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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Fritz Wunderlich - Die frühen Jahre
Clásica - Editado por RCA Red Seal el 23 sept. 2005
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Legend
Ópera - Editado por Profil el 1 ene. 2007
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Fritz Wunderlich sings Christmas Songs
Clásica - Editado por UME - Global Clearing House el 8 dic. 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart Contemporaries
Ópera - Editado por SWR Classic el 11 may. 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Oster-Oratorium BWV 249
Clásica - Editado por Decca el 1 ene. 1958
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Fritz Wunderlich, Vol. 7
Clásica - Editado por Documents 2 el 13 dic. 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Fritz Wunderlich – Immortal Beloved
Fritz Wunderlich, Heinrich Schmidt, Ludwig Beinl, Walter Weller, Jan Koetsier, Symphonieorchester Des Bayerischen Rundfunks
Clásica - Editado por Universal Music Australia Pty. Ltd. el 1 ene. 1977
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Sacred Arias
Clásica - Editado por Deutsche Grammophon (DG) el 1 ene. 2007
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Wunderlich privat
Clásica - Editado por Deutsche Grammophon (DG) el 1 ene. 2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Fritz Wunderlich, Vol. 1
Clásica - Editado por Documents 2 el 13 dic. 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Schubert : La Belle Meunière (Fritz Wunderlich, ténor (Les Chanteurs légendaires - Volume 1))
Clásica - Editado por Ars Produktion el 23 ene. 2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Thomas: Mignon
Pilar Lorengar, Fritz Wunderlich, Gottlob Frick
Clásica - Editado por Past Classics el 6 nov. 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Bach: Cantates, BWV 31 & 200 (Mono Version)
Fritz Wunderlich, Stuttgarter Bach-Orchester, Marcel Couraud
Varios - Editado por BNF Collection el 1 ene. 1960
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Festive Arias (Live)
Clásica - Editado por SWR Classic el 9 sept. 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Fritz Wunderlich : Rarities from Opera and Operetta
Ópera - Editado por SWR Classic el 1 ene. 2007
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Grosse Stimmen - Fritz Wunderlich
Clásica - Editado por Deutsche Grammophon (DG) el 1 ene. 1990
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Sings Operetta & Opera Arias & Duets
Clásica - Editado por Regis Records el 1 ene. 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Ludwig Van Beethoven : Christus am ölberge, Op. 85
Radio Filharmonisch Orkest, Groot Omroepkoor, Henk Spruit, Erna Spoorenberg, Fritz Wunderlich, Hermann Schey
Oratorios sacros - Editado por OperaPrima-Carillon el 1 ene. 2010
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
Música coral (para coro) - Editado por SWR Classic el 3 abr. 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
SCHUBERT, F.: Schone Mullerin (Die) (Wunderlich, Giesen)
Fritz Wunderlich, Hubert Giesen
Música vocal (profana y sacra) - Editado por SWR Classic el 1 ene. 1964
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Fritz Wunderlich - Große Erfolge & Raritäten, Vol. 24
Música vocal (profana y sacra) - Editado por Documents 2 el 13 dic. 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo