Liedermatinee Jonas Kaufmann Helmut Deutsch

Note: Foto belongs to Julien, posted here(on opera-giocoso) ( i hope he is ok with me borrowing it, it was just too perfect to resist, it really captures the bond these two have)


So back from Zurich and planning to stay put for a while (so those overdue thoughts on Elisir and Lohengrin at the ROH will also get a chance to be written down, i promise :-)).

It was so incredibly hot in Zurich!! 30 degrees and in London just 15, too much of a difference. And I’ve been fighting off a nasty tonsilitis since the beginning of the week. On Thursday I wasn’t so sure to go but then the antibiotics finally kicked in and since I had no fever decided i was ok to travel. Not that throat ache or loss of voice has ever stopped me ;-) I had a client at work once say with delight on the Friday when my voice cracked on the "good bye" and completely dissapeared on the "see you next week".."if you will be able to still ask us questions!". So i wrote on a scrap of paper: "if you think my chatting skills are scary you haven't seen my non-verbal communication yet!!!" ;-)

Anyways, never a boring time with these travels lately, i must have a really cheeky guardian angel who thinks it is amusing to see how bad things can get before they turn out good in the end… Plane was good this time ( loooveee those new planes Swiss has, extra leg-room, yay!, and they are cheaper on the route than BA if you manage to book in advance, and they upgraded the croissants to yummy sandwiches), pity i had to carry the farmacy with me ( good thing at the airport security control nobody tried to taste my cough syrup... puke!)... I mean, just what you need, hot weather and you can’t have anything icecold…

In Zurich I watched the concert from Berlin on TV( Beethoven, 9, Barenboim, Berlin, Brandenburger Tor, Pape, JK, Roschman, Meier) but the images weren’t that good, when the singers sang they showed the orchestra, when the chorus sang the conductor and so on… and the lot clearly didn’t get much rehearsal time, some really audible hick ups and the chorus was pretty much chaotic… The 4 singing were the best bit of it, but the microphones weren’t all that great… still probably the biggest audience they ever sang in front off :-) And a special event after all ( even if the politicians didn’t think so, the benches where they were supposed to sit were 30% empty and one in the front row fell asleep during it, he sat there dozing off with his head fallen on his chest… and woke up with a jump during Freude… smashing! ;-))) All on national TV... ( don't even think about giggling at the fact that i was sitting in Zurich in a hotel room, watching a concert from Berlin on TV.. remember! tonsilitis... supposed to rest, relax, recoup, ergo...i had a good excuse!)

Then dinner, cough, cough, alcohol free beer, cake, cough, spazieren, lake, cough, chat, cough, chat, 4 hours sleep... Sunday!

The Liedermatinee was great! Only Jonas knows how he did it, with all his busy schedule the week before. Two hours of beautiful singing and storytelling! I always love the Strauss but hearing the Burgschaft and the Dichterliebe live was special. Helmut Deutsch was also in good shape, I’d almost say better than in Paris, somehow they both managed to capture the attention of the audience from the first note and it was as if you couldn’t get your eyes and ears off them. The managed to arrange the hall really nicely with a big bouquet of flowers on the sides and a huge tapestry the size of the curtain pulled down behind them. I wish i had the camera with me!

Someone said his voice maybe sounded a bit tired (more likely a bit sleepy ;-)) … I honestly couldn't say. At least it woke up quickly, wish i was so fast at being ready to go in the mornings ;-) I may be wrong, but i don't think there are many tenors around singing Burgschaft, and probably also Dichterliebe, it sounds as if made for baritones, both definitely dip low and very low indeed and any tenor would have a tough time filling those registers to the full without ocassionally mixing some warm air in :-) (there was very little of that by the way, thank God! warm air we did not need, more like buckets of ice :-))))

What I do know is that in terms of retelling and interpreting the songs he was very good. Because I think the point is not to pay attention to the actual note or think about how his voice sounds, but to think about the song you hear and the story it is telling you, the images it paints. It may sound strange but while listening to them it was like having a picture showing in my mind. I could imagine the flowers, the Bachlein, the Wind, the tears and embraces, all in Technicolor!! Amazing! In Paris I was excited and really liked it, but yesterday I could have sat there and listened to them for hours and hours, telling more and more stories and the movie in my mind would have been Oscar-worthy!

