Who could resist hearing one of the world’s most beautiful voices up close, singing alone with a piano? Song recitals, especially of Lieder (song in German), used to be standard fare in concert-goers’ diaries. Yet now, beyond specialist series and festivals, such events are becoming oddly rare. In a world dominated by pop songs – surely not so different, just noisier – exactly why the classical song recital has become an endangered species is a mystery. Jonas Kaufmann, widely regarded as the “world’s greatest tenor”, is determined to solve it.
“Everywhere we have difficulties in selling song recitals, because people are no longer used to this genre,” the German superstar says, on the phone from his summer holiday. “Maybe it’s not an easy-access art form. People are afraid it will be too long or too boring. And that’s sad, because it is unique and so intense that it would be a shame if it were just to vanish from the world’s artistic map.” Read more
The Sound of Movies
Famous hits from 80 years of film history: when Jonas Kaufmann presented his “Sound of Movies” program in the Smetana Hall in Prague in February 2024, a camera team was there. The recording of this concert can be seen on ARTE concert from 5:20pm on December 8th, the 2nd Sunday in Advent. The program ranges from works from the early days of sound film to musical adaptations such as “West Side Story” and hits by Nino Rota, John Williams and Hans Zimmer. For more information, follow the link to the ARTE site.
