Jonas Kaufmann: L’Opéra

Record and Artist Details

Composer or Director: Jules (Emile Frédéric) Massenet, Hector Berlioz, Georges Bizet, Charles-François Gounod, (Charles Louis) Ambroise Thomas, Jacques Offenbach, Edouard(-Victoire-Antoine) Lalo, Giacomo Meyerbeer, (Jacques-François-)Fromental(-Elie) Halévy

Genre:

Opera

Label: Sony Classical

Media Format: CD or Download

Media Runtime: 74

Mastering:

DDD

Catalogue Number: 88985 39076-2

88985 39076-2. Jonas Kaufmann: L’Opéra

Tracks:

Composition Artist Credit
(La) Damnation de Faust, Movement: ~ Hector Berlioz, Composer
Bavarian State Orchestra
Bertrand de Billy, Conductor
Hector Berlioz, Composer
Jonas Kaufmann, Tenor
(Les) Troyens, '(The) Trojans', Movement: ~ Hector Berlioz, Composer
Bavarian State Orchestra
Bertrand de Billy, Conductor
Hector Berlioz, Composer
Jonas Kaufmann, Tenor
Carmen, Movement: ~ Georges Bizet, Composer
Bavarian State Orchestra
Bertrand de Billy, Conductor
Georges Bizet, Composer
Jonas Kaufmann, Tenor
(Les) Pêcheurs de Perles, '(The) Pearl Fishers', Movement: ~ Georges Bizet, Composer
Bavarian State Orchestra
Bertrand de Billy, Conductor
Georges Bizet, Composer
Jonas Kaufmann, Tenor
Ludovic Tézier, Baritone
Roméo et Juliette, 'Romeo and Juliet', Movement: ~ Charles-François Gounod, Composer
Bavarian State Orchestra
Bertrand de Billy, Conductor
Charles-François Gounod, Composer
Jonas Kaufmann, Tenor
(La) Juive, Movement: Rachel! quand du Seigneur (Jacques-François-)Fromental(-Elie) Halévy, Composer
(Jacques-François-)Fromental(-Elie) Halévy, Composer
Bavarian State Orchestra
Bertrand de Billy, Conductor
Jonas Kaufmann, Tenor
(Le) Roi d'Ys, Movement: ~ Edouard(-Victoire-Antoine) Lalo, Composer
Bavarian State Orchestra
Bertrand de Billy, Conductor
Edouard(-Victoire-Antoine) Lalo, Composer
Jonas Kaufmann, Tenor
(Le) Cid, Movement: ~ Jules (Emile Frédéric) Massenet, Composer
Bavarian State Orchestra
Bertrand de Billy, Conductor
Jonas Kaufmann, Tenor
Jules (Emile Frédéric) Massenet, Composer
Manon, Movement: ~ Jules (Emile Frédéric) Massenet, Composer
Bavarian State Orchestra
Bertrand de Billy, Conductor
Jonas Kaufmann, Tenor
Jules (Emile Frédéric) Massenet, Composer
Sonya Yoncheva
Werther, Movement: ~ Jules (Emile Frédéric) Massenet, Composer
Bavarian State Orchestra
Bertrand de Billy, Conductor
Jonas Kaufmann, Tenor
Jules (Emile Frédéric) Massenet, Composer
(L')Africaine, '(The) African Maid', Movement: ~ Giacomo Meyerbeer, Composer
Bavarian State Orchestra
Bertrand de Billy, Conductor
Giacomo Meyerbeer, Composer
Jonas Kaufmann, Tenor
(Les) Contes d'Hoffmann, '(The) Tales of Hoffmann', Movement: ~ Jacques Offenbach, Composer
Bavarian State Orchestra
Bertrand de Billy, Conductor
Jacques Offenbach, Composer
Jonas Kaufmann, Tenor
Mignon, Movement: ~ (Charles Louis) Ambroise Thomas, Composer
(Charles Louis) Ambroise Thomas, Composer
Bavarian State Orchestra
Bertrand de Billy, Conductor
Jonas Kaufmann, Tenor
A dapper Jonas Kaufmann smoulders in the auditorium of the exquisite Palais Garnier, beneath Marc Chagall’s celebrated ceiling paintings, on the cover of his latest disc, ‘L’Opéra’. Kaufmann has always been rather good in French repertoire. His second role at Covent Garden was a gripping Don José and his Werther and Faust for the Metropolitan Opera, beamed into cinemas around the globe, were both very fine. Indeed, with his slightly covered tone, I tend to prefer him in French rather than Italian roles. However, this new disc proves a mild disappointment.

The selection offers a personal journey from Kaufmann’s early repertoire to recent triumphs, including a couple of roles that he cancelled and has yet to perform on stage. The aria from Lalo’s Le roi d’Ys was his first French rep, while he sang Wilhelm Meister (in Ambroise Thomas’s Mignon) in Toulouse back in 2001 and Berlioz’s Faust is a memento of his first collaboration with Antonio Pappano (at La Monnaie in 2002). You can’t imagine he’ll sing such roles again – they’re a bit small fry now for the star tenor. Meatier fare comes via Werther’s tortured ‘Pourquoi me réveiller’, Don José’s Flower Song and Énée’s ‘Inutiles regrets’ from Les Troyens.

Kaufmann’s tenor is duskily beautiful, his dynamic control exceptional, but too much of the singing here relies on velvety mezza voce cruise control. The pianissimo B flat at the climax of ‘La fleur que tu m’avais jetée’ is almost comically crooned. In the magical opening section of Vasco da Gama’s ‘Ô paradis’ from L’Africaine you can practically hear Kaufmann placing each note just as if gingerly setting porcelain figures down on a mantelpiece, although he rouses himself to passionate climaxes with ardour.

I detect little differentiation between characters, although admittedly many of the arias here are of the lovesick poet variety. There was much wailing and gnashing of teeth when Kaufmann withdrew from Les Troyens at Covent Garden. He makes a heroic sound but, listening to his tame account of ‘Inutiles regrets’, he probably made a wise decision.

Some of the finest singing on the disc comes in the duets. Kaufmann is joined by the classy French baritone Ludovic Tézier for the duet from The Pearl Fishers, their voices blending like coffee and cream, while Sonya Yoncheva is a delicious temptress in an excerpt from Massenet’s Manon. Texts and translations are included, along with a sycophantic booklet interview by ‘authorised biographer’ Thomas Voigt. Bertrand de Billy and the orchestra of the Bayerisches Staatsoper offer dutiful support. One to delight the fans.

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