Jonas Kaufmann: The biggest houses are struggling to sell tickets

Kaufmann speaks of an ‘existential crisis’ in opera, during an interview in Australia, where he is singing Lohengrin.

He says: ‘Even the biggest houses, the strongest, the Vienna State Opera, Munich State Opera, Berlin, you name it. They all struggle in selling tickets and they play productions in front of a half empty hall. And that cannot go on for a very long time…

‘We have to do something. In the past, the golden times before the pandemic, we didn’t pay attention to entertain people. It was more [about aiming] to be as outstanding, as extravagant, as on-the-edge as possible within this art form. And I said back then, and I say it now again, I think it’s necessary that there has to be an understanding that we do it for the people.

‘It is necessary that you come up with a package where everyone feels pleased and entertained.’

Kaufmann says the key is not to ‘turn the story upside down’ for the sake of it, but ‘to find as may layers as possible without destroying the surface’. And, of course, the music is ‘really, really gorgeous.’

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