Jonas Kaufmann will miss Hamburg’s big night
mainThe star attraction has, ‘with a heavy heart’, pulled out of the opening of Hamburg’s dazzling new Elbphilharmonie on January 11-12.
His replacement, announced overnight, is the Slovak lyric tenor Pavol Bresnik.
Kaufmann has been out for three months with a vocal cord injury and his return has been repeatedly delayed on doctors’ orders.
Following the Hamburg cancellation, it seems likely that he will also cancel a long-awaited Lohengrin in Paris.
We wish Jonas a speedy recovery.
Breslik is excellent.
A few years ago, during Act 3 of Die Fledermaus, the jailer, Frosch, asked Breslik (the singing Alfred) how much tenors earned. “Ask Herr Kaufmann,” he replied, as JK (the generous guest who had stayed past Act 2) sang in and duetted from the cell below.
For Paris, it may be that the Elb gig would have been too much during Lohengrin prep. And Lohengrin is not that taxing of a role. Fingers crossed.
I can second what Olassus says about Breslik. I heard him sing from Dresden in a New Year’s Eve performance of Kalman’s operetta “The Gipsy Princess”. He was really excellent.
The Opera de Paris have issued a statement saying that Kaufmann will sing Lohengrin! let’s hope it’s not just a case of hope over experience!
Don’t count on it.
Now Anja Harteros has also cancelled, without publishing the reason.
In an interview (ARD) Kaufmann said he is preparing for Lohengrin. He is in Paris with his children for New Years (seen at Petit Palais exhibit).
This Lohengrin is Claus Guth’s production from La Scala, which was very
successful. The presence of a certain assistant director is an added benefit.
Have ticket for 1/30 Fingers crossed.
As I could see in TV JK did not miss anything (PB was brave to “sing” that Rihm).