Fritz Uhl

Fritz Uhl (1928-2001) was an Austrian operatic tenor, particularly associated with Wagner roles.

Born in Matzleinsdorf, near Vienna, he studied in Vienna with Elisabeth Radó, and while still a student toured Holland with an operetta troup. He made his operatic debut in Vienna, as Gounod's Faust in 1952, and then sang in Graz (1952-53), in Luzern (1953-54), in Oberhausen (1954-56), in Wuppertal (1956-58). In 1957, he began making guest appearances at the Munich State Opera, the Vienna State Opera, also appearing at the Salzburg Festival and the Bayreuth Festival.

He began his career by singing lyric roles and lighter Wagner roles such as Erik in Der fliegende Holländer, Loge in Rheingold, First Knight in Parsifal, and gradually moved into heldentenor roles such as Tristan, Siegmund, Stolzing, Florestan, Herod, etc.

He sang widely in Europe, appearing at the Paris Opéra, La Monnaie in Brussels, the Liceo in Barcelona, the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, the Royal Opera House in London, etc. He was also invited at the San Francisco Opera and the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires.

He took part in the creation of Jan Cikker's Das Spiel von Liebe und Tod in 1969, and in Heinrich Sutermeister's Le roi Béranger in 1985, both in Munich.

A fortright singer with a fine voice, he is best known for his recording of Tristan und Isolde, opposite Birgit Nilsson, under Georg Solti.