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San Francisco, Classical Voice |
Jason Victor Serinus |
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Recital, Berkeley, 13 March 2011 |
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The Jonas Kaufmann Phenomenon
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To prolonged high-pitched cheers and applause, Munich-born tenor Jonas
Kaufmann, 41, strode onto the stage of Zellerbach Hall. In the presence of
his gifted accompanist, Helmut Deutsch, the tall, dark, handsome, and
extremely curly-headed singer smilingly greeted an adoring audience eager
for his Bay Area debut.
Unamplified, but with electronically enhanced
1.5 second reverberation provided by Cal Performances and Meyer Sound, the
tenor launched into an extremely generous lieder recital that included four
songs from Schumann’s Kerner Liedern, Op. 35, the entire Dichterliebe, Op.
48, and 13 songs by Richard Strauss. After that came five encores, the last
made possible by Deutsch’s iPad copy of the score. Those who stayed through
the entire 2 ½ hours experienced one of the most versatile, compelling, and
vexing recitals in memory.
Will the real Jonas Kaufmann
please ...
Kaufmann’s unique instrument is as multifaceted
as a complete response to the rapidly changing emotions of German romantic
poetry and music demands. One minute, he sounds like a heldentenor, with the
gleaming high tones of an artist preparing for his imminent Metropolitan
Opera role debut as Siegmund in Wagner’s Die Walküre. Then he softens, and
you’d swear that you’re actually listening to a lyric tenor who is pushing
his instrument to its limits.
When Kaufmann sings lower in the
range, the production is so easy and full that you imagine he’s a baritone
with a high extension. Upon occasion, the tone is throaty, almost gruff, as
if to give credence to fears that he is singing on principal rather than
interest. But then the clouded tone or covered phrase passes, and all you
hear is glory.
The effect, at least for this listener, is unnerving.
If the voice, like the eyes, is an avenue to the soul, Jonas Kaufmann’s core
is so complex that you can’t be exactly certain who he is. He’s a
sweetheart, almost a pussycat one minute; three bars later, when he’s
seamlessly swelled from almost falsetto-like purity to the clarion-like
fortissimo of a Wagnerian hero, you sense that you pet this tiger at your
peril.
Gifts
Beyond his instrument, which is
head turning in and of itself, Kaufmann brings rare intelligence to his
repertoire. Without in the least sounding fussy or overcalculated, his
wealth of shading revealed that he not only understood but also deeply felt
what he was singing about.
Take the 16 songs of the oft-programmed
Dichterliebe, with text by Heinrich Heine. The contrast with last week’s
baritone rendition by Eugene Chan, and previous Cal Performances tenor
versions by Ian Bostridge and Rolando Villazón, was striking. There were no
eccentricities of tempo, and no attempts by Deutsch to show how penetrating
he could be by grandstanding and lingering too long in the pianistic
postludes. Instead, we experienced two firmly committed, deeply probing
artists whose responses arose directly from the notes and words on the page.
There were multiple miracles. To express the youthful gush of love and
joy in Die Rose, die Lilie, die Taube, die Sonne (The rose, the lily, the
dove, the sun), Kaufmann managed the eight lines of the rapid, two-stanza
song in only three breaths. Every note and word was clearly produced. Then,
in the next song, when he sang, in translation, “Yet when I kiss your lips,”
his very different sound grew inward and deeply passionate. And while others
have sounded less pressed in the high climax to Ich grolle nicht, the
flexibility of tempo and extreme dynamic swell to the peak were exemplary.
Few singers can so fully embrace the ironic ditty of a tune that is Ein
Jüngling liebt ein Mädchen (A young man loved a girl) as did Kaufmann, who
managed to sound sing-songy in the beginning and deeply wounded in the end.
To instantly transition from his almost venomous outburst of anger and hurt
to the heart-breaking softness of the exquisite An leuchtenden Sommermorgen
(On a shiny summer morning) bespoke artistry of the highest order. Equally
poetic was Deutsch’s handling of the final pianistic postlude, which
lingered on one phrase, sped up the next, and ended with shocking
abruptness.
Ah, that Strauss!
For anyone
accustomed to the Strauss performances of his two finest 20th-century
soprano exponents, Elisabeth Schumann (whom Strauss adored and accompanied)
and Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Kaufmann offered a very different way in. In
place of silvery tones and gravity defying, feathery highs came the passion
of a man at the height of his powers. The contrast between the extremely
soft ending of Freundliche Vision (Pleasant Reverie) and the huge
declamation that concluded Ich liebe dich (I love you) was, if Valley Girl
superlatives be allowed, totally awesome.
Equally stunning, the
beautiful conclusion of Heimliche Aufforderung (Secret Invitation). Morgen
(Tomorrow) was less successful, the opening vocal phrase rough, the
declamation lacking ultimate flexibility. (Deutsch did much to compensate in
the postlude). But despite a pushed climax, the final song, Cäcilie
(Cecily), was thrillingly exultant.
Marvels continued in the encores.
Kaufmann’s rendition of Lehar’s beloved Dein ist mein ganzes herz (You are
my heart’s delight) rivaled that of its dedicatee, Richard Tauber. The
difference was that Kaufmann’s honeyed sweetness on soft notes was produced,
not by falsetto, but by a masterfully controlled, finely tapered full voice.
The final selection, Schumann’s Mondnacht (Moon), was sung with such
caressing softness and complete control that it was hard to believe that it
came at the end of an extremely long recital. As vexing and even troubling
as Kaufmann’s vocal production may be, his artistry is supreme. And he does
look fabulous.
Jason Victor Serinus writes about music for Opera
News, Opera Now, American Record Guide, Stereophile, San Francisco Magazine,
Muso, Carnegie Hall Playbill, East Bay Express, East Bay Monthly, San
Francisco Examiner, Bay Area Reporter, hometheaterhifi.com, and other
publications.
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