I especially liked the Dichterliebe, which really felt like a cycle, like a continuous string of little pearls, rather than a collection of individual songs. I’ve known the poetry since school time, but like this it becomes much more the expression of the poets feelings and thoughts. If there hadn’t been that stupid mobile going off in the middle of it!!! Unbelievable! Of course it took a while for the owner to find it.. I was upset because i thought, now that’s it with the “Stimmung”!!! Jonas just went on as if nothing at all had happened and he somehow managed to make the next song more intense, more intimate, so that I managed to slip right back into the “Traumwelt” which he created and immediately forget about the phone.

Amazing, because I am sure he heard it too and it must be really annoying, and then to draw everyone in with such easiness is no small thing. I don’t think before last morning I really saw how he can hold the audience in his hands or rather clinging to his lips. And it is not by imposing his presence in any way. I would even say in an opera his presence is more defined, not necessarily aggressive, but assertive, he is there! But in a liederabend/matinee it is different, the “Minnesanger” has priority. How to explain it? In an opera when he sings you feel as if he extends himself to reach you, he reaches out to the audience, where as in lieder it works the other way around, you feel drawn to him, to follow him where he leads. It is just as powerful, but in a different way. It was magic to be able to enjoy it without constant interruption of applause and just drown a bit in the music ;-) I think most people felt like this because at the end of the cycles there were long moments of silence before the applause erupted :-) Helmut also did his bit to make the tension special by keeping his hands on the keys just for a few seconds more to let the feeling linger. Magic, magic, magic!

The Strauss was more animated, because they are much more contrasting in mood and with those Jonas likes to play about more ;-)

He doesn’t move about too much, but a smile, the simple expression of his face is enough to convey the feeling. Mind you it was a good idea not to move more, it was as hot as hell if not more! He was singing about tears running down the cheeks and you could see the sweat drops slowly trickling from his forehead onto the lapels of his suit ( they both wore suits, Jonas without a tie ;-)) . After the break they both appeared just in white shirts and Jonas asked for understanding and explained that they had to leave etiquette for the sake of art , and he very kindly said that of course in turn we are allowed to do the same ;-))) We kindly decided to keep our clothes on, in spite of the heat ;-)))

The applause was big from the beginning but it was loud cheering and bravos by the end and we got 3 more encores: Breit uber mein Haupt, Ich trage meine Minne und Nichts :-) Maybe he would have gone on for 1,2 more but they had Rigoletto on in some 30 min and we all got more or less thrown out ;-) Oh, Pereira came on stage to give him and Herr Deutsch each a big bouquet of roses… roses were beautiful.

I’m glad I didn’t cough once, I completely forgot about the throat :-) I did get through half a box of Strepsils ( and i absolutely hate hard candy!!) I guess with all that sugar i could have done without dinner and lunche for about 2 days... Felt like licking at a bowl of salt at the end ;-) Mind you, others weren’t so lucky, a couple peppered the whole thing with “cough” “cough” and all throughout we could hear people talking on the corridor, but while they were singing and playing nobody really noticed these disturbances. Well, except i had a lady next to me trying to open a plastic box with small rattling candy during a lied ...but after barely escaping assasination from the one in front of her she decided to wait with play until the pause between the lieder ( and thanks to the one in front of her i am able to avoid a sentence of live in prison for commiting murder with my bare hands!). I am somehow for all eternity and all performances plagued by little old candy munching grannies, now what have i done to deserve that???

And with that the full two hours of the joy of singing came to an end and Jonas had to go back to signing and photo -duty :-) An official signing had been organised and the lucky present were able to get the new Cd and get up close with the charmingly smiling artist and the equally talented pianist. This artistic and friendship bond they have is evident whenever you see them playing and working together and it is what glues the whole thing together and allows both of them to rediscover this music anew every time, with a freshness and spontaneity that makes it exciting for the listener as well.

