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Examiner, February 23, 2014 |
Jake Johansen |
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Recital: Carnegie Hall, 20. Februar 2014 |
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Jonas Kaufmann makes Carnegie Hall debut *****
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Tenor Jonas Kaufmann, who just made the recital debut of the decade at
Carnegie Hall with pianist Helmut Deutsch last Thursday, is in very high
demand these days. Not only is he singing in every major opera house in the
world, singing every major tenor role, he is also carving a niche for
himself in the recital hall. He is currently singing at the Met in Werther,
and his recent aforementioned debut set the venue ablaze with thunderous
applause accompanied by more than a few bouquets from some of his adoring
devotees.
Mr. Kaufmann sang a varied program of Wagner, and Liszt,
and sang Schumann’s Dichterliebe in its entirety, as well as some
lesser-known works of his like selections from Zwölf Gedchte, Op. 35.
He chose his repertoire wisely as the sets he sang, though they are
reaching their bicentennial, still resonate with the modern audience. The
subject of love is nothing new to any population, and, thusly, the poetry of
this music will have a chance to connect even in the dullest of voices. But
where the singer becomes the artist is in the delivery. Mr. Kaufmann not
only delivered, he allowed us to feel the poetry with him by drawing us into
the act through the power of his voice. It is very easy for a singer to
over-act the subtitles of these texts, using physical motion to emphasize
moments for a non-native speaking audience. But he brought out the supple
richness in his voice to fully portray his character to tell these stories.
In Schumann’s “Stille Tränen” one could feel his love for this music,
and from “Ich grolle nicht,” we can sense his artestry as he sang "without a
grudge," conversing one-on-one to a nearly sold-out hall of three thousand
plus.
But the real magic occured in his final set of Liszt songs, Tre
sonetti di Petrarca. In “Benedetto sia’l giorno,” he began a note on the
softest of pianissimo’s, then arched into a slow crescendo until he reached
a full forte that was thrilling to behold. He made the floorboards tremble
during the same set with his “Pace non trovo.”
There is no other word
to use in describing his sound than rich. The man has a gilded set of cast
iron vocal chords that allow him to sing the most dramatic of Wagner to the
most lyric of Puccini, and back again.
That richness sounds something
akin to James McCracken and Jon Vickers by way of dramatics, with a little
Domingo thrown in to add depth and body. But his is certainly a voice all
his own, and certainly will be for many, many years to come. To call him the
greatest living tenor is to discredit his full potential. He has the makings
to become the greatest tenor of all time. But that is many seasons in the
future, and, of course, only time will tell.
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