Jonas Kaufmann – Viva Puccini!
Like no other, star tenor Jonas Kaufmann succeeds in bringing the feelings of ordinary people to the world’s stages. In keeping with Puccini’s intentions, he rouses opera audiences and music critics alike to storms of applause.
Like no other, star tenor Jonas Kaufmann succeeds in bringing the feelings of ordinary people to the world’s stages. In keeping with Puccini’s intentions, he rouses opera audiences and music critics alike to storms of applause.
- Jonas Kaufmann, tenor
- Valeria Sepe, soprano
- Deutsche Staatsphilharmonie
- Jochen Rieder, conductor
“It seemed to me that there is nothing more wonderful in the world than to be able to write a work for the theatre. To enchant, to move, to arouse the audience.” Those are the words of Giacomo Puccini after attending a performance of Verdi’s Aida in 1876. With no modern operas being performed in his birthplace of Lucca, he journeyed the 20 kilometres to Pisa on foot. This fascinatingly complex man, who loved hunting and cars, was unlike his contemporaries. And that included his works: In terms of dramaturgy, he distanced himself from the classic heroic themes of previous operas. His protagonists were people from next door, “the great pain in small souls” (Puccini).
To mark this year’s 100th anniversary of Puccini’s death, Jonas Kaufmann is dedicating his programme, Viva Puccini!, to the work of this extraordinary composer: a personal homage with the most beautiful arias and scenes from Puccini’s world-famous operas, such as La Bohème, Tosca and Madama Butterfly, interpreted by the Deutsche Staatsphilharmonie under the baton of Jochen Rieder and with soprano Valeria Sepe and “the greatest tenor in the world right now” (The Telegraph).
