JONAS KAUFMANN: "L'Opéra"

Original released on CD Classical 88985390832

(EU 2017, September 15)

You might not have looked to Germany as the source of the next big opera star, but there you have it: tenor Jonas Kaufmann has reached the point where he can sing almost anything and coax beauty and even sensuousness out of it. Can big crossover albums be far off? He doesn't have quite the charisma of a Domingo, but the voice is at its breathtaking peak and seems to be well enough cared for that it could stay there a while. As the title implies, this album is devoted to French operatic repertory. Kaufmann has a good deal of experience in this field, and he sets the album up as a group of pieces that have had personal significance to him because they played a part in the development of this aspect of his career. The particulars are spelled out in an interview-style booklet note. As such, the program touches on some less-than-standard items; this may appeal to opera devotees, but the general listener might want to hear a familiar tune from time to time. There is no denying the sheer beauty of the voice, though, most of all in the quiet high notes that have become Kaufmann's specialty. You could start sampling with the opening "L'amour... Ah! Lève-toi, soleil," from Gounod's "Romeo et Juliette", with the Bayerisches Staatsoper under Bertrand de Billy setting Kaufmann up perfectly (as they do throughout) with its delicate instrumental introduction and Kaufmann caressing his entrance in a way that nobody else can quite do these days. Other pleasures involve the two guest singers, baritone Ludovic Tézier in an excerpt from Bizet's "Les pêcheurs de Perles" and soprano Sonya Yoncheva in Massenet's "Manon". This is choice Kaufmann. (James Manheim in AllMusic)

JONAS KAUFMANN: "An Italian Night"

Original released on CD Sony 19075879332

(EU 2018, September 14)

Earlier 2018 summer, Jonas Kaufmann, The world's greatest tenor (The Telegraph), performed his most popular Italian repertoire live at Waldbühne, Berlin's outdoor amphitheater. The smash-success live concert was recorded for Kaufmann's new album, "An Italian Evening". Kaufmann brought-the-house-down with a succession of hits from his extremely popular "Dolce Vita" album as well as exciting arias and duets (with mezzo-soprano Anita Rachvelishvili) from the Italian opera repertoire including "Volare", "Non Ti Scordar di Me" and "Nessun Dorma". Munich-born singer, Jonas Kaufmann, is without a doubt at the absolute top echelon of the operatic world. He is in extreme demand with the world's most influential conductors, selling out opera houses and concert venues months in advance wherever he performs. In 2011, he received the Opera News Award in New York and was made a Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in France. He has been awarded Singer of the Year by many prestigious journals including ECHO Klassic and Musical America. Kaufmann is also an internationally sought-after concert and lieder singer. In October of 2011 he performed the first solo recital to be given at the Metropolitan Opera since Luciano Pavarotti in 1994. (in Amazon)

La Dolce Vita di JONAS KAUFMANN

Original released on CD Sony Classical 5063008

(EU 2016, October 7)

Jonas Kaufmann (born 10 July 1969) is a German operatic tenor. He is best known for his performances in spinto roles such as Don José in "Carmen", Cavaradossi in "Tosca", Maurizio in A"driana Lecouvreur", and the title role in " Don Carlos". He has also sung leading tenor roles in the operas of Richard Wagner in Germany and abroad, most notably at the Metropolitan Opera in New York. He is also an accomplished Lieder singer. In 2014 The New York Times described Kaufmann as "a box-office draw, and... the most important, versatile tenor of his generation. (see Wikipedia)

Some spectacular efforts in standard operatic roles have brought tenor Jonas Kaufmann to the point of emerging as the current generation's Pavarotti or Domingo, and the release of an album of popular Italian songs fits into the marketing plan. Said plan comes complete with brutally stereotyped verbiage in the graphics ("even in the darkest moment, the Italian finds a way to put a little bit of powdered sugar on top and to continue finding sweetness in life") that have supposedly come from Kaufmann himself, purported to have a special understanding of the culture because, growing up in Munich, he was only a day's drive away from Italy. The plan may well succeed. Kaufmann is in fine voice, and this alone will appeal to his growing legion of fans. He respects the basic simplicity of the material, never overwhelming it with vocal heroics. And he's got a good, organic program of Italian and Neapolitan classics to work with, avoiding chestnuts, pulling a few rarities off the scrap heap of history, and incorporating some of the recent additions that show the continuing vitality of this tradition. These include the Nino Rota Godfather classic "Parla Più Piano" and a song, Lucio Dalla's "Caruso", originally written for the aging Pavarotti. If you're going to compete with him, you'd better bring your A game, and Kaufmann's technically unimpeachable, but curiously detached, reading doesn't cut it. The Orchestra del Teatro Massimo di Palermo under Asher Fisch has the right slightly loose sound for the music, and there are many tunes that may well connect with one or another individual listener. Sample to see if Kaufmann's way with these evergreen songs is for you. (James Manheim in AllMusic)