biography

1930
Born September 26 in Kusel in the Pfalz,  second child of Paul Edmund and Anna Wunderlich. A few years after death of his father (1935) Fritz assisted his mother earning money  for the family’s daily needs by playing at local dance events, called „Tanzmusiken“ (Accordeon, Horn).

1947/48
First stage appearance with the theater group of the „Kulturring“ in Kusel: Christmass Fairy tales, Operetta, Concerts, and Humperdincks Hänsel und Gretel (Peter)

1950 – 55
Musikhochschule Freiburg. His teachers: Margarete von Winterfeldt, horn: Lothar Keonards, piano: Friedrich Finke. Fritz finances his studies by playing in a dance music band.

1952/53
First engagements: Bach Weihnachtsoratorium in Esslingen, Lied-recitals and concerts in Pfalz

1953/54
First radio recordings: Songs from Operettas at SWF Kaiserslautern (conductor: Emmerich Smola)

1954
Debut as Tamino in the Freiburg Hochschule, in a performance of the Magic Flute

1955
Engagement as lyric tenor to the Württembergische Staatstheater in Stuttgart through Walter Erich Schäfer. Debut at Sommerliche Musiktage in Hitzacker in Monteverdis Orfeo conducted by August Wenziger; following recording of the performance by Archiv Produktion of Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft. September 30th stage debut in Stuttgart: Eisslinger in Wagner Meistersinger

1956
Deputises for Josef Traxel as Tamino in the Magic Flute. First Performance of Orff Antigone (directed by Wieland Wagner, conductor: Ferdinand Leitner). At the rehearsals for Antigone he meets harpist Eva Jungnitsch, whom he marries a few months later. Exclusive contract with the Europäischer Phono-Club Stuttgart: Opera-Highlights and Lied-recordings, as well recordings of Bach Cantatas under the pseudonym Werner S. Braun

1957
Birth of his first child (Constanze). Staged performance of Handel’s Jephta (directed by Günther Rennert). Stuttgart-guest-performance at XX. Biennale in Venice with Egk’s opera Der Revisor, debut as Fernando in Cosi fan tutte. Stage debut at Bayerische Staatsoper München (Belmonte in Die Entführung aus dem Serail)

1958
First international festival summer: Debuts in Aix-en Provence (Die Zauberflöte) and in Edinburgh (Die Entführung aus dem Serail and Der Wildschütz;  Stuttgart guest performance). In Stuttgart, among other performances, Rossini‘s Barbier in a new production directed by Günther Rennert. Record contract with EMI Electrola.

1959
WDR Cologne: Handel‘s Alcina with Joan Sutherland. Birth of second child (Wolfgang). International breakthrough: Debut at Salzburg Festival as Henry in Die schweigsame Frau by Richard Strauss (directed by Günther Rennert, conductor: Karl Böhm, title role: Hilde Güden). Debut at Vienna State Opera (Die Zauberflöte under Böhm). First German performance of Janacek‘s The Adventures of Mr. Broucek in Munich, first performance of Orff’s Oedipus der Tyrann in Stuttgart. TV broadcast of Rossini‘s Barbier from Munich Cuvilliés Theatre (Prey, Köth, Hotter, Proebstl; Keilberth)

1960
Changes from Stuttgart to Munich. Mozart-Requiem under Herbert von Karajan in Berlin. Don Giovanni in Cologne (Prey, Grümmer; Sawallisch). Vienna Festival Weeks: Beethoven Nine under Otto Klemperer, Mahler Eight under Keilberth. Salzburg Festival: Magic Flute under Keilberth. Stuttgart: Verdi-Requiem under Hans Müller-Kray. Debut as Alfred in Die Fledermaus.

