Wagner Weekend: Tannhäuser and Walküre

Tannhäuser, Salzburg Easter Festival 2023, scene from the 2nd act with Georg Zeppenfeld and Jonas Kaufmann. Foto Rittershaus

The radio recording of the Salzburg production of Tannhäuser, in which Jonas Kaufmann has sung the title role for the first time, will be broadcast on Saturday, April 15 at 7:30pm. The other leading roles will be performed by Marlis Petersen (Elisabeth), Emma Bell (Venus), Christian Gerhaher (Wolfram) and Georg Zeppenfeld (Landgraf Hermann); Andris Nelsons conducts the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig. On Sunday, April 16, Kaufmann will perform Siegmund in Die Walküre at the Teatro di San Carlo in Naples, with Okka von der Damerau (Brünnhilde), Vida Miknevičiūtė (Sieglinde), Christopher Maltman (Wotan), Varduhi Abrahamyan (Fricka) and John Relyea (Hunding); the conductor is Dan Ettinger. Additional performances are on April 20, 23, 26 and 29.

Die Walküre in Naples, rehearsal with Vida Miknevičiūtė (Sieglinde) and Jonas Kaufmann (Siegmund). Foto Romano

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“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."