0
Júlia Várady
Júlia Várady
singer
1
Helen Donath
Helen Donath
American soprano
2
Hermann Prey
Hermann Prey
opera singer
3
Wolfgang Sawallisch
Wolfgang Sawallisch
German conductor and pianist
4
Lucia Popp
Lucia Popp
Slovak operatic soprano
5
Mignon Dunn
Mignon Dunn
opera singer
6
Sergiu Celibidache
Sergiu Celibidache
Romanian conductor
7
Soile Isokoski
Soile Isokoski
Finnish soprano
8
Elisabeth Schwarzkopf
Elisabeth Schwarzkopf
German opera soprano
9
Gundula Janowitz
Gundula Janowitz
Austrian opera soprano
10
Anne Sofie von Otter
Anne Sofie von Otter
Swedish mezzo-soprano
11
Peter Schreier
Peter Schreier
German tenor and conductor
12
Francisco Araiza
Francisco Araiza
opera singer
13
Fritz Wunderlich
Fritz Wunderlich
German tenor
14
Fritz Lehmann
Fritz Lehmann
German conductor
15
Karita Mattila
Karita Mattila
Finnish operatic soprano
16
Josef Greindl
Josef Greindl
German opera singer
17
Christine Schäfer
Christine Schäfer
singer
18
Thomas Quasthoff
Thomas Quasthoff
German opera singer
19
Ben Heppner
Ben Heppner
Canadian opera singer
20
Eugen Jochum
Eugen Jochum
German conductor
21
Christa Ludwig
Christa Ludwig
German mezzo-soprano
22
Ildebrando D'Arcangelo
Ildebrando D'Arcangelo
Italian bass-baritone
23
Peter Lagger
Peter Lagger
Swiss singer and opera singer
24
Patricia Johnson
Patricia Johnson
British operatic mezzo-soprano
25
Barbara Scherler
Barbara Scherler
German mezzo-soprano and contralto
26
Carmen Reppel
Carmen Reppel
German soprano
27
Marlis Petersen
Marlis Petersen
singer
28
Yannick Nézet-Séguin
Yannick Nézet-Séguin
Canadian conductor and pianist
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau
German lyric baritone and conductor

Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau

Intro
German lyric baritone and conductor
Record Labels
Awards Received
Knight of the Legion of Honour
Commandeur des Arts et des Lettres‎
Pour le Mérite for Sciences and Arts
honorary citizen of Berlin
Knight Commander's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
Ernst Reuter Medal
Musikpreis der Stadt Duisburg
Praemium Imperiale
Léonie Sonning Music Prize
Gramophone Award for Lifetime Achievement
Bavarian Maximilian Order for Science and Art
Royal Philharmonic Society Gold Medal
Berliner Kunstpreis
Gold Goethe medal
Friedrich-Rückert-Preis
Honorary doctor of the Heidelberg University
Brahms-Preis
Ernst von Siemens Music Prize
Robert Schumann Prize of the City of Zwickau
Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
Frankfurter Musikpreis
Berliner Bär
Member of, past and present
Academy of Arts, Berlin

Academy of Arts, Berlin

American Academy of Arts and Sciences

American Academy of Arts and Sciences

Bavarian Academy of Fine Arts

Bavarian Academy of Fine Arts

Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau (28 May 1925 – 18 May 2012) was a German lyric baritone and conductor of classical music, one of the most famous Lieder (art song) performers of the post-war period, best known as a singer of Franz Schubert's Lieder, particularly "Winterreise" of which his recordings with accompanists Gerald Moore and Jörg Demus are still critically acclaimed half a century after their release.

Recording an array of repertoire (spanning centuries) as musicologist Alan Blyth asserted, "No singer in our time, or probably any other has managed the range and versatility of repertory achieved by Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau. Opera, Lieder and oratorio in German, Italian or English came alike to him, yet he brought to each a precision and individuality that bespoke his perceptive insights into the idiom at hand." In addition, he recorded in French, Russian, Hebrew, Latin and Hungarian. He was described as "one of the supreme vocal artists of the 20th century" and "the most influential singer of the 20th Century".

Fischer-Dieskau was ranked the second greatest singer of the century (after Jussi Björling) by Classic CD (United Kingdom) "Top Singers of the Century" Critics' Poll (June 1999). The French dubbed him "Le miracle Fischer-Dieskau" and Dame Elisabeth Schwarzkopf called him "a born god who has it all." At his peak, he was greatly admired for his interpretive insights and exceptional control of his soft, beautiful instrument. Despite the small size of his lyric/chamber baritone voice, Fischer-Dieskau also performed and recorded a great many operatic roles. He dominated both the opera and concert platforms for over thirty years.