Mozart: Die Zauberflöte K. 620 Producer: Otto Gerdes. Recording Supervision: Wolfgang Lohse. Recording Engineer: Günter Hermanns. Rec. at Jesus-Christus-Kirche, Berlin-Dahlem, 1964-06-18 - 1964-06-25.

• Cast: Fritz Wunderlich (Tamino), Franz Crass (Sarastro), Roberta Peters (Königin der Nacht), Evelyn Lear (Pamina), Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau (Papageno), Lisa Otto (Papagena), Friedrich Lenz (Monostatos), Hans Hotter (Sprecher), James King (1. Geharnischter), Martti Talvela (2. Geharnischter), Hubert Hilten, Martin Vantin, Manfred Röhrl (1.-3. Priester), Hildegard Hillebrecht, Cvetka Ahlin, Sieglinde Wagner (1.-3. Dame), Rosl Schwaiger, Antonia Fahberg, Raili Kostia (1.-3. Knabe), RIAS-Kammerchor (Chorus Master: Günther Arndt), Berliner Philharmoniker, cond. Karl Böhm

• Deutscher Schallplattenpreis
• Edison Prize
• "FonoForum", 12/1965: "There has seldom been such a robust, radiant Tamino voice as Fritz Wunderlich's. The spotlessness of his cantilene, the robustness of his masculine will, the unquestionability of his love - that has to be well-pleasing to Mozart, Sarastro and Pamina."
• William Mann in "Opera on Record": "The lyrical ardour and youthful nobility he brings to the part are compelling."
• Stanley Sadie in "Gramophone", 10/1987: "The main virtue of this new reissue lies in the Tamino, the incomparable Fritz Wunderlich, whose sweet tone, perfect control and lyrical phrasing put him in a class of his own. Anyone who wants a superlative Portrait aria has got to have this set; and the music for Tamino in the Act 1 finale and the union with Pamina is also peerless."
• Christopher Headington in "Gramophone", 8/1990: "Die Zauberflöte has Fischer-Dieskau as the bird-catcher Papageno (a role he would not do on stage, thinking himself too big, but how right he is for it in, say, his first number on track 3) and the golden-toned and much missed Fritz Wunderlich as Tamino. The Queen of Night of Roberta Peters is young-sounding and strained, and the Pamina and Sarastro unexceptional; but once again, this is an attractive CD overall and the DG producer has done well to give a rounded account of this opera in 16 tracks which show us the main characters and story line." [on DG 429 825-2GMM]
• Roland Graeme in "The Metropolitan Opera Guide to Recorded Opera", New York 1993: "This recording preserves Karl Böhm's mature thoughts on the opera: his beautifully proportioned, unsentimental reading, mellower than before, is exceptionally well executed. It's also fascinating to hear the Berlin Philharmonic of the mid-1960s under the direction of a conductor other than Karajan: the ensemble sounds much less tonally rarefied, much more like just another good German orchestra. The choral work is expert.
  On the male side, this case could hardly be bettered. Franz Crass is as good a Sarastro as we have ever had on a complete set; Hans Hotter is luxurious casting as the Speaker; James King and Marti Talvela are altogether extraordinary as the Two Armed Men; and Friedrich Lenz is an uncommonly musical Monostatos. Fritz Wunderlich sings beautifully if a bit impersonally as Tamino; Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, on the other hand, sings beautifully and has personality to burn - his Papageno, a substantial improvement upon his work in the Fricsay set (DG/1955), is one of the very best things this unpredictable but undeniably great artist has ever committed to disc.
  With the exception of Lisa Otto's Papagena, which is every bit as delightful as before (DG/1955/Fricsay), the women are less satisfying. Roberta Peters has a stronger lower register than most Queens of the Night, and as a result is unusually impressive in the slow section of her first aria; she also enunciates the text more clearly than many of her European rivals on records. The actual sound of her voice, however, is not particularly beautiful or exciting. Evelyn Lear makes a warm and sympathetic sound, but her upper register often sounds careful and lacking in tonal body. The spoken dialogue is rather heavily abridged on this recording, which some listeners will count as an advantage. The sound is slightly conservative but holds up well in the CD transfer."
