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“This fast-paced narrative with its realistic dialogue between characters and its emotional arch almost gives one the impression that Giordano would have liked to make a feature film, yet did not yet have the necessary technology at his disposal. In fact, at the same time as this opera was being written and premiered, film was also being born." With these words, director Philipp Stölzl also described an essential aspect of his production of Giordano's Andrea Chenier at the Bavarian State Opera: the stage is presented as a "split screen" that simultaneously shows the "upper and lower" social classes during the French Revolution. This December 2017 revival of the production, conducted by Marco Armiliato, was recorded and recently released on DVD and Blu-ray on the Bavarian State Opera’s record label. "Jonas Kaufmann, Anja Harteros and George Petean shine in an imaginative yet faithful production by Philipp Stölzl. The then 78-year-old Brian Large proves once again that he is the best of all classical music videomakers." (Merker online)

For several months, I have been struggling with coughing and excessive mucus during my performances. This viscous secretion led to increased irritation when singing and to fatigue of the respiratory muscles. Various attempts to solve this issue were unfortunately unsuccessful, resulting in being repeatedly forced to cancel opera performances and concerts. Last week, I was diagnosed with a multi-resistant germ infection, and prescribed a high dosage of antibiotics with the corresponding possible side effects. The first concert after I started taking antibiotics (Waldbühne Berlin) went surprisingly well, but since Monday the side effects, which were initially only mild, have increased so much so that I’m not able to sing. Therefore, it will unfortunately not be possible for me to perform for the duration of the treatment, and so it is with a heavy heart that I have to cancel the performances in Paris, Aix-en-Provence and Regensburg. Although I am very disappointed, I am glad to have finally found the cause of this persistent issue, and now I only have to give my body the necessary rest to cope with this infection, in order to be completely healthy again.

Update from 24 July:
As I had very much hoped to be able to sing the recital on Tuesday, I met with Helmut Deutsch yesterday to go over our programme. Unfortunately, I came to the realization that I am not yet able to sing for an entire evening. The voice is fine, but I feel that my body has not yet recovered from the strong after-effects of the antibiotics and still needs rest. Therefore, unfortunately, I have no choice but to postpone the recital until next year.
Jonas Kaufmann

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.

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.

Jonas Kaufmann
Deutsche Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz
Jochen Rieder

Wednesday May 3, 8pm
Isarphilharmonie München

Saturday May 6, 8pm
Philharmonie Essen

Friday May 12, 7:30pm
Laeiszhalle Hamburg

Monday May 15, 7:30pm
Meistersingerhalle Nürnberg

Thursday May 18, 7pm
Liederhalle Stuttgart

Sunday May 21, 8pm
Alte Oper Frankfurt

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 before the March 2022 recording sessions in Rome, and neither Sondra Radvanovsky nor Jonas Kaufmann had sung their parts on stage before. This is also the first recording of Turandot to include the entire final scene, completed by Franco Alfano after Puccini's death in 1925. Radvanovsky and Kaufmann are joined by Ermonela Jaho (Liù), Michele Pertusi (Timur), Michael Spyres (Altoum), and the chorus & orchestra of the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia. The success of the entire project was confirmed by a concert performance that took place a few days after the recording was completed and received a standing ovation. The recording was recently released by Warner Classics. For the making-of video click here.

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.

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.