Dame Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, arguably the greatest soprano of the postwar years, died peacefully in her sleep on Wednesday night at her home in Schruns on the Austrian-Swiss border. She was 90. She was loved for her matchless lieder singing as well as for her operatic work. In the opera house, she was particularly feted for her Mozart roles - especially her Countess, Donna Elvira and Fiordiligi - as well as her Marschallin. She created the role of Anna Trulove in Stravinksy's The Rake's Progress, and entered British folklore when, asked to appear on Desert Island Discs, she chose eight of...