Bayreuth Festival mourns the passing of mezzo-soprano Ruth Hesse. The singer was a Kammersängerin, performing for several decades at the Vienna State Opera, the Salzburg Festival, and from 1960-1969 and 1979 at the Bayreuth Festival. Her signature roles included Ortrud, Brangäne, Magdalena and Mary, Fricka, and Waltraute. She sang under renowned conductors such as Karl Böhm, Christoph von Dohnányi, Heinrich Hollreiser, Herbert von Karajan, Carlos Kleiber, Sir Georg Solti, and Hans Swarowsky.