Fritz Wunderlich
Fritz Wunderlich could be considered the James Dean of the singing world -- a young, charismatic performer who suffered a tragic death at the height of his career and abilities, and whose posthumous reputation has grown beyond that which he was able to enjoy during his short life. Considered among the finest Mozartean tenors of his day, Wunderlich embraced a wide repertory that expanded to included the works of Strauss, Schubert, Bach, and Mahler, and he left behind many excellent recordings that have been the primary source of his legacy.
Wunderlich (Friedrich Karl Otto) was born in Kusel, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany. His life included music from the very beginning, since his father was the director of a local choir and his mother was a violinist. The young tenor gained mild local celebrity for his singing in Kusel, and in 1950 he departed for the Freiburg Musikhochschule with partial financing from the town; he met the remainder of his study-related expenses by directing a small dance band in Breisgau. Wunderlich's first operatic appearance was, appropriately enough, as Tamino in a student production of Mozart's Die Zauberflöte -- a role with which he would remain associated for the rest of his career. In fact, he made his professional debut with the very same piece just a year later (1955) at the Stuttgart Opera. He remained with Stuttgart until he was hired by the Frankfurt Opera company, staying there from 1958 to 1960. He first appeared in the Salzburg Festival in 1959, where he sang the part of Henry in Richard Strauss's Die schweigsame Frau. He became a member of the Munich Opera in 1960 and from 1962 also was a regular at the Vienna State Opera.
Wunderlich quickly earned a reputation as the leading lyric tenor in Germany. His clear, strong voice easily filled an operatic hall, but he always retained a purity of sound and line that was equally well suited to more intimate settings. In international appearances he essayed mostly Mozart roles, for which he was especially celebrated and which did not tax the dramatic limits of his voice; however in the smaller houses of his native Germany he explored slightly more adventurous repertory, including Alfredo in La Traviata and Lensky in Eugene Onegin. All of his performances were marked by an unflappable lyricism and an associated control of phrasing and breath -- both of which have remained his most lauded qualities. Wunderlich created the role of Tiresias in the first performance of Carl Orff's Oedipus der Tyrann in Stuttgart in 1959, and sang the part of Christoph in Werner Egk's Die Verlobung in San Domingo in Munich in 1962. He contemplated expanding further, into the lyrical Wagnerian roles. This was not to be, as he died in an accidental fall at a friend's home.
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The Legend
Opera - Released by Profil on Jan 1, 2007
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Fritz Wunderlich sings Christmas Songs
Classical - Released by UME - Global Clearing House on Dec 8, 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart Contemporaries
Opera - Released by SWR Classic on May 11, 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Schubert : La Belle Meunière (Fritz Wunderlich, ténor (Les Chanteurs légendaires - Volume 1))
Classical - Released by Ars Produktion on Jan 23, 2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Thomas: Mignon
Pilar Lorengar, Fritz Wunderlich, Gottlob Frick
Classical - Released by Past Classics on Nov 6, 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Festive Arias (Live)
Classical - Released by SWR Classic on Sep 9, 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Fritz Wunderlich : Rarities from Opera and Operetta
Opera - Released by SWR Classic on Jan 1, 2007
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Sings Operetta & Opera Arias & Duets
Classical - Released by Regis Records on Jan 1, 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Die Jahreszeiten (1959)
Agnes Giebel, Fritz Wunderlich, Kieth Engen, SWR Vokalensemble Stuttgart, Radio-Sinfonieorchester Stuttgart des SWR, Hans Müller-Kray
Choral Music (Choirs) - Released by SWR Classic on Apr 3, 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
SCHUBERT, F.: Schone Mullerin (Die) (Wunderlich, Giesen)
Fritz Wunderlich, Hubert Giesen
Vocal Music (Secular and Sacred) - Released by SWR Classic on Jan 1, 1964
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Ach Ich Habe Sie Ja Nur Auf Die Schulter Geküsst
Musical Theatre - Released by Bearsong on Jul 10, 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Handel: Judas Maccabaeus, HWV 63 (Excerpts) [Sung in German]
Symphonieorchester Des Bayerischen Rundfunks
Classical - Released by Orfeo on Nov 12, 1999
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
MOZART: Symphonies Nos. 25, 28, and 40 and Arias (1956 / 1959 / 1961)
Radio-Sinfonieorchester Stuttgart des SWR, Fritz Wunderlich, Ruth-Margret Putz, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Carl Schuricht
Classical - Released by SWR Classic on Jan 1, 2000
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde
Fritz Wunderlich, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Wiener Symphoniker, Josef Krips
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on Jan 1, 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Egk: Furchtlosigkeit und Wohlwollen
István Kertész, Chor des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Symphonieorchester Des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Fritz Wunderlich
Classical - Released by Orfeo on Jan 1, 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Egk: Columbus (Orfeo d'Or)
Opera - Released by Orfeo on Jun 26, 2001
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Opera Classics
Opera - Released by Unchained Melodíe Records on May 1, 2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo