As this vacation season approacheth, allow us to all give thanks for the bounty that classical recording firms have bestowed upon us, particularly for many who wish to lure an unsuspecting acquaintance or member of the family over to the darkish facet of operatic fandom. It’s sort of like being a musical vampire, actually; you simply hope you get a great chunk in and it takes maintain, relatively than killing what little curiosity there may need been on the a part of the recipient.
Whereas we’re talking of the undead and ghoulish, it has been fairly a 12 months for followers of Giacomo Puccini. The opera and recording firms have had a merry dance round his grave within the Puccini Pantheon at Torre del Lago now that it’s been 100 years since his passing. (I’m certain they solely intend to honor the nice maestro and never, say, to rejoice the truth that all of his works have formally entered public area worldwide — mayhap they’re lifting a skosh of champagne within the accounting again workplace?)
I consider Jonas Kaufmann first got here to my consideration with the discharge of the Covent Backyard DVD of Carmen reverse Anna Caterina Antonacci which contained a high quality quantity of singing, most particularly on his half, however wasn’t as white-hot as I hoped for. I’m certain we’re all acquainted by now along with his burnished, baritonal sound and his movie-star seems, even when he has gotten a bit scruffy ‘spherical the perimeters. His leonine tenor and vocal method have at all times dropped at thoughts the nice Jon Vickers, though the voice isn’t almost as shiny. He does have a come-hither manner with a messa di voce, although, there’s no denying that.
My gratitude can also be boundless since that is NOT one other assortment of Christmas songs, particularly as a result of Sony has so little disgrace, as everyone knows. Who can neglect in 2020 once they gave us the virtually fully appalling 2-CD “It’s Christmas!” and two years later re-gifted us with “It’s Christmas! – Prolonged Model”? We’re not speaking Teeny and Herbie roasting tastefully organized chestnuts with the Vienna Philharmonic. Oh no. We had some good ol’ Teutonic traditionals, carried out in Mr. Kaufmann’s badly-mangled and British-accented English, sprinkled with second-hand preparations of Mel Torme, Jule Styne, and Irving Berlin. Plus, brace yourselves, essentially the most jaw-dropping, what-in-the-Charles–Dickens model of Mariah Carey’s “All I need for Christmas is You,” a observe that can dwell on in infamy as a celebration report for years to return. Amongst the accompanying movies, was even a “Silent Night time” with our tenor represented as himself in a Salzburg Marionette puppet present. (The place are my matches?) It was a promotional Donner & Blitzen Blitzkrieg, actually only a step up from Andrea Bocelli, and it should have made Sony a fortune.
Not that the profession itself has been scandal free. Oh my, removed from it. A Caballé-adjacent variety of cancellations, for one motive or one other, together with introduced participation in a couple of manufacturing of Berlioz’ Les Troyens on which he by no means made good. Simply final week he withdrew from opening evening of La Scala. (That’s tomorrow, by the way in which.) We’ve solely gotten a pair performances of Tristan out of him (and none recorded, so far as I do know), in order that’s disappointing, particularly for a person who made Florestan sound straightforward. He sang some Otellos however by no means made his mark on the function like others, though not one of the productions confirmed him to his finest benefit so far as I’m involved.
Keep in mind when Sony lured Herr Kaufmann away from his unique Decca contract in the summertime of 2015 and we received dueling Puccini-themed recital recordings? Now there was a brouhaha! He was a Met Opera favored son for fairly a while with new productions of Walkure, Faust (ugh), Parsifal, and Werther, however visits turned sporadic and now nothing since 2018.
In the meantime, we’ve been virtually besieged from all sides with Puccini tributes this 12 months and Sony has now put their finest tenor foot ahead with Mr. Kaufmann and “Puccini: Love Affairs” that excerpts six of the composer’s most romantischeduets and employs a distinct prima donna for every — extremely inventive programming contemplating that between Decca and Sony he’s already recorded all of the Puccini arias for tenor you possibly can consider. Are you able to hear the money register ringing?
First up is the “O soave fanciulla” that ties a bow round Act I of La Boheme, and as our light Mimi we have now South African soprano Fairly Yende. I’ve lengthy admired Ms. Yende for her verve, if not her accuracy, since seeing her right here at LA Opera almost 10 years in the past as Mozart’s Susanna, a job, I consider, she promptly dropped from her repertoire. (Who can blame her, actually? It’s the longest soprano function ever written and virtually fully thankless.) Because the voice has gained some heft, she has been venturing out past the “-ina” roles with success and Mimì is now a pure development previous Musetta, Violetta, and Manon.
Mr. Kaufmann is a someday Rodolfo and this duet was included just lately on Rachel Willis-Sorensen’s debut recording that I reviewed on these pages. The interpretation is identical, save for Ms. Yende who has a come hither manner with the excessive C which she takes piano on the finale and Mr. Kaufmann, eschewing the composer’s A-natural (as so many tenors do), joins her on it. For any tenor to hit a piano excessive C, not to mention one in every of his years, is spectacular. Nonetheless the entire thing is over in slightly below 4 minutes, which makes me suppose Ms. Yende was short-changed in comparison with the extra beneficiant excerpts that observe.
