‘As you can imagine, it was far from normal!’ Jonas Kaufmann is no stranger to the role of Parsifal, but the tenor can have had few stranger experiences than the new production at the Vienna State Opera in April 2021. Dissident director Kirill Serebrennikov, banned from leaving his native Russia, supervised his jailbird Parsifal – a deeply flawed staging in which Montsalvat is a prison, and Klingsor’s magic castle the offices of a glossy glamour magazine – via video conference. Then a Covid surge led to another lockdown, restricting the run to a single performance, live-streamed from an empty opera house.

It’s December 2023, and Kaufmann, back in Vienna for his stage role debut as Calaf in Turandot, reflects thoughtfully on the situation. ‘There were constant video conferences at the end of rehearsals to have yet another conversation between Vienna and Russia about this piece and this interpretation.

‘I’m a complete supporter of modernising theatre,’ he begins, diplomatically, ‘but at the same time, I have to be a loyal defender of the story behind it. You cannot say that Wagner was a devout Christian (of course, we know about his anti-Semitic views, a terrible downside), but he was interested in all world religions. I think Parsifal stands or falls on whether a production respects belief in something. It’s not important what that something is, but the fact that this belief gives you strength is one of the most important ingredients in Parsifal and the music is written exactly to underline that. If you do not believe in that system or support the idea – which I completely understand in the circumstances of this director – it is very, very difficult for us to bring it on stage and still give our heart-blood to it.’

Jonas Kaufmann in Parsifal (photography: M Poehn /Wiener Staatsoper)

Perhaps it’s for the best that Sony’s new recording, taken from that single performance, is audio only. After all, the label already has a DVD of Kaufmann in the role, filmed in François Girard’s powerful 2013 staging at the Metropolitan Opera, New York. The absence of an audience in Vienna was painful (‘During the pandemic, we all learnt how crucial, how important the response of an audience is for us to give our best’), but an empty opera house meant almost ideal recording conditions, and the audio release allows one to revel in what is a pretty sublime musical experience.

Two of Kaufmann’s closest colleagues, El¯ına Garan∂a and Ludovic Tézier, were making their role debuts (Kundry and Amfortas respectively). ‘It was such an impeccable performance from El¯ına, unbelievable the ease with which she mastered all the difficulties – breathtaking. This is the ultimate memory that lasts, not so much the prison drill or whatever. And, of course, Ludovic Tézier is a close friend and I was certain that he would be fantastic. Obviously, I’ve done many Wagner productions with Zeppi [bass Georg Zeppenfeld, singing Gurnemanz], so it was not such a big surprise how great he was.’

And he’d basically got the Vienna Philharmonic (in all but name) in the pit under Philippe Jordan. ‘Absolutely. Philippe has a reputation in Wagner’s music, which he enjoyed long before he joined the Staatsoper, of having this ability to bring a transparency to the orchestral sound without diminishing its impact.’

Kaufmann describes the score’s special qualities. ‘Remember that old joke that you’ve probably heard a million times, that if you listen to Wagner then look at your watch to see if half an hour has gone by, you find that only five minutes have passed? Well, Parsifal Act 1 is the absolute opposite of this – you feel it’s like 25 to 30 minutes but actually it’s 90, because you just sink into this world. I can totally understand how amazing this music is and the impact it has. Any performance has to be musically great but it also has to be understandable in its magic and, for Parsifal, the recipe seems to be ‘less is more’. The more distraction there is, the more craziness that goes on on stage, the more difficult it is for the audience to follow the story.’ His eyes twinkle. ‘So, in this context, I would say a CD is probably the best way we can offer this production.’

Serebrennikov’s unconventional Parsifal, 2021, featuring Kaufmann (photo: M Poehn /Wiener Staatsoper)

Isn’t Parsifal a strenuous role to perform? ‘On the contrary, Parsifal is a very small role. Gurnemanz has more to sing in Act 1 than I have in the whole opera! But this is what makes it so difficult. The part sits quite low and you’re almost “cold” all the time. You warm up a bit in the second act before “Amfortas! Die Wunde!” but that’s the only place where you actually sing for a couple of minutes. Other than that, it’s just a little bit here and there, then waiting time, and that’s very energy-consuming.