Looking forward to doing this again :-)

Liedmatinée Jonas Kaufmann Zurich, 24/05/2009
Jonas Kaufmann Tenor
Helmut Deutsch Klavier

Franz Schubert 1797-1828
Die Bürgschaft D 246

Robert Schumann 1810-1856
Dichterliebe
Liederzyklus nach Heinrich Heine, op. 48
Im wunderschönen Monat Mai
Aus meinen Tränen spriessen
Die Rose, die Lilie, die Taube
Wenn ich in deine Augen seh’
Ich will meine Seele tauchen
Im Rhein, im heiligen Strome
Ich grolle nicht
Und wüssten’s die Blumen
Das ist ein Flöten und Geigen
Hör’ ich das Liedchen klingen
Ein Jüngling liebt ein Mädchen
Am leuchtenden Sommermorgen
Ich hab’ im Traum geweinet
Allnächtlich im Traume seh’ ich dich
Aus alten Märchen winkt es
Die alten, bösen Lieder


*** Pause ***


Richard Strauss 1864-1949
Fünf Lieder op. 21 «Schlichte Weisen»
All’ mein Gedanken, mein Herz und mein Sinn
Du meines Herzens Krönelein
Ach Lieb, ich muss nun scheiden
Ach weh mir unglückhaftem Mann
Die Frauen sind oft fromm und still

Vier ausgewählte Lieder
Sehnsucht op. 32, 2
Nachtgang op. 29, 3
Freundliche Vision op. 48, 1
Ich liebe dich op. 37, 2

Vier Lieder op. 27
Heimliche Aufforderung
Ruhe, meine Seele
Morgen
Cäcilie


Encores:

Breit' über mein Haupt dein schwarzes Haar
Ich trage meine Minne
Nichts

Tip: Helmut Deutsch will also visit us in London acompanying both Matthias Goerne and Thomas Quasthoff at the Wigmore in the next season.

Jonas Kaufmann "Sehnsucht" ist out today

It's D-day so to speak :-) Well, for those lucky ones to live close to the Cd shop in Germany anyways ;-)

So, first of all Congratulations to Jonas for the new CD!!! Judging from recent interviews he is really happy with it and it has brought him joy to record it and relive so many memories of years of music, even from his childhood.

Obviously i can't say much about it yet; once i get my copy i'll give it a good listen and probably have something to post about :-)

Meanwhile, i have been ducking this particular photo for a while... I really like this set of photos, there are plenty at Klassikakzente, Decca and Jonas official page if you want to know what i am talking about ;-) They look like him and most are interesting, funny or simply cool ;-) The only one i don't like in the bunch is this one! Figures that one would then become the one we will see in any advert, newspaper and magazine... LOL. I like the posture and the idea in itself, what i don't like about it is the bad photoshoping it went through. Those colours are no longer natural and the look was intense enough without strange contrasts added onto the face. Don't know why they don't use the actual cover? Ok, it must be because of that "come here" thingy in the photo...

Anyways, you figure it out for yourselves :-) It's not like i am the most reliable judge, because i would have bought it if it came wrapped in brown paper ;-)))

What you see there is the official slogan of the Cd-campaign: "JK. Germany's most beautiful voice." ( i had a different idea : "BMW, Weissbier and Jonas, das beste aus Bayern!" but alas, nobody thought to ask me.... ). I guess it'll do, but wonder whether it will be the same one when the CD gets launched internationally. I'll not go analysing why beautiful and not any other adjective that comes to mind in connection with Jonas voice. It's just a slogan :-) Content is what matters at the bottom line.

And with that we come to the last peek preview from the CD available in full length at Klassikakzente.de : Lohengrin with In fernem Land

It will be interesting to see what listeners make of the new CD :-) Many will maybe go: "Tamino and Siegmund????? no way!" I'd say why not? It is interesting to read what Jonas thinks about all this music and where the harmony in the collection actually comes from (you can use the Google translator for example on the Jonas related pages and there is plenty to find out). After all, why record music that has been recorded over and over again if you can't make it personal? I think an artist has to have a personal connection to his or her recordings and they should both convey this personal experience as well as the individual interpretation of the music. This is what would make it unique for me and worth listening to. I want to know what glues it all together, but also individually explore each story. Contrasts? Maybe it is actually variety. It's likely that if you listen to each story on its own and the way it is told, what may seem as contrast will actually be shades and colours and emotions.

