Fritz Wunderlich: Belmonte's Aria

[paulostroff99]

Superb.

[LobsngDmchoi]

So far there are 196 likes and 1 dislike. One wonders about the sanity and auditory faculties of the person who disliked it. How could one possibly fault this performance vocally? Perhaps he could done a bit more in the p-ppp dynamic range -- the aria does have an introspective element. The set and staging per se were a little boring, but these are the quibbles of a cranky Beckmesser. WHAT SINGING! WHAT BREATH CONTROL! WHAT DICTION!

[LAZARUSREX1]

Solo es comparable con la tecnica de Alfredo Kraus.

[TheDmitrilover]

Er ist zu jung gestorben... eine wunderbare Stimme und ein wunderbaren Mensch!

[danawinsor]

If ever there was a singer that one could learn to sing just by watching (& listening) it would be, in my opinion, Herr Wunderlich. Surely the most beautiful tenor voice on recording (with Bjorling a close 2nd or a tie).

[Platinum400]

@danawinsor I agree his technique is beyond perfect.

[1813verdi]

Mein Gott, und ich sage das bewusst als Christ, welche eine Stimme, welche Ausstrahlung, welche Empfindung, welche Brillanz. Wo sind die Tenöre von dieser Qualität. Ob Mozart, Rossini, Tschaikowski, Verdi... Wunderlichs Stimme ist göttlich. Fluch den offenen Schnürsenkeln - heute wäre er 80 geworden und was hätte er uns nicht noch alles schenken können.

Tausend Dank, mille grazie Fritz.

[FainadeFerro]

Wunderbar!

[Floriday2]

fritz -- how cool it would have been to hear Fritz in person. I only know one person who did. 

[kyoto189]

vizt 37,636

[eurydike]

i read somewhere he is a favourite tenor of Jose Carreras :-))) no wonder.

[76mixo]

it's called "really perfect singing"!!!real BELCANTO!!!

[tenorgoodfella]

Can anyone say "PERFECTION"....????? My hero.

[Lovelytenor1]

This one is unique in that the voice stays warm throughout. There are no noticeable register shifts as he moves the voice up/down. In other words, just beautiful.

[francesca7564]

Merveilleux Monsieur Wunderlich !

Merci pour le post .

[Jragir]

Wunderlich was to voice as pagini was too violin and rachminonff to piano.

He will forever be remembered for his genius, and provides inspiration and bliss to anyone who listens to his voice.

[playingtheguitar08]

he is great

[LobsngDmchoi]

FW is not always observant of Mozart's 16th note rests (essential to the Affekt of the piece), but a faithful interpretation which honors the composer in every other way. He makes the ascent to high A like a great violinist.

[victorkievUA]

Great video !

Thank you , i love Fritz Wunderlich's voice very much ! He was one of the best lyric tenor of the 20th century.

[forallyouknow]

You know what I bet would be completely eargasmic? His "Ich baue ganz"! We all know he can handle fioriture with ease and aplomb, so he probably owned that aria and we could all have the best Belmonte ever recorded...

[jesusdanielhernandez]

I got to say he was not light lyric but full lyric, he was just smart to sing a light repertoire, but his voice had the weight of a full lyric tenor

[searnold56]

wunderlich may have been the best light lyric in recorded history but what with the child molester stache.... seriously fritz. poor choice

[LvJols]

Impresionante maestro Wunderlich!!

[primohomme]

What was his fach?

[searnold56]

light lyric. if he'd have lived longer he would have grown into a full lyric. he was bordering it near the end of his short life

[arturo8402]

I think this is definitive!!

[remybecute]

Wunderlich, the Great, was also an extremely modest and charming individual. A better voice with such control could not have been hoped for by Schubert or Mozart. He will live on with them forever.

[cjondoran]

what a freakin' brilliant man

[arturo8402]

I love the way his A's sound at, its as if they're being drawn out of him!! its truly magical!!

[tantris5]

wunderlich & melchior for eternity!

generations of tenors will allways been stressed and depressed because you!!

[devastaticon]

haha

[zerotower]

I hate you Wunderlich, because you did't give me the chance to meet you. Why did you dead so early!!!! I wonder meet you sometimes later in heaven. I miss you. You are the best singer of the all the world.

