Singer Kaufman Biography

Germany Jonas Kaufman German. Jonas kaufmann; genus. The most popular tenor in the world opera, whose graph is tightly scheduled for a five -year period, the winner of the prize of Italian critics for the year and the recording companies "Classica Awards" for th. The artist, whose name in the poster guarantees a full house for almost any name in the best European and American opera houses.

To this, you can add an irresistible stage appearance and the presence of the notorious charisma, which is stated by everyone ... An example of a young generation, an object of black and white envy for colleagues-rivals-all this is he, Jonas Kaufman. Noisy success fell upon him not so long ago, in M, after an over -angle debut in the Metro. It seemed to many that the handsome Tenor emerged from nowhere, and some to this day considered him just a bad fate.

However, the biography of Kaufman is the very case when its fruits brought harmonious progressive development, wisely built up career and genuine enthusiasm for the artist with his profession. Father worked as an insurance agent, mother is a professional teacher, after the birth of a second child, the sister of Jonas five years older than him completely devoted herself to the family and raising children.

Grandfather, a passionate admirer of Wagner, often descended to the apartment to his grandchildren, and performing his favorite operas, the floor. The father put records with symphonic music, among them, Shostakovich’s symphony and Rachmaninov’s concerts were met, and the general rash to the classics was so great that the children were not allowed to turn the records for a long time so that they would not inadvertently damage them.

At the age of five, the boy was taken to the opera performance, it was not a children's “Madame Butterfly” at all. That is the first, bright impression as a blow, the singer loves to remember so far. But it did not follow after that music school, and endless vigils behind the keys or with a bow, although from eight years, Jonas began to study on the piano. Smart parents gave their son to a strict classical gymnasium, where, in addition to ordinary subjects, Latin and ancient Greek, and until the 8th grade were not even girls.

But there was a choir led by a enthusiastic young teacher, and singing there, up to the graduation class, was a joy, a reward. Even the usual age mutation passed smoothly and imperceptibly, without interrupting classes for a day. Then the first paid performances took place-participation in church and city holidays, in the last grade, even the service of the chorist in the Prince-Regent Theater.

The cheerful Yoni grew up an ordinary guy: he chased football, slightly proved in the lessons, was interested in the news of the equipment and even soldered the radio receiver. But at the same time, there was a family subscription to the Bavarian opera, where in the years the best world singers and conductors, and annual summer trips to various historical and cultural places of Italy, performed.

Father was a passionate Italoman, already in adulthood he himself learned the Italian language. Nevertheless, at the end of the school at the family council, it was decided that a man should get a reliable technical specialty. And he entered the Faculty of Mathematics of Munich University. Two semesters lasted, but the craving for singing overpasses. He rushed into the unknown, threw the university and became a student at the Higher School of Music in Munich.

Allegro Non Tropopo does not like to remember his conservative vocal teachers in vocals. According to him, “they believed that German tenors should sing everything like Peter Schreyer - that is, a light, bright sound. My voice resembled Mickey Maus. Yes, and what can be taught how two lessons for 45 minutes a week! Higher school is a solid solfeggio, fencing and ballet. ” Fencing and ballet, however, will still serve Kaufman a good service: his Sigmund, LoEngrin and Faust, Don Carlos and Hose are convincing not only vocally, but also plastic, including weapons in his hands.

Helmut Deutch, professor in the chamber class, recalls Kaufman Student as a very frivolous young man who was easily given, but he himself was not very focused with his studies, he enjoyed special authority among his novelties of pop and rock music and the ability to quickly and well fix any magnetophone or a player. However, Jonas graduated from the highest school in the year with honors at once in two specialties - like an opera and chamber singer.

It is Helmut Deutch who will become more than ten years in his regular partner in chamber programs and records. But in his native, beloved Munich, a good excellent student with a light, but quite trivial tenork was not needed by anyone. Even on episodic roles. It was possible to find a permanent contract only in Saarbryukken, not in the very first -glass theater in the “extreme West” of Germany.