• Nigel Douglas in "Legendary Voices", 1993 (see Bibliography): "To appreciate Wunderlich's quality as an operatic artist one only needs to listen to a few bars - the vividness and immediacy of his vocal and musical personality are handed to the listener like a visiting card with every phrase that he sings. To give but one example - when Tamino learns from the off-stage voices of Sarastro's priests that Pamina is still alive, he expresses his gratitude in eight bars of recitative, opening with the words 'Sie lebt? Sie lebt? Ich danke euch dafür!'. If you listened to nothing but Wunderlich's handling of these eight bars you would know that this is no run-of-the-mill Tamino. The voice is one of exeptional clarity, lyrical but virile, and with higly individual timbre. The articulation is incisive and commanding, the delivery passionate and committed. The intensity of personal involvement in the words 'mit jedem Tone meinen Dank zu schildern' makes this Tamino a flesh and blood creature - a man to arouse one's sympathies, not just a tenor to be admired for his skill; and the final phrase 'wie er hier, hier entsprang', with the second 'hier' on a high A of sovereign ease and authority, establish him not simply as Prince Charming, but as a young hero, somebody who can take on whatever forces of darkness my choose to throw at him."
• "The Rough Guide to Classical Music", 1994, in comparison with Böhm's recording from Vienna: "These are both superb performances. The later Berlin recording is much slower than the Vienna performance, but the tempi are cohesive and they reflect the considered judgement of a man whose affinity with Mozart's music has lasted over a half a century. Beyond this aspect to the performance, Deutsche Grammophon's recording also boasts the one-in-a-million talents of Wunderlich, Hotter and Otto. The Decca version his its individual strengths - the performances by Güden, Lipp and Berry are astonishingly fresh and alive - but it's the overall unity of purpose that distinguishes this account. It may not be as well engineered as the Deutsche Grammophon recording, but this Decca set is conspicuously immerese in the Viennese repertoire traditions." [Vienna recording: Güden/Lipp/Simoneau/Berry/Schöffler/Ludwig/Wiener Philharmoniker/Böhm, Decca 414 362-2]
• "The Penguin Guide to Compact Discs and Cassettes": "One of the glories of Böhm's DG set is the singing of Fritz Wunderlich as Tamino, a wonderful memorial to a singer much missed. Fischer-Dieskau, with characteristic word-pointing, makes a sparkling Papageno on record and Franz Crass is a satisfyingly straightforward Sarastro. The team of women is well below this standard - Lear taxed cruelly in 'Ach ich fuehl's', Peters shrill in the upper register (although the effect is exciting), and the Three Ladies do not blend well - but Böhm's direction is superb, light and lyrical, but weighty where necessary to make a glowing, compelling experience. Fine recording, enhanced in the CD set, which has also found room for Böhm's admirable account of Der Schauspieldirektor, a very considerable bonus to this mid-priced reissue." [on DG 429 877-2]
• "The Rough Guide to Opera", 1997: "Böhm's later Zauberflöte has some distinct advantages over his earlier version - it includes much of the dialogue (but thankfully not all of it) and the stereo is both fresher and better balanced. True, the Berlin Philharmonic doesn't quite match the verve of the Vienna Philharmonic and the cast lacks the sense of unity that was crucial to the earlier set, but there is some stupendous singing here, especially from the men. Wunderlich's Tamino is honeyed, lithe and uniquely beguiling, Franz Crass is the most convincing Sarastro on record, Friedrich Lenz is a characterful Monostatos, and Fischer-Dieskau's Papageno is one of his great successes as an operatic singer. On top of this, Roberta Peters is an electrifyingly powerful Queen of the Night - indeed, Evelyn Lear's workaday Pamina is the only real weakness."
• Michael Scott Rohan, Classic CD, May 1997: "This is a favourite with many, myself included. It isn't perfect though: Evelyn Lear's Pamina, though very appealing, struggles in places, Roberta Peters is a young yet squeaky Queen, Franz Crass lyrical but lightweight as Sarastro. Their lightness, though, emphasises the performance's airy, fleet-footed quality. Fritz Wunderlich is the definitive Tamino, Fischer-Dieskau a Papageno of unexaggerated charm, Hans Hotter a noble Speaker, and the Armed Men are awesome. Böhm's tempi are balanced, clear and unstodgy, aided by lucid orchestral textures and the dialogue is unusually engaging. This 20-bit remastering restores the full grace of a performance which captures the elusive Singspiel magic." [on DG 449 749-2]
  ***** [five stars out of five]
• Henrik Engelbrecht in Gramophone's "International Opera Collector", Spring 1998, on "Dies Bildnis": "Finally, the complete recording from 1964, captured in superb sound by the DG engineers: this performance has never been equalled on record for beauty, elegance and style. Here we have the ideal Tamino, a part that has matured via countless performances across Europe with the world's leading conductors: just listen to the way Wunderlich builds up tp the climax at the end of the aria. A truly great performance, and one that I seriously doubt will ever be surpassed." [in comparison with two other Wunderlich recordings of the aria, see also Zauberflöte (Rother) and "FW in 9 Opernpartien" pages]

