miking. Ludwig doesn't!

[emacasta]

What an temperament,technique and expressiveness....she is great!

[Albericco]

Great Christa, one of the best singer of XX century!

[mpcastilho]

Minha favorita Old Lady. Linda voz, esplêndida figura!

[Spazm2007]

She is fantastic!

The best alto voice i have ever heard! and a great performer! x

[kajaDenmark]

shes a dramatic mezzo soprano

[umpazumparoo]

I love it! And yes, Bernstein is having a great time conducting his own piece.

*cough* Christa Ludwig was a high mezzo, not a contralto, though she was versatile enough to sing contralto, mezzo, and soprano repertoire...teehee.

[gmr2broadway]

love it.

(the conductors wins it for me though. he looks like he's having the time of his life:)

[135yearswaiting]

I am sure he enjoyed Candide more than West Side Story. I love both have seen the film of WSS , about 11 times . Candide is great but due to complicated plot it has never gained much popularity.

Christa Ludwig was always great, her singing in Fidelio with Klemperer conducting has to be the finest version ever.

[francotenelli]

Just great as always, Brava!

[andreasscholl]

She is still one of the best contralto's!!!!

Brava Ludwig....

X

[DARUFFI]

on comprend surtout pourquoi christa n'était pas tres copine avec cette vieille nazie d'Elisabeh....

[etucker82]

Talk about the song fitting the artist...the world's greatest living mezzo found her mantra in a song. Ludwig could sing anything in the mezzo range well in any language - she even had a high C for whenever she needed to be a soprano, and probably still does.

[Greatfan]

LUDWIG was always the most versatile artist ! She had it all : presence, languages, humour, tragedy. She was fantastic ! Brava for this song !

[royco50]

A splendid performance - uplifting and humorous yet strangely moving.

[Gabriel13187]

What an artistry... such a funny version with such a singer... Thanks a lot for uploading it!

[tjfloyd]

Wow! Christa sings rings around Patti Lupone who performed the Old Lady in the recent New York Philharmonic broadcast. She was a fun Mistress Quigley, too, but this is the best comic work I've ever seen from Christa. Ay, carramba!

[Traubel]

She is not only a spectacular wagnerian but also an alto buffa when she wants to, for example her brilliant Mrs Quickly and of course this awsome Old Lady. She is laughing with M.Bernstein and it is a great pleasure to see that!!!

[OrpheuCe]

A grande Ludwig! Voz maravilhosa! ...e tb sabe ser engraçada...

[MECDISSOLU]

très amusant. christa est superbe et sous la mise de bernstein l'oeuvre devient plus riche.

[chapuzeto]

when is this from?

[Albericco]

1989

[guilh1979]

de cg de rir!

[celestevt]

Wonderful! Brava Christa!