 Jonas
Kaufmann is the reigning operatic tenor of the day; his fans will lap this
album up, and it is indeed notable that even in this all-Italian program
(there are three Verdi pieces in French), there probably is not an Italian
singer who could manage similar commercial impact at this point. His rageful
work in "Tu? Indietro! Fuggi!" is probably worth the price of admission by
itself here. Ludovic Tézier is not a household name in the same way, but he
is undoubtedly a top baritone presence in the operas of Verdi and can
consistently deliver high-quality performances. So Insieme ("Together")
achieves the high baseline one would expect, but it also exceeds them and
has something to offer besides star quality. The tenor-baritone duet by
singers who perform together often and know each other well was a common
format during opera's 20th century golden age; one thinks of Plácido Domingo
and Sherrill Milnes. Yet such recordings are not so common these days, and
Kaufmann and Tézier revive it in fine style with this program of mostly
Verdi, a strong suit for both singers, and one piece each by Puccini (from
La bohčme) and Ponchielli (from La Gioconda). The program begins with these,
and that was probably a mistake; Kaufmann and Tézier wouldn't be first picks
for the youthful friends in the Puccini, but when the pair tears into Verdi,
things quickly get very exciting. Sample the tension in "Le voilŕ! C'est
l'enfant!" from Act Two of Don Carlo; one almost wants to see the characters
leap onto the stage (and they have, often, in the past). The pair achieve
the feeling of spontaneity throughout, which is the key to this kind of
project. Antonio Pappano and the Orchestra of the Accademia di Santa Cecilia
are a key cog in this entertainment machine, leaving the singers room to do
their thing but contributing expressivity of their own. This will be a major
holiday gift item for opera lovers in 2022 and beyond.
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