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.
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 colleagues; the Bavarian State Opera production, which also recently won a Gramophone Award features Kaufmann in the extremely demanding role of Paul.
To see the recording of the Opus Klassik Gala, click here.
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, the Opéra national de Paris, the Metropolitan Opera in New York, the Royal Opera House Covent Garden
“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."
Insieme – Jonas Kaufmann & Ludovic Tézier
On stage they’re usually rivals, but in real life Jonas Kaufmann and Ludovic Tézier share a close friendship. After many live performances together these two extraordinary artists have recorded their first duet album: Insieme, meaning “together” in Italian, to be released October 7 on Sony Classical. Accompanied by the Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia under Antonio Pappano, they present duets they’ve sung together on stage, plus works specially chosen for the album.