‘When, for instance, you sing a phrase, you wait five minutes for Gurnemanz to end his explanation before you sing another phrase, and then that’s repeated maybe three or four times and that’s the end of Act 1 for you … But there’s another 40 minutes to go, where you just have to witness what’s happening on stage, being watched by the audience. You have to feel this and fill it with your speechless emotions, and that’s tiring. Act 3 is similar. You have the beautiful Karfreitagszauber [Good Friday Music], but a performance is always stop and start. For me, that’s the most challenging part, keeping your voice fresh and agile at all times and waiting for the end of the opera, when you finally get to sing something again. So yes, it’s a demanding role but for many different reasons from those that you would usually come across for a regular opera.’

I wonder how much his interpretation has changed since 2013. ‘It changes all the time,’ he muses. ‘You mature, you reflect and, hopefully, you come back and see things from a different perspective. I have to say I’ve done many productions of Parsifal, but François Girard’s was really special. It was also quite some cast, with René Pape in his absolute prime, and Peter Mattei as an Amfortas who you really feel mercy for.

‘This is also why you shouldn’t do the same roles over and over again without long gaps, because then this development doesn’t exist. A sense of repetition can creep in, so I think it’s important to put roles like this aside and let them sink in then bring them back a couple of years later. I could sing Parsifal many times every year, but I don’t, because – much as I love this music – that’s absolutely what I won’t do, just turn up and do my thing. It’s too precious to just use it as a vehicle to make money.’

Kaufmann has several Wagner roles in his locker – Parsifal, Lohengrin, Walther (Die Meistersinger), Tannhäuser, Siegmund (Die Walküre) – which bring their own demands. ‘The test is really stamina, particularly in roles like Tristan or Tannhäuser or Lohengrin, which take an enormous amount of energy. Also you have the unusual challenge – especially for native speakers – of combining the German language, which has this reputation as being harsh and abrupt, with the most exclusive legato you can produce. There was a time when Wagner roles were barked more than sung, and this is why people have said, “Wagner is beautiful as long as there are no singers involved!” – and that’s very sad because, on the contrary, as we know, the composer was very fond of bel canto. Bellini and Donizetti were his favourites. As a Wagnerian, you need to have the ultimate power to cross the pit with these big lines, but at the same time have the beauty and the freshness and the bel canto phrases that I think are needed for understanding the real Wagner. That’s a rare combination.’

The centre of Kaufmann’s burnished tenor sits quite low, although that was not always the case. ‘When I was a young student,’ he explains, ‘I had no idea how to sing low notes because I did something wrong with my high notes, which stressed my voice so I wasn’t able to sing the low register. There’s this old saying, that if you had in your high notes what you lack in your low notes, you would have a nice middle register! I do have a very long voice now though. I have the full range of a male voice going down to a Sarastro (theoretically possible, but no one wants to hear it!), and that makes it comparably easier to sing parts like Parsifal or, even more so, Siegmund, which sits even lower and needs this heroic sound. Parsifal, the innocent fool, can have a certain childlike attitude also in the voice, if necessary, but that’s not the case with Siegmund. In general, you have higher-sitting parts, like Walther or Lohengrin or Tannhäuser; they are higher but never comparable to Puccini, who is just another world away. I’m doing Turandot now, with all those high Cs, and it is far away from Wagner, where the high note is an A flat or an A, which is the absolute max.’

Ah yes, Turandot. We cannot allow Wagner to hog the topic of conversation! I’m keen to hear how rehearsals are going, especially given that Claus Guth’s production is employing the rarely heard first version of Franco Alfano’s completion, the one rejected by Toscanini. Kaufmann recorded it in Rome with Sir Antonio Pappano and the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in 2022 (Recording of the Month, 3/23), and he is clearly sold on this version. ‘It has a terrible reputation, starting with Toscanini. Nevertheless, this is the one and only ending I would ever sing of Turandot. It makes this opera complete, otherwise you have a long build-up to this moment when he kisses her and then suddenly: Bam! What just happened? Move on! It’s a fairy tale, I know, but still …

‘It’s challenging, mainly because you are faced with all the skills and experience that Puccini had mastered over decades and which he brings to the piece. You have this beautiful orchestration and it is so supercharged with emotions, more than any other Puccini opera. And you start where maybe a Cavaradossi [Tosca] would end – phrase two already starts on a B flat, and you think, “Wait! What’s going on?” Puccini just starts the motor and off you go, full throttle all the time. And even though the part, on paper, is not really long, it is very difficult to pace it and to shoot all your arrows at the right time.

