Jonas Kaufmann
German tenor reflects on career
INTERVIEW TONI DELGADO / PHOTO MATIAS BOTHOR
In roles of spectacular diversity, Jonas Kaufmann has triumphed internationally as a German tenor.
We heard, that in your youth, you used to spend Sunday mornings listening to music with your sister… is this something that has continued over the years or has your busy schedule “forced” you to dispense with these “little family pleasures”?
Fortunately, we could reestablish this tradition of listening in the family circle. Of course, it’s not with my sister anymore, who has lived in Northern Germany for many years, but with my wife, who is also a singer and our three kids.
And instead of “Sunday morning on sofa” it’s whenever we’ve got some time, mostly in the evening or during longer routes with the car or live in the opera house.
“A good performance can still have a magical effect on listeners.”
At that time, going to freelance was a risky decision for sure, and I knew the risk I was taking. Of course I was more than a little uneasy over not being on a permanent roster anywhere, but I didn’t want other people making decisions for me anymore. I wanted to choose my own roles in keeping with the development of my voice, making sure I would be neither overtaxed nor under challenged. Thank God, it all worked out. I was especially happy to get an offer from the theatre in Trier, also on the French border, to appear in the world première of “The Glass Menagerie”, Antonio Bibalo’s operatic version of the great Tennessee Williams play. After that I got a chance to sing at the Stuttgart State Opera, which had just been singled out for the title “Opera House of the Year”. In November of 1997, I made my début there as
the Arabian scholar Edrisi in the opera “King Roger” by Karol Szymanowski. They also gave me the chance to sing my first Alfredo in “La Traviata” and other major tenor roles. Between the last performances of “King Roger,” rehearsals for my first international production began: Mozart’s “Così fan tutte” at the Piccolo Teatro di Milano with the great stage director Giorgio Strehler. The work with this genius was an absolute privilege for me – and all the more was the sorrow of the entire company when Strehler passed away shortly before completing his work directing the production in December of 1997. But the production was an unforgettable success and I will never forget the first night, when the audience called Strehler’s name at the end of the opera, when candles were the only illumination on stage. Very touching!
In 2001, William Mason, the Director General of entrepreneurs from the Lyric Opera of Chicago invited you to the United States for the first time – to sing Cassio in “Otello”… what differences did you find between American and European audience?
During my first production in Chicago, I’m sure that I sensed some differences between American and European audiences, but everything was overshadowed by the horrors of the terror attacks. September 11 was in the mid of our rehearsal time, the premiere of “Otello” was eleven days later. Between the last two performances I took a plane from Chicago to New York to audition for James Levine. In fact, this was already my second audition for him; the
SUMMER 2012
Your first major role was in Johann Strauss’ comic operetta “Eine Nacht in Venedig” we suppose you have special memories of the time, but was it that performance that marked a turning point in your career?
This was Caramello, the Duke’s personal court barber, in “Eine Nacht in Venedig”, a new production at the Regensburg Opera, which is about an hour and a half by train from Munich. I was still a student then, and I had to get special permission to do it, because I would have to be available for a grand total of 36 performances. I won’t call it a “turning point” in my career, but for the first time I could taste the joy of singing and acting a real major role.
In the summer of 1996, the State Theatre in Saarbrücken offered you to renew your permanent contract but you declined the invitation to choose your own roles. In line with the development of your voice… was it a risky decision? Or was it always clear for you, that it was the right way?