Jonas scratches Munich
OperaKaufmann has cancelled tomorrow’s Liederabend at Bavarian State Opera.
Happily, Piotr Beczala was available to jump in.
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Naturally. Still, it matters little, for the boy is protected by the opera/classical music Mafiosi. Same goes for Harteros (don’t believe her schedule in Operabase) and, for other nefarious and two-faced reasons, Netrebko.
Mr. Beczala needs no protection nor excuses. He shows up and does his job brilliantly.
I think A.L. was referring to Kaufmann and his incessant “cancel-itis”. Not sure why he even claims to be interested in continuing to pursue a musical career anymore.
Wenn ein Sänger krank ist, sollte er gescheiterweise pausieren. Und man sollte ihm gute Besserung wünschen und nicht über die Auswahl der Rollen, des Agenten …. herziehen.
And yet we loved Kleiber in spite of his habit of doing this!!
You misread my statement…of course A.L. was not including Mr. Beczala in his post. My point is that Mr. Beczala is a professional who does his job. His career has been steady and incredibly busy. He is not in the mould of Kaufman at all.
He has been cancelling lately. But hey nobody seems to give a stuff about that
Just as well to cancel if you are ill or voiceless. You can’t just pick up another instrument like a violinist can with a Strad.
The change of singer is a significant improvement for the Munich audience.
No way!
What do Kaufmann, Arancam and Yonghoon Lee have in common? They are all tenors managed by Zemsky-Green and they all have sung and are still singing beyond their vocal capabilities. Lee I heard many years ago as Don Carlo in Valencia: A beautiful, lyrical tenor. A couple of years later I heard him in Berlin as Don José – vocally he was no longer recognizable. Now he has “moved on” to the likes of, inter alia, Radames, Calaf and Manrico … I have given up following him and hope that he will not tread the path Kaufmann has chosen …
Lee is a complete mediocrity – monochromatic voice, no personality on stage. And apparently a fundamentalist Christian lunatic.
In Valencia he was NOT mediocrity with no personality. His present condition is the result of poor role choices “guided” by agents who are known for encouraging their tenors to sing beyond their vocal means. And – PLEASE – let us NOT question his religious beliefs! As long as he does not force others to believe as he does, let him believe whatever he wants!
Apparently he prostelizes other artists in rehearsals (or rehearsal breaks). All fundamentalists seek to force their views on others. In any case I’ve never enjoyed any performance of his I’ve been forced to endure going back to at least 2010.
Also apparently a “missionary” when he’s not singing: http://www.kumcdetroit.org/bbs/board.php?bo_table=readsermon&wr_id=700&ckattempt=1
How predictable. Good on Beczala.
Kaumann really should give up singing. He is totally unreliable and taking those who pay substantial sums of money in the vain hope of actually hearing him perform for fools.
It simply isn’t fair.
I think it’s everything more complicated. Commitments in the opera world are negotiated several years in advance. Jonas Kaufmann has three grown children, apparently still studying, and one small child. He has to make a living. His health and vocal condition have been alarming for several years, but I think he still somehow hopes that he will be able to sing at least something somewhere (of course, given his status, for a proper fee). Unfortunately, though, he is scheduled in too wide (and disparate) range of roles of various kinds, concerts and recitals, which probably does not do his voice any favours either. I wonder if he will also cancel his next performances in early August in Australia (2x La Gioconda in concert version).
Yes, often as much as five years in advance, and by then the voice changes, and life’s circumstances change, and it’s all down to the greedy agents, not the singer per se.
I would bet on that.
Well, if Munich was itching. . .
I cannot say I am an opera expert. I simply feel it. I used to like the young Kaufmann, he brought about some kind of freshness to the world of opera. Of course it was all marketing : the young, yoga lover, eager to please and greet fans, nice smile, powerful voice… now he is no longer young nor fresh any more. He sells his image and his family life in documentaries, but he fails to keep his schedule. We fans are becoming disappointed . No chance we will be buying his new cinema album.
Let’s face it , like him or hate him , Kaufman is the last tenor in the world!
Or to phrase it alternatively , i would rather pay to see Kaufman singing at half voice from a wheelchair , than Beczala singing open throated , full voice and no transpositions!
Beczala is wiser in his choice of repertoire and has a far more beautiful voice.
I flew back early to New York from a vacation in Paris to see Kaufmann in Die Walkürer and he canceled. Then he canceled on me once again, and I was totally through with him.
Not too surprising because of history. But I am surprised that he’s still an active participant. I thought his career was over years ago.