Rechercher des critiques de musique classique, opéra et ballet | Jonas Kaufmann

Soutenus par l’irréprochable Helmut Deutsch, l'Italienisches liederbuch de Jonas Kaufmann et Diana Damrau babillait, roucoulait, allégeant considérablement le style au demeurant sophistiqué d’Hugo Wolf.

C’est peu dire que la nouvelle production de Warlikowski, après les deux reprises qui ont ouvert cette saison de l’Opéra de Paris, était attendue. Promesses tenues.

Cette nouvelle production munichoise d'Andréa Chénier donnée en version concert au TCE a su convaincre par sa juste distribution et par la grande qualité de l'ochestre et des choeurs du Bayerische Staatsoper qui l'accompagnait. Bien que laissant quelque sentiment de frustration du fait de l'absence de mise en scène, cette oeuvre peu programmée ces dernières années ne perd en rien de sa force réflexive

Cinq ans après sa création au Teatro alla Scala, l’Opéra de Paris accueille pour dix représentations (avec une double distribution) la production de Lohengrin mise en scène par Claus Guth. Dire que ce Lohengrin était attendu relève de la litote. Ce spectacle marque le grand retour sur scène de Jonas Kaufmann, après quelque quatre mois d’absence et d’inquiétudes. L’effervescence en ce mercredi soir était donc à son comble.

Difficile de trouver association de plus haut standing que celle des Wiener Philharmoniker, du Chant de la Terre et du ténor allemand Jonas Kaufmann, assumant à lui seul les six parties du chef-d’œuvre. Remplaçant Daniele Gatti, le chef anglais Jonathan Nott a cherché à équivoquer la prud’homie du sérail viennois par un violent serrage de ceinture.

Pour la Damnation de Faust, Stéphane Lissner a réuni à l'Opéra de Paris sous la baguette de Philippe Jordan la crème des interprètes du moment, et notamment un Faust au style impressionant, pour lequel on se damnerait ! Hélas le metteur en scène A. Hermanis a choisi de transformer l'œuvre en un concept de science-fiction hors de propos.  

Kirill Petrenko donnait en version de concert au TCE l'opéra qu'il dirigera bientôt sur scène à Munich, avec le même cast. Il avait cependant une guest star de luxe, le Bacchus de Jonas Kaufmann. Une soirée où la musique était à la fête et où le théâtre était quand même présent.

Jonas Kaufmann and Anja Harteros, the “Royal couple” of the Bayerische Staatsoper, enchant and melt hearts as the doomed lovers in Verdi’s late masterpiece.

A successful concert performance of Umberto Giordano's verismo hit in Sydney, with a trio of international stars. 

Erstklassig besetzt und szenisch ins Heute geholt lässt Giuseppe Verdis Oper nicht nur Tenor-Fan-Herzen höher schlagen.

The hottest opera ticket in London this season sees Jonas Kaufmann and Anna Netrebko reunited on the Royal Opera House's stage for the first time since 2008. It was worth the wait. 

Mit großem Staraufgebot und einer reduzierten Lesart von Giuseppe Verdis Otello setzte die Bayerische Staatsoper mit der ersten Premiere der Saison vor allem psyologische Akzente.

The audience for The Met's first performance of La fanciulla del West this season arrived loaded for bear. Not only were they disappointed that Jonas Kaufmann was not singing (he's slated for shows starting 17th October), but their disappointment was heightened by the fact that tenor Yusif Eyvazov was singing.

Ein lauer Konzertabend mit 100% Wagner und guter Besetzung des ersten Aufzugs der Walküre bescheren ein schöne Sommernacht im niederösterreichischen Grafenegg.

El tenor más esperado ofreció un Wagner soberbio mientras confirmaba las dudas sobre su versatilidad para otros repertorios.

Instead of telling a story of spiritual enlightenment and ultimate redemption through faith, Pierre Audi's reading is bereft of mystery and magic.

Kaufmann’s magnificent instrument was not seen at its best in songs by Strauss, but there was pleasure from his clear artistry and the interesting orchestral pieces played by the BBCSO.

Jonas Kaufmann und Anja Harteros verleihen den Gefühlen in Giordanos dramatischem Werk eine große Wahrhaftigkeit.

Jonas Kaufmann and Camilla Nylund tackle the roles of Tristan und Isolde for the first time in Andris Nelsons' all-Wagner concert. 

Un espectacular cartel de cantantes convierte a este Andrea Chénier en el acontecimiento de la temporada. 

Krzysztof Warlikowski’s new Paris staging of Verdi's epic Don Carlos is cold and glassy, but the vocal performances at the Bastille more than compensate.

As clearly visible on all photos, the Sydney Opera House has two “sails”, interconnected major sections. One of them houses concerts, the other operas. Opera performances, however, are not exclusively taking place in the Opera Theatre.

With superb singing from Harteros, Salsi and Kaufmann, this production makes a strong case for Andrea Chénier’s continued presence in the repertoire.

After all the speculation, Jonas Kaufmann made his role debut as Otello at The Royal Opera – an impressive, if not unqualified, success. 

