Jonas Kaufmann - Romantic Arias
Our resident reviewer ST offers his take on Jonas Kaufmann’s CD of Romantic Arias:
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Jonas Kaufmann
Romantic Arias
with the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Marco Armiliato
Track Listing
1. Puccini La Boheme “Che gelida manina”
2. Bizet Carmen “La fleur que tu m’avais jetee (Flower Song)”
3. Flowtow Martha “Ach! So fromm”
4. Puccini Tosca “E lucevan le stelle”
5. Verdi Don Carlo “Io l’ho perduta! …. Io la vidi, e il suo sorriso”
6. Weber Der Freischutz “Nein, langer trag’ich …. Durch die Walder”
7. Verdi La Traviata “Lunge da lei ….. De’ miei bollenti spiriti”
8. Massenet Manon “Je nuis seul! …. Ah! Fuyez, douce image”
9. Verdi Rigoletto “Ella mi fu rapita … Parmi veder le lagrime”
10. Gounod Faust “Quel trouble inconnu me penetre? …. Salut demeure”
11. Wagner Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg “Morgenich leuchtend (Preislied)”
12. Berlioz La Damnation de Faust “Nature immense, impenetrable et fiere (Invocationa la Nature)”
13. Massenet Werther “Toute mo name est la! … Pourquoi me reveiller”
I will start off by saying that this is an exciting new recording. The versatile German tenor Jonas Kaufmann came from Munich. Since the 1990s, he has appeared in most of the major opera houses around the world. The operatic roles he has performed include Tamino, Alfredo, Duke of Mantua, Faust, Rodolfo, Don Jose, Florestan, Otello & Parsifal. By any standard, this is a vastly diverse operatic repertoire, encompassing lyric and heavy dramatic roles from the Italian, French and German repertoire. In addition, he has also made concert appearances and recorded lieders by Richard Strauss and Schubert.
I have only previously heard one of his recordings, the EMI Madama Butterfly when he sang Pinkerton opposite Angela Gheorghiu. This record of romantic tenor arias is his first for Decca. He has included 13 famous tenor arias from the 19th century from the Italian (5 tracks), French (5 tracks) and German (3 tracks) masters.
The recording revealed a really beautiful tenor voice, with a rich middle register and a brilliant top, extending to a secure high C. He seemed equally at home with the Italian, French and German language. These performances also revealed a thoughtful artist who was capable of sensitive phrasing and willing to sing softly when needed.
He began with a magical account of the much recorded “Che gelida manina” from La Boheme. When this Rodolfo sang “your tiny hand is frozen, let me warm it for you”, he sounded like he actually meant it. He was suitably proud when he announced that he had the soul of a millionaire and the aria was crowned by a majestic high C, beautifully placed before he tenderly invited Mimi to tell him about herself. This is a performance that could rival the best in the gramophone history. It has been a long time since I had such urge after listening to this much recorded aria, to replay the track immediately while going through the text line by line as if I was listening to this aria for the very first time.
He followed with an equally magnificent performance of the “Flower Song” from Carmen. The music tenderly unfolded to reach a climax before ending quietly as a desperate plea. It was a deeply moving rendition of yet another much recorded aria to challenge the best again.
And so he would go on like that. Track after track of carefully crafted music commanding the listener’s utmost attention. I would simply run out of words to list the virtue of each performance. Among the remaining tracks, I particularly enjoyed Mario Cavaradossi’s lament (Tosca) and Faust’s serenade (Faust). The serenade “Salut! Dermeure chaste et pure” was quietly sung, sensitively phrased and ended with another poised high C, softly sung this time. It was so meltingly beautiful! The excerpts from Manon, Werther and Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg were just as outstanding. He was also a convincing Duke of Mantua (Rigoletto), Alfredo (La Traviata), Don Carlo and Max (Der Freischutz).
Throughout the recording, Marco Armiliato and the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra offered sympathetic and spirited support. Decca as usual provided its trademark superlative recorded sound. Altogether, this is an outstanding recital recording of a versatile tenor which can be warmly recommended to any lover of operatic music. Mr Jonas Kaufmann is definitely someone to look out for in the near future and I eagerly await his next CD/DVD release.