Jonas Kaufmann heads back to Australia
NewsThe tenor had such a good time there with his family in 2017 that he has agreed to sing Lohengrin in Melbourne next May.
It will be his first fully staged opera down under.
Opera Australia’s artistic director Lyndon Terracini said: ‘It’s a tremendous thrill that the greatest tenor alive is coming to Melbourne to perform in his first opera in Australia, and singing, arguably, one of his finest roles.
‘After all we’ve been through these past two years, it will be a such treat for audiences to see Jonas live on stage, singing the title role in Olivier Py’s fantastic new production of Lohengrin.
‘It’s really terrific that Jonas continues such a positive relationship with Opera Australia.’
Worshipping (very favourable press)and very nice payment. And no streaming obligations. That s a good treatment indeed.
And a devoted local lady who pays for the whole family to fly there first-class.
As if this is ever likely to reach the stage. By May the whole world will be in lockdown other than those queuing for their latest booster jab, arms like pin cushions, to hold at bay the newest variant that is sweeping the planet.
they just announced dates for recitals in Taiwan and South Korea at the same time. Strange
A month or more of singing Wagner in Melbourne? They can sing and play very well there, and presumably a decent fee.
What’s not to like?
Mental note to self: Make sure never attend a performance of Opera Australia as long as that Artistic Director is there. If all he can think of are embarrassing overused cliches like “the greatest tenor alive”, on the level of a verbally challenged fan, the director’s “artistry” can’t be anything to write home about.
Well an artistic director is an admin job, so it’s not really about having artistry as much as curatorial abilities. Of course, one can say artistry’s involved, but I think we can agree it’s different from a Music Director who typically has to conduct or play with an orchestra. I agree the PR hype is crass and a bit of a middle finger to all the other tenors Opera Australia hires. Joseph Calleja and Yonghoon Lee are far from chopped liver!
I agree his job isn’t about having artistry himself, this is why I put the word in quotation marks, but it is about knowing artistry when he sees it. A good musical critic doesn’t have to be a conductor himself to know poor conducting from good. Appreciation of an art form has very little to do with our own ability to practice that art form at professional level. As artistic director, he is in charge of the programme, has to commission and approve new productions, do the casting. What the public gets to see and hear on stage is a consequence of his taste and actions. All he seems to know / appreciate is crass PR.
He’s a former baritone.
Excuse me, but what is the point you are trying to make?
Despite all the magnificent words towards Jonas, money is the answer
And Happy Christmas to you, too. He apparently mentioned the family. I imagine they can have wonderful times there as a family. MacroV above got it right.
Any rational person tries to get the best financial deal they can, but it shouldn’t be hard for Australia to attract top performers; it’s a great place and they are quite competent there. It’s not like he’s performing for an oil-state dictator or such. It’s just a long trip from home and he can’t dash off to the country next door for a recital on an off night.
Melbourne’s not the only concert venue within reach. But I doubt whether anybody else could afford him.
Ticket prices start at $300, plus taxes.
$399 plus booking fee to take it to $409 for the cheap seats. Forget it.
I’m happy to admit that I’m a big Kaufmann fan. But, as a New Yorker, he has played fast and loose with his Met and Carnegie dates. And he insists that New York is just too far for a European-based artist. Okay. Did the Australian continent move closer to Europe while we were sleeping?
Maybe it’s just more appealing. He has young children. Australia has taken more care over Covid than the US has.
And for all the wondrous appeal of New York, I suspect Sidney is more child-friendly, if only in terms of things attractive to children being closer together.
Melbourne. Not going to attractive Sydney this time.
Even better. Melbourne appeals to me more than Sidney in many ways. (Love Miss Fisher!).
Just checked the ticket price. It ranges from A$399 to A$799, plus A$9.80 booking fees. In comparison, the price range for a regular opera performance is A$68 to A$289.