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The New York Times, Jan. 21, 2018 |
By Anthony Tommasini |
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Liederabend: New York, Carnegie Hall, 20. Januar 2018 |
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The Elusive Jonas Kaufmann Finally Returns to New York
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Forgive and forget. That was clearly the prevailing attitude among audience
members for the tenor Jonas Kaufmann’s sold-out recital at Carnegie Hall on
Saturday night. Actually, Mr. Kaufmann’s many fans in New York have a right
to be miffed, given his history of cancellations in recent years.He was
supposed to be singing the role of Mario Cavaradossi right now in the
Metropolitan Opera’s new production of Puccini’s “Tosca. But he withdrew
just weeks after the Met announced it. In 2016, he pulled out of the
company’s production of “Manon Lescaut,”not to mention a couple of sold-out
performances of “Carmen” in 2015 as well.But, finally, showing up as
scheduled on Saturday, he performed Schubert’s song cycle “Die Schöne
Müllerin” with the probing pianist Helmut Deutsch. When Mr. Kaufmann
appeared onstage (after a tension-inducing 15-minute delay), the audience
broke into prolonged applause and bravos. Mr. Kaufmann apologized for
starting late and then, in somewhat confusing comments, he explained why:
The work (a cycle of 20 songs lasting some 60 minutes) would be performed
without a break, he said, and he wanted to make sure everyone in the
audience had arrived. (Officially, no latecomers were admitted.)
The
performance started off strongly. In the opening song, “Das Wandern,” the
cycle’s protagonist, a journeyman miller, sings of the joys of his
lifestyle, wandering from town to town, taking work at a mill and moving on,
just like the babbling waters of the brook. The qualities of Mr. Kaufmann’s
voice that have made him the most sought-after tenor in opera were vividly
present, especially the unusual combination of burnished, virile sound and
slightly covered, dusky shadings. In the second song, “Wohin?” (“Whither?”),
Mr. Kaufmann brought poignant earnestness to the questions that run through
the miller’s thoughts as he looks to the gurgling brook for guidance: “Is
this then my path?” “Why do I speak of babbling?”
Soon, however, some
vocal glitches and moments of tightness started creeping into Mr. Kaufmann’s
singing. They continued throughout this sometimes frustrating performance.
One moment he would take you to the core of a dramatically complex song,
like “Der Neugierige,” when the miller, smitten by a maid at a mill he’s
come upon, wonders if she returns his feelings. But a couple of times during
this song, and in others, Mr. Kaufmann’s voice nearly broke. He reined in
his sound tastefully to adapt his voice to lieder. But when he really let go
and sang with operatic fervor, he sounded more secure.
Mr. Kaufmann
performed the cycle, which leads to suicidal despair for the miller, with
dramatic focus, insight and integrity. But the vocal glitches were too
frequent to ignore. A couple of times, while singing, he yanked on his
collar and coughed to clear his throat. Was he grappling with a cold?
The ovation was tremendous. Mr. Kaufmann sang four Schubert songs as
encores and the audience would have been happy to stay for more. This may
have been an off night. But Mr. Kaufmann will be returning to sing Tristan,
no less, when the Boston Symphony Orchestra performs Act II of Wagner’s
“Tristan und Isolde” at Carnegie Hall in April. Assuming he does not cancel.
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