Exploring Artists: Jonas Kaufmann

First published at South Florida Opera Scene on December 21, 2011

I owe Jonas Kaufmann an apology.  Anyone who has been following my blog from the start knows that, in the past, I have not been kind.  When I first heard him, I did not like him at all.  And it wasn't the depth or darkness of his voice.  After all, I much prefer the darker tenor voices to the bright, sunny, cheerful-sounding ones.  I would gladly listen to Domingo (my all-time favorite tenor) over Pavarotti (who I avoid in any role that isn't the Duke of Mantua) any day of the week.  Among the newer generation of tenors, I favor those who have followed in Domingo's footsteps, and greatly appreciate the voices that have baritone qualities.  So it was not the depth of his voice, although it did take me some time to become convinced that Kaufmann was not just a baritone trying to sing tenor roles.  No, I thought his voice was somewhat muffled, as if he had something in his mouth.  It may be that I had just found all the wrong YouTube videos, but there you have it.  I couldn't, for the life of me, figure out what it was that everyone saw in him.

Then last month I went to see Tosca from the Royal Opera House at Cinema Paradiso, a lovely local art-house theater.  I was hoping to be pleasantly surprised by him, but I wasn't expecting too much.  I was going because I love Tosca, and because I was excited to see Bryn Terfel as Scarpia.  I was really anticipating nothing more than a tolerable performance from Kaufmann.  Harsh, I know, but there you have it.  So when I did finally see his Cavaradossi, I was caught completely off guard.  Not only did he sing the role very well, (second only to Domingo among all the Marios I have seen and heard,) he could ACT!  I mean, really act.  He seemed to really understand what the character was all about, and then adeptly conveyed that understanding to the audience.
After I saw that performance, I decided I was willing to give Kaufmann another chance.  However, I approached his music slowly, and with some trepidation.  And, while some of what I found did not impress me, a lot of it really did.  I discovered that, although some roles really don't suit him (at least in my opinion), when he sings the right characters, he really is an exceptional singer.  His voice has all the color of a baritone, yet he deftly handles the range of a tenor.  This combination helps him provide a certain depth of character that is often missing from the tenor roles.



Jonas Kaufmann was born in Munich in 1969.  While he studied piano and sang in the school choir as a child, he very nearly became a mathematician.  However, he realized after a couple of semesters that he would never be happy with such a career choice.  So he began his vocal training at  the Academy of Music and Theatre in Munich, and upon graduation he signed a contract with the State Theatre in Saarbrücken.  It was during that time that he began to have trouble with his voice, but under the instruction of Michael Rhodes, he learned to sing more easily by simply using his natural tone.



In the intervening years, Jonas Kaufmann has sung a wide variety of roles, from Rossini's Almaviva (this, I can't even imagine!) to some of the great Verdi and Puccini parts.  He recently sang Siegmund at the Met, and has been applauded as an outstanding interpreter of Wagner's works.  He is currently appearing, once again, on the stage of the Met, singing the title role in Gounod's Faust.



Jonas Kaufmann evokes strong reactions from opera lovers everywhere.  People either love him or hate him.  He is variably called the greatest tenor alive or a baritone in tenor's clothes.  There's not a whole lot of middle ground where he is concerned.  I used to be part of the group of people who strongly dislike him.  But my opinion is changing.  While he is still not my very favorite tenor in the world, (as I have said before, that spot will always be reserved for Domingo) I am beginning to develop an appreciation for his voice that grows every time I hear him.  In a few short weeks, I have done a (somewhat) complete about-face.  Whereas once I wondered what people saw in him, I now have come to enjoy his rich, dark voice.  In time, I may become one of his die-hard fans.  Then again, I may not.  In the meantime, though, I plan on savoring his voice for its unique tones.  Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go listen to my new recording of Madama Butterfly, starring Jonas Kaufmann as Pinkerton!

Exploring Artists: Mark Walters

Good morning, dear readers, and welcome to December!  I know, there are lots and lots of things to do this month, but I'm going to start this wet weekend by telling you a bit about the baritone that lucky Eugene operagoers will have the opportunity to see later this month.  Now, I know what you may be thinking.  Perhaps you are thinking, "Oh, no!  Not another baritone!  Can't this girl write about anything else???"  Well, yes, I can, but....  Aside from being partial to that particular vocal range, I have had the opportunity to see and hear Mark Walters in person, and I completely anticipate him being the star of Eugene Opera's production of The Pirates of Penzance, premiering on December 28.
Earlier this year, right around the end of January, I attended the opening night performance of Florida Grand Opera's highly successful production of Rigoletto.  I went with my eldest son, who was two days shy of his ninth birthday, and my particularly critical little brother.  The evening lived up to, and in many ways surpassed our expectations.  My full review can be found at South Florida Opera Scene, but here is a small excerpt concerning Mark Walter's powerful performance, as published on January 29, 2012:

"Baritone Mark Walters sang the part of the hunchback Rigoletto, a man torn by the double life he must lead in order to protect his daughter from the clutches of his hated employer, the womanizing Duke.  He delivers a poignant, heart-rending performance that grips the viewer from almost the first note.  Never before have I seen a Rigoletto who so effectively demonstrates the depths to which he is forced to stoop in the service of the Duke.  His voice is warm, rich, and powerful, easily filling the farthest corners of the hall with his full, intense tones.  Tender and loving one moment, bursting with rage the next, Mr. Walters created a powerful image of a man who will go to any lengths for his daughter."