1961
Munich: New production of Donizetti’s Don Pasquale with Kurt Böhme. Stuttgart: Günther Rennert stages Rossini‘s Der Türke in Italien. Hamburg: Matthäus-Passion under Keilberth. London: Mahler‘s Lied von der Erde with Christa Ludwig under Klemperer. Salzburg: Entführung aus dem Serail. Munich Festival: Don Giovanni with George London. Stage debut at Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires: Die Schweigsame Frau with Ingeborg Hallstein and Die Entführung aus dem Serail with Anneliese Rothenberger. München: New production of Tschaikovsky‘s Eugen Onegin (Prey, Bremert, Fassbaender, Yahia, Keilberth)

1962
First Lied-Recital in Vienna. Matthäus-Passion unter Böhm at Vienna Musikvereinssaal, Hamburg: Don Giovanni (London, Grümmer; Schmidt-Isserstedt). Munich: New production of Die schweigsame Frau with Ingeborg Hallstein. Complete recording of Handel‘s Xerxes for Bayerischer Rundfunk. TV-broadcast of Eugen Onegin

1963
Extensive guest-contract with Vienna State Opera. TV-production of Pergolesi‘s Der Musikmeister in Schönbrunn Castle theatre. Munich: First Lied-Recital, Bach Matthäus-Passion under Karl Richter, intensive work on Lied- interpretation with Hubert Giesen. Paris: Stuttgart-guest-performance with Orff Oedipus der Tyrann. Lied-recital at Theater an der Wien with Heinrich Schmidt. Guest appearance at Robert Lembke in Was bin ich?. New production of Don Giovanni in Vienna (Wächter, Price, Güden, Berry, Sciutti, Panerai; Karajan). Cancellation of several engagements (among others Salzburg Festival) due to a sinus-operation. TV-production of Egk‘s Columbus (BR). New production of La Traviata in Stuttgart (title role: Ruth-Margret Pütz). Grand reopening of Munic National theatre: Wunderlich sings at the first performance of Egk’s Die Verlobung in San Domingo

1964
Exklusive contract with Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft. Recording of Die Schöne Müllerin for SDR. Vienna: Matthäus-Passion under Richter, Capriccio-Duetts with Lucia Popp, Rosenkavalier-performances with Elisabeth Schwarzkopf and Sena Jurinac, Frau ohne Schatten-Premiere under Karajan (Rysanek, Thomas, Ludwig, Berry, Hoffmann), Daphne-Premiere under Böhm (Güden, King, Schöffler), birth of third child (Barbara) . Five concerts with Mahler‘s Lied von der Erde (Fischer-Dieskau, Keilberth). Lied-recital-Tournee with Hubert Giesen. Berlin: Complete recording of the Magic flute under Böhm. Devastating reaction of the audience and critics against the new production of the Magic Flute in Munich (Regie: Harry Buckwitz). Debut as Palestrina in Vienna (directed by Hans Hotter, conductor: Robert Heger). TV-production of Daphne (Woytowicz, King, Frick, Keilberth)

1965
München: Producion of the records Welterfolge großer Tenöre and Du bist die Welt für mich (Polydor). New production of La Traviata with Teresa Stratas and Hermann Prey. London: Don Giovanni (Wächter, Lorengar; Kempe). Salzburg: Giorgio Strehlers new production of the Entführung (Rothenberger, Grist, Unger, Corena; Metha). Liederabend mit Hubert Giesen, Haydns Schöpfung under Karajan. Vienna: In Wieland Wagners new production of Salome with Anja Silja, Wunderlich sings the Narraboth. Munich: Complete recordings of Entführung (Köth, Böhme; Jochum) and Weihnachtsoratorium (Janowitz, Ludwig, Crass; Richter)

1966
Berlin: Recordings with Karajan (Missa solemnis and parts of Haydn‘s Creation). The Magic Flute at the German Opera (Deutsche Oper), Lied-recital. Vienna: New production of Rossini‘s Barbier under Böhm, recordings of Vienna Songs conducted by Robert Stolz. Munich: New production of the Magic Flute at Cuvilliés theatre (Rothenberger, Prey, Crass; Dohnanyi). Salzburg: Resumption of the Entführung from 1965. Edinburgh Festival: The Magic Flute

9-4-1966
Last Recital (Usher Hall, Edinburgh)

9-17-1966
Fritz Wunderlich dies of injuries sustained after a fall.