Her debut was spectacular: Ruth Hesse was just 25 years old when she appeared at the Deutsche Oper Berlin for the first time - and then right alongside Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau! It speaks highly of the young mezzo-soprano's ability and nerve that she was not intimidated by this challenge and celebrated her successful house debut as Mrs Quickly in the Carl Ebert production of Verdi's FALSTAFF on 8 January 1962. That evening also marked the beginning of a relationship that was to last 33 years - until her last performance as Mrs Mary in THE FLYING DUTCHMAN on 31 January 1995. In these almost three and a half decades, Ruth Hesse appeared on the Bismarckstraße stage on over 800 evenings and interpreted all the important roles in her field here: from Verdi's Azucena in IL TROVATORE, which she performed 87 times here alone, to Wagner's Fricka, Ortrud and Brangäne and the Nurse in Strauss' DIE FRAU OHNE SCHATTEN - the role that was to become her ticket to the international opera scene. Her international career was not long in coming: from the mid-sixties onwards, Hesse, whose talent had once been discovered and encouraged by Wieland Wagner, sang with the greatest conductors: Karajan, Böhm, Muti, Cluytens, was as celebrated in New York as she was in Vienna and Salzburg. It is all the more remarkable that Ruth Hesse not only remained loyal to the Deutsche Oper Berlin, but even at the height of her fame was never too shy to take on smaller roles such as the third lady in THE MAGIC FLUTE at her home opera house. Ruth Hesse, who was made a Kammersängerin in both Vienna and Berlin in recognition of her achievements, has been recorded on numerous recordings, including the legendary TRISTAN from Orange alongside Birgit Nilsson, as well as the recently released DVD of Rossini's GRAF ORY from the Deutsche Oper Berlin in 1964.

Ruth Hesse died on 13 July this year at the age of 87 in her adopted Austrian home of Hallstatt in the Salzkammergut. Deutsche Oper Berlin will honour her memory.