If you know this recording, feel free to add your own comment!

	DG 449 749-2 Originals (2 CD)
	DG 419 566-2 (3 CD, + "Der Schauspieldirektor" without FW)
	DG 427 881-2 (3 CD, + "Der Schauspieldirektor" without FW)
	DG 429 877-2GX3 (3 CD, + "Der Schauspieldirektor" without FW)
	DG 435 395-2 (? CD)
	DG 18 981/83 LPM (3 LP, mono)
	DG 138 981/83 SLPM (3 LP)
	DG 27 09 017 (3 LP)
	DG 27 20 058 (3 LP)
	DG 27 20 079 (3 LP)
	DG 27 40 108 (3 LP)
	DG 27 40 207 (3 LP)
	DG 27 40 222 (3 LP)
	DG SKL 181/3 (3 LP)
	DG 3371 002 (3 MC)

Highlights on

	DG 419 424-2
	DG 429 825-2GMM Mozart Masterpieces
	DG 445 464-2GMH
	DG 449 845-2
	DG 469 307-2 (2 CD, + Mozart piano concerts)
	DG 136 440
	DG 2545 026 (on "FW Singt Mozart - Arien und Szenen aus 'Die Entführung aus dem Serail' und 'Die Zauberflöte'", + Zauberflöte (Böhm) excerpts)
	429 825-4GMM Mozart Masterpieces

Excerpts on

	Belart 461 016-2 ("Dies Bildnis" on "Best of Mozart Operas")
	DG 431 110-2 ("Dies Bildnis" on "Große Stimmen: FW")
	DG 435 145-2 ("Dies Bildnis" on "FW - 5 CD Set", 5 CD)
	DG 439 636-2 ("Dies Bildnis" on "Opera Festival", 4 CD)
	DG 447 684-2 ("Dies Bildnis" on "Dies Bildnis... - FW singt Opernarien")
	DG 459 027-2 Centenary Coll. ("Dies Bildnis" on "DG Cent. Coll. 1965")
	DG 459 068-2 Centenary Coll. ("Dies Bildnis" on "DG Cent. Coll. Vol. 4: 1958-1967", + 9 CDs without FW, 10 CDs)
	First Class 435 832-2 ("Dies Bildnis" on "Ein Abend mit Fritz Wunderlich", 2 CD)
	DG 472 113-2 (5 excertps on "Fritz Wunderlich Edition", 5 CD)
	DG 135 004 ("Dies Bildnis" on "Große Mozartsänger")
	DG 136 525 ("Dies Bildnis" on "Zauberreich der Oper - Mozart")
	DG 2537 003 (?)
	DG 270 070-9 ("Dies Bildnis" on "Fritz Wunderlich singt", ? LP)
	DG 2720 095 ("Dies Bildnis" on "Karl Böhm: Mozart - Ouverturen, Arien, Szenen", 2 LP)
	DG 2721 081 (?)
	DG 643 001 ("Wie stark ist nicht dein Zauberton", + "Entführung" (Jochum) and La Traviata (H) excerpts, on "Konzert für Millionen 2 - Weltstars mit Szenen aus berühmten Opern")
	DG 415 613-4GW Walkman Classics ("Dies Bildnis" + other Mozart opera tracks without FW)
	DG 102 211 ("Dies Bildnis" + other tracks without FW on "Hörprobe", Single)
	DG 121 687 ("Hm! Hm! Hm! ... Der Arme kann von Strafe sagen", Single)
	Polydor 885 332-7 ("Dies Bildnis" + Wunderlich: "Ein Städtchen..." on"FW Mein Kusel in der Pfalz")

Fritz Wunderlich Discography