PS you can get it at amazon.de , beware, freight to other countries can be hefty.

Jonas Kaufmann singing La donna e mobile at Classical Brits09

Thanks for the video operagazette

Unfortunately the E lucevan got cut from the ...highlights... no comment on the rest of the program... Pity also the sound engineers thought louder is better... it ain't.

Still it is a cute souvenir for all of us who couldn't hear it live :-)

Enjoy!

By the way, Jonas has of yesterday also a new JK Official page with interesting new bits about himself he decided to share :-)

Sweet gifts from and for friends

No photos of people today :-) and the one above is borrowed from people with more luck and good planning then me. The times when my camera finger really itches are of course the times i haven't got it with me..

This week i have been back up in Scotland and was greeted by the most amazing blue skies, the kind of sharp, pure blue you only get up there. I wish i had had time to feel the beach under my feet, but unfortunately the closest i got was not nearly close enough...

Still, nothing like breathing in fresh sea air, looking around and seeing nothing but the most intense green and the stark, reliable grey of granite with little white sheep dotted along the hills.

I missed stuff in London, but i got to enjoy a bit of Scottish summer at its best.

The week ended like summer always does up there, with a serious, kid-you-not downpour!

I like the rain in Scotland! It doesn't muck about, with two drops there and two drops here, where you carry your brollie around for nothing and still have your shoes full of dirt at the end of the day. Instead, it is the kind of rain where your brollie is useless, so you don't bother with it in the first place. In 30 seconds you are dripping with the clean, fresh water coming from above, you shake out your hair in the wind and have a good laugh about it. And then you have a cup of tea with shortbreads, or a pint with some fresh fish to warm up.

And just like that the world feels whole and normal again... I have a hunch that this feeling of belonging, of being back home will always be there whenever i am in Scotland. It's strange for so many reasons, i can't even begin to explain, but why questions things when they feel right ?And to me this does.

I'm back from this week as peaceful and as relaxed as i haven't been in quite a while.

So, because i feel so good it's time to share! Over the last weeks i have received some musical gifts from good friends and here is for all of you my favourite bit of Tosca :-) Don't go... on noooo, not Tosca again! before you listen to it :-)

Of course it is Jonas Kaufmann as Mario Cavaradossi singing "O dolci mani..." from act 3 Tosca in Wien a couple of days ago (she is Catherine Naglestad, and don't gt too bothered about the orchestra ;-)):

CAVARADOSSI
Tu!?... di tua man l'uccidesti? - tu pia, tu benigna, - e per me!

TOSCA
N'ebbi le man tutte lorde di sangue!

CAVARADOSSI
prendendo amorosamente fra le sue le mani di Tosca
O dolci mani mansuete e pure,
o mani elette a bell'opre e pietose,
a carezzar fanciulli, a coglier rose,
a pregar, giunte, per le sventure,
dunque in voi, fatte dall'amor secure,
giustizia le sue sacre armi depose?
Voi deste morte, o man vittoriose,
o dolci mani mansuete e pure!...

Immer grossere Sehnsucht.....

Foto Decca/scholtzshootspeople at http://www.jonas-kaufmann.com/

For more on the album, you can now click on the link above and browse through the gallery and listen to the snippets from the tracks.

And here is also anothe full length track at Klassikakzente.de :

"Wer deutsche Operarien singt, kommt an der Zauberflöte nicht vorbei. Schließlich stellt dieses raffinierte Verwirrspiel um die Liebe und die Menschlichkeit eines der Höhepunkte der Musikkultur überhaupt dar. Deshalb musste Mozarts Meisterwerk unbedingt seinen Platz neben Wagner, Schubert und Beethoven haben, wenn sich Jonas Kaufmann dem Reiz dieser Pretiosen der Vokalwelt annimmt.Und wie er diese Arie gestaltet, feinsinnig und sinnlich zugleich, versunken und ehrfürchtig, ganz so, wie man sich den vom Pfeile Amors getroffenen Tamino vorstellt. Es ist eine von zehn herausragenden Arien, die ab kommender Woche als vollständiges Album unter dem Titel „Jonas Kaufmann: Sehnsucht.“ veröffentlicht wird. Als dritten Teil des besonderen Vorab-Services, der KlassikAkzente.de präsentiert, kann man den Startenor aus München mit der Bildnisarie als Online-Stream genießen.Hier geht's lang zum schönen Klang:"

