Gundula Janowitz

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Gundula Janowitz (born August 2, 1937 in Berlin, Germany) was one of the greatest lyric sopranos in modern history, renowned for her magnificent tone -- often described as "creamy" or "silvery" -- and her vocal control at the top of her range. She studied at the Graz Conservatory and, in 1960, made her debut in Vienna. Popularity came quickly for her. She was especially admired, and often cast, by Herbert von Karajan.

Her fame came primarily from singing German language compositions. She is most associated with works by Mozart, Wagner, Weber, Beethoven, Richard Strauss, and Bach. She performed Elisabetta from Don Carlo and the Countess from The Marriage of Figaro brilliantly, despite her decidedly non-Italianate pronunciation. An excerpt of this portrayal features prominently in the 1994 critically acclaimed film The Shawshank Redemption. Although her voice was warm, her vocal style lent itself more to beauty of line than to dramatic interpretation, and she was sometimes faulted for failing to realize operatic characters. Only in her mid-30's did she began to perform lieder regularly.