Kaufmann cancels, yes again
OperaJonas Kaufmann has withdrawn from Andrea Chénier in Monte Carlo, for reasons of health.
He says: ‘Je suis profondément attristé de devoir renoncer à chanter dans la production d’Andrea Chénier de l’Opéra de Monte-Carlo, dont la première aura lieu dimanche prochain. Malheureusement, je me suis rétabli beaucoup plus tard que prévu d’un rhume que j’ai contracté il y a quelques semaines, et je ne suis toujours pas en état de chanter cette œuvre exigeante.
‘J’étais très impatient et fier de faire partie de la première saison de Cecilia Bartoli à Monaco et je suis vraiment désolé pour le public. J’espère vivement que nous pourrons trouver dès que possible une autre occasion pour mes débuts à l’Opéra de Monte-Carlo ! ‘
I am deeply saddened to have to give up singing Andrea Chénier at the Opéra de Monte-Carlo, which will premiere next Sunday. Unfortunately, I recovered much later than expected from a cold I contracted a few weeks ago, and I am still in no condition to sing this demanding work.
A superstar who only wants to perform at a professional level – there are such things.
Nicht mehr.
Do you have to be quite so condescending Norman. Why Yes again! It is clear that Jonas Kaufmann is not well at the moment and has been singing under oar for a few weeks. The guy just can’t win. If he cancels he gets pilloried and if he sings and is not at his best the same applies. Why would people be so horrible and crass to not to wish him well in these circumstances. We know that he is a stage animal and loves to perform. So clearly things are difficult at the moment for him and he deserves our concern and sympathy.
Another unreliable prima donna??
It is getting ridiculous and very unfortunate for fans who have paid heavily to hear a star.
Why of course. It really no longer matters whether Kaufmann GmbH shows up or not. As Manuel Brug recently wrote in “Die Welt” regarding Gustavo Dudamel’s appointment to the NYPO, branding is the only thing that matters in today’s demoralized music world. Everything else is peripheral. And we are hearing the consequences. Again and again and again and again and ……
Apart from the fact that he is “Kaufmann GmbH”, he is SIMPLY A HUMAN, who, like everyone else, sometimes gets ill, and to perform he needs to be in very good shape, not just a little healed. Why is this so difficult for people here to understand?
you take this silly man seriously, have you ever met him and read anything by him that makes sense? Another useless German journalist
Sadly on the few occasions on which he does perform he seems to have experiences significant vocal decline. Most recently evident in the Vienna Aida with Netrebko (who of course was also nothing to write home about).
You probably already have your fixed mindset, but please take a few seconds to read up on this brief statistic: It’s not a few occasions, he sang 55 performances last year, and was sick twice – in July he had, for the second time, covid (and cancelled a series of Cav/Pag in London), and now he has an infection that he sang with in December and January (because you can’t cancel either, can you?), so he probably didn’t help himself with that. Singers are in a particularly difficult position – their instruments are so sensitive, and they are required to be like robots.
Jonny Cough’s copped a cough.
“I was very excited and proud to take part in the first season of Cecilia Bartoli at Monaco and I am truly sorry to disappoint the public.
I hope very much that we can find, if it is at all possible, another opportunity for my debut at the Opéra de Monte-Carlo”
Too bad but there are plenty of stubborn coughs going around at the moment. It would be surprising if the star singers managed to avoid them.
Churlish and unkind to say anything other than get well soon!
Good luck for Tanhäuser!!!
very true and let’s wish him calmness and a speedy recovery to prepare for this challenging role in Salzburg surrounded by a world class ensemble and a fantastic conductor only Bayreuth has treated badly and substituted him by mediocre artists that you find mostly in Bayreuth and even less than mediocre is what Bayreuth has become under helpless Katharina
The laryngial compression that is at the centre if his technique means that his vocal cords rub against one another, rather than vibrating alongside one another, leaving them raw at the edges. This makes him far more susceptible to coughs and colds, and also to vocal breakdown.
Unfortunately, the singers who use this technique are being favoured at the moment. But they never last, often cancel, and are not subtle singers. A great pity, because there are some truly wonderful singers with proper classical techniques who are being ignored, because those casting (who are often not trained singers) mistakenly believe their voices aren’t solid enough.
Kaufmann is not a subtle singer – brother, you gave me a great salvo of laughter! And Kaufmann just stands up to a lot – he has had a career of more than 20 years, very intense and under incredibly strong pressure. He cancels no more often than many others, but it’s just that Mr Lebrecht and other media don’t write about it, because they have a pool of their ‘favourites’ who arouse the most resonance
So who do you think have good technique that i should listen to these days? Just curious.
Elza van den Heever, Sondra Radvonovsky, Asmik Gregorian, Charles Castronovo, Reinaldo Macias, Gerald Finley (though not so much Verdi, please), Iain Paterson.
And you say they are all ignored by the casting people? Indeed, these poor ones are jobless and completely unknown…
The questioner asked for the names of prominent singers with good techniques that they should listen to. Why would I post a list of people who do not have performance videos on YouTube that they could watch?
Peter Mattei who vastly exceeds most of these other people.
He’s a fine singer, and I hope he sticks to his guns and doesn’t get pushed into too much heavier repertoire. His Don is lovely. As for better than the other singers on the list? How do you compare a cavalier baritone to a Verdi soprano? Or a character tenor. I put together a short list of prominent good singers with videos on YouTube. At 2.30am! Sorry your favourite wasn’t included!
I wish these were times where we could just lean back and welcome the Netrebkos as a replacement.
Wierd taste
I have just bought tickets for the Werther in London next summer, not because Kaufmann is in it… most probably he will not turn up. Anyway, if I am lucky, maybe Jonathan Tetelmann or Castronovo or Alagna will replace him.