Two seasons, speaking in our opinion, in “walruses” or beautifully, in European, in compricaria, tiny roles, but often, sometimes every day. The initially incorrect voice setting made itself. It became more and more difficult to sing, thoughts have already appeared about a return to the exact sciences.The last drop is a way out of one of the squire in the Parsifal Wagner, when at a general rehearsal the conductor said at all: “You are not heard” - but there was no voice at all, it hurts to speak.

A colleague, an elderly bass, took pity, gave the phone of a teacher who lived in Trira. His name - Michael Rodes -, following Kaufman, are now recalling thousands of his fans. He did not make an outstanding career, but he helped many to find his own, a real voice. By the time of the meeting with Jonas Maestro, Rodes exceeded 70, so that communication with him also became a rare historical school dating back to the traditions of the early twentieth century.

Rodes himself was engaged in Giuseppe di Luke, one of the most remarkable baritones and vocal teachers of the twentieth century. From him, Rodes adopted the technique of expanding the larynx, giving his voice to sound freely, without tension. An example of such singing can be heard on the preserved grames of Di Luca, among which there are duets with Enrico Caruso. And if you take into account the fact that Di Luka sang for 22 consecutive seasons at the Metropolitan, the main parties, but even at his farewell concert in the year, Maestro Rodes explained to the young German that freedom and ability to distribute his strength and there are the main secrets of the old Italian school.

A few months after the start of classes, Rodes confidently predicted the student: “You will be with me by Loellerin.” It turned out to be impossible to combine classes in Trire with constant work in Saarbrukkken at some point, and the young singer, finally feeling like a professional, decided to go into “free swimming”. From his first permanent theater, to the troupe of which he retained the most friendly feelings, he took away not only the experience, but also the leading Mezzo-soprano Margaret Yoswig, who soon became his wife.

The first large parties appeared in Heidelberg Operetta Z. Acclerando years brought Kaufman the most important work and a fundamentally different approach to existence in the opera. Work with the master of the European Theater, although the arrows not -long in time and the arrows not brought to the final, died of heart attack a month before the premiere, Kaufman recalls with unchanged enthusiasm before the genius who managed to give young artists a powerful impetus to the dramatic improvement, to know the acting of existence in the conventional theater.

The performance with the national team of young talented singers of the partner Kaufman was the Georgian Soprano Etero Gwazava was recorded by Italian television, was successful on tour in Japan. But the surge of popularity, the abundance of proposals from the first European theaters Tenor, with the entire amount of qualities desired for the young hero-lover, did not follow. Very gradually, slowly, not concerned about promotion, advertising, he prepared new parties.

The Stuttgart opera, which became the “basic theater” for Kaufman at that time, was a stronghold of the very advanced thought in the musical theater: they put Hans Neyenfels, Ruth Berghaus, Johannes Shaaf, Peter Mussbach and Martin Kushi. Working with Kushey on Fidelio in Zhakino, according to Kaufman's recollections, was the first powerful experience in existence in the directorial theater, where every breath, every intonation of the performer is due to the simultaneous musical drama and directorial will.

For the role of Edrisi in King Roger, K. Shimanovsky, the German magazine Opernwelt called the young tenor the “opening of the year”. In parallel with performances in Stuttgart, Kaufman appears in La Scala Zhakino,, in Salzburg Belmont in the “abduction from Seral, debuts at La Montne, Belmont and the Zurich opera Tamino, for the first time sings in Chicago, without risking, however, starting immediately from the main party in Verdievsky“ Othello ”and limited to limiting himself.

The exit in the role of Cassio will also go with the Parisian debut in those years, in his own words of Jonas, he did not dream of the position of the first tenor on the scenes of “Met” or “Kovent-Garden”: “I was like to the moon before them! In concert and Semi-Stage versions, he performed Fidelio Beethoven, and Verdi's Robbers, the Party of Tenor in the 9th Symphony, the Oratorio “Christ on the Oil Gora” and the solemn Mass of Beethoven, “The Creation of the World” of Haydn and the Mass Major Schubert, the requiem of Berlioz and “Faust Simphonia” Sheet; Schubert's chamber cycles ...

The first meeting with Antonio Pappano took place, under whose leadership in La Montneus Jonas took part in the non -staging of the Berlioz’s stage oratorio “Conviction of Faust”. It is amazing that Kaufman's brilliant performance in the most difficult title party in partnership with the wonderful bass of Jose Van Damme Mephistopheles did not receive a wide response in the press.

