Fritz Wunderlich - Lunge da lei...De' miei bollenti spiriti (live)

Live in München, at the Bayerische Staatsoper (Bavarian State Opera) 1965. Fritz Wunderlich sings Alfredo in Italian!
Most of the highlights from this performance (with Stratas as Violetta and Prey as Germont) have been posted already so I won't bother with them. But the Act 2 aria as sung by Fritz is nothing short of sensational. This role is really rather silly for the tenor, and quite trivial to sing (for a professional tenor that is). Tenors don't become international stars singing Alfredo. But Wunderlich works magic with this seemingly simple role.
It's hard not to like Wunderlich. His voice is excellent, he sings with genuine passion and soul, his legato and diction are simultaneously perfect (!), his phrasing is poetic and musical, and he has virtually no mannerisms. Really the 'ideal lyric tenor' for me. Of non Italian lyrics only Bjorling is really in his league.

I can't post the cabaletta with the high C because he never sang it. Why he skipped it is a mystery to me, but apparently it was common to do so at the time.

Category:

Music

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• de
• miei
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• traviata
• verdi
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• giuseppe
• alfredo
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• fritz
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• hermann
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[halavey]

He did not have much of a chance at Italian he died at age 35, just started singing in Italian after years of German and it was a perfect Mozart voice, it was not a big voice, no matter for those lyric roles but surely carried very well. Big enough. I know only one person who heard him and loved the sound I also think he was a fantastic lyric tenor and he would of lasted with that technique very well.

[forallyouknow]

His ability to alternate between the sweet, lyric head voice and the robust, ringing head-chest amalgam is an art lost today. When he does the ascending line in 2:32, the way he blends into that head voice is just utterly beautiful. Seemed mildly strained when he took the succeeding line in fortissimo, but really... what an instrument!

[tenorschofield]

Wonderful singer he was, ..great voice and talent; it is a pitty he died so young.Thanks for sharing this wonderful material.Bravooo!!!!!!!!!!!!

[ninawally1]

OMG!!!! With this interpretation he always gives me goose bumps.

[cavatina36]

Whenever I hear this remarkable voice my heart breaks at his premature death, a loss so hard to accept, such beauty such artistry, we are so privileged to be able to listen, what is it now, nearly 50 years ago, such a tragedy.

[David45NV1]

Fritz Wunderlich was on his way to conquer the (Opera) world!

[SHICOFF1]

My God he sings this as good or better then anyone I have ever heard! What intelligent and beautiful singing!!!! Wonderful!!! RIP

[GuidoKaiserBariton1]

Bravo, Fritz!

[Agorante]

I remember where I was when I heard JFK was shot. I also remeember where I was when I heard that Wunderlich had died.

[Agorante]

@OettingerCroat Really? I heard Pavarotti live many times including his Manrico. IMHO his Manrico was the worst thing I ever heard him do. He sang a very thin High C. In the main body of the role his voice was just not rich enough. The much less famous Fabio Armilato was a better Manrico.

[LAZARUSREX1]

Fritz Wunderlich, fue un maravilloso tenor fallecido muy joven. Pero aunque las comparaciones son odiosas, olvidáis a otro genio irrepetible Alfredo Kraus.

[jbaravel]

Sin ser su lengua nativa, esta es una magnífica interpretación

Gracias por subirla