The Art of Fritz Wunderlich [Box set, Original recording remastered]

Fritz Wunderlich (Artist), Johann Sebastian Bach (Composer), Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Composer), Gioachino Rossini (Composer), Vincenzo Bellini (Composer), Giuseppe Verdi (Composer), Giacomo Puccini (Composer), Richard Strauss (Composer), George Frideric Handel (Composer), Christoph Willibald Gluck (Composer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Composer: Johann Sebastian Bach, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Gioachino Rossini, Vincenzo Bellini, Giuseppe Verdi, et al.
• Audio CD (September 13, 2005)
• SPARS Code: ADD
• Number of Discs: 7
• Format: Box set, Original recording remastered
• Note on Boxed Sets: During shipping, discs in boxed sets occasionally become dislodged without damage. Please examine and play these discs. If you are not completely satisfied, we'll refund or replace your purchase.
• Label: Deutsche Grammophon
• ASIN: B0009PLMQW
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #57,173 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #8 in Music > Classical > Historical Periods > Baroque (c.1600-1750) > Vocal & Song
  • #23 in Music > Classical > Historical Periods > Classical (c.1770-1830) > Vocal & Song > General AAS
  • #27 in Music > Classical > Opera & Vocal > Languages > Russian

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I wish I could give this release more than 5 stars: it's terrific!!!, October 28, 2005

By 

Alan Majeska "Alan Majeska" (Bad Axe, MI, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Art of Fritz Wunderlich (Audio CD)

I knew little about the German tenor Fritz Wunderlich (1930-1966), except reading the accolades given to his recordings and performances by reviewers in "American Record Guide" over the past 13 years. I knew Wunderlich recorded the role of Tamino in the famous DG recording of Mozart's "Die Zauberflote", with Karl Bohm/Berlin Philharmonic (Now on DG Originals CDs), but was not aware of what a wide range of repertoire he had until hearing this release.

This release has a wide variety of Wunderlich's discography, including Bach arias from his Christmas and Easter Oratorios, and movements from 2 cantatas; his Mozart roles in "Die Entfuhrung aus dem Serail" (Eugen Jochum/Bavarian Radio Orchestra) and "Die Zauberflote" (Karl Bohm/Berlin Philharmonic); a variety of arias and duets by Rossini, Bellini, Verdi, Richard Strauss, mostly sung in German, and with Hermann Prey, baritone and Erika Koth, soprano in many of the duets; Baroque arias by Handel, from "Xerxes" (including the famous "Ombre mai fu" sung in German) and "Julius Caesar", selections from Monteverdi's "Orfeo" (an early track from 1955 sung in Italian); Schumann's "Dichterliebe", 4 Beethoven Lieder, including "Adelaide" and "Der Kuss"; and 9 Schubert lieder, including "An der Musik," and "Der Musensohn", all with Hubert Giesen, piano; Popular songs such as "Granada" and Viennese songs, with chamber orchestra accompaniment. There are no texts for the songs, but you may have text booklets with other CD releases, so don't really need them when you hear Wunderlich's beautiful voice.

There is a booklet with articles about Wunderlich's career, including a preface by his widow, Eva Wunderlich, photos of Wunderlich as a boy and young man, with his wife Eva in 1965, and children Constanze, Wolfgang, and Barbara. I enjoy reading and looking at the booklet, even apart from listening to the beautiful recordings.

Wunderlich was a genius, and his voice sounds great in every track, mono (some, but not a majority) and stereo (most of the tracks in the 7 discs are stereo) alike. If you love great music, and opera, but like me aren't often of a mind to sit still for 3 hours to listen to one, get this. It's a great release, and reasonably priced to boot. I'm thankful to God for great music, for the ability to hear and feel, and for Fritz Wunderlich and his service to music lovers everywhere.

