“Einsame Klasse”: Peter Grimes in Munich

The revival of Stefan Herheim’s production of Peter Grimes at the Bayerische Staatsoper was a great success. Soloists, chorus, orchestra and conductor were ecstatically celebrated by the audience. “Einsame Klasse” (in a class of his own), was the headline in the Süddeutsche Zeitung, “With Jonas Kaufmann in the title role, ‘Peter Grimes’ becomes an hour of glory”.

The review in the web forum Klassik begeistert reads: “Kaufmann showed again this evening that he at the top in his field. The role – Britten once wrote it for his partner Peter Pears – is demanding and vocally in

the Heldentenor range. When it matters, Kaufmann sings strongly and confidently against the village community in the big choral scenes, but he also shows the great palette of his voice in the wonderfully intimate passages that border on the pianissimo. His acting is no less convincing. He is not only a gifted performer of the great heroes and lovers, but also of the desperate anti-hero.”

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A number of important firsts

There have been some great recordings of Turandot in the past, but this one does not pale in the face of the competition, reads the final sentence of the Financial Times review. The latest studio recording of Turandot, Puccini's spectacular last opera, marks a number of important firsts: Antonio Pappano had never conducted the work before the March 2022 recording sessions in Rome, and neither Sondra Radvanovsky nor Jonas Kaufmann had sung their parts on stage before. This is also the first recording of Turandot to include the entire final scene, completed by Franco Alfano after Puccini's death in 1925. Radvanovsky and Kaufmann are joined by Ermonela Jaho (Liù), Michele Pertusi (Timur), Michael Spyres (Altoum), and the chorus & orchestra of the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia. The success of the entire project was confirmed by a concert performance that took place a few days after the recording was completed and received a standing ovation. The recording was recently released by Warner Classics. For the making-of video click here.