Review - Fritz Wunderlich
Leben und Legende (Life and Legend), DVD Documentary
Deutsche Grammophon releases DVD documentary of German Tenor, Fritz Wunderlich. Documentary complete with live opera performance clips, interviews, and home video.
Warmth, power, vitality, grace and sincerity…these are words that come to mind when you hear the great German tenor, Fritz Wunderlich. From his deprived childhood to his gracing of operatic stages in Vienna, Salzburg, Munich, and Stuttgart, we are left with a short, but distinguished record of one whom many consider the greatest Mozart tenor of the 20th century. That his life was cut short at the age of 36, prior to his Metropolitan Opera debut and just entering the prime of his career only adds to his intrigue.
On Fritz Wunderlich, Leben und Legende/Life and Legend, Deutsche Grammophon has attempted to capture the essence of the life of this man’s short, but impressive career. The hour-long documentary includes never before seen home video footage from Wunderlich himself along with interviews with Thomas Hampson, Christa Ludwig, Barbara Prey, Herman Prey, Anneliese Rothenberger, Rolando Villazón, and his wife Eva Wunderlich. The documentary takes you on a journey from his childhood through his fatal accident and death, showing highlights of some of his more memorable performances. Clips from Die Zauberflöte, Eugene Onegin, and Palestrina’s Il maestro di musica show his progression as an artist.
Especially interesting are the video clips from Wunderlich’s own camera. Here we see the humanity of Wunderlich as well as the contrasts in his life, as you see both the artist in the spotlight and the family man, enjoying time away and in the country. Accompanying this documentary is nearly an hour of bonus interviews and video clips. One very telling bonus clip is of Mr. Wunderlich in rehearsal of an Egk opera, Die Verlobung in San Domingo with director Günther Rennert, where we see him work through the artistic process of staging a scene.
Thomas Staehler directs this documentary, with screenplay by he and Thomas Voigt. The DVD is in German with subtitles in German, English, French, and Spanish.
Deutsche Grammophon DVD, B0007476-09
DVD Release Date: November 14, 2006
