The Divine Art of Fritz Wunderlich (with Spectacular Hermann Prey)

[@gerdawendl3842]

Ja, die beiden sind eine Sensation, so wie auf der Bühne, wie auch im Leben, die engsten Freunde! Wie wnderbar!

[@joaoreis2671]

Ich bedaure den Verlust der Stimme und der Freundlichen Figur! Irreparabler Verlust!

[@joaoreis2671]

Wunderlich Immer!

[@elvimm5081]

Wunderlich hat eine wunderschöne lyrische Stimme, die ins Herz geht.❤❤❤

[@RM-tc9pu]

What wonderful singers and what a loss that Wunderlich died so young.

[@englishrose3551]

It does feel like a true gift being able to watch this

[@LohengrinO]

Divine artist he was ... thats why left so soon

[@greatmomentsofopera7170]

Dazzling. Both are divinely talented and brilliantly cultivated. I can’t even *imagine* seeing singing of this quality at the Royal Opera house or Met anymore.

[@LohengrinO]

monumental singing... the timing my God... the bel canto support of melody in all different parts... you get this kind of singing only by the Germans and Callas

[@greatmomentsofopera7170]

Lohengrin O agreed. And only in that era!

[@angr3819]

There were some singers who used to comment asking for advice on the original channel This is Opera (there is a newer channel by that name which tries to save some of the videos). Some of today's voices are aware that narcissistic, progressive teachers insist they use incorrect methods. For instance, to not use the chest or stomach. It is the teachers and believe it or not some producers and I read even one conductor who bully them into doing what they instinctivel feel is wrong for them.

[@daphnewilson7966]

Or San Francisco. I admit I haven't been for a long time: grew up with Adler full Tues. nite series, but last couple of times seemed like Opera "Lite." Wunderlich was a phenomenon I never saw, thank god for the technology toehold we have on him.

[@이종선-f9b]

F.W.사고로젊은나이에세상을떠난것애석한일이다 보기드문 리릭스핀토테너였는데!

[@evemaniac]

Zwei meiner ewigen Favoriten und selbst in deutsch eine Sensation

[@saxongirl2054]

How I wish there was a video of Mr Wunderlich and Mr Prey as Tamino and Papageno 😢

[@jasonhurd4379]

An absolute delight! To see these two, who were best friends in real life, playing off one another so well is a true pleasure. Also, while normally I prefer Italian in Barbiere, the opportunity to sing in their native tongue has given Prey and Wunderlich an extra dimension of freedom and expression, and that is all to the good. It is wonderful to hear Almaviva's roulades sung without the intrusive aspirating of tenors like Alva and Araiza. Alva's 'aitches' are so strong, it often sounds as if the timbre will split altogether! Wunderlich aspirates, as well (though very slightly), but it is done so lightly, on such a strong foundation of breath support and legato, that I find it unobjectionable. It is a pity that Keilberth fails, time after time, to accompany the men in a dynamically sensitive or even completely rhythmic fashion. Köth is lovely in her tiny contribution. Thank you Lohengrin!

[@LohengrinO]

...the timing, the musicianship, the voices, the acting... pure Perfection here... as for the German language... if there is italian warmth and melody in the singing line I dont listen at all at the language... plus I prefer German from Italian sung with accent (Price, Bumbry, Verret etc)... but as always, German language makes singing x3 more difficult (extremely funny comment about this by my beloved Marina here (go to the moment of my comment): kzbin.info/www/bejne/mpvbi6qsgNOLn7M

[@jasonhurd4379]

@@LohengrinO Very cute video clip of Marina! It is ironic that I don't mind Rossini in German, when sung as beautifully as here, and I loved Elena Nicolai's Entweihte Götter in Italian! I also love Wagner in French, as sung by Germaine Lubin and Marcel Journet.

[@LohengrinO]

@@jasonhurd4379 ...when the singing involves the ENTIRE full rules of Bel Canto (even in Wagner) the language does not play the slightest role... this here is singing of the highest level in FULL BEL CANTO technique

[@jasonhurd4379]

@@LohengrinO You are preaching to the choir when you say this to me, my friend. Even in Wozzeck and Lulu, the bel canto school should prevail. And as we both know, Wagner was a great admirer of Bellini, and was constantly imploring the singers of his own operas to stay with the bel canto approach.

[@erikaskolovin-erven8136]

Die Oper wurde 1959 am 1. Weihnachtstag aufgeführt. Erika Köth, Fritz Wunderlich, Hermann Prey und Hans Hotter waren großartig.💕👍✍🥀🍀🎶🎵🎼

[@lomymu123]

eternally divine! how easy the German works in an originally Italian opera if it is sung like this. Each word is clearly pronounced and what a beautiful sound of both singers!!

