Kitsch has a new master

Kitsch has a new master

Daily Comfort Zone

norman lebrecht

November 28, 2022

From Jonas Kaufmann’s new Christmas album on Sony.

A free Mozartkugel for anyone who manages to listen to the end.

Comments

  • Henry williams says:

    What a voice. He could sing a McDonalds menu it would sound great

  • lamed says:

    Yes, that’s what the birth of Jesus of Nazareth means to me, blond children, iconography of white saints and ministers, Austrian trachten loden jackets paired with American blue jeans…

    Almost makes me forget to go to the mall on Black Friday to sustain this holiday

  • Ger Otten says:

    Where can I sent my address. Please a whole box

  • Pianofortissimo says:

    Kitsch? I would rather say beautiful, touching, thank you Jonas.

  • Emil says:

    Miles better than his first Christmas album with its Mariah Carey cover. If the rest of the album is like this excerpt, it’s very listenable.
    Not sure what’s so objectionable, but I’ll nevertheless claim my Mozartkugel.

  • Micaela Bonetti says:

    Would you mind offering a Mozartkugel to your unnamed harpist, Mr Kaufmann?

  • Gustavo says:

    The pandemic has reinforced many odd behavioral routines in human societies.

    Dressing up like at the Octoberfest and singing with an Austro-Bavarian accent.

    Celebrating Christmas in the midst of your “loved ones”, in pursuit of selfish commercial goals devoid of spiritual merit and socio-cultural impact.

    The Grinch

  • M McGrath says:

    A Mozart Kugel is decidedly Austrian, Kaufmann a Bavarian. So your freebie might be, instead, a scrumptious bayerische Creme with raspberry sauce…?

  • Bloom says:

    Some quasi-far right , ultratraditional milieu for German/Austrian middle class audience and the suave and vacuous crooning of the star tenor Kaufmann. It cannot get any better on Christmas.

  • John says:

    Did Andre Rieu or Helmut Lotti have anything to say about this?

  • Margaret Koscielny says:

    He has a lovely voice. I find nothing to which one could object. It’s Christmas fare, and legitimate for general public enjoyment. If he makes people want to go hear an opera, that’s not a bad thing, either!

  • kotozzo says:

    I ask for the Mozartkugel – I am a civilized and educated European

  • Panleithanian says:

    Loden seems to be of good quality.
    But the only Xmas album I can listen to these days is “Still” by Otto Lechner and Klaus Trabitsch.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svvQlTu0LUI

  • Joel Kemelhor says:

    No, this falls short of the holiday heights of his earlier Mariah Carey cover : “All I Want For Christmas is You !”

  • DG says:

    He’s lip synching

  • Bedrich Sourcream says:

    Where’s my kugel? Are you objecting to the use of a harp, or how it is played, or his singing?

  • ER says:

    Mi piace. Gran dolcezza.

  • Ebbaanders says:

    Mr. Lebrecht, „Es wird scho glei …“ is a really old Austrian Christmas Song, the melody is much much older, simple but beautiful as it should be for a Christmas song that you can sing together. A little research would not have been bad before you react reflexively to Kaufmann. And if you don’t understand the lyrics, look for someone because Google translate would not help; the lyrics are written in Austrian dialect. If you are looking for kitsch there are many American Christmas popsongs jostling for victory.

  • MOST READ TODAY: