Emmerich Smola studied music in Prague and started his musical career as a double bass player. In 1948, he became director of the SWF radio orchestra Kaiserslautern (then "SWF Unterhaltungsorchester Kaiserlautern", later "Großes Unterhaltungsorchester des SWF", today "SWR Rundfunkorchester Kaiserslautern"), a position he kept until 1987. The orchestra was initially founded for performances of "light" music, but Smola developped a very characteristic artistic profile by broadening its repertoire by symphonic and operatic works, with a special focus on early music and early classical music. He was a particularly good hand at supporting young singers: the names of Fritz Wunderlich, Erika Köth and Lucia Popp speak for themselves.

Recordings with Fritz Wunderlich:

Collections:

Acanta

• Eine Stimme, eine Legende
• Sonntagskonzert 7

Classic Options

• Best Recordings Vol. 1: Opera

DG

• Dies Bildnis... - FW singt Opernarien

Faszination Musik

• FW Faszination Musik

Sonia

• Die unvergessene Stimme

Verona

• Recital - Opera Arias & Songs

Unreleased Excerpts:

• Opera Excerpts
• Operetta Excerpts
• Other Tracks