So, Jonas Kaufmann, did you ever think of giving up?

So, Jonas Kaufmann, did you ever think of giving up?

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norman lebrecht

May 23, 2018

The tenor opened up on his early struggles in a Barbican conversation this weekend.

You can listen here.

‘Of course I thought of giving up,’ he says.

‘You don’t need a doctor, you need a new teacher,’ was the best piece of advice he received.

 

Comments

  • Caravaggio says:

    Well, he has been sounding as if he’s still looking for a teacher.

    • Simone Andre says:

      “Pour qui sont ces serpents qui sifflent sur vos têtes?”
      Langue de vipère, frustré l’ami ?

    • Andrew Powell says:

      No, he hasn’t — and SD readers should click the link Norman has provided because this hour-long Barbican interview is FULL OF INFORMATION and absolutely sincere.

      Kaufmann confirms for instance what I have long suspected: that his Lied accompanist (and former professor) underpins his system of artistic quality control in all areas. This is of course the great Helmut Deutsch.

  • Leo says:

    Jonas Kaufmann is a great talent. I assume his voice is simply tired of his exhausting career.
    If he could slow down, he would be able to fully present the gifts he has.

  • Been Here Before says:

    “Never give up on something that you can’t go a day without thinking about.” – Winston Churchill

  • Roxy says:

    I heard him last October in Don Carlos in Paris and he was good, but not, it seemed to me, the Carlos of that DVD of the Munich run with Harteros et al. I guess we are all rooting for him to have the longevity of Domingo -(though without the baritenor bit.)

  • Mark says:

    I hope he doesn’t – a very good tenor.

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