Elisabeth Schwarzkopf

The German opera singer Elisabeth Schwarzkopf (born December 9, 1915) is one of the leading sopranos of the post-World War II period, much admired for her performances of Mozart and Strauss.

Quotes

• (after being asked about Peter Sellars) "There are names I do not want mentioned in my home. Do not say that name in my presence. I have seen what he has done, and it is criminal. As my husband used to say, so far no one has dared go into the Louvre Museum to spray graffiti on the Mona Lisa, but some opera directors are spraying graffiti over masterpieces." — Newsweek interview, October 15, 1990
• "Many composers today don't know what the human throat is. At Bloomington, Indiana, I was invited to listen to music written in quarter tones for four harps and voices. I had to go out to be sick." — Newsweek interview, October 15, 1990