Tamino - Bildnisarie

So far I am unable to chose a favourite... but this is something special indeed.... how can one go from powerful and passionate (I'm thinking Wintersturme) to this..... Totally tender and sensitive...

Music trip Wien… one more Tosca, same Cavaradossi :-)

Catherine Naglestad, Jonas Kaufmann. Foto: Axel Zeininger (Wiener Zeitung)

Tosca, Puccini, Wien 09/05/2009

Dirigent: Pier Giorgio Morandi
Floria Tosca : Catherine Naglestad
Mario Cavaradossi: Jonas Kaufmann
Scarpia : Ruggero Raimondi
Angelotti : Clemens Unterreiner
Spoletta: Alexander Kaimbacher

Orchester und Chor der Wiener Staatsoper



I guess Tosca will never be my favourite opera, which doesn’t mean I can’t see it often enough if given good reasons. Listening to the most interesting Cavaradossi around these days IS reason enough.

So off I was again to see what must be one of the oldest, if not THE oldest Tosca production still around! The Tosca at the Wiener Staatsoper is now 51 years old…. and doesn’t look a year older than …. 30 ;-) It is of course totally traditional; haven’t checked the details, but I suspect an almost exact depiction of the libretto. And as far as old productions go, this has the merit that although deeply historically embedded, it managed to stay away from exaggeration and it gives you plenty to look at without totally distracting you. It is also remarkably well maintained. There is also the fact that the space on stage at the Staatsoper is almost twice as big as the seating area, which means you are too far away too see the wear and tear. Still, it looks fresher, than say, the Hoffmann at ROH. Where it does show its age is in the difference between decorative and atmospheric. There are “traditional” productions today, i.e set in the historically accurate time, with period costumes, etc. However they tend to have an added twist, extra lighting, individual elements brought forward for other purposes than just the pleasing of the eye. Sitting in the Staatsoper it was very interesting to observe the difference between this production and the one at ROH. In Wien you almost felt like seeing Rome before your eyes, but in a sight-seeing kind of way. Where as in the ROH production the elements are used to imprint a certain atmosphere as well, not only to decorate or suggest coordinates in space.

In the Zurich/Carsen production the atmosphere and the emotional currents were almost overpowering, in a way which almost made you uncomfortable sometimes. Which is most effective in transmitting messages? Most likely the Carsen version, as everything there is tuned to push your buttons. The ROH production has however some of the lavishness of the period, which is nice to discover again from time to time.

In this respect, the production in Wien is harder to work with, because unless you have good singers, who are also very engaged actors, it remains a pretty picture with little emotional impact. It stays theatre and doesn’t really become a story. I personally felt the difference in the second act, which made unusually little impact on me. It is supposed to be the high point of emotion and passions, to the point where things boil over. Faced with a pretty, light filled salon it is even harder to make the darkness brood. Also, this is by definition Scarpia’s act…which is where I sadly have to admit that I was disappointed by Ruggero Raimondi. Not vocally, his top is much more slick and secure than I would have ever expected at this point.( of course, everything else than forte is no longer that nice, but he has the technique and experience to deliver pleasant singing). But, with cherished images of his Don Giovanni and even the Tosca DVD in mind, I searched and searched for what I expected to be a vivid stage presence and found much less…. I don’t know if it is because he has to concentrate more on the singing at this stage, or just because he is actually too nice to come across convincingly as evil…. But I wasn’t particularly impressed by his Scarpia, nor really frightened, or repulsed or fascinated… Where was the machiavellic, serpent like Scrapia I pictured from the DVD… I don’t know. I couldn’t find him last night.

