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Euronews, 10/12/2015 |
Text by Nick Hammond |
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Center stage: Opéra National de Paris |
The art of the tenor: Jonas Kaufmann
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In Faust, a musically wide-ranging role |
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Jonas Kaufmann is possibly the most sought-after tenor in the world at
the moment, selling out opera houses and concert halls well in advance, and
it is easy to see why. He possesses an impressive vocal range (from high
tenor down to deeper baritone) and has the versatility to perform at the
highest level in a wide variety of repertoires, encompassing lighter lyric
tenor roles, the great roles of the Italian, French and German 19th-century
operatic canon and, in recent years, even singing a number of the much
heavier Wagner parts. Those who were lucky enough to see his Parsifal or
Siegmund (in ‘‘Die Walküre’’) at the Metropolitan Opera in New York will not
forget his performances in a hurry. It is therefore no surprise when he
cites Plácido Domingo as one of his earliest influences, because the Spanish
tenor/baritone is one of the very few singers to have similar versatility
and flexibility.
Kaufmann is a familiar face in Paris. He has
performed regularly at both the Opera Garnier and the Bastille Opera, where
he is returning to sing the title role in Berlioz’s ‘‘La Damnation de
Faust,’’ opposite Bryn Terfel as Méphistophélès and Sophie Koch as
Marguerite (two singers that he knows well), during the month of December.
He loves especially the sharp contrast between the Bastille and the
Garnier. ‘‘It is wonderful to have two very different opera houses for
different repertoires,’’ he says. ‘‘The shape of the Bastille stage is
strange to some because it is so wide, but the acoustics are very good and
they help the singers to have the audience at much closer range than is the
case in many more traditional theaters.’’
Although he has sung the
part of Faust in a number of operatic and concert performances, it has been
a decade since he last performed the role, and he is happy to revisit it.
When asked whether his interpretation of Faust has changed since he first
played the part in Brussels in 2002, he is emphatic that he adds to the
character every time he rediscovers it.
Also, the fact that his voice
has developed in the last few years with the new roles that he has sung
means that some musical phrases that used to challenge his voice now come
much more easily.
Vocally the part is, he says, similar to many
French repertory roles: ‘‘They never want to stay in one direction. The
music follows the emotions. For Faust, at one moment there is a high lyric
side which then moves to a dramatic range, with strong emotions involved.
Later, after he has encountered Méphistophélès, he is almost a
Heldenbaritone, with some low notes. It’s a big mix but it makes sense,
since it follows the whole gamut of feelings that Faust is going through.’’
Before the premiere of the Berlioz opera on Dec. 8, Jonas Kaufmann will
be singing in the ‘‘pre-premiere’’ dress-rehearsal showing on Dec. 5, which
is open to spectators who are under the age of 28 and who pay only 10 euros
(or about $11) for their ticket, and he is excited by the prospect.
‘‘It is a great idea,’’ he says, ‘‘as it attracts a younger audience to the
opera. The experience is very different, as sometimes the audience giggles
where you wouldn’t expect it, but it is always interesting to see their
reaction. ‘La Damnation de Faust’ is a fresh and young piece, and I think
that a young audience will respond well to it.’’
Having recently sung
in the Royal Albert Hall in London at the ‘‘Last Night of the Proms,’’ where
the audience is always very vocal and raucous, Kaufmann jokes that he is now
ready to face any reaction when on stage.
Kaufmann is always
preparing new parts, and, in addition to returning to the Bastille in a
year’s time to sing the title role in Offenbach’s ‘‘Tales of Hoffmann,’’ he
is about to sing in Wagner’s ‘‘Die Meistersinger’’ in Munich and in Verdi’s
‘‘Otello’’ in London, and is also learning some new Wagner roles.
As
for the future of opera and classical music, Jonas Kaufmann is optimistic.
Even if there are ups and downs in the music world, he says, many people,
like him, cannot live without it: ‘‘Of course the financial cuts of the past
few years have had an effect, but one of the best distractions from such
crises is music. People forget their sorrows, are able to dream and travel
into another world.’’
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