Finding Fritz Wunderlich

Timmy Dunn has been given this portrait the immortal Fritz Wunderlich (1930-1966), by his friend Molly Russakoff. She found it somewhere in the course of her business as a bookseller and antique dealer. Before I saw this picture, I had never heard of Fritz Wunderlich, but Tim is a dedicated fan.

Fritz was most famous for his operatic singing, and was well on his way to the international fame we now associate with Maria Callas or Luciano Pavarotti, when he died in a falling accident at the age of 35.

Tim tells me that although he appreciates all of the great tenor's work, his special love is for Wunderlich's lieder, which is a German folk singing tradition that flourished during the 19th Century. Here is a sample of Fritz singing Franz Schubert.

The picture is signed Tony Madison '63, which places it at the height of the singer's career. I can't seem to find any information about that artist.

It's good to know about Fritz Wunderlich.