Romantic Arias | Jonas Kaufmann | A fine large-voiced tenor at work

Romantic Arias | Jonas Kaufmann | A Promising, Committed Artist with a wonderful Voice

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Romantic Arias

	Romantic Arias Jonas Kaufmann Decca, 2008 average customer review:based on 23 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Jonas Kaufmann is without question the most versatile tenor of his generation, and his current repertoire includes an astonishing range of opera roles from Mozart to Wagner. He is also a celebrated Lieder interpreter, equally at home on the concert platform. His Decca Debut album celebrates a luscious range of Romantic opera arias, showcasing the astonishing diversity of his voice.

Jonas Kaufmann has made stunning debuts in many of the world's leading opera houses in recent seasons. For example, to fabulous acclaim he appeared as Alfredo in La Traviata at the Metropolitan Opera and Chicago Lyric Opera - "smoothly burnished, beautifully focused... and always disarmingly musical" (New York Magazine). He was Don Jose in the 2007 new production of Carmen at the Royal Opera, Covent Garden - "superb" (The Guardian).

Romantic Arias includes opera favorites by the Italian giants Verdi and Puccini, by French greats Berlioz and Bizet, and by Wagner, the epitome of German Romanticism. Kaufmann responds to each composer with seductive ease.

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A fine large-voiced tenor at work

Jonas Kaufmann is what I would call a big voiced tenor--along the lines of Franco Corelli or Richard Tucker (I'm not saying he's that good yet--but his voice is powerful!). The liner notes begin by noting that many of us want to compartmentalize tenors--"He's a Puccini tenor," He's a Mozart tenor," "He's a Wagnerian tenor." The notes then say that ". . .Jonas Kaufmann resists [this tendency], uncompromisingly maintaining his remarkable versatility." Versatile indeed! This CD ranges from Puccini to Wagner, from Bizet to Weber and Verdi.

Let's take a look at a few of the cuts on this CD.

"Che Gelida Manina." What a tenor piece, from Puccini's "La Boheme." Kaufmann shows a good rich large voice. He also sings with considerable passion. Here and there are those annoying affectations, such as "catches" and "cries," but not anything that really detracts from his art. When he sings "Vivo" or "millionaria," his voice sounds great. He can up his volume without his voice becoming out of control (no bleating here!). The high note on "la speranza" seems well hit, with power behind it. This is not another "light voiced" tenor.

"E Lucevan le Stelle." This classic tenor piece from Puccini's "Tosca' is also well sung. When he opens to full volume, again, the outcome is splendid. Again, some annoying mannerisms, but not an issue. His close is dramatically sung.

"Lunge da Lei. . .De' Miei Bollenti Spiriti." An affecting piece from Verdi's "La Traviata." Again, nicely sung. His voice works well with Verdi's music.

Finally, "Morgenlich Leuchtend" from Wagner's "Die Meistersinger." This shows his range in terms of roles. And this is very well and smoothly sung. The richness of his voice works well here.

So, it seems to me that Jonas Kaufmann is a fine tenor, with a welcome large voice that retains musicality. I look forward to tracking the arc of his professional singing career. . . .

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A Promising, Committed Artist with a wonderful Voice

Large-voiced tenors are in short supply today, a phenomenon that most likely traces its origin to the vocal education system that stresses importance on the purity of tone so favored in Mozart and Handel's operas that are in such a vogue in today's classical music scene. However beautiful and well-controlled many of today's tenor voices are, this does not produce the thrilling electricity that you can get from voices that once rang full and true in a manner similar to that of the singers from an earlier part of the century like Ludwig Suthaus, Ramon Vinay, and Max Lorenz in the German wing and Franco Corelli and Carlo Bergonzi in the Italian department. Fortunately, a few stars do emerge from this low calorie vocal rubble who can prove themselves successors to the crown that has for so long been left to the hands of many a tenor who lacks not only the heft but also the imagination to apply that magical touch that place the stamp on the work of a star. Jonas Kaufmann is one such singer, and it is most fortunate that Decca took the incentive to hire this tenor for a long awaited recital CD featuring his work in a variety of repertory that not only amazes the listener with this artist's versatility, but also with his outstanding commitment.

Perhaps he is not idiomatic in every sense of the word. His work in Puccini hardly describes the plush, Italianate cushion that characterizes the work of tenors like Bergonzi, nor does his Verdi raise any flags that indicate the second coming of a Domingo or a Carreras. However, its his ability to produce a consistently charming and aesthetically beguiling interpretation of these roles outside his natural fach that makes him such an irresistible find. His voice is perhaps better suited (due to its dark, large timbre) to the more heroic German roles, but we would be poorer if we didn't hear what magic he could conjure with his singing outside roles like Walther.

A truly outstanding debut CD, and from the previews taken from the Meistersinger and Freischutz excerpts, I certainly hope to hear more from this tenor that will edge him slowly towards the roles where I believe his voice will truly shine--Siegmund, Lohengrin, Parsifal, Tristan, and Siegfried.

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Unique voice

Some may not like Kaufmann's voice, but as an ex-baritone turned tenor, I really enjoy his voice. It will also be helpful to have a native German recording to share with my diction class.

Well done

Mr. Kaufmann has a nice voice, the high registrer sounds different than the low, but any way he has his own style and as result it's a good interpretation!

Well Done!!

reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Tracks
Puccini "Che gelida manina" from La Bohème | Bizet "La fleur que tu m'avais jetée" from Carmen | Flotow "Martha: Ach, so fromm" from Martha | Puccini "E lucevan le stelle" from Tosca | Verdi "Lo l'ho perduta... Io la vidi, e il suo sorriso" from Don Carlos (Aria from Italian four act version) | Weber "Nein! Länger trag' ich nicht... Durch die Wälder, durch die Auen" from Der Freischütz | Verdi "Lunge da lei... De miei bollenti spiriti ...O mio rimorso" from La Traviata (with Jana Sibera - soprano) | Massenet "Je suis seul... Ah! Fuyez, douce image" from Manon | Verdi "Ella mi fu rapita...Parmi veder le lagrime" from Rigoletto | Gounod "Quel trouble inconnu me pénètre?...Salut! Demeure chaste et pure" from Faust | Wagner "Morgendlich leuchtend im rosigen Schein" from Die Meistersinger | Berlioz "Invocation à la nature" from Damnation of Faust | Massenet "Pourquoi me réveiller" from Werther

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