In contrast Naglestad’s Tosca seemed a bit overacted in this part, probably more so as she didn’t have equally strong reactions from Scarpia to play against. Her shudders while looking at the day bed and the panicked and uncontrollable frenzy with which she stabs Scarpia several times, front and back, where effective, but her movements were altogether too broad, too athletic. She covered just a tiny bit too much space with her arms, swished her dress around a bit too much. A Tosca of those times would very likely have had much more restrained movements, until the situation became physically dangerous for her, she would have maybe tried to stare him to death rather than gesticulate widely.

Musically it is harder to describe things because I had an awkward seat...first row, just two steps away from the percussion (didn’t chose it, it is what happens when you pre-order, sometimes you are lucky and sometimes you’re not). For the price of the ticket the sound is terrible. It wasn’t as bad as in the Manon, or rather in a different way. In the first row you sit next to the instrumentalists in the pit, and I mean in a kind of hand shaking, eye contact, smile at each other kind of way. Basically the guy with the violin, the trombone or the drum is as close to you as you next seat neighbour. And the pit in Wien is something else, it is completely open, that is not at all covered by the stage, quite vast … and on this particular night - high, they were sitting at the same level as the audience. Add to this the distance to the stage and the fact that things did not happen at stage limit, but rather 2 or more meters inside the stage and you get all kinds of unpleasant audio effects: it was exciting to feel so much part of the orchestra and be able to hear each instrument as a totally separate and individual sound, but it doesn’t make for a very good Puccini experience…. And you also felt surrounded by a wall of sound which at time was quite difficult to penetrate by the singing voices. The sound of the orchestra together with the distance and the high walls of the decors dampened Mario’s tortured cries just a bit too much, never mind the poor child singer in the last act who was almost inaudible.

Overall I still thought they played better than at the Manon, and the players were evidently individually good, but good players don’t necessarily make a good orchestra and the winds love to play up way too much and were not adequately dampened by the conductor. The piercing interjection at the end of act two was so incredibly harsh it sounded almost off. Overall the conductor (Pier Giorgio Morandi) drove slow, sometimes languid tempi. They worked unusually well for the Visi d’arte which had a touch of tenderness and sweetness, but had a contrary effect at other times, which I will come back to.

With Mario’s torture in the 2nd scene the production was traditionally restrained. I mean the man was screaming in pain and from what Scarpia describes the means used are beyond horror, so why does he come out more lead than carried, he is supposed to have fainted? And there are few splatters of blood on his forehead and shirt. Not that I enjoy horrific images, but the idea is that your heart must break when you see what they have put him through and he resisted. And the pain when he finds out it was all for nothing, because Tosca has revealed the secret, must be double as harsh. It is from this profound desperation and frustration that the notice of Napoleon’s victory gives him some relief and vindication. The pain must be as deep for the Vittoria to be as uplifting. (I really liked this in ROH, when they really made an effort for Mario to look the part and appear as week initially and as enlivened subsequently, as Jonas always does his bit to sound it :-)). Luckily, Jonas did his best to wince convincingly in pain and show that Mario goes on “victorious” by force of will, determination and dignity to overcome physical frailty. The Vittoria, judging by the applause at the end of act, more than fulfilled the public’s expectations. However, it was so powerful that my favourite bit of it, the “Scarpia, carnefice” was a bit less so, also due to the fact that the orchestra overreacted once again and totally overshadowed the last outcry. Mind you the jailors/torturers were obviously not accustomed to such determined Marios and they almost let him loose on Scarpia ( in a last minute reaction they grabbed Jonas quickly and in earnest ;-) And not a moment too soon ;-))

Moving on to the last act, this is where the slow tempi backfired somewhat.

