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 […]
Verdi & Verismo – the concert tour
Jonas KaufmannDeutsche Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-PfalzJochen Rieder Wednesday May 3, 8pmIsarphilharmonie München Saturday May 6, 8pmPhilharmonie Essen Friday May 12, 7:30pm Laeiszhalle Hamburg Monday May 15, 7:30pmMeistersingerhalle Nürnberg Thursday May 18, 7pmLiederhalle Stuttgart Sunday May 21, 8pmAlte Oper Frankfurt
Wagner Weekend: Tannhäuser and Walküre
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 […]
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 […]
Aida on ORF III
The performance of Verdi’s Aida with Anna Netrebko, Elina Garanca, Jonas Kaufmann and Luca Salsi will be broadcast on Jan. 29, unfortunately in Austria only: starting at 20:15 on ORF III in the series Erlebnis Bühne. Afterwards the recording will be available for seven days on ORF’s TVThek. A version with international reach is to follow soon on the website of the Vienna State Opera.
Kaufmann & Tézier in Baden-Baden
Next Sunday, January 8, a special concert takes place, live at the Festspielhaus Baden-Baden and on ARTE Concert: with his friend, the world-class baritone Ludovic Tézier, Jonas Kaufmann gives an extraordinary opera evening. The two artists will sing famous scenes and duets from operas by Verdi, Puccini and Ponchielli, which they have also presented on their internationally acclaimed album “Insieme”. They will be accompanied by the German Radio Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Jochen Rieder. The concert will be broadcast on ARTE Concert at 6pm.
It’s Christmas – Gold Edition
It is a great pleasure for me that I was able to expand my Christmas album again, this time with poems and stories that are as much a part of Christmas for me as the candles on the Christmas tree. First of all, of course, there is the Christmas story from the Gospel of Luke, which is read on Christmas Eve not only in the churches but also in many families. Over the centuries, many great poets have dealt with the wonder of Christmas, and so we have been able to collect a whole range of wonderful poems here, from Goethe and Claudius to Mörike and Eichendorff to Storm and Rilke. In the 20th century, the topic was sometimes treated with a touch of irony, as the texts by Kästner and Ringelnatz show. But in the end
Awards for Liszt and Korngold
Berlin, October 9, 2022. At the Opus Klassik Gala in the Konzerthaus, Jonas Kaufmann accepted two trophies this year: the first he received for Singer of the Year for his Album Liszt – Freudvoll und leidvoll; the second for the Opera Recording of the Year, Korngold’s Die Tote Stadt (released on DVD and Blu-ray). Kaufmann accepted this award on behalf of Kirill Petrenko, the Bavarian State Orchestra and his
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,
“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