Cfirst had taken place at the Philharmonic Hall in Munich. But this was my first time singing in the huge auditorium of the Metropolitan Opera, alone on the stage, singing the arias of Tamino and Alfredo, with James Levine sitting in the dark and listening. I loved to sing there and this was the beginning of our collaboration.
SUMMER 2012
The giant step in your career came in February 2006 with your debut as Alfredo in “La Traviata” at the Metropolitan Opera in New York... if you had to choose a new role to debut at the Metropolitan... would you repeat as Alfredo?
No, I don’t think so, though it was one the greatest moments of my life. But there are some roles which I consider even more suitable to me, both as a singer and as an actor, let’s say Don José and Werther, Cavaradossi and Don Carlo.
Since the first “Romantic Arias” have followed others... and with great success! This year Adriana Lecouvreur has been published... would you give us a preview of what and when your next job will be?
You mean future projects on DVD or CD?
There are plans to put the Zurich production of Humperdinck’s “Königskinder” on DVD, and I’m looking forward to the DVD version of the London “Tosca” with Angela Gheorghiu and Bryn Terfel, conducted by Tony Pappano.
The next CD will be Simon Rattle’s production of “Carmen”, which had its premiere at the Salzburg Easter Festival this year and has been recorded shortly after in the Berlin Philharmonic Hall by EMI. As you know, it will come back to Salzburg in August, again with Magdalena Kozena and Genia Kühmeier singing the leading ladies.
Last December in New York you received the prize of the Gerda Lissner Charity Foundation which you donated entirely to the BSO’s Children’s and Young People’s Program Campus for which you are an ambassador… congratulations on always supporting the young.
For me, supporting projects which bring classical music and opera to kids and youngsters is a duty, a must! After all, they are our
audience in future. Furthermore, I’m convinced that without those “Sunday listenings” at home, without that Sunday afternoon family performance of “Madama Butterfly” in the National Theater in Munich, I might have never discovered the magic world of opera, which became such an essential part of my life.
So, I try to support those projects as much as I can. Of course you will never reach the masses, but I think that a good opera performance or concert can still have this magical effect on young listeners, despite of computer games and all those forms of modern entertainment.
This summer we will see you for the first time in Spain at the Perelada Festival… How will you be presented the next season… your upcoming appointments with the audience?
You mean in Spain? Hopefully I will come back to Spain many times, since I’ve got very nice memories to performances and concerts in Valencia, Sevilla, Barcelona and Madrid – and to the audiences as well.
Jonas Kaufmann will be at Festival Perelada on August 22th