Great songs from classic movies have been a passion of Jonas Kaufmann throughout his life. His new album The Sound of Movies reflects the singer’s fascination with a selection of popular hits, in a variety of languages, that spans from the Weimar-era Germany (“Ich küsse ihre Hand, Madame” from 1929) to “Bring Him Home” from the 2012 film of the global hit musical Les Misérables.
Kaufmann initially became enamored by cinema music via tenors Joseph Schmidt and Richard Tauber, as well as the sublime orchestrations of the great golden-age film composers like Erich Korngold and Max Steiner who were steeped in the heritage of Puccini and Strauss.
The album includes “Nelle tue mani” from Gladiator, Henry Mancini’s “Moon River” from Breakfast at Tiffany’s and Vangelis’ title song from Conquest of Paradise, among others. Great musical hits are also represented: “Maria” from Leonard Bernstein’s West Side Story, the title song from Singin’ in the Rain and “You’ll Never Walk Alone” from Carousel. And two evergreens by the American star tenor Mario Lanza: “The Loveliest Night of the Year” from The Great Caruso and “Serenade” from The Student Prince.
From Ennio Morricone, Kaufmann has chosen songs taken from the great melodies in the scores of Cinema Paradiso, The Mission and Once Upon a Time in America. A premiere on the album is a special arrangement, of a song based on the main-title theme of The Cider House Rules (with lyrics by Gene Scheer), created for the album by its composer Rachel Portman, the first woman to win an Oscar for scoring a film.
The album also includes songs immortalized by their use in films, such as “What a Wonderful World”, heard in Good Morning, Vietnam; “Strangers in the Night” from A Man Could Get Killed; and Carlos Gardel’s classic Argentinian tango “Por una cabeza,” a highlight on the soundtracks of Scent of a Woman and Tango Bar.
Kaufmann is accompanied by the Czech National Symphony Orchestra and Choir conducted by Jochen Rieder. Guitarist Miloš Karadaglić joins Kaufmann for intimate interpretations of “Moon River” and “Edelweiss” (The Sound of Music)” as well as “She Was Beautiful,” based on the “Cavatina” from Stanley Myers’ score for the Oscar-winning film The Deer Hunter.
The Sound of Movies will be out internationally on CD and digital formats on September 15, with Vinyl arriving later in Fall.
Juventino Rosas THE LOVELIEST NIGHT OF THE YEAR (THE GREAT CARUSO), Francis Lai WHERE DO I BEGIN (LOVE STORY), Leonard Bernstein MARIA (WEST SIDE STORY), Rachel Portman THE CIDER HOUSE RULES MAIN TITLE, Hans Zimmer NELLE TUE MANI (GLADIATOR), Ennio & Andrea Morricone SE (NUOVO CINEMA PARADISO), Ennio Morricone E PIÙ TI PENSO (ONCE UPON A TIME IN AMERICA), Bert Kaempfert STRANGERS IN THE NIGHT (A MAN COULD GET KILLED), Claude-Michel Schonberg BRING HIM HOME (LES MISÉRABLES), Ennio Morricone NELLA FANTASIA (THE MISSION), Vangelis CONQUEST OF PARADISE (1492: CONQUEST OF PARADISE), Nino Rota WHAT IS A YOUTH? (WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE’S ROMEO & JULIET), Stanley Myers SHE WAS BEAUTIFUL / CAVATINA (THE DEER HUNTER), Carlos Gardel POR UNA CABEZA (SCENT OF A WOMAN), George Davide & Bob Thile WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD (GOOD MORNING, VIETNAM), Richard Rodgers YOU’LL NEVER WALK ALONE (CAROUSEL), Henry Mancini MOON RIVER (BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY’S), Nacio Herb Brown SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN MAIN TITLE, Ralph Erwin ICH KÜSSE IHRE HAND, MADAME MAIN TITLE, Vladimir Cosma REALITY (LA BOUM), Richard Rodgers EDELWEISS (THE SOUND OF MUSIC), Sigmund Romberg SERENADE (THE STUDENT PRINCE)
Jonas Kaufmann, Miloš Karadaglić (Guitar), Czech National Symphony Orchestra, Conductor: Jochen Rieder (Recording 2022)
