"Miss, you're phenomenal!" cried the great Elisabeth Schwarzkopf upon hearing her for the first time. Lucia Popp made her debut in 1963 in Pressburg, Bratislava, and then appeared at the State Opera of Vienna, Austria, which she stayed at until her death. Popp began with magnificent portrayals of coloratura soprano roles, and as her career progressed, moved into the light-lyric, and then lyric, repertoire.

Popp is perhaps best known for her rendition of the Queen of the Night in the legendary 1963 recording directed by Otto Klemperer. Her incredible talent in this midst of the other impressive singers on the recording is still a wonderful reminder of a golden age of operatic singing.

Her superb timbre -- both round and warm -- and her exceptional technique are well-loved by operatic conaisseurs worldwide. One of the foremost interpreters of coloratura soprano roles since World War II, Popp has sung in the greatest theaters of the world, notably in Salzburg, Munich, and London. Her interpretations of Mozart and Richard Strauss roles remain legendary today.

Besides the Queen of the Night, Popp sings a beautiful Susanna (The Marriage of Figaro). She is equally compelling in Dorabella (Mozart's Così fan tutte) and as Eva (Wagner's Die Meistersinger), and in plenty of other operas.