Swiss opera diva Della Casa dies at 93

(AP) Swiss-born soprano Lisa Della Casa, a member of the Vienna State Opera whose performances of Mozart and Richard Strauss won her wide acclaim as one of the finest sopranos of her generation, has died at the age of 93.

The Vienna State Opera, where she had given more than 400 performances, said she died on Monday in the northern Swiss town of Muensterlingen.

Salzburg Festival President Helga Rabl-Stadler recalled Della Casa's performances as sublime moments for which she was celebrated by audiences and critics.

Della Casa was born near the Swiss capital Bern in 1919 and later trained in Zurich.

She first performed in 1941 and went on to sing on many of the world's great opera stages including the Metropolitan Opera, the Royal Opera House and La Scala.