Wunderlich, Fritz (actually, Friedrich Karl Otto)

Wunderlich, Fritz (actually, Friedrich Karl Otto), outstanding German tenor; b. Kusel, Sept. 26, 1930; d. Heidelberg, Sept. 17,1966. He was a student of Margarete von Wintenfeld at the Freiburg im Breisgau Hochschule für Musik (1950-55). While still a student, he appeared as a soloist with the Freiburg im Breisgau Choir, and then sang Tamino in a school performance of Die Zauberflöte (1954). In 1955 he made his professional operatic debut in Stuttgart as Eislinger in Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, where he sang until 1958. From 1958 to 1960 he was a member of the Frankfurt am Main Opera. In 1958 he sang at the Aix-en-Provence Festival, and then appeared as Henry in Die schweigsame Frau at the Salzburg Festival in 1959. In 1960 he became a member of the Bavarian State Opera in Munich and in 1962 was made a Kammersänger. He also was a member of the Vienna State Opera from 1962. In 1965 he made his debut as Don Ottavio at London’s Covent Garden. He appeared at the Edinburgh Festival in 1966. Wunderlich was scheduled to make his Metropolitan Opera debut in N.Y. as Don Ottavio on Oct. 8, 1966, but his career of great promise was tragically cut short by his death in a fall at his home. He was acclaimed for the extraordinary beauty of his lyric tenor voice. In addition to his remarkable Mozartian roles, he also was admired for such roles as Alfredo, Lensky, Jenik, Palestrina, and Leukippos. He likewise was noted for his operetta and Heder performances.

Bibliography

W. Pfister, F W.: Biographie (Zürich, 1990).

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire