This week, we feature the German Tenor Fritz Wunderlich. His name calls up contrasting emotions - deep gratitude for all of his recordings and the continued pleasure they give us, and inescapable sadness that he died so suddenly from a fall in 1966 at age 36.
The Grove dictionary describes Wunderlich's voice as "well formed, clear and firm of timbre; with an unaffected, manly and sensitive style." At the time of his death, Rodolfo in La bohème and Wagnerian roles were on the horizon, as was his Met debut as Don Ottavio in October of 1966. Join us this week as he sings Mozart, Rossini and Richard Strauss, many from live performances.