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The Independent, 9 February 2017 |
Cara Chanteau |
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Liederabend, London, Barbican, 4. Februar 2017 |
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Kaufmann in Recital, Barbican, London, review: Kaufmann has utter control and warmth of tone
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The famous tenor, Jonas Kaufmann, began his two-week Barbican residency,
performing music far removed from his big operatic roles and accompanied by
pianist Helmut Deutsch
Today’s most sought-after tenor Jonas
Kaufmann began his Barbican residency with a recital of much more
out-of-the-way fare than his habitual Verdi, Wagner or Strauss. The first
half was devoted to Schumann’s setting of 12 songs by a Doctor Kerner, now
only remembered through this association. Broadly romantic and slightly
pallid compared with Schumann’s better-known cycles such as Dicterliebe,
they nevertheless gave full scope for Kaufmann to amaze with his utter
control and warmth of tone, capable of turning from stormy power to the most
fragile pianissimo floating on the edge of audibility.
Honour must
also be paid to the supreme artistry of accompanist Helmut Deutsch, matching
him at every turn as they stepped sideways into French repertoire with Henri
Duparc’s Mélodies (Baudelaire and others), then forward to Benjamin
Britten’s passionate Seven Sonnets of Michelangelo. It offered a generous
catalogue of what this charismatic tenor can do in recital.
There had
been concerns after bleeding on the vocal cords had forced Kaufmann to
cancel four months’ worth of engagements. Such fears were allayed after a
triumphant return in Lohengrin in Paris last month. Now Londoners can
reassure themselves that Kaufmann’s voice remains the same magnificent
instrument, deployed – as ever – with assured grace and precision.
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