Jonas Kaufmann in ''Otello''

[+ WilliamM]

but most likely will never get to hear Kaufmann in the flesh.

 

Why?

 

Do you know something others here do not?

[sydneyboy]

There was a report in the ''New York Times'' dated 8 March headed ''Tenor in demand now in short supply" on the decision by Jonas Kaufmann to limit his appearances outside Europe to no longer than 2 weeks for family reasons. This will by definition prevent him singing in staged operas outside Europe but will still allow concert performances. Mercifully that means, all other things being equal, that we will still hear him in Sydney in August in 3 concert performances of ''Parsifal''.

[whipped guy]

I am far more concerned about Kaufmann's future bookings in the United States.

 

Why?

 

Do you know something others here do not?

To quote Sergeant Schultz, "I know nothing!" However, "others here" may not know (unless they have read it on my profile) that I spend the cooler months in Florida and since that comprises most of the MET opera season it will not be an easy task to get to NYC if indeed Herr Kaufmann is engaged to sing there in the future. Indeed, as noted there are concerns that he might never sing in the USA again!

 

In any event, I did get to see Guillaume Tell this past October at the MET and have plotted my strategy for next season. I will be able to attend the new production of Norma prior to heading south and based on live recordings I will opt for Marina Rebeka vs. Sondra Radvanovsky. (Angela Meade will appear too late in the run.) I will see other productions that interest me via HD Theater transmissions. Bottom line: I have vowed never to be subjected to ice and snow ever again. Missing out on opera is the price that I will have to pay.

 

What triggered all of this was due to the fact that last season I flew north to catch Roberto Devereux and got to see the understudy in the title role, a baritone who was under the weather, and they both sang better that night than the soprano. Plus even though it was April there was snow, ice, sleet, rain, and wind all in the same day. Never again!

[sydneyboy]

On Saturday night I attended a performance of the new Covent Garden ''Otello''. This was the second performance of the run and I had the benefit of some reviews. Firstly Herr Kaufmann turned up, much to the surprise (amazement?) of some of the critics. I'll start with the production. Many of the critics didn't like it but I did. It was minimalist but not mad or wildly updated (blessed relief!). It placed emphasis on the interplay between the characters and they were not exactly hiding in elaborate scenery.

Of course the show was the hottest ticket in town for one reason, Herr Kaufmann. It was a great performance with some wonderful singing however I do agree with some of the critics that (in the exact words of one) he did not ''let rip'' in crucial climaxes. One singer who could not be accused of not letting rip was the last minute replacement Iago, Marco Vratogna. The producer very clearly put him at the centre of the action and Mr Vratogna made the most of it. He received a great ovation at the final curtain. Verdi apparently had contemplated naming the opera ''Iago'' and on the basis of this production that would have been justified. As an aside reading the biographical notes in the program, one of Mr Vratogna's future assignments is Scarpia with Opera Australia and he will be most welcome.

Others who can't be accused of not letting rip was Antonio Pappano, the orchestra and chorus. Hearing that magnificent band at full throttle was a thrilling experience. I have left Desdemona until last however she justifies being nearly first. A beautiful performance from Maria Agresta with an exquisite ''Willow Song''. All in all a great night at the opera, in fact a tremendous one that I will always remember. I return on 10 July with the same cast and can't wait.

[MscleLovr]

An interesting review, Sydneyboy. I was there too but I consider the staging horrid and the lighting poor. I admire Kaufmann and have seen him perform many times, but this was not him at his finest IMO.

[TruHart1]

On Saturday night I attended a performance of the new Covent Garden ''Otello''. This was the second performance of the run and I had the benefit of some reviews. Firstly Herr Kaufmann turned up, much to the surprise (amazement?) of some of the critics. I'll start with the production. Many of the critics didn't like it but I did. It was minimalist but not mad or wildly updated (blessed relief!). It placed emphasis on the interplay between the characters and they were not exactly hiding in elaborate scenery.

Of course the show was the hottest ticket in town for one reason, Herr Kaufmann. It was a great performance with some wonderful singing however I do agree with some of the critics that (in the exact words of one) he did not ''let rip'' in crucial climaxes. One singer who could not be accused of not letting rip was the last minute replacement Iago, Marco Vratogna. The producer very clearly put him at the centre of the action and Mr Vratogna made the most of it. He received a great ovation at the final curtain. Verdi apparently had contemplated naming the opera ''Iago'' and on the basis of this production that would have been justified. As an aside reading the biographical notes in the program, one of Mr Vratogna's future assignments is Scarpia with Opera Australia and he will be most welcome.

Others who can't be accused of not letting rip was Antonio Pappano, the orchestra and chorus. Hearing that magnificent band at full throttle was a thrilling experience. I have left Desdemona until last however she justifies being nearly first. A beautiful performance from Maria Agresta with an exquisite ''Willow Song''. All in all a great night at the opera, in fact a tremendous one that I will always remember. I return on 10 July with the same cast and can't wait.

An interesting review, Sydneyboy. I was there too but I consider the staging horrid and the lighting poor. I admire Kaufmann and have seen him perform many times, but this was not him at his finest IMO.

A note to those interested but not in London; there will be a live HD telecast in Europe this Wednesday, 6/28, at various movie theatres, check online for your local cinemas. About a month later, on Wednesday, 7/26, this production of Otello from The ROH will be shown at many cinemas in the U.S. (I'm guessing it will be a recording of the 6/28 live HD transmission.) Again, check your local cinemas online for details. My local movie theatre is showing it one time only on Wednesday, 7/26 at 7 pm.

 

Some comments about the critics and @sydneyboy's critique. One person's comments I read online who attended both the opening night performance and the 2nd performance @sydneyboy and @MscleLovr attended, stated that the Desdemona, Maria Agresta, was just okay on opening night (in line with many of