Here is an excerpt of that evening.  While the sound quality of the recording is not flawless, it provides a taste of what Mr. Walters is capable of.  
 

Mark Walters has appeared with Florida Grand Opera on several occasions, including a run of La Boheme that is currently in progress, and in 2010 as Escamillo in Carmen.

Mr. Walters has performed more than 50 roles across the United States, and has broken into the European and Asian opera scenes, as well.  He has appeared in many of the great Verdi operas, in roles such as Giorgio Germont in La Traviata, Don Carlo di Vargas in La Forza del Destino, Il Conte di Luna in Il Trovatore, and upcoming performances as Renato in Un Ballo in Maschera.  He has also sung the roles of Valentin in Gounod's Faust, the title role in Don Giovanni, and Enrico in Lucia di Lammermoor, among others.  Here he is singing Il Balen in a 2010 performance of Il Trovatore.

Eugene is very lucky to have the opportunity to see this promising young baritone first-hand.  Considering his excellent handling of heavier roles, I can only imagine the power he will bring to the part of the Pirate King.  No opera lover in Lane County should miss this production.  I know I will be there on opening night, kids in tow, to see this exciting performance and this talented artist.
And now, I really must start my day.  So until next time, goodbye, and keep blaring that opera for all your neighbors to hear!

Exploring Artists: June Anderson

First published at South Florida Opera Scene on November 14, 2011

 

Welcome back, dear readers.  Today, I will continue our Exploring Artists series with one of the ladies from my childhood. 
As a teenager, and throughout much of my 20s, June Anderson was my favorite soprano.  To my ears, her voice was always a thing of beauty.  Yet recently I've found, more often than not, that when I mention her name, people look at me and say, "Who?"  I couldn't understand it, but then I realized that it has, indeed, been quite a bit of time since I heard her name mentioned by anyone else.  So for those of you  who are unfamiliar with her work, (and for everyone else, too,) here is a bit about June Anderson.
Ms. Anderson was born in Boston in 1952.  She began studying music as a child, and at age 17, she became the youngest artist to be named a finalist in the Metropolitan Opera auditions.  Her career, however, was not launched at that point, and she did not make her debut at the Met until 1989, when she sang the role of Gilda in Rigoletto.  Rather, she entered Yale University, where she graduated with a degree in French.  At that point, she embarked on her journey to become a singer, selecting law school as her fall-back in case she didn't make it.
Needless to say, Ms. Anderson never made it to law school.  She made her professional debut in 1978 with the New York City Opera, singing the Queen of the Night in Die Zauberflote, a role she would later supply the vocals for in that great movie, Amadeus.

Ms. Anderson spent several years in Europe, where she specialized in bel canto roles.  During this time, she performed works by Rossini, Bellini, and Donizetti, and was, in fact, the first non-Italian recipient of the Bellini d'Oro award.  Over the years, she met with great critical acclaim for her bel canto singing, and particularly for her portrayal of Lucia di Lammermoor.

During the 1990s, June Anderson began to expand her repertoire to include works of Verdi and Tchaikovsky, among others.  In 1995, she made her role debut as Desdemona in Verdi's Otello opposite Placido Domingo, in a performance I was extremely fortunate to attend.  I was in my final month of high school, and I skipped a week of classes to do the nineteen-hour-each-way drive to Los Angeles with my mother.  It was a stunning performance, and we had quite an adventure backstage afterwards, but that story is for another time.  Here is Ms. Anderson singing the Ave Maria from Otello in 2001.

Since then, I have seen her perform at least one other time, and possibly twice.  I was positive that I had seen her in Rigoletto, but now I'm not so sure.  At the same time, only today, I realized that I saw her role debut of Leonora in Il Trovatore in 1998.  She last performed with the Metropolitan Opera about ten years ago, and since then, she has added several new roles to her repertoire.  Last year, she took on the roles of Madame Lidoine in Dialogues des Carmelites, and of Salome.  Her latest addition came earlier this year, as she performed the role of Pat Nixon in Théâtre du Châtelet's production of Nixon in China.  She continues to perform in concerts and recitals across Europe, and has even participated in a musical cruise of the Mediterranean.
I will leave you now with a 1991 performance of Caro Nome.  I hope to see you all back here very soon.  Ciao for now!

Exploring Artists: Dmitri Hvorostovsky

First published at South Florida Opera Scene on November 30, 2011, updated on October 7, 2012

 Ladies and gentlemen, please allow me to introduce you to the Exploring Artists series.  Each installment will feature a single opera singer, well-known or not, and will spotlight his or her career and works.  If you would like to see a specific singer featured, or if you are a singer yourself, and would like to be featured on Exploring Artists, please let me know!  Otherwise, you'll just have to sit tight while I work my way through some of my favorites, which is how I will start, anyway.

