After Jonas Kaufmanns big success in Jules Massanets opera Werther at Opera Bastille, we immediately started looking after his CDs, and were happy to find a wonderful debut CD (2008) with romantic opera arias at DECCA. 

At his debut CD Jonas Kaufmann is showing his versatility in the tenor repertoire and singing some of the opera litterature´s high lights from different composers, periodes, in different languages, with noble phrasing and distinct diction: Puccinis “Che gelida  manina” from La Boheme. The Flower aria from Bizets Carmen. Followed by the not so often heard “Ach so from”, from von Flotows beautiful opera Martha. “E lucevan le stelle from” Tosca by Puccini. Changing character to Don Carlos aria “Io l´ho perduta” by Verdi. Followed by “Nein länger trag Ich nicht” from Der Freischütz by Weber.

Verdis La Traviata as Alfredo “Lunge da lei” is following  together with Jana Sibera as Anina, a role he was performing at the Metropolitan Opera in New York in 2006

. Massanets “Je suis seul” from Manon. Rigoletto the Dukes aria “Ella mi fu rapita”! From Gounod Faust is following Quel trouble inconnu me pénètre” . Then, of course, from Wagners Die Meistersinger “Morgenlich Leuchtend”. Ending up with two great arias from the French repertoire. From Berlioz La Damnation de Faust, “Nature immense” and the most wonderful aria from Massanets Werther, as we just heard him singing at Opera Bastille: “Pourquoi me réveiller”. Simply Wonderful. A great pleasure.

Jonas Kaufmann, relaxed

Prague Philharmonic Orchestra is following him at the CD, conducted by Marco Armiliato.     

In the small leaflet following the CD the autor Roger Pines is describing Jonas Kaufmann as “A Tenor who makes his own Rules”.  As Pines means that todays operatic world tends to place singers in compartments by composer – Mozart soprano, Rossini mezzo, Verdi Baritone. Tenors, too, are regularly subjected to this sort of social versatility, but Jonas Kaufmann resists it, uncompromisingly maintaining his remarkable versatility.

DECCA 475 9966
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