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South Florida Classical Review, Oct 15, 2021 |
By Lawrence Budmen |
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Liederabend, Miami, 14. Oktober 2021 |
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Jonas Kaufmann brings rare vocal artistry to Arsht Center
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Some nostalgic vocal aficionados claim that the great voices of the past can
never be equaled and the level of vocalism has declined over the decades. In
fact, there have been exceptional singers in every era that can hold their
own with the legacy of storied voices from previous generations. Far rarer
are singers who combine superb instruments with refined and elevated vocal
artistry.
Jonas Kaufmann is one of that small group. On Thursday
night, classical music returned to Miami’s Arsht Center with an outstanding
recital by the German tenor and Helmut Deutsch, one of the most acclaimed
lieder accompanists, at the keyboard.
To his immense credit, Kaufmann
did not play down to the sizable audience which greeted him with a prolonged
ovation at his first appearance in this South Florida debut. This was not
the usual Miami program of popular operatic arias. Rather, Kaufmann offered
a serious lieder recital, combining familiar chestnuts of the art song
repertoire with some wonderful rarities.
The one-page program
instructed the audience to withhold applause until the end of the concert’s
first part and its conclusion. Yet many listeners insisted on clapping after
each selection, breaking the spell Kaufmann was trying to create. Still one
could hardly blame them for this premature enthusiasm. One could barely hear
a cough or a pin drop while Kaufmann was singing, the attendees hanging on
his every note. If only they could have controlled themselves and respected
the program’s larger arc.
Kaufmann explained at the outset that this
program was based on two recording projects that he devised with Deutsch.
The initial half of the 90-minute concert was devoted to the lieder of Franz
Liszt. While the Hungarian composer-pianist’s keyboard and orchestral scores
are well known and often played, his songs are his least performed
offerings.
Nine of these vignettes proved to be real discoveries.
Unlike Liszt’s more familiar compositions, flash and bombast are largely
absent from these songs. Melodically and harmonically, these are some of his
most imaginative creations. Kaufmann deserves immense credit for exploring
this oeuvre.
He demonstrated the sheer power of his vocal compass in
“Vergiftet sind meine Lieder,” the first of two contrasting Heine settings.
“Im Rhom, im schönen Strone” demonstrated Kaufmann’s almost baritonal
timbre.
Yet his high range is bereft of audible strain or pressure
and his soft tones emerged melting and lovely. Liszt’s two settings of
Goethe’s “Freudvoll und leidvoll” ranged from muscular, heldentenor
territory, to lyrical, with the tenor’s remarkable breath control coming to
the fore.
The melody of Liszt’s Liebestraum No. 3 encompasses “O
lieb, so lang du lieben kannst.” Kaufmann’s subtle coloring and astutely
calibrated dynamics proved memorable, an example of his ability to make the
familiar seem newly recharged. Deutsch’s crystalline evocation of the piano
line was eloquent. Kaufmann related Goethe’s tale of “Es war ein König in
Thule” with the intimacy and ring of a folk artist. His suave dark sound and
vaulting top tones engulfed the hall in “Ihr Glocken von Marling.”
The opening keyboard bars of “Die drei Zigeuner” quote the main theme of
Liszt’s Piano Concerto No. 1 and the accompanying lines suggest the
Hungarian rhapsodies. Deutsch gave every indication that he was equal to
that repertoire and splendidly supported Kaufmann’s declamatory narrative.
Concluding with Liszt’s version of Heine’s “Die Loreley,” Kaufmann’s beauty
of tone and nuanced gradations of forte and softness drew a standing
ovation.
After a short pause, Kaufmann and Deutsch returned for a
mixture of “art song’s greatest hits” and some unfamiliar gems.
The
tenor’s renditions of the best known material fully revealed his supple
artistry, avoiding volume and operatic histrionics in favor of expressive
directness. This was especially evident in Schubert’ s “Wanderers
Nachtlied,” Brahms’ “Wiegenlied,” Dvořák’s “Als die alte Mutter” (Songs my
Mother Taught Me) and Tchaikovsky’s “Nur wer die Sehnsucht kennt” (None but
the Lonely Heart). His artful phrasing and attention to the most minute
details reclaimed these melodic treasures from routine repetitions in
popular culture.
Richard Strauss’s “Zweignung” was appropriately
grand in the climaxes but admirably restrained. Switching vocal gears, he
evinced a light touch in Schubert’s “Die Mesensohn” and the idiomatic
classicism of Mozart’s “Das Veilchen.” Alois Melchair’s setting for voice of
the main theme of Chopin’s Etude in E Major, Op. 10, No. 3 was warmly
romantic.
Among less standard terrain, “Still wie die Nacht” by Carl
Bohm was a gorgeous romance, sung in full voice. Schumann’s “Widmung” came
across as a reverie in whispered tones. The spare thematic paths and moody
aura of Alexander von Zemlinsky’s “Selige Stunde” were projected with deep
feeling for this underrated composer’s uniquely personal romantic idiom.
“Verborgenheit” by Hugo Wolf, one of the greatest of lieder composers,
was a panorama of incisive emotional turmoil. From Mahler’s Ruckert Lieder,
“Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen” took on patrician sadness with Kaufmann
and Deutsch’s sense of haunting finality. The quiet ending was stunning in
effect and a fine conclusion to a great evening of song.
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