Performer: Fritz Wunderlich
Format: FLAC (tracks)
Label: SWR Music
Catalogue: SWR19032CD
Release: 2017
Size: 303 MB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: yes
Nicolai: Die lustigen Weiber von Windsor
01. Horch, die Lerche singt im Hain!
Lortzing: Der Waffenschmied
02. Man wird ja nur einmal geboren
03. War einst ein junger Springinsfeld
Lortzing: Undine
04. Ich ritt zum grossen Waffenspiele
05. Vater, Mutter, Schwestern, Brüder
Cornelius: Der Barbier von Baghdad
06. Mein Sohn, sei Allahs Frieden hier
Verdi: Don Carlos (Five-act French version)
07. Der Welt entsag ich – Nie werd ich den Tag vergessen – Gott, du hast in unsere Seelen (Sung in German)
Verdi: Rigoletto
08. La donna è mobile
Smetana: Die verkaufte Braut, JB 1:100
09. Komm, mein Söhnchen, auf ein Wort (Sung in German)
Kienzl: Der Kuhreigen
10. Lug, Dursel, lug – Zu Strassburg auf der Schanz
Puccini: Tosca
11. Und es blitzen die Sterne (Sung in German)
It is well known that Fritz Wunderlich was an exceptional singer, yet it never fails to surprise when hearing him singing works from different genres and discovering how he developed from his early performances in 1953 to the opera arias he preferred later in his career. These are now brought together on this album that contains both famous and unknown arias. Fritz Wunderlich was both a gifted singer and actor, which made him a perfect match for the Spieloper (dramatic opera), a genre to which most of the works on this album belong. Albert Lortzing (1801-1851) was a leading representative of this genre, as was Otto Nicolai (1810-1849) and Peter Cornelius (1824-1874). With his remarkable voice, Fritz Wunderlich could also sing Italian opera, in which he tried to establish himself with one of the biggest tenor hits of all time: the canzone La donna e mobile, sung by the Duke of Mantua in Verdi’s Rigoletto. While the performance may not sound thoroughly idiomatic, it’s pure Wunderlich. And E lucevan le stele certainly provides a goose bumps moment for everyone. The SWR spared no effort in remastering the original tapes tomake the voice of Fritz Wunderlich sound fresh and radiant. The sound engineers explain the complete remastering process in the accompanying booklet. Both this release and all future volumes of the SWR Fritz Wunderlich series contain recordings the singer made for the company from which the broadcasting company in SWR grew. They are available in this compilation only in this SWR series.