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The Radio 3 Boards > The Music Boards > The Opera House > Jonas Kaufmann
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Author Topic: Jonas Kaufmann  (Read 196 times)
ernani
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« on: 01:05:37, 09-10-2008 »
Much as I enjoy this board, I sometimes do miss more direct debates about singers or recordings. I know that there are so many political issues to think about, and I have enjoyed participating in debates on them. But, I wonder, could we perhaps speak about and discuss opera voices, performances and conductors a bit more than we do here? Or am I off beam? In terms of the subject of this thread, Kaufmann is someone whom I have heard live and whom I think is an outstanding potential heldentenor. But I'm not sure if others are interested on these boards in debating voices, past and present? Am I wrong?
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Turfan Fragment
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« Reply #1 on: 06:47:32, 09-10-2008 »
The board is only as political as its members!

I hope no one feels constrained from talking about the music they love by the discussion of politics. Frankly I find much of the political conversation tiresome myself -- despite my active involvement -- as we keep rehashing the same territory.

But this thread is about singers. I'm afraid I've never heard of Jonas Kaufmann. At what age are Heldentenors considered mature? At what age are they usually 'over the hill' ? Is this different for lower voice types?
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Il Grande Inquisitor
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« Reply #2 on: 06:59:03, 09-10-2008 »
Quote from: ernani on 01:05:37, 09-10-2008
But I'm not sure if others are interested on these boards in debating voices, past and present? Am I wrong?

I'm certainly interested, ernani - the Trovatore All-Star cast thread demonstrated our love of voices well! I've seen Kaufmann live a few times (Don José in Carmen and twice as Alfredo) and he's got a very exciting voice and is a convincing actor. His José was probably the finest thing in a very good production. I wonder if he will go into the heldentenor repertoire eventually, but I rather hope for more Verdi and Puccini in the meantime!
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stuart macrae
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ascolta
« Reply #3 on: 12:04:31, 09-10-2008 »
I'm not aware of having heard Mr. Kaufmann either, ernani, but I'm certainly interested in reading what others have to say about individual voices, or voices in general. At the moment perhaps I'm too ignorant about the voice to contribute much, but am eager to learn more... Smiley
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ernani
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« Reply #4 on: 12:11:39, 09-10-2008 »
Hi folks,

Sorry if the opening post sounded a bit grumpy - hard day!  Roll Eyes Anyway, yes Kaufmann has sung quite a bit of Wagner already. I heard him as Walter in Meistersinger (and the tenor part in Das Lied von der Erde) and he was wonderfu in both. Heft and sweetness in equal measure, quite a rare combination. He also sings Parsifal and is due to sing Siegmund at the Met in a couple of years. He could become the Wagner singer we've all been waiting for but, like IGI, I hope for more Verdi and Puccini - anyone with a top C and D like Kaufmann needs to use them while he can!
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Reiner Torheit
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« Reply #5 on: 13:07:39, 09-10-2008 »
I think he is a talented guy - but don't you find he blasts all the time?

More variety in dynamic and timbral range would make his appearances into interpretations, rather than simply getting through to the end?   Someone needs to tell him that "less is more" sometimes - we CAN hear you at the back, Jonas! Smiley
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"I was, for several months, mutely in love with a coloratura soprano, who seemed to me to have wafted straight from Paradise to the stage of the Odessa Opera-House"
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ernani
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« Reply #6 on: 00:12:47, 13-10-2008 »
It's a fair point Reiner, although on his Decca recital, the arias from Faust and Carmen benefit from a lot of mezza voce and his version of the 'Prize Song' is done with beautifully gradated tone and dynamic variations. However, I suspect this is not always the case in the opera house  Roll Eyes

Domingo is a case in point here: in his prime he had a beautiful half voice, but he always used it far too infrequently. I heard him live a few times and he never sang at anything less than mezzo forte. Granted, it was a stunning sound, but he seemed unwilling to risk anything less. And didn't Bergonzi once say that , even though Verdi wrote it this way, there were only a few houses where he would sing the high B softly at the end of 'Celeste Aida' in case he got booed. Perhaps modern audiences' expectation that tenors only sing loud and louder has something to do with this? 
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