[mannullll]

fritz wunderlich, gracias por aver pasado por la tierra y deleitarnos con tu arte.

[fabiantenor]

At 4:50 he really shows why each and every tenor on this planet hate him!!!

Mozart has to be smiling too!

[kgeorg1979]

Yeah, for a moment even his eyes say "bet you can't do this!"

[EdwardGabrielsen]

I just love this.

[donerlich]

What blows me away is how his voice just opens up in parts where other lyric tenors are gasping for breathe. I've never heard a tenor with such control, ring, size and lyricism all at the same time and all seemingly effortless. I so wish I could have been alive when he was around. He seems like such a nice person in his doco too!

[RoyKa2010]

@donerlich Or better yet, wishing he would not have had such a short life.

[amballa]

top notch! absolutely top!

[leonore0210]

Therefore my daughter is called Constanze!

[1beldivedremo]

che peccato che non ci sia più...

[RossiniSoprano]

For all his wonderful singing, MOZART is where Wunderlich rules ALL! NO ONE ever sang Mozart better....the legato, so essential for this composer, is incredible, and then he so easily moves the voice, as though all those notes weren't even there....and yet you hear every one.

[danawinsor]

@RossiniSoprano -- I couldn't agree more. BTW -- have you listened to Elizabeth Parcells singing Mozart's Exultate? If you love Mozart, you are in for a treat.

[alexninko]

it seams so easy to sing this aria when you are waching fritz do it...

[baldmetal]

esa es la clave!! "El verdadero arte debe parecer creado sin esfuerzo" Miguel Angel.

[lalaindahouse]

why can't they make them like that anymore?

[chislehurstbat]

How fantastic is this! Takes my breath away, so very very beautiful.

[emalag999]

bravo fritz!!

[Kerlerot]

I say better, bravississimo Fritz !

Mon tenor mozartien favori...

[pavy456]

this voice makes me think of the skill of jussi bjorling thi man is a great great singer . what a voice.

[neicielibigi]

How bout the Fritz/del Monaco moustache competition? This one is a real close call.

[Squabex]

ok i can help here

You close your eyes and listen to Fritz

You hear the best technical tenor ever

Unbeatable

You close your eyes and listen to Mario

You hear the sweetest natural voice you'll ever hear

Like pure velvet

He had a sound all his own

But you cant compare them as opera singers

they are both the best at what they did

[paulostroff99]

Well said! One beautiful voice,and the other- a very great opera singer!

[Squabex]

I can explain this for you both

You close your eyes and listen to Fritz

You hear the greatest tenor ever

His technical singing is the best

And his diction...

You close your eyes and listen to Alfredo (Mario)...You hear the most wonderful natural sounding voice you will ever hear

You cant compare these two as opera singers and no one sounds like Mario ...his voice is pure velvet...settled?

[paulostroff99]

Fine with me!

[Petestube33]

I would rate Wunderlich as on equal par with the great Mario Lanza. Lanza could sing any genre of music with equal ease. Like Wunderlich Lanza died so early in life. Wunderlich was a great talent lost.

[paulostroff99]

Lanza could not be compared to Wunderlich.I'm trying to remain polite and composed,but that remark is tearing at me.Lanza was a non opera singer-PERIOD.I would not want to see him attempt to be one on a stage.Wunderlich was among the best in the world.

[Petestube33]

Hi, Thanks for your comments re Lanza v Wunderlich. I respect your opinion and i do agree that Wunderlich was a very special talent. However, to dismiss Lanza per se, period is a bit harsh. The Lanza voice was very special. He was the inspiration for some of the great tenors including Pavarotti,Domingo, Carreras,and even Elvis and Sinatra marvelled at this natural sound he emitted. Pete

[paulostroff99]

Yes,I was harsh.Lanza did introduce good music to the masses,and for this he deserves praise.Thank you for taking me to task on this.

[Aetion]

Come on guys! Mario Lanza's voice was considered by many to rival that of Enrico Caruso. Conductor Serge Koussevitzky, who provided him with a full student scholarship to the Berkshire Music Festival at Tanglewood in Massachusetts, would later tell Lanza that, "Yours is a voice such as is heard once in a hundred years." Maria Callas considered Mario Lanza as the greatest tenor ever!!