I love this act and needless to say, “E lucevan” is a big part of it, and so is “dolci mani”. I’ll admit that I am ridiculously spoiled in this respect, I’ve come to prefer Jonas’ languid, love and melancholy filled interpretation beyond all others. It feels right and it is just what you need to empathise with the tragic end of the character. Not that I can’t like other interpretations, or that I think this is the only one emotional one. It is just the one that I like more. If only… if only the conductor would have not elongated the lines beyond human breath. The violin sounded absolutely beautiful and filled with sadness, as did the clarinet.. BUT this is not an aria for two instruments. I’m convinced by the skills of the players, but what Puccini wanted us to hear here are Mario’s last thoughts. And I didn’t find it acceptable that the balance was reversed, forcing the singer into almost un-breathable lines, destroying the ethereal and fluid fragility of the net of thoughts he spins with his voice. Almost, because he managed to react and with seamless technique adjust his breathing and line to the players and harmonise towards a beautiful end. More power to him, for making the transition almost unnoticeable. The public went absolutely wild after it, which I have mixed feelings about. The applause was more than deserved, but of course, cheering and shouting totally wrecks the sadness of the atmosphere he just managed to envelop us in. Personally, I believe the cheering can wait until the end, because the emotional intensity that is gained by letting the music flow is all worth it.
Obviously, the conductor had a different idea, he just lay his stick down and let the cheering unfold. There were Bis shouts, which were unsuccessful :-)

The remainder of the act unfolded under a beautifully acted and quite sensitively sung love duet. And with that we come to the best bits of the evening, Catherine and Jonas managed to portray a very believable and engaged couple. The dolci mani was sweet and passionate and the whole interaction brought me at least a lot of emotion. Especially when she dreams of freedom and behind her in a sad pose, unseen by her, he slowly shakes his head in negation. The last embrace beautifully mirrors one in the first act, but with the fragility in the pose reversed. Where as in the first act Mario sits up on the stairs and holds her against him, she resting on his legs, and gently embraces her, here they are reversed and she is the one soothingly stroking his head resting against her. His fragility and the effort he makes to hide his despair in the embrace and her tenderness are touching to tears. Although I only barely escaped letting one slip on his “Parlami ancora come dianzi parlavi…”… And they both proved that there is no need for big gestures to transmit emotion, slowly fidgeting hands, a gentle caress, a kiss on the hand is all is needed.

Her last cry was effective and generally her strong high register impressed the public, for me her voice was not that ideal, I think retrospectively I prefer Emily Magee’s warmer, more homogenous tone. Sometimes Naglestad sounded a bit imbalanced, with piercing top, but piani which sometimes ended on just too much air. Her diction is not the best one can hear, but I think it is not so much the diction , but the emission of her vowels, which was at times too open and made her sound dry and hollow. I mean she is a decent Tosca, but I am sorry to say she is not really my favourite one.

This is somehow Tosca backwards, sorry if this is confusing! But I have left the best for last! Strangely enough the first act was the best, for me also due to the interaction of Catherine and Jonas. Although once again the Mario I got was different from what I expected. With Carsen I got to know a different Mario, sweet and genuine, a good, warm person through and through and just when I though that actually made sense and I don’t mind him being rather on the tender side than on the “cheeky” one I was watching the Mario last night with some disbelief… Who’s this guy impatiently and dismissively snapping at the sacristano? And constantly peeking behind Tosca’s back at the chapel where he has hidden Angelotti… No blue eyes will be painted black with this pintore! Of course this Mario still loves his Tosca, but he’s no push over :-) But boy does he siiiiiiiiiiiiiinggggggggggggg!!!!!!!!! This is the single most beautiful Recondita armonia I have ever heard…. And unbelievable to all, it ended in the most amazing endless descrescendo! And throughout the entire first act the romantic and fluid tempi were a perfect match for the lovers quarrel and play. So much so that from the first notes of the Recondita at least half the orchestra members decided they wanted to see part of the show as well. Anyone who wasn’t busy with their fingers was twisting their necks to see and hear him on stage and I couldn’t stop smiling and gloating at their pleased and enchanted looks. Quite a couple actually got up from their chairs in desperate attempts to see him while singing, trying at the same time to not be visible for the entire public. It was so entertaining to watch the reaction of the members of the orchestra! And after Recondita they all started applauding. And yes, those were some totally awesome legatos and endlessly flowing lines, so I too was happy to drool along :-) (although if I were Floria I would have whacked this particularly impatient Mario over his curls with the paint brush he wouldn’t stop wriggling in her nose in self important demonstrations of busyness!)

