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.

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.

Pre-order the album here

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)

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Artistic Director in Erl

Jonas Kaufmann will take over as artistic director of the Erl Festival in Austria; he will succeed Bernd Loebe in September 2024. As Hans Peter Haselsteiner, President of the Tiroler Festspiele Erl (photo), announced at a press conference on 2 June in Vienna, Kaufmann prevailed over 42 other applicants.

With his vision, enthusiasm, personality and his stage experience, he convinced the appointment committee, which also included Lotte de Beer (director of the Vienna Volksoper) and Bogdan Roscic (director of the Vienna State Opera), and was chosen by them as "primus et unicus" for the appointment.

Jonas Kaufmann will usher in a new era for the Erl Festival, explained Andrea Mayer, State Secretary for the Arts and Culture. To have him "as the new artistic director of the Erl Festival is an extraordinary honour and reflects the festival's aspiration: international charisma and at the same time honoring the culture and history in the region."

As Kaufmann said at the press conference, his new task is by no means "a first step towards the singer's early retirement. I don't feel that I should retire, and I don't want to. I'm a person who likes to work a lot, so now I have another hobbyhorse to work on without having to be on stage every day."

To watch the recording of the press conference, click here.