[@essevikt]

Граф Альмавива, безусловно, превосходен. Но каков же Фигаро! Что за потрясающий талант этот Герман Прай!

[@zinam5795]

Да ещё и молодой....

[@leemartinez3851]

I love light voices like theirs, some time I get tired of so many singers trying to push darker their instrument when it is not necessary!

[@leemartinez3851]

Did you see the last Adriana Lecouvreur' Anna N? Compare it with Callas'. The great Callas keeps the most of the aria as light as possible to make music and show emotions and Netrebko well, I simply cannot understand it.

[@dramaturge231]

@@leemartinez3851 I don't understand why everyone keeps applauding Trebs' Adriana. I saw it live, and she was FLAT for A LOT of "Io son l'umile ancella!!! And her middle voice sounded so garbled!!! Her high notes are exquisite, but you can't just rest on your high notes!!!

[@dramaturge231]

@@leemartinez3851 Callas and Prey had dark, large voices, but their PRODUCTION was bright!!! :)

[@Praetoriusify]

@@dramaturge231 Coming here five years later to second your comment! Prey has a very dark, velvety sound, but he knows how to be bright nonetheless.

[@pammyjones1151]

What an artist Wunderlich was!!........ doubly tragic is the fact that singers of this calibre are long gone 😥 thank you 😘

[@jasonhurd4379]

Indeed! Had Wunderlich lived, what he could have achieved is boundless. In addition to Meistersinger, he would have been a matchless Lohengrin, and his 1965 Traviata with Stratas and Prey gives a taste of how far he could have gone in Verdi, perhaps even as far as Radames, if not Otello. His early death was a tragic loss for the vocal art, comparable to those of Maria Cebotari and Kathleen Ferrier.

[@greatmomentsofopera7170]

Jason Hurd he is the apogy of the lyric tenor - he would have ruined himself on those heavy roles, as so many singers did in that era. Think of prime Fleming - the voice sounds so unbelievably full and thrilling, but that’s because it’s a perfectly produced voice. It doesn’t mean she should have been singing dramatic roles even though the timbre sounds fuller than most dramatic sopranos. Superb quality singers always have very full timbres that makes their voice sound plusher and richer than other voices in their vocal category, but there are certain things required of dramatic roles that cannot be achieved by lyric voices. Wunderlich - most beautiful tenor sound of the 20th Century.

[@jasonhurd4379]

@@greatmomentsofopera7170 Well, you may be right. I still maintain that, with a sensitive conductor and in festival conditions (sufficient rehearsal time, congenial cast, long breaks between performances), Wunderlich would have been a marvelous Lohengrin. The role has neither the cutting edge nor the heavy burden of the other Wagner roles, except perhaps in In fernem land. It's just nice to fantasise about, I guess.

[@greatmomentsofopera7170]

Jason Hurd I would have loved it on record of course.

[@jasonhurd4379]

@@greatmomentsofopera7170 With Karajan he could have done it, but that would have been a dangerous road for him to take. HvK would have had him doing Siegfried and Tristan in short order, and those liquid tones quickly would have dried up. Ricciarelli's ill-advised Turandot still sounds a warning to all singers.

[@7thWardCreole]

I’m Godsmacked that this was recorded and that we can see and hear it!

[@daphnewilson7966]

Beyond words!

[@deadwalke9588]

That baritone high G was IMMACULATE!

[@acitipo]

Wunderlich, entre los 5 tenores más importantes de la historia de la lírica . Prey , un barítono fuera de serie, Poliglota de larga carrera, que ha cantado en los 5 continentes con enorme éxito.

[@m.h.7820]

Ich habe beide Sänger noch auf der Bühne erleben dürfen.Ein tolles Erlebnis! Für mich ist F. Wunderlich auch heute noch unerreicht, ich bekomme immer noch Gänsehaut, wenn ich ihn höre..

[@manolis.799]

Fritz had a voice as sweet as honey

[@LohengrinO]

...and divine musicianship

[@manolis.799]

Lohengrin O yes ofc...

[@jasonhurd4379]

@@manolis.799 He would have been a Walther von Stolzing for the ages had he lived, on a level with Sandor Konya, but even better.

[@pammyjones1151]

@@jasonhurd4379 love Konya too.... quite delicious!! 😆

[@jasonhurd4379]

@@pammyjones1151 You have excellent taste, my friend! 😊

[@saxongirl2054]

I'm American and I LOVE the German language. However bc this production was recorded, I do wish it was in italian, for the only reason being that, Fritz and Hermann managed to be even more magical singing in italian. They are my favorite tenor and baritone of all time.

