The celebrated dramatic soprano Astrid Varnay died earlier today in Munich. She was 88 years old.

A few highlights from her 55 year career can be heard in this podcast. Included are scenes from Die Walkure, Tannhauser, Elektra, Der Fliegende Hollander, Der Rosenkavalier, Parsifal, Siegfried, and Tristan und Isolde.

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UPDATE: one of the few available video clips of Varnay in live performance, from a 1971 telecast of Jenufa: