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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Schubert: Die schöne Müllerin; 3 Lieder
Fritz Wunderlich, Hubert Giesen
Clásica - Editado por Deutsche Grammophon (DG) el 2 sept. 2016
Discoteca Ideal Qobuz16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Smetana: The Bartered Bride
Pilar Lorengar, Fritz Wunderlich, Gottlob Frick, Rudolf Kempe, Bamberger Symphoniker
Ópera - Editado por Warner Classics el 1 ene. 1987
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Wunderlich: Opernarien & Duette (Edited Version)
Clásica - Editado por Deutsche Grammophon GmbH, Hamburg el 1 ene. 2003
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Fritz Wunderlich: Greatest Tracks
Clásica - Editado por UME - Global Clearing House el 26 ago. 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart: Die Entführung aus dem Serail (Highlights)
Clásica - Editado por Deutsche Grammophon (DG) el 1 ene. 1999
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Matthäus-Passion BWV 244
Clásica - Editado por Decca el 1 ene. 1965
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Schubert: Die schöne Müllerin op. 25, D 795
Clásica - Editado por Sony Classical el 30 ago. 1958
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Bach: Johannes-Passion, BWV 245
Karl Forster, Berliner Symphoniker, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Christa Ludwig, Fritz Wunderlich, Elisabeth Grümmer
Clásica - Editado por Warner Classics el 16 feb. 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Fritz Wunderlich - Große Erfolge & Raritäten, Vol. 13
Música vocal (profana y sacra) - Editado por Documents 2 el 13 dic. 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Vocal Recital: Wunderlich, Fritz - SCHUMANN, R. / SCHUBERT, F. / BEETHOVEN, L. van (Schwetzinger Festspiele Edition, 1965)
Fritz Wunderlich, Hubert Giesen
Música vocal (profana y sacra) - Editado por SWR Classic el 1 ene. 1965
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
WUNDERLICH: Sacred Songs
Música vocal (profana y sacra) - Editado por SWR Classic el 1 ene. 2007
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Magic of Fritz Wunderlich
Clásica - Editado por Deutsche Grammophon (DG) el 1 ene. 2005
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Fritz Wunderlich - Beethoven / Haydn / Strauss, R.
Fritz Wunderlich, Heinrich Schmidt, Walter Weller, Ludwig Beinl, Symphonieorchester Des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Jan Koetsier
Clásica - Editado por Decca Imports One Way el 1 ene. 1977
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Fritz Wunderlich: Arias from the 20th Century (Live)
Clásica - Editado por SWR Classic el 14 jun. 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Fritz Wunderlich singt Mozart
Clásica - Editado por Deutsche Grammophon (DG) el 1 ene. 2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Schubert - Lieder
Orquesta Lírica de Barcelona, Fritz Wunderlich, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau
Clásica - Editado por Piros Comercial Digital el 21 mar. 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Ob blond, ob braun ich liebe alle Frau'n
Clásica - Editado por Deutsche Grammophon (DG) el 1 ene. 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Fritz Wunderlich Arias
Música vocal (profana y sacra) - Editado por Musical Concepts el 13 mar. 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Finest Tenor Collection
Clásica - Editado por Classique Perfecto el 28 ago. 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo