Schubert: Die schöne Müllerin Rec. at Hotel Esplanade, Berlin, 1957-08-12 - 1957-08-15.

• Fritz Wunderlich, Kurt Heinz Stolze (piano)
  • Schubert - Die schöne Müllerin D 795,1-20

• Simon Trezise in Classic CD, April 1996: "Wunderlich returned to Schubert's song cycle Die Schöne Müllerin just two months before his untimely death on 17 September 1966. That Deutsche Grammophon recording has rarely been out of the catalogue, in spite of its periodic stiffness and lack of tonal variety. Far better to recall his Schubert in an RCA Navigator reissue, which has all the sweetness and subtlety of phrasing one associates with this tenor at his best (it was recorded in 1957). What a relief it is to hear this music sung so gently, with such attention to musical detail, and at its original pitch. There is none of the bluster certain singers regard as obligatory in German song. The recording is excellent. But I do wish RCA would do something about the puerile, fatuous and often downright misleading insert notes in the Navigator series." [on RCA 74321 29241 2]
  ***** [five stars out of five]
• Henrik Engelbrecht in Gramophone's "International Opera Collector", Spring 1998: "Wunderlich is clearly a little afraid of the task. The fresh, youthful voice is in itself a pleasure to listen to, but as an interpretation the 1957 recording has far to go. Wunderlich is cautious, slightly out of tune in several songs, and often breathes in awkward places, breaking a phrase into several smaller phrases - he is not helped either by the heavy and uninspired accompaniment of Kurt Heinz Stolze." [see also "Schöne Müllerin (1966)" page]
• Paul Haskill, 2000: "I agree wholly with Simon Trezise's comment on this recording (see above). Perhaps an international collector of OPERA should reconsider critisizing lieder. The recording is full of wonderful subtleties that I myself am learning to overdo (a little) as my instructor has a background in both lieder and opera. If one only listens to this recording more closely...it's all there!" [comment submitted to this website]
• Peter Vaughan, England, 2002: "I've just listened to the 1957 recording of Die Schöne Müllerin - what a wonderful unforced piece of singing and what a superb truly lyrical tenor voice. What a loss - we're fortunate to have this recorded legacy." [comment submitted to this website]

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

	RCA 74321 29241 2 Classical Navigator (+ "Musensohn", "Ständchen" from Schubert: Lieder)
	RCA 74321 40480 2 (+ "Musensohn", "Ständchen" from Schubert: Lieder)
	Eurodisc GD 69312 (+ "Musensohn", "Ständchen" from Schubert: Lieder)
	Europ. Phonoklub/Opera 3171 and 3172 (2 LP)
	Europ. Phonoklub/Opera 1175
	Baccarola 76 257 ZK
	Eurodisc 70880 XK (2 LP, side 4 is empty)
	Eurodisc 86083 XCK (2 LP)

Excerpts on

	Eurodisc 88 643 XAK (Nos. 1-7, 10-15, 17, 18, 20)
	Eurodisc MC 55 475 (Nos. 1-7, 10-15, 17, 18, 20)

Fritz Wunderlich Discography