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Correction, December 12, 2006

By 

Markus Ortmanns (Germany) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Art of Fritz Wunderlich (Audio CD)

Now folks, both of what the two other reviewers wrote about the tragical death of Fritz Wunderlich is wrong. Wunderlich died in hospital at September 17 1966. He had broken his skull, when he fell down the stairs in the hunting-house of a friend. Late in the evening of September 16, Wunderlich, as usual when not at home, had phoned his wife in Munich. He was very tired from strolling through the forest the whole day, making out the ideal locations for the hunt, which should start early in the next morning (Wunderlich was a passionate hunter). After he had wished his wife a good night, he went to the staircase in order to go down to his bedroom at the first floor. He still wore his heavy hunting boots - with open shoestrings! As walking downstairs, Wunderlich struggled over the open shoestrings and grabbed for the banisters, which was not more than a rope, fixed to the wall. The banisters teared out, and Wunderlich fell down the whole stairs. Fritz Wunderlich died in hospital the next day. It was only short before his 36'th birthday. An exceptional singing career had come to an untimely end. Some people believe that Wunderlich was drunken at the time of accident. If this is true can't be proven any more. But still this is not what his close friends said, regarding his accident and his death. In my opinion Wunderlich was the last of the really great tenors of the last century. All the tenors which came to fame after him (sorry folks, even such maestros as Pavarotti and Domingo) lack a certain quality in singing. It's the ease of breath flow, or singing on the breath without pushing the voice, it's the overtones, the legato, the mezza voce, the messa di voce and many more things - in short: the overall beauty of the voice through both registers. Wunderlich was the last tenor who had all this. Other examples are Caruso, McCormack, Gigli (despite the sobbing in his later recordings) and of course the wonderful Jussi Björling. But these are only some few names. If you listen for example to the cd's in the box "Famous tenors of the past" you will find that there were many very good and outstanding tenors in the first half of the 20'th century and - as we can only assume - in the time before the invention of the grammophone. Take a close look at todays famous tenors (I know, there are some quite good and promising ones) but what are they in comparison to those tenors (or better to say, to their voices and singing) I just mentioned before?

Please make your own decision.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great, Great, Great!, April 26, 2010

By 

Abel "AMY" (Hong Kong) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Art of Fritz Wunderlich (Audio CD)

A great collection of a great singer singing great vocal works.
This is indeed a great collection. It contains the different facets of Wunderlich's artistry, from sacred to secular, from Germanic to Italian and Spanish (though sung in German), from operatic to lieder (some operas are so rarely heard these days that you'd want to listen to the FULL after listening to Wunderlich's interpretations here).
Wunderlich is undoubtedly one of 20th century's greatest lyrical tenors, alongside with Gigli and Pavarotti. Being barely 5 years Pavarotti's senior, one could not help but wonder what would the operatic scene be like but for his untimely early demise at 36.
Wunderlich's vocal style is natural and dramatic. His most stunning aspect is 'ease'. Everything he sang he sang with so much ease and natural flair. His greatest strength might not have been the Song Cycles, but this box set contains his great interpretation of Schumann's Dichterlieb, one of the best recordings of this set of Song Cycle. HIs Scubert lieders here did not include the Song Cylce Die Schone Mullerin, a recording which, IMHV, is not as great as his Schumann Song Cycle that's being included here.
Wunderlich's exceptional interpretations of Mozart's singspiels are included, so are his 'Da Ponte' opera tenor arias from Don Giovanni.
However, the gem of this gorgeous set, to me, is Wunderlich's tenor excerpts from Bach's works, as well as his operatic duets with Hermann Prey.
Prey and Wunderlich actually planned to record series of tenor/baritone operatic duets with DG, before the untimely death of Wunderlich. The collaboration between them would have been one of the truly greatest tenor/baritone collaborations ever, since both had the same artistic temperament and vocal style.
The other great aspect is Wunderlich's operetta excerpts, and his surprisingly lyrical and touching Onegin Onegin Aria 'Kuda Kuda', sung in German.
One misses Wunderlich sorely after going through this immaculate collection. Had he lived to perform the full works excerpted here, the operatic world would truly be much richer.