‘This doesn’t make it easy with the “Alfano I” ending, but having said that, Turandot – which without the Alfano ending is not really a long role – sings the aria and the riddles in Act 2, that’s it, and in Act 3 sings, “Come on, give me the name!” But then more than 50 per cent of her singing starts at the very end of the opera and, hell, what kind of singing!

‘It’s full of, let’s say, the mistakes that composers usually try to avoid, which is to write a beautiful phrase, then go up a note and do the same again, and go up another two notes and do the same again. This sounds great when written for an orchestra, but it’s so difficult for singers because you don’t have the time to get back down, and this is exactly what happens in the Alfano ending. It’s two or three times over and over again, she repeats herself yet higher, yet higher. It’s like sports where they raise the bar another 20cm, not taking into consideration that you’ve jumped 25 times already! The orchestration is beautiful but huge, the chorus numbers are gigantic, breathtaking, so it’s really a fight all night to be heard. It’s a bombastic masterpiece.’

He describes Guth’s non-traditional production. ‘We don’t have the big glamour or anything. It’s almost nothing, like a Kammerspiel, but we get Turandot’s backstory. You often don’t get the chance to understand the relationship between her and Calaf. You normally only see Turandot in all this glitter and forget that there is actually a human being behind all the masks and the costume.’

Is Calaf a role Kaufmann will return to? As in the case of Asmik Grigorian singing Turandot, only time will tell. There will, thankfully, be a DVD, because Guth’s production was indeed revelatory. But are there other roles on Kaufmann’s bucket list? ‘The list is quite short,’ he concedes, ‘because I’ve done a lot already. Enzo in La Gioconda, which is one of the great tenor parts, will come on stage in the spring in Salzburg and in Naples directly afterwards. Fedora would be really interesting to do. Other than that, there are some that fell by the wayside in the early part of my career train journey, like Un ballo in maschera, which I never did and I think I should do. Pelléas is a role I would like to take on. There are some more Britten pieces that I could sing [he made his debut as Peter Grimes in 2022]. I’m not convinced about Siegfried – maybe I could do an Act 3 in concert. Tristan needs to get back on stage, I’ve only done the one production and I’m dying to do it again.’

And Strauss? ‘The Kaiser [Die Frau ohne Schatten] would be really interesting. It’s not long, but it’s beautiful. Of course, there’s Herodes in Salome. You shouldn’t wait too long to do that because it’s a hell of a part. People always say, “Oh, it’s for the old chaps,” but that’s not true! It’s so difficult.’

Kaufmann has been prolific in the recording studio, and counts himself very lucky to have recorded full operas there. ‘I am one of the very last of the generation who got their foot in the door to becoming a big-selling artist in this business.’ He’s also recorded plenty of Lieder and enjoys his recitals with pianist Helmut Deutsch. It’s an art form he loves. ‘Lieder have this minimalistic tendency – it’s about fine-tuning. In opera you have the big brush to do the movements, the gestures musically, whereas in Lieder you can really go into the fine details, and as long as the voice still works and follows you, all these small things create something heavenly.’

And then there are his popular recital programmes, be they operetta albums, songs from the cinema or favourite arias. It was during Parsifal rehearsals that Kaufmann cooked up the idea for his disc of operatic duets with Tézier. ‘We had planned a solo album with Tony Pappano and Santa Cecilia, but I wasn’t quite sure what. Then I asked Ludo if he’d be free – since it was the time of Covid, most singers were free! I said, “Come with me to Rome and we’ll do a duet album.” It was the best idea ever!’ I remark how their voices work so well together, a coffee-and-cream blend. ‘For us, it was difficult to differentiate our voices. During the editing process, I queried, “Are you sure I’m still on that note, or is it just him?’” Kaufmann beams a smile. ‘There was no difference – our voices had just melted into each other!’

This article originally appeared in the March 2024 issue of Gramophone. Never miss an issue – subscribe today