Erich Kunz (1909 –
1995) was born in Vienna and had his
training there at the Academy of Music.
He made his debut in 1933 and spent
the next eight years at small opera
houses in Germany and Austria. In 1941
he signed with the Vienna State Opera,
where he remained for the rest of his
long career. He soon became a favourite
with the audiences in Vienna, not only
as an opera singer, but as an operetta
hero and as a singer of popular Viennese
songs. He limited his opera appearances
to the roles that suited him best, mainly
the comic Mozart roles, which also constitute
a major part of this disc. We also get
a substantial chunk from Wagner’s Die
Meistersinger von Nürnberg,
where he sings Beckmesser to Paul Schöffler’s
Hans Sachs. Beckmesser was a part he
also sang at the Bayreuth Festival.
As Clemens Höslinger says in his
informative booklet note: "Erich
Kunz did not have a grand, brilliant
voice. The natural qualities of his
voice were quite good, but not extraordinary."
This is true, but as soon as he starts
singing you forget all this, for the
sheer charm, the warmth, the ability
to give a face to his singing, the elegance,
the twinkle in his eye and the total
naturalness. He is a kind of opera’s
answer to Bing Crosby. I could stop
here and just say: Go out and buy! Whatever
recordings you already have of this
arias, sung but however great and world-famous
artists, you will never hear them more
beguilingly sung!
Still I feel that I
have to add a few comments. His Mozart
singing is beyond reproach, of course,
since he had already sung these parts
numerous times when these recordings
were made and continued to do so for
many years to come. He recorded Figaro
and Papageno with Karajan and he recorded
Guglielmo (Così fan tutte)
with Karl Böhm for Decca, a recording
I have treasured for decades. His Figaro
is infatuated, joyful, angry and vengeful
in turns. His Papageno is jolly, carefree,
longing, sad. You could feel that his
Leporello is too genial, but I think
that the elegance that should be found
in a Mozart character has been underplayed
by many latter-day singing actors in
favour of a more dramatic approach.
And Kunz is just as expressive with
words. Few singers have articulated
better. It is fascinating to hear his
Beckmesser, from a 1944 broadcast, but
I think he can be heard to better advantage
in a live recording from Bayreuth 1952.
The operetta excerpts
have the same qualities: the charm,
the liveliness, the caressing of phrases,
the small rhythmic inflexions. The three
songs from A Night in Venice
could hardly be bettered and when he
changes over to his inimitable Viennese
dialect for the remaining operetta songs
and for the four songs with the Schrammel-Quartet
we are in musical Heaven! It goes without
saying that his flexibility also includes
such basic abilities as rubato, small
tempo changes within the phrase. And
here we have that natural musicality
again. Never for a moment do we get
the impression that he makes a ritardando
for its own sake. He has no need to
show off. All such inflexions come from
within, from a musical need. Sentimental
they may be, some of these Viennese
songs, but never over-saccharine thanks
to Kunz’s tongue-in-cheek delivery.
The sound quality is acceptable, the
Vienna orchestras are conducted by great
names, the Schrammel musicians have
played this music all their lives. What
else is there to complain about?
Treat yourself to this,
the most charming of singers, in the
repertoire he took to his heart. You
will take Erich Kunz to your heart,
too!
Göran Forsling
see also review
by Jonathan Woolf
Erich Kunz (baritone), Irmgard Seefried (soprano),
Blanche Thebom (mezzo), Elisabeth Rutgers (soprano),
Paul Schöffler (bass baritone), Wiener
Philharmoniker/Herbert von Karajan, Rudolf Moralt,
Otto Ackermann, Karl Böhm; Orchestra of
the Glyndebourne Festival/Fritz Busch; Orchester
der Wiener Volksoper/Anton Paulik; Faltl-Kemmeter-Schrammeln