However, the press did not pamper Kaufman with excessive attention, but fortunately, many of his work of those years are captured on audio and video.The Zurich opera, led by Alexander Pereyira in those years, provided Kaufman with a variety of repertoire and the opportunity to improve vocally and scenically, combining a lyrical repertoire with strong dramatic. Schubert, each image is vocally and acting, is executed by mature skill, worthy to stay in the history of the opera.

Even his debut in the London “Covent Garden” in September does not change anything, when he replaced the sudden Roberto Alane in the “Swallow” by J. It was then that he was acquainted with the primadon Angela Georgiu, who managed to evaluate the outstanding data and partnership reliability of the young German. A piena voce “struck” in January of the year.

As some people still say, the whole thing is a coincidence: the then tenor, the Rolando Villason, the Rolando Villazon, interrupted the performances due to serious problems with the voice, urgently needed Alfred in “Travision”, remembered for the choice of partners in Georgiu and suggested Kaufman. The applause after the 3rd act was so deafening to the New Alfred that, as Jonas recalls, his legs almost gave up, he involuntarily thought: “Did I do it?

Strange feeling: bright vocals, played temperamentally. But why exactly the banal Alfred, and not his deep imperishable previous roles, laid the foundation for the star popularity of Kaufman? The partnership is inherently a party where there is a lot of excellent music, but nothing fundamental to the image can be added due to the author’s will, because this opera is about it, about Violetta.

But, perhaps, it was this effect of an unexpected shock from a very fresh performance, it would seem, a thoroughly studied party, and brought such a deafening success. It was with the "Traviata" that the surge of the artist began. To say that he “woke up by the famous” will perhaps be a stretch: the opera popularity is far from the fame of the film and TV sets. But starting from a year after the summer, far from young, in today's criteria, the singer began to hunt the best opera houses, seducing him with vying with tempting contracts.

In the same M, he sings in the Vienna State Opera “Magic Flute”, debuts as Hoza in “Kovent-Garden” “Carmen” with Anna-Katerina Antonacci has a deafening success, as well as the released disc with the recording of the performance, and the role of Hose for many years will become another not only sign, but also a beloved; Alfred sings in the Paris Opera and La Scala, releases the first solo disk “Romantic Arians” ...

The next year, adds to the list of conquered “first scenes” Berlin with “Bohemia” and the lyrical opera in Chicago, where Kaufman spoke with Natalie Desseus in the “Manon” masses. In December, the only concert in Moscow took place so far: Dmitry Hvorostovsky invited Jonas to his annual concert program in the Kremlin Palace of Congresses “Hvorostovsky and Friends”.

In M Kaufman, he was recognized as gourmets in the Vienna opera in the Kavaradossi party in the “Tosk” of Puccini his debut in this sign, a year earlier in London. In the same Munich, a return to his native Munich took place, not on a white horse, but with the White Lebed-“LoEngrin”, which was broadcast live on huge screens on Max Joseph, a parade ground in front of the Bavarian Opera building, gathered thousands of enthusiastic countrymen, with tears on the eyes of the penetrating “In Fernem Land”.

The romantic knight was recognized even in a T -shirt and sneakers imposed on him by a director. And finally, the opening of the season in La Scala, December 7, the new Don Hose in Carmen is an ambiguously perceived performance, but the unconditional triumph of the Bavarian tenor. The beginning of the year is the victory over the Parisians on their field, the Werther in the opera of the Bastille, the impeccable French recognized by critics, a complete merger with the image of I.

Goethe and with romantic style of mass. Con Tutta Anima I would like to note that it is always, when a German classic is based at the basis of the libretto, Kaufman shows special trepidation. Whether this is Don Carlos Verdi in London or recently in the Bavarian opera - he recalls the nuances from Schiller, the same “Werther” or, especially, “Faust”, invariably causing Goethe characters in memory.

The image of the doctor who sold the soul is inseparable with the singer for many years. You can recall his participation in the “Dr. Faust” by F. Liszt, and Aria from “Mephistophel” by A. Boyto, included in the solo CD “Aria of Verism”. About his first appeal to Faust Sh.