The obvious choice to inaugurate the Exploring Artists series is my current musical obsession, the great Siberian baritone, Dmitri Hvorostovsky.  Although I've known his name since I was sixteen years old, his voice is a relatively new discovery for me.  I first heard of him on one of my many visits to a specialty music store in Eugene, Oregon, one of the few cities in the country able to support a store that sold opera almost exclusively.  Anyway, I went in that day to pick up one of the Domingo recordings (probably Il Trovatore or Tosca) that I had special ordered.  I glanced at the posters on the wall, as I always did, and there, between Placido Domingo and Yo Yo Ma, was this guy with this impossible name.  I seem to recall that his hair was already quite noticeably whitening, but that could be my memory playing tricks on me.  This was, after all, back in 1993 or 1994, and who can really accurately remember the details that far back?  Anyway, I couldn't tell from the poster if he was a singer, a pianist, a conductor, or something else, and I didn't really pay too much attention.  I was on a mission!  My new Domingo CD was waiting!
Over the years, I would see his name in various places, on Opera's Greatest CDs, on upcoming performance mailings, and I'd think back to that day at Musique Gourmet and wonder again exactly how to pronounce that "hv".  And yet, I never really heard him sing.  Then earlier this year, my son and I went to see Il Trovatore from the Met Live in HD.  It is my favorite opera, and Dolora Zajick was singing Azuchena, so I was really excited.  I didn't know who else was singing, and I didn't care.  I was expecting her to be the star of the show, as she always is in this role.  But as amazing as her performance was, the spotlight was stolen from her by a silver-haired, velvet-voiced baritone.  After almost twenty years, I had finally heard Dmitri Hvorostovsky.  And I was hooked from the moment the words "tace la notte" left his lips.  The notes he sang were so breathtakingly beautiful and powerful, and he played the role of di Luna with such passion that, for the first time in my life, I found myself sympathizing with the "evil" Count.



Well, I didn't sleep for many hours after that performance.  I was up half the night, watching YouTube videos of this amazing artist.  I saw him singing Rigoletto in concert, hunched over as he stood there on stage in his tux.  I saw him transform almost instantly from the grim hunchback to the delightfully humorous Figaro.  I saw him achieve the impossible feat of simultaneously singing both Don Giovanni and his servant, Leporello.  And I saw him singing all the Russian songs I grew up listening to.  And every performance was executed with such skill and beauty as to be virtually flawless!  I was completely in awe of his voice, which is like intense dark chocolate (72% or higher), melted into a rich, creamy fondue sauce and drizzled over fresh strawberries, and of his *ahem* shall we say, somewhat above average looks.  (My husband teases me mercilessly on that point, but he forgets that there's an incredible voice to go along with the pretty face!)    
So what's a (at the time) college girl who's sick of researching vascular diseases supposed to do at eleven o'clock on a work night?  More research, of course!  So I quickly set about learning everything I could about this glorious singer, and here's a bit of what I found. 
Dmitri Hvorostovsky was born in Krasnoyarsk, Siberia, where he studied music from a young age.  After winning several national competitions, he entered the Cardiff Singer of the World competition in 1989, where he famously beat Welsh bass-baritone Bryn Terfel in the almost legendary "battle of the baritones".  Choosing a single aria to post from that performance was very difficult, but ultimately I selected this because it so beautifully demonstrates his unbelievable breath control.



Anyway, his career exploded literally the next day.  He had recording contracts and bookings with the great opera houses and concert halls the world over.  Over the years, he has performed a wide range of roles, ranging from Tchaikovsky to Mozart to Verdi.  His portrayal of Rigoletto is at once fierce and tender, full of love for his daughter and hatered for everyone else.  He is the definitive Eugene Onegin, and once I saw him performing opposite Renee Fleming, no other baritone would do for the role.  The glimpses he has given us of his Iago, which I hope we will soon have the pleasure of witnessing in its entirety, are spine-chillingly evil.  And as I'm sure I mentioned before, his di Luna changed my whole perspective of Il Trovatore.
 

In addition to his fully-staged operatic performances, Mr. Hvorostovsky is a celebrated recitalist and concert performer.  Every year he travels the world, singing not only opera favorites, but also Neapolitan and Russian songs, and he has even collaborated with the popular Russian composer Igor Krutoy.  He will be returning to the stage of the Met next month, singing the role of Renato in Un Ballo in Maschera.  This highly anticipated production will be broadcast in movie theaters on December 8, with an encore showing on January 9.  This performance is not to be missed, so mark your calendars!
  

As I prepare to sign off for the night, it occurs to me that I have not even touched upon Mr. Hvorostovsky's breathtaking performances of the Russian operas.  However, since the hour is late and my current internet speed leaves much to be desired, that will have to wait for another time.  Good night, and happy listening!