The music world suffered a tremendous loss when, on Sept. 17, 1966, Fritz Wunderlich died in a freak accident. He was visiting a friend’s castle, when he slipped on a stone staircase. The tenor was just 35 years old and was scheduled to make his debut as Don Ottavio in “Don Giovanni” at the Metropolitan Opera the following month.
During his 10-year career, Wunderlich had established himself as the leading Mozart tenor of his generation and was on his way to international stardom. Fortunately, he made many recordings, and two collections have been issued in connection with the 50th anniversary of his death that demonstrate the range of his artistry.
“Fritz Wunderlich: The 50 Greatest Tracks” is a compilation on
Deutsche Grammophon, the label that released most of his recordings. The collection is a true labor of love. The pieces were chosen by the singer’s widow, Eva Wunderlich, who wrote an introduction for the liner notes. There is also a photograph of the young couple.
Quotes from prominent singers testify to the singer’s art. Wunderlich’s contemporary, the great tenor Nicolai Gedda said, “What he did—there was no one who came close to him. I don’t think he will ever be surpassed.” Similar words of praise come from current stars, including Plácido Domingo, Rolando Villazón, and Thomas Hampson.
Joseph Calleja makes the astute comment that Wunderlich was a “powerful mixture of a sunny Mediterranean vocal quality with a central European intelligence, both as a musician and as an actor.”
The set begins appropriately with four Mozart arias, starting with “Dies Bildnis ist bezaubernd schön” from “The Magic Flute.” Wunderlich had played Tamino in 1955 in a student production of the opera and repeated it at the Württemberg State Opera in Stuttgart, when he replaced an ailing star and was immediately recognized as an important artist.
What becomes clear from the first notes is the beauty of his voice and the gracefulness of his singing. “Il mio tesoro” from “Don Giovanni” highlights his extraordinary breath control, sometimes attributed to his years of playing the trumpet. These and the other two arias, another from “The Magic Flute” and one from “Abduction from the Seraglio,” confirm the initial impression.
These renditions are unmatched not only in Wunderlich’s time but up to the current day. For an “Il mio tesoro” that surpasses his, a listener might have to go back 100 years to John McCormack.
During the period of Wunderlich’s recordings, operas from other countries were sometimes performed in German but were moving toward presenting them in the original language. Thus, there are German recordings of “Lenski’s Aria” from “Eugene Onegin” as well as arias from Puccini and Verdi. One aria from “La Traviata” is in German and another in Italian. Despite the language change in some instances, the singing is convincing, especially for the Tchaikovsky.
The rest of the first CD shows off Wunderlich’s mastery of Richard Strauss’s operas and songs, plus his interpretations of Beethoven, Schumann, and Schubert. The set includes three songs from Schubert’s “Die schöne Müllerin” and three from Schumann’s “Dichterliebe,” both taken from Wunderlich’s recordings of the complete song cycles.
The second CD begins with another area in which Wunderlich excelled, sacred music, with excerpts from Haydn’s “The Creation” and Bach’s “St. Matthew Passion.” The “Ingemisco” from Verdi’s “Requiem” is strong, if not as spine-tingling as the recording of the piece by Jussi Björling.
Wunderlich’s elegant style again comes to the fore in arias from Handel and Gluck.
Although his voice never falters, to this listener, he doesn’t sound right in the Spanish and Italian songs. Some of the blame may go to the orchestral arrangements. His belting of “Granada” is rather grating and “O sole mio,” half in Italian and half in German, is not especially idiomatic.
These are followed by operetta and pop songs, where Wunderlich’s caressing tone returns and he is in his element. The arrangements are dated—apparently Germany didn’t have an equivalent of Nelson Riddle—but the singing is appealing. He pleasantly croons “Mon bijou” and the lilting “Wien, Wien nur du allein” (“Vienna, City of My Dreams”), among others.
‘Festive Arias’
SWR has released another fine collection, “Festive Arias.” These are radio performances of religious music recorded in the earlier part of Wunderlich’s career, between 1955 and 1959. The CD includes arias from Bach’s “Christmas Oratorio,” Handel’s “Messiah,” Buxtehude’s “Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme,” Heinrich Schütz’s Christmas motets, and Telemann’s “Warum verstellst du die Gebarden.”
The sensuality of Wunderlich’s singing of these sacred pieces was not to the liking of some at the time, who preferred a less emotional sound. However, for those not holding to that orthodoxy, these recordings are further testament to the remarkable artistry of Fritz Wunderlich.
Barry Bassis has been a music, theater, and travel writer for over a decade for various publications.
