Wunderlich's Earliest Recordings (1953), Mostly Pop German S
J Scott Morrison | Middlebury VT, USA | 07/11/2009
(4 out of 5 stars)
"This budget release won't be for everyone. But dedicated fans of the honeyed Wunderlich tenor voice might very well want it. It consists of the very young Fritz Wunderlich, as young as twenty-three, singing thirteen German pop and folk songs, recorded for radio in 1953 through 1956. Filling out the CD are five artsongs (3 duets by Schumann with soprano Friederike Seiter : Tanzlied, Er und sie & Ich denke dein; 1 by Beethoven: Andenken; 1 by Brahms: O liebliche Wangen). All the characteristics we've come to expect in the mature Wunderlich's voice are there, plus a winning freshness.
This is a no-frills production. No notes or texts are provided. The German popular songs are just this side of saccharine and are accompanied by orchestral arrangements that are Montovaniesque. The remastering is expert and consequently the mono sound is remarkably good.
Recommended for its specialized audience.
Scott Morrison"