Selbst bei kurzfristigen Absagen weiß es die Staatsoper einen „gewöhnlichen“ Repertoireabend zum Glänzen zu bringen.

Anja Harteros strahlt in Umberto Giordanos Verismo-Oper mit Spitzenklängen und übertrumpft damit selbst Jonas Kaufmanns Comeback.

A stunning Sieglinde from Mattila eclipses Kaufmann's restrained Siegmund; Pappano conjures exceptional detail and drive from the LSO.

Die Bayerische Staatsoper hat Richard Wagners Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg unter großen Staraufgebot als Sängerfest inszeniert und auf eine ideenschwangere Inszenierung verzichtet

Giuseppe Verdis Aida hält alles bereit, was man für eine bombastische Operninszenierung braucht. Doch was, wenn man einfach auf den ganzen Pomp verzichtet und eine ganz schlichte Inszenierung wählt?

Flags, balloons and musical revelry bring the BBC Proms season to a close. 

Martin Kušej's production of La forza del destino is hard hitting and intelligent: an imperfect orchestral performance is more than compensated for by an outstanding cast of singers.

Fidelio waves goodbye to Barenboim at La Scala, and a fine production marks the occasion with a firework display. 

Neuenfels' production of Manon Lescaut for the Bayerische Staatsoper is strange but coherent. With a perfect cast and tight musical direction, this is about as good as Puccini opera gets.

The Met's revival of Carmen, with its rotating set, has a successful opening night with a strong cast, an insightful conductor, a superb orchestra and chorus, all working well as a team.

Martin Kušej’s modern production of La forza del destino emphasizes that familial and religious oppressions can be one and the same, destroying the love of free spirits.      

Jonas Kaufmann, German singer extraordinaire, may not be fully human. His exquisite chocolatey tenor, coupled with his extraordinary command of diction, tone and emotion, lend him an other-worldly air, whether performing opera or singing lieder. This man can do no wrong, as was witnessed Tuesday night at his Berlin Philharmonic performance of Schubert’s intense song cycle Winterreise.

Puccini’s La fanciulla del West, in its new production by Marco Arturo Marelli, features excellent singing from top to bottom, tight orchestral playing, beautiful lighting, and a decisive lack of cowboys, saloons and other “Wild West” clichés. Set in a modern-day mining village in the middle of somewhere vast and gorgeous, the production focuses on the social interplay and struggles of the miners.

Those who attended Jonas Kaufmann’s Vienna Wagner debut and were wondering why his Parsifal was beautiful but rather underwhelming in volume, were given the answer on the stage of the Konzerthaus two days later, when he announced himself as “still ill after a severe cold”.

Before the music in the Metropolitan Opera’s new Parsifal starts, a black but reflective curtain drapes the front of the stage. It is dim enough not quite to show the audience, but it picks out the chandeliers.

Outside Montréal’s Maison Symphonique thunder bellowed above a raging snowstorm, while inside the hall Jonas Kaufmann and Helmut Deutsch helped transport the audience to warmer climes.

The first opera of the season at La Scala is an event of huge cultural significance in Italy, so it raised some hackles when, for Giuseppe Verdi’s centenary year, the management passed over Verdi in favour of Wagner’s Lohengrin. But even Italians disappointed by the insult to their culture found it impossible to quarrel with the quality of the singing talent on show.

Faith and glamour have bookended this year’s Salzburg Festival, a move met with incredulity in certain quarters and yet one not entirely alien to Austrian customs, if one looks to the 20 or so most glittering events of the Viennese ball season, which is promptly curtailed by Ash Wednesday (still observed by much of the population here with high Catholic asceticism).

When Salzburg Festival director Alexander Pereira stepped onto the stage of the Großes Festspielhaus last night to announce that one of the cast members of La bohème was sick and unable to sing, he faced a chorus of hisses from the audience. Soprano Anna Netrebko, the festival’s biggest non-conductor star, was feeling fine (though as Mimì she would shortly die of consumption).

Richard Strauss and Hugo von Hofmannsthal’s Ariadne auf Naxos was first performed in 1912, in a production directed by Max Reinhardt. Unlike the version usually seen today, this first Ariadne was a long-winded play-opera-ballet hybrid, incorporating a full production of Molière’s Le bourgeois gentilhomme with dances to incidental music by Strauss followed by the short opera.

“I will return! I want to again be intoxicated by the triumphant smile of art!” proclaims the actress Adriana Lecouvreur in the extravagant opera of the same title. With this role, the soprano Angela Gheorghiu returned to New York in the first performance of the Opera Orchestra of New York’s Carnegie Hall season.

Ever since the Royal Opera House announced that two performances of its summer revival of Jonathan Kent's production of Tosca would feature an all-star cast, opera lovers all over the world have been desperately trying to get their hands on a golden ticket.

Giacomo Puccini comprehensively eclipsed the other Italian composers of his era. Three of them remain in the repertoire as one hit wonders: Mascagni, Leoncavallo and Francesco Cilea, whose four act Adriana Lecouvreur opened at Covent Garden last night.