The neck wringing and the admiring glances from the orchestra didn’t stop throughout the whole evening and there is nothing more special that watching people who know and like music fall under his spell :-)

So, yes, one more Tosca, but the first one where my favourite bit was Recondita armonia :-)


Pity for the overall not so great sound experience from those seats… However, I believe the sound is better anywhere else than in the orchestra stalls, so stay away from the expensive tickets if you can and you will probably get a better balanced and more homogenous sound.

The evening ended with more than 10 minutes long applause and the generalised siege on the stage door :-)


PS I'm afraid i don't have any pictures from the performance so all i am able to give you are some crappy shots taken with my mobile in the EMI shop window around the Oper, from the Arcadia shop windows where on Sunday they were organising a signing with JK ( which i didn't go to, was already on my way back) and from the Kaiser's tea room in the Staatsoper, which you get to see if you go to the guided tours, and which can also be rented out privately.

News flash - Jonas Kaufmann (Classical Brits and Sehnsucht)

Jonas will be at the Classical BRIT Awards, according to Classic FM:

http://www.classicfm.co.uk/music/music-news-and-features/more-artists-added-brits-lineup/

"Female Artist of the Year nominee and trumpeter Alison Balsom and the German tenor Jonas Kaufmann complete the star-studded line-up which already features Welsh opera diva Katherine Jenkins (no comment on this one....) , teenage soprano sensation Faryl Smith , world renowned tenor Plácido Domingo and Roman Catholic Fathers, The Priests .
Adding to the 10th Anniversary celebrations, it has been confirmed that HRH The Duchess of Cornwall will be attending the event for the second time. In addition to attending, HRH The Duchess of Cornwall will present the Lifetime Achievement award to José Carreras . Hosted by Myleene Klass , The Classical BRIT Awards 2009 with NS&I will be broadcast on ITV1 on Tuesday 19 May at 10:35pm and repeated on ITV3 on Sunday 24 May at 7:45pm."

The ceremony will happen live on Thursday, the 14th of May 2009 at the Royal Albert Hall:

http://www.classicalbrits.co.uk/home

Tickets can be purchased here

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Sehnsucht!

Now you can listen to another peek preview of Jonas' new CD at Klassikakzente

This time it is Lohengrin, saying goodbye to Elsa in Mein lieber Schwan...

"Diesmal wendet sich Jonas Kaufmann der Dramatik von Richard Wagners „Lohengrin“ zu. Er plant, ihn auch in der laufenden Saison in München auf der Bühne zu präsentieren. Denn der famose Tenor liebt das Werk als die italienischste Oper, die der Komponist jemals geschrieben hat. Der Reiz liegt besonders darin, „Lohengrin zu einer sehr menschlichen Person zu machen, eine, mit der man auf der Bühne mitleben und -fühlen kann“. "

--> The challenge is to realise a human portray of Lohengrin, one the audience can relate to, can empathise with and to which they can connect emotionally.

For those of you who have missed it, here is also Siegmund, Walkure : Wintersturme

"Kein Wunder, dass sein neues Werk „Sehnsucht" heißt, ein Programm mit deutschen Opernszenen von Mozart bis Wagner, die er zusammen mit dem Mahler Chamber Orchestra unter der Leitung von Claudio Abbado verwirklicht hat. Damit jeder Arien-Freund einen kleinen Vorgeschmack darauf bekommt, wird von dieser Ausgabe an jede Woche bis Ende Mai ein Stück aus „Sehnsucht" bei KlassikAkzente.de als Live-Stream zu genießen sein. Den Anfang macht Titel Nr. 8 der neuen CD: „Winterstürme wichen dem Wonnemond" aus Richard Wagners „Die Walküre". Hören Sie selbst!"

Enjoy!!!!!

By the way, the CD will be available in the UK and can already be preordered from here. (Oh :-((((.... Release date: 7-9-2009! A week ago it still said 25th May 2009...it did seem too good to be true..... oh well, for those impatient like me there is always this option, release date 22nd May 2009)