[Kunsterfreut]

@Aetion but mario lanza sang when wunderlich wasnt even on stage...so callas didnt know wunderlich^^

[Aetion]

@Kunsterfreut Doch, sie kannte ihn. Ich hatte sie im Kranzler gesehen Kafee trinken! :-)

[Kunsterfreut]

@Aetion echt?

[paulostroff99]

You are quite right.I tend to over react and overkill.Lanza at least introduced many people to the beauty of great music.He certainly did Operetta a great service.Sigmund Romberg etc. would love him!

[balletamie]

Mozart has never been sung with more musicality.

[301250]

Pavarotti is Pavarotti and Wunderlich is Wunderlich irrespective of their nationalities. Fritz is a natural Mozartian (and remember Mozart had the voice in mind with whatever he wrote). Is it a co-incidence that both died almost at the same age? sd goh (malaysia)

[NaegaJayo]

Mozart and WUnderlich both died at the same age, so? I don't believe in withcraft.

[kmillard]

Agreed. Mozart had been in failing health for some time while Wunderlich's death was just a horrible accident. Besides, there are plenty of fine Mozarteans who have lived to ripe old ages.

[NaegaJayo]

Oh, never compare to Pavarotti, who answered when asked who was the most important tenor of history for him, "Fritz Wunderlich" and NOT Caruso. Pavarotti himself never succeeded in singing Napolitanian propperly whereas Wunderlich sang Italian as if it were his language.

[balletamie]

Is there any of the italian F. Wunderlich arias, I can't find !

[NaegaJayo]

balletamie, there are many arias in Italian with Wunderlich, for he was the only German legendary tenor who ever managed singing Italian like an Italian.

[balletamie]

thank you

[kmillard]

Agreed. I've never heard FW singing in ANYTHING other than auf Deutsche. Besides, I have some recordings of Pavarotti singing some damn fine renditions of "Torna a Sorriento" and "Funiculi Funicula" that sound quite good for not singing them "properly." I absolutely adore Wunderlich, but that's HARDLY cause to trash Pavarotti.

[balletamie]

Is good that every gives its own thinking, I admire Pavarotti and Fritz. They have different coloratura voice of course. My heart in Napule songs is with Enrico C. nothing would change that, he lived in Napoli and knowns about the pains of the city and its singing. Ciao! Regards.

[dmpmimi]

Such sweetness of sound and exquisite sense of line. Also the honesty and simplicity in his manner are so attractive. Mozart has never been sung with more musicality. Thank you to whoever posted this.

[voce29]

As a young music student of the Academy of Music in Vienna in the 1950ths we adored Fritz Wunderich, whos voice spoke of the beauty of life, which we needed to recovder, to save our souls..

[rafitash]

don't compare to pavarotti please

[hardasanaskiq]

He was the Pavarotti of the Germany

[forallyouknow]

No, Pavarotti was the Wunderlich of Italy.

[janejones11]

A gorgeous, honeyed sound and wonderful Mozartian style. He shapes his phrases with incredible grace and refinement. We are lucky he left so many recordings behind in his tragically short career.

[sch8mid]

simply the best , saw him in the late 50s in Stuttgart .. sad to say that I was to young

to realise that I was listening to a wonder and to best tenor of the 20th century

[2ManyHighCs]

Wunderlich was one of the most incredible technicians of the tenor voice who ever lived. Whether you lust after his vocie or not is an individual taste, but he, Gigli, Bjoerling, were but a few of the singers who KNEW how to sing. There are no replacements on the scene today.

[danpincus]

I think one of the reasons was that in those days, they heard opera from a much earlier age and were steeped in its sounds and and aesthetic traditions. They were the best of a very large pool of knowledgeable aspirants. And they tended to sing only in their native languages.

[chislehurstbat]

This is heartbreakingly beautiful. Thanks so much for posting this!

[LJOUWERD]

As only Fritz can! Splendid performance.

[efraingonzalez]

chingonsísimo!!!

[Thicklizzie]

A perfect performed aria

[primobaritono]

Ein wahrer Meister des Belcanto. Bravissimo !

[sulfiatto]

Who was his old scholing belcanto master?

[primobaritono]

You mean his voice teacher ? Her name was Margarethe von Winterfeldt.

[sch8mid]

pearls before the...

[alepeccia]

Oh yea I'd seen this one. Fritz is indeed perfection in these bits...