Subsequent up we have now the marginally schizophrenic, cease and begin, duet from Act II of Manon Lescaut with prodigal daughter Anna Netrebko because the minx in query. That is the Russian Diva’s first recorded look since her uneven “Amata dalle tenebre” on her DG dwelling label again in 2021. (I assume strings had been pulled and favors referred to as in to vouchsafe her look on a rival label.) Issues go just about as one would anticipate when two middle-aged singers attempt to be youngsters. Each handle a modicum of ardour, if sounding a bit deliberate at occasions.
We relocate to Sant’Andrea della Valle in Rome for our subsequent pairing which options Sonya Yoncheva as Floria Tosca. Her vocalism is full and even with loads of consideration to element, however the voice itself is a tad monochromatic and she or he resorts to straight tone on a number of the briefly touched prime notes. She’s an artist higher seen than simply heard for me. Mr. Kaufmann does some very amorous crooning whereas he’s making an attempt to divert her attentions.
Then we get the entire finale to Act I of La Fanciulla del West with Malin Byström and it’s an fascinating selection that pays massive dividends. It’s the primary time on this compilation I really appreciated the contribution of conductor Asher Fischmain the Orchestra del Teatro Comunale di Bologna, who actually heightens the ambiance. (Extra of that anon.) Ms. Byström proves herself a Minnie of nice talent and emotion and Mr. Kaufmann gives glorious assist. It’s an particularly touching scene when performed properly — her “Oscura e buona a nulla” is delivered with simply the correct amount of poignancy and we even get the Miners’ buzzing within the background someplace. So, no expense has been spared.
We’re on the Seine subsequent with a smoldering Asmik Grigorian as Giorgetta. Her expertise within the function is obvious and she or he manages to scale her voice down fantastically for the hushed exchanges. Luigi being the one Puccini function represented right here Mr. Kaufmann hasn’t carried out or recorded, he matches Ms. Grigorian in what seems to be a really tense and thrilling studying from each.
The one lower than profitable providing for me is the final which, the massive evening of amore that closes the primary act of Madama Butterfly. As issues begin to warmth up, Maria Agresta proves herself removed from the Puccinian “piccina mogliettina.” When she begins recounting how butterflies are pinned to a board in America for show, she lets unfastened with a whopping Bb that will be the delight of any Brünnhilde. It’s a fantastic word, however within the context of the duet, it’s loads. Not that she’s with out nuance, however as she proceeds, the moments above the workers, particularly on the finale, turn into unwieldy and a tad matronly. She’s additionally the one Italian represented, which says one thing concerning the present state of Puccini interpreters. Mr. Kaufmann is way as he was on the EMI recording with Angela Gheorghiu and for some motive his voice simply doesn’t gel with this function for me. Possibly his phrasing is simply too sq..
As a digestif, Mr. Kauffman rounds out the disc with a “Che gelida manina,” which finds him sounding rather less than younger and ardent, and an “E lucevan le stelle” in an interpretation that’s squeezed of all potential juices. No surprise La Gheorghiu took exception to his grandstanding in Vienna.
Our tenor has at all times had phenomenal technical management over dynamics and he’s not shy about exhibiting them off — my jaw has dropped on a couple of event watching dwell performances. As we all know, most tenors actually solely have two volumes; loud and loudest. All through, although, he depends an increasing number of on straight tone for the piano sections. Though his voice has by no means been mediterranean in colour, it’s nonetheless a strong and, for essentially the most half, wholesome sounding. It’s simply rising extra gravelly as time marches on.
Now for the tough half: this whole recording is a assemble. It seems that as a way to facilitate this challenge, our tenor and his soprano companions had been really recorded in varied studio locales all through Europe, owing to their busy schedules, little doubt. As soon as in stated studio, they might sing to a pre-existing back-up observe of Maestro Asher Fisch and the Bologna Orchestra sawing away.
I’m certain we’ve all heard tales about varied singers not really being current for recording tasks. Mirella Freni by no means labored with Karl Böhm regardless of her singing Susanna within the well-known Ponnelle movie of Nozze di Figaro. I do know of a minimum of one recording challenge with Placido Domingo the place he wasn’t obtainable for the precise classes and tracked most of his function in later. I’ve even heard rumors that Rene Kollo and Margaret Worth weren’t in the identical studio on the identical time for the Liebesnacht of their Tristan recording below Kleiber. A lot of the above had been as a result of unavoidable, and principally harmless, circumstances: inclement climate, scheduling snafus, and, sadly, disdainful relations between colleagues. I do know of a Naxos opera recording the place the soloists sang to a pre-recorded observe due to monetary limitations.
I don’t suppose you’d ever guess from listening to it however, as soon as discovered, it does squelch that frisson of immediacy which is so arduous to seize within the recording studio to start with. That is the primary time I’ve heard of a serious label contriving to do that, nevertheless, and it doesn’t bode properly. I discover it disingenuous and, frankly, it feels prefer it didn’t really want to occur. Can operatic A.I. be simply across the nook?
So, I don’t suppose Mr. Kaufmann’s legions of followers will probably be dissatisfied and the sopranos included actually deserve the publicity. As operatic muzak, it beats Andrea Bocelli or Sarah Brightman. However in the long run, it’s a poor substitute for a dwell efficiency captured.