[@dramaturge231]

I love how their stations in life are completely evident by their postures and movements!

[@cathyb1273]

The very first time I listened F Wunderlich it was on the song Granada here on YT and I rembember being physically nailed on my sofa by the power of his voice. I was : WHAAAAATTTT ?????? Who is this guy???? Where does this voice is coming from ? ??? That day I listened Granada over and over. It is, for me, THE BEST version I have ever heard so far. I did some researches to sadly find that this incredible voice was gone many years ago. At least we can find a lot of his interprétations on YT. Thanks

[@LohengrinO]

he was phenomenal but he died aged 35 in an accident

[@cathyb1273]

Lohengrin O Yep! And such a stupid accident 😡

[@LohengrinO]

@@cathyb1273 ...behind accidents of such shiny people always hides tremendous malice and envy of one or more people in their immediate circle

[@cathyb1273]

Lohengrin O 😨

[@ThomasDawkins88]

When I was in college, the library began to divest itself of the LPs. I took as many as I could carry, which was far too many I confess, but one afternoon I took records of recitals by Richard Tauber and Fritz Wunderlich. I already knew Wunderlich a little from his Tamino, but the first cut on Side A was "Granada." Hearing it in German was a bit of a shock, but the power in that voice, and what a top C!

[@JoaoVitor-vp1ql]

Darum hurtig zugegriffen! bravo! bravo! bravo! Er führt uns zum Ziel, ja, ja! Dies ist der erste von den Kniffen, Bravo, bravo, er führt uns zum Ziel! Ja, er führet uns zum Ziel! Ja, er führet, ja, er führet uns zum

[@gerdawendl3842]

Ganz großartig! Das sind Stimmen, die gibt es wohl nicht mehr, einfach einmalig!

[@callastoujours]

Dear Lohengrin, being subscribed to your channel is priceless!!! Thank you for this gift! :)

[@LohengrinO]

...this particular excerpt is monumental

[@callastoujours]

It really is!!!

[@julescaesar1514]

Absolutely fantastic performance. What a talents!

[@daphnewilson7966]

Unbelievable this exists! Danke, danke!

[@saxongirl2054]

Omg this is the cutest thing I've ever seen. German angels 😍😭

[@jaroslavsojka8266]

Ils sont parfaits tous les deux.

[@romearomeo]

Un'assoluta delicatezza! Voci fantastiche! Interpreti eccezionali!

[@deadwalke9588]

Has to be Il Barbiere di Siviglia. The lyric baritone Hermann Prey (amazing in his own right, especially in Lied) playing off of the lyric coloratura of Wunderlich is amazing

[@nathaliebonargent8048]

merci !!!! on oublie totalement la langue chantée tellement l'expressivité et l'intonation sont justes !!! Prey est un Figaro extraordinaire, retors et malin à souhait et Wunderlich est un Comte .... délicieux ! Certes, nous sommes loin des dernières interprétations modernes de Rossini, mais celle-ci a un charme suranné et terriblement efficace !

[@cristianionita8359]

I have become absolutely obsessed with the "che invenzione" part... It sounds just like pure gregariousness and friendship in tonal form. Prior to this recording, only the "Di Stefano/Mascherini" (and perhaps "Alva/Prey" too, but the two were a tad unidiomatic for my taste there) duo did it for me, although the audio quality was horrid. Love this fresh addition to my list of "invenzioni"!

[@Cbcybry]

Wonderful- Thank you!

[@Tararu3500]

Magnificent! The truly divine Wunderlich with his good friend Prey. Thank you for the brilliant upload.

[@truesurrealist]

Prey was an earthy divine! 😅😊

[@tenorschofield]

WUNDER!!!! BRAVISSIME!!!

[@fernandoarozenaabad1440]

A very sad loss; Fritz could have been the greatest tenor of his generation.

[@erikaskolovin-erven8136]

Fritz Wunderlich war der größte Tenor. Er brauchte es nicht zu werden.

[@BerndBouillonRacing]

Mit Kammersänger Prey durfte ich auf der Burg Hohenzollern ca. 1980 einmal singen. In der Burgschänke🍻. Eigene Geschichte😊.

[@valdavoce5667]

This is so ebullient and filled with fun and friendship! Thank you for a glimpse into another age of Opera performance during this horrid Covid crisis affecting our industry.

[@rosy3385]

Superbe duo !

[@celesteaida48]

Fritz the wonder ….

