La Gioconda, radio broadcast
While Anna Netrebko and Jonas Kaufmann are preparing for the next production of Ponchielli's La Gioconda (at the Teatro San Carlo in Naples), ORF will broadcast the radio recording from the Salzburg Easter Festival production on Saturday, 6 April at 7:30pm. Antonio Pappano conducts the choir and orchestra of the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia.
Photo: Osterfestspiele Salzburg / Bernd Uhlig
Press reviews
A recording of eternal value
SWR Kultur
A recording that is amongst the finest Parsifals on disc.
The Guardian
Hard to imagine a better vocal cast … Jonas Kaufmann’s performance is breathtaking.
Télérama
Jonas Kaufmann's Parsifal is also unique and unforgettable. … His metamorphosis in Act 2, when he understands his mission and tears himself away from Kundry's voluptuousness, is so violent, so clear-cut, so abrupt, that it leaves an indelible mark on the work's most climactic moment.
Cult news
Remembrance service for Franz Beckenbauer
The remembrance service for star German soccer player Franz Beckenbauer was held at the Allianz Arena in Munich on Friday, January 19th. Jonas Kaufmann was invited to perform three pieces: Time to say Goodbye (in the Italian version Con te partiro) as well as E più ti penso and Nessun dorma. In a personal statement, Jonas Kaufmann added: "It is an honor for me to be able to contribute to the unique memorial service for Franz Beckenbauer. I grew up in Munich and have been a fan of FC Bayern since my childhood. In my eyes, Franz Beckenbauer is the greatest personality of the club and of German soccer as a whole; he is unrivaled as a sportsman and as a person."
The service was broadcast live on ARD, BR, ZDF, RTL and ntv; the video can be watched in the ZDF Mediathek til February 19.
Ordre de la Légion d’honneur
In the residence of the French Embassy in Austria, the Ambassador of the Republic of France, Prof. Dr. Gilles Pécout, presented Jonas Kaufmann with the Ordre de la Légion d’honneur with the rank of Knight on January 12, 2024. In his speech, Pécout said: "France honors a master of his craft who gives the French repertoire an important place on the world's stages and is beloved by his French audience, who follow him enthusiastically to the world's great concert halls. (...) It is a great pleasure for me to emphasize the importance of the relationship between Austria, Germany and France by honoring this singer." Photo: Olivia Renaud
New Year’s Eve concert online and live in many cinemas
Wagner on New Year's Eve: In the first part of the concert, Kirill Petrenko and the Berliner Philharmoniker perform the overture and bacchanal from Tannhäuser, followed by the first act of Die Walküre, with Vida Miknevičiūtė (Sieginde), Jonas Kaufmann (Siegmund) and Tobias Kehrer, who has taken over the role of Hunding for Georg Zeppenfeld, who is ill. The concert will be broadcast live in the Philharmoniker's Digital Concert Hall at 17:30, as well as in many cinemas in Europe, click here for the list.
Photo: Monika Rittershaus
Turandot on television and radio
Lots of bravos at the Vienna State Opera: Asmik Grigorian in the title role, Jonas Kaufmann as Calaf and Kristina Mkhitaryan as Liu as well as the chorus and orchestra of the Vienna State Opera under the direction of Marco Armiliato received rapturous applause at the premiere of the new production of Puccini's Turandot (December 7, directed by Claus Guth). The performance will be broadcast on tv: ORF 2 on December 16 at 20:15. The radio recording will follow on January 6 at 19:30 on Ö1. photo: Monika Rittershaus
Doppelgänger
The world premiere of Doppelganger in New York's Park Avenue Armory - a staged version of Schubert's Schwanengesang with Jonas Kaufmann and Helmut Deutsch and directed by Claus Guth - has been enthusiastically received by public and press. Here are some voices:
’Doppelganger’ is awesome experimental theater on a grand scale … There’s really nothing like it in New York right now.”
Theatermania
“a rare treat … the theatrical ingenuity and visceral force was so strong that the audience let out an audible gasp of shock”
New York Times
"Park Avenue Armory once again confirms that its Wade Thompson Drill Hall is the most sensational performance space in New York City with the world premiere of Claus Guth’s bold and breathtaking Doppelganger ... Kaufmann is in terrific voice."
This week in New York
Photo (c) Monika Rittershaus
Arena di Verona Gala Concert
For the centenary of the Verona Opera Festival, Jonas Kaufmann gave a gala concert in the Arena on August 20th. With his colleagues Sonya Yoncheva and Ludovic Tézier and accompanied by the Orchestra della Fondazione Arena di Verona conducted by Jochen Rieder, he performed arias and duets from Tosca, Otello and Andrea Chenier in the first half, and evergreens by Franz Lehar and Leonard Bernstein as well as famous film songs such as "Nella fantasia" (Ennio Morricone, The Misson) "Nelle tue mani" (Hans Zimmer, Gladiator) in the second half. The concert was recorded and highlights were first shown on September 3rd on ZDF. This version is available in the ZDF mediathek until March next year. An extended version with scenes from Otello and Andrea Chenier will be presented on September 16th on 3sat. The full concert will be shown in many cinemas in UK on October 12th, and in over 180 cinemas in GSA on October 22nd. (c) EnneviPhoto
Role debut “La Gioconda” in Sydney
On August 9th and 12th Jonas Kaufmann was heard at the Sydney Opera House in two concert performances of Ponchielli's La Gioconda. This was his debut in the role of Enzo Grimaldi. His partners were Vitalij Kowaljow (Alvise), Agnieszka Rehlis (Laura), Saioa Hernández (Gioconda), the conductor Pinchas Steinberg (group photo from left to right). After the second performance, Kaufmann and Tézier gave a CD and book signing in the opera house.
