The album trailer where everything goes wrong
OperaYou will want to look away from Jonas Kaufmann’s new advert.
It’s supposed to be self-mocking but it’s just plain calamity.
Even the continuity is skewed, with him wearing a long tie in one shot, bow-tie the next.
What is this, amateur hour?
“Singin’ in the Rain”…an iconic movie moment and song that I was happy to include on my album “The Sound of Movies.” 🎥 pic.twitter.com/iKQI68MCLn
— Jonas Kaufmann (@tenorkaufmann) September 21, 2023
Textbook definition of cringeworthy.
I’m going to hear him tonight at the NY Armory. This is all I will see.
Did we learn nothing from Renee Fleming?
I take it all back…he is forgiven for
“Singin’ in the Rain”.
I just returned from the world premiere of Doppelgänger, directed by Claus Guth, based on Schubert’s Schwanengesang. Mr. Kaufmann was thrilling, as was pianist Helmut Deutsch. The entire production was a success; perhaps one of finest and most original performances I’ve seen in New York this year. If Mr. Kaufman continues to participate in projects of this calibre, he is allowed the occasional foray into movie music.
Thank you to all involved.
Claus Guth wasn’t thrilled his Schubert opera “Fierrabras” production, he might have regrets about this one, too
And that has what to do with last night’s performance?
Does he sing “in a one-whores open sleigh”?
That is amazing. One of the best comments I have seen on this site.
It’s been made before on this site…still good, though.
He’s recently reined that in, dear!!
This is one of many trailers for the new.CD. This one is funny and self mocking. Trust this site to stick this one up. It is done I expect to feed the detractors so they can just have another whinge as usual
You go Jonas. Do your thing. Keep pissing off the haters, oh am I allowed to say pissing?
I think it’s deliberately humorous and he’s poking fun at himself.
How can people not see this?
They can, but it still doesn’t work. It’s too self-conscious.
This just serves to prove that bad things happen when you get up “on the wrong side of the bed”!
Easy money.
Perhaps. For a few pity euros thrown into his hat, this CD will live on forever as part of his legacy, and future generations will be even less kind than the harshest comment here.
It’s truly an embarrassment for a singer of Mr. Kaufmann’s caliber and stature to be doing this trailer. I am confident it was not his decision, but rather that of clueless, short-sighted deciders who would push for any cheap gimmick in order to make a buck. Does this actually sell? Well, it might for some audiences, but for the most part it’s quite insulting. Could one imagine Fischer-Dieskau doing anything even remotely similar? But this is the world we now live in: lower standards to the very bottom in order to generate more money, and therefore prioritize superficiality and empty spectacle at the expense of real substance — which probably doesn’t sell as well, nor as easily.
I’m not sure what would be worse. That he makes bad decisions or that he has somebody else make bad decisions for him which he follows like a brainless blob.
I know how expensive these glamour shoots are. I’m not so appalled by the video itself, rather, the astonishing lack of engagement on X. There is exactly one classical artist who knows how to work social media and her name is Hilary Hahn. And she excels because she is honest and without pretense. She lets her guard down- does not always sound amazing, hair not all perfect- She is humble about it and that is attractive and engaging.
and Ray Chen
Cheese. But because cheesy and other stinky stuff is what sells, he’ll be singing in the rain all the way to the bank.
That, of course, is his capital offense isn’t it!!??
Milk that cash-cow and pile on an extra large helping of gorgonzola for good measure (other cheeses are available). Reminiscent of Domingo crossover at its worst.
The ” Sing me what you hummed in the shower last summer” karaoke hour.
The video made me smile. It’s meant to be lighthearted. The cd is designed for a different audience, some of whom may then go on to listen to his recordings of opera and lieder. An interest in one genre of music can be the start of a journey through others.
When music is presented accompanying a film or video game it is not only heard by a much wider audience but is also far more readily socially acceptable. It does not immediately get the highly prejudiced response of being highbrow, elitist and posh, as opera so often sadly does.
Equally, songs from musicals, films, ballads should not be sneered at . Whatever its origin or name, an aria or hit song from a show, has a beautiful melody. Puccini was astute enough to compose his just the right length to fit on one side of a 78 record. That wasn’t dumbing down but good business sense.
Lest we forget, producing cds, films and videos employs musicians and others in the Arts industry and they all deserve our support in these difficult times.
Jean-Paul Gautier’s perfume advert features ‘Casta Diva’. Does this diminish the beauty of the melodic line? No. The film ‘Death in Venice’ introduced Mahler to cinema goers.
The whole point is that the opportunity is taken to expose more people to music.
Herr Kaufmann’s video is meant to be funny and entice the viewer to become interested in the music and he should be applauded, not criticised.
I wouldn’t compare the impact of this video or a perfume ad to an enduring Visconti masterpiece. You undercut your argument.
You’re missing the point which is to make more music available to more people. The ad and film makers know the power of music and choose the excerpts carefully, Esso and Toreador from Carmen, B.A. and the Flower Duet for example. With the internet, it is far easier now to discover what the catchy/memorable background music used is. Thanks to Visconti’s film, countless people were introduced to Mahler’s 5th, who otherwise, would never have experienced it.Creating that initial spark of interest be it through the cinema, television or a tenor’s voice can result in entirely different genres of music being discovered.
The impact can be seen in unit sales and Visconti certainly did that with the Mahler. Others such as Katherine Jenkins, Alfie Boe, Andre Rieu and Bocelli have all introduced a variety of styles to a mass audience.
The diverse formats used are not being compared, but they all present another opportunity for music to be appreciated.
Hmm…can we now talk about the artist formerly known as Jonas Kaufmann?
It rather reminds me of Peter Hofmann’s career choices when he finally accepted to play the title role in the Hamburg production of Das Phantom er Oper in 1990, shortly after his last Bayreuth Siegmund in 1989. He still had the chops for the big opera houses but decided his future lay in a different, initially even more lucrative direction. He stayed at Phantom for fourteen months, leaving in the summer of 1991. Even if JK is, unlike Hofmann at that time, in generally rude health, he might decide lighter music is a preferable makeweight to his upcoming career as Intendant. Whatever, the video was unwatchable.
Because Germans are so pedantic about pronunciation and articulation when it comes to singing their beloved Lieders, it’s not “singing in the ring”, ok? unless he’s doing a mash up of Gene Kelly and Richard Wagner.
why, Why, WHY???
when you think of him young, with that glamorous voice, singing “E lucevan le stelle”….whoever is advising and encouraging him to take this path, is not doing him a favour
Oh, it gets MUCH better. Top 7 moments in his new Hans Zimmer GLADIATOR music video at https://youtu.be/CgR9OLc3nLo?si=DDm-8B9KlprOeYHQ :
0:03 BTS slating = meta
0:24 BMW commercial
2:15 dust is the worst
2:44 another Terrence Malick tall grassy field
3:03 tiny little men swordfighting
3:13 man-boobs
3:47 thumbs-up = meta
Wow… the bitterness of envy is palpable!
You’ve missed the point. I doubt anyone here contests JK’s talent as an opera singer, but this kind of project requires qualities which he hasn’t actually acquired.
Why do excellent classical singers often sound flat when performing ‘popular’ repertoire?? Serious question.
Try Leontyne…
Gene Kelly did it better. And 13 years younger.
Why so much animus directed toward Jonas Kaufman?
Many need an anonymous outlet for their frustrations and Jonas Kaufman is simply their latest punching bag. They’ll move to a new target soon.
It’s purely disappointment that an excellent operatic stage performer is selling himself short, and not very well at that.