Bavarian State Department Award

Munich, September 30, 2022. During a ceremony at the Maximilianeum, the President of the Bavarian State Parliament, Ilse Aigner, awarded the Bayerischer Verfassungsorden to Jonas Kaufmann. In her laudatory speech for the artist, Ilse Aigner said: “Your voice gets under the skin. For many years you have been one of the top stars of the opera world, enchanting music lovers in countries all over the world with your singing and stage presence. You have been successful in Milan, Zurich, at the Vienna State Opera, the Opéra national de Paris, the Metropolitan Opera in New York, the Royal Opera House Covent Garden

in London and at the Salzburg Festival. However, your name is inseparably linked with the Nationaltheater in Munich. Here, you have embodied numerous prominent roles. You are a true Bavarian. And as such, you make a great contribution to cultural life in the Freistaat. You have shaped the profile of the Bavarian State Opera for many years. You are a musically accomplished as well as a charming artistic ambassador of Bavaria all over the world.”

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The Sound of Movies

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.