The Telegraph, 11 Jan 2015
By Rupert Christiansen
 
Jonas Kaufmann, You Mean the World to Me, review: 'enthralling'
It’s hard not to be charmed by these plushly upholstered melodies, says Rupert Christiansen
The greatest tenor of our day tackles the light music of the Twenties and Thirties associated with popular singers such as Richard Tauber, Jan Kiepura and Joseph Schmidt. Whipped-cream kitsch abounds here, as does the lilting waltz, but it’s hard not to be charmed by these plushly upholstered melodies, especially if they are consumed in small doses.

Kaufmann is always an intelligently stylish singer, and here he cleverly lightens his timbre and manner to give each number (some of them sung in English) the appropriate air of easy and spontaneous sensuality.

Lehár’s You Are My Heart’s Delight and Korngold’s Glück, das mir verblieb may be the star attractions of the programme, but some lesser-known pearls such as Kálmán’s Grüss mir mein Wien and Benatzky’s Es muss was wunderbares sein are also resuscitated. Aficionados of the genre will be enthralled.






 
 
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