[@rodolfomontero1726]

Vielen Dank

[@saxongirl2054]

It's a crime that they didn't record Friz Wunderlich and Hermann Prey in Die Zauberflöte :'(

[@ingriddoppler]

Ein Genuss 😊👏👏👏. Vielen Dank !

[@johnthetenor]

Oh heck yeah

[@ThomasDawkins88]

Hermann Prey is my favorite Figaro, with Luigi Alva as Almaviva. But this is a very, very close second, and I wish Wunderlich had been able to do it in Italian. I do prefer a mezzo Rosina, and Teresa Berganza in Abbado's recording is about as good as it gets!

[@LohengrinO]

their Timing here in the duet is Spectacular... Bel Canto in full exhibition

[@acitipo]

Completamente de acuerdo contigo, equipo de Antología: Alva, Prey, Berganza,

[@beachfanatic2010]

He is proof that even if you had a lyric tenor you could still have a big resonant voice. Today we have Juan Diego Florez, who sings like he was a mosquito.

[@dramaturge231]

Florez is a fantastic singer and a Rossinian tenor, a tenor leggiero.. They shouldn't be compared. I haven't heard any men sing runs like Florez, and I've heard Florez live. :)

[@beachfanatic2010]

Oh for real? Back in the day even Rossini tenors had big voices with well developed chest voice

[@beachfanatic2010]

@Rodrigo Galvão You know why he liked it sung in falsetto? Cause they voices were extremely well developed and had some chest in them so they couldn’t access their high notes that high in full chest. That’s why! You see. They did not have those ANEMIC, colorless, without chiaroscuro, disgusting white voices the tenors have today. So of course they had to sing them notes in falsetto.

[@Monitschka]

💖

[@dramaturge231]

Prey's G4, though!!!

[@jjakiefte2165]

Fritz here playbacks the guitar, but he was a very good trumpeter in his own right.

[@BangkokVoiceCoach]

This would help explain his incredible breath and support.

[@Stimmbandl]

Herausragend! Aber was ist ein Rabulist??

[@essevikt]

Erbsenzähler, Haarspalter, Korinthenkacker, Prinzipienreiter, Rechtsverdreher, Silbenklauber, Wortverdreher.

[@evakiseleva8570]

Don't ban me, but for me Prey is much more interesting as an actor even if I appreciate Wunderlich's voice and know his tragic story. But Prey is the best!!!

[@lindacowles756]

G'day, Lohengrin O! Which opera is this?

[@angr3819]

Thank you. The male singers of yesterday were often very handsome indeed. Really dishy. Many lady singers were also as beautiful as their voices. That they ate healthy and kept fit was evident. Today's singers of modern 'music` look as unhealthy as the noise they create sounds, and often their bone and muscle structure appears somewhat misshapen. In fact not only singers but people of today generally, both male and female (I don't mean todays transsexual celebs who have had all sorts of hormone treatment, bone surgeries plus make up and even then instant CGI is now being used to try and hide the differences in skeletal structures they can't alter, such as wider shoulders and more narrow hips in men. I mean actual men and women). Fast food and natural foods that have had many chemicals sprayed or Injected, methods of preserving, lack of the right exercise maybe no real exercise at all, drugs and booze. All now in the epigenes and will never be got our of their descendants. Sad decline from the magnificence we used to be at our best.

[@LohengrinO]

Well Caballe always looked as unhealthy as possible... truly hard to look at someone so pathologically obese

[@truesurrealist]

Both?! 😳

[@elsaasta5164]

Ho voluto ascoltare due volte questi spezzoni caro Lohengrin0.. ma ti confesso come ad un amico.. beh non ci ho capito nulla.. non ho capito bene nemmeno in che lingua cantino.. a volte mi sembra in tedesco e poi in lingua russa.. tutto mi è confuso tranne una certezza c'è sono due grandissimi artisti e dei bei attori e perché il duetto tra Soprano e tenore finisce bruscamente con uno sparo?? Perché uno dei protagonista porta in mano un pennello da barba?? A che fare con Rossini?? Sono tanti gli interrogativi che mi pongo.. ma non so rispondere a nulla!! Ciao, ciao grande Lohengrin0... Elsa.

[@LohengrinO]

Il Barbiere di Siviglia sung in German :D

[@ernieschwarcz9077]

Not just Fritz - Hermann as well.

[@ernieschwarcz9077]

By the way, they were real life close friends.

[@LohengrinO]

one can clearly see that...

[@selini52]

Wäre auf italienisch absolut perfekt, gerade Rossinis Opern!