L'opéra

JONAS KAUFMANN (tenor), Ludovic Tézier (baritone), Sonya Yoncheva (soprano) & Bayerisches Staatsorchester, Bertrand de Billy

Op zijn nieuwste cd L’Opéra richt Jonas Kaufmann zich op repertoire dat hem zeer na aan het hart ligt: de negentiende-eeuwse Franse opera. Het is muziek die kracht, emotie en elegantie met elkaar verbindt, kwaliteiten die ook de stem van Kaufmann in overvloed heeft.

Jonas Kaufmann pays homage to a magnificent era of opera that defined musical splendor and elegance, in his new album of 19th-century French opera arias and duets. His selection of music for tenor spans this momentous period, starting with “Rachel, quand du Seigneur” from Halévy’s La Juive (1835), through two of Bizet’s greatest works, “La fleur que tu m’avais jetée” from Carmen (1875) and “Au fond du temple saint” from Les Pêcheurs de perles (1863), by way of Gounod’s “Ah! lève-toi, soleil!” from Roméo et Juliette (1867) and ending with the latest aria “Pourquoi me réveiller” from Massenet’s masterpiece Werther (1892). Plus many more along the way. “The French operatic repertory is very close to my heart,” says Kaufmann. “This fascinating music reflects a unique period in European culture. I didn’t want to choose only highlights for this album but also works and roles that have been key experiences for me. Wilhelm Meister in Mignon, for example, was my first major French role – I sang it in Toulouse in 2001. Carmen and Werther helped to open doors for me. The fact that I sang my first Werther at the Paris Opéra of all places, as a German surrounded by a French ensemble, was undoubtedly rather risky, but I had some excellent guides to help me: répétiteurs, colleagues, conductors and, not least, the recordings of the legendary French tenor Georges Thill.”

Berlioz:
 Inutiles regrets…En un dernier naufrage (from Les Troyens)
 La Damnation de Faust, Op. 24
 La Damnation de Faust, Op. 24: Merci, doux crépuscule!
 Les Troyens

Bizet:
 Au fond du temple saint (from Les Pêcheurs de Perles)
 C’est toi, toi qu’enfin je revois (from Les pêcheurs de perles)
 Carmen
 La fleur que tu m'avais jetée (from Carmen)
 Les Pêcheurs de Perles

Gounod:
 L'amour, l'amour... Ah, lève-toi soleil (from Roméo et Juliette)
 Roméo et Juliette

Halévy:
 La Juive
 Rachel, quand du Seigneur (from La Juive)

Lalo:
 Le roi d'Ys
 Puisqu'on ne peut flêchir (from Le roi d’Ys)
 Vainement, ma bien-aimée (from Le roi d’Ys)

Massenet:
 Ah! Tout est bien fini... O souverain (from Le Cid)
 Enfin Manon, nous voilà enfin seuls ensemble... En fermant les yeux (from Manon)
 Le Cid
 Manon
 Toi ! Vous ! Oui ! Je fus cruelle… N’est-ce plus ma main (from Manon)
 Traduire ! Ah ! Bien souvent mon rêve s’envole… Pourquoi me réveiller (Werther)
 Werther

Meyerbeer:
 L'Africaine
 Pays merveilleux... Ô paradis (from L'Africaine)

Offenbach:
 Les Contes d'Hoffmann
 O Dieu, de quelle ivresse (from Les contes d'Hoffmann)

Thomas, Ambroise:
 Elle ne croyait pas, dans sa candeur naïve (from Mignon)
 Mignon

"Some of the finest singing on the disc comes in the duets. Kaufmann is joined by the classy French baritone Ludovic Tézier for the duet from The Pearl Fishers, their voices blending like coffee and cream, while Sonya Yoncheva is a delicious temptress in an excerpt from Massenet’s Manon."
Gramophone Magazine October 2017