Appl was the great singer’s final pupil. As the musical world celebrates Fischer-Dieskau’s centenary, his friend remembers lessons with ‘FiDi’

Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau placed great value on punctuality. Whenever I drove up the driveway to his house on Lake Starnberg near Munich at precisely 10.25 am, the tall and smiling FiDi (as he was affectionately called by friends and colleagues) was already standing at the door. He was waiting for me under the large carved letters DFD above the front door. His bright, mischievous eyes made him appear youthful well into old age. Depending on his state of health, he either resolutely offered me his hand or just his elbow (something he did throughout his life to protect himself from infection). Then we started working, always promptly at 10.30am.

Being mentored by Fischer-Dieskau is something I look back on today with the greatest gratitude. I was so fortunate to be his last pupil, and studied with him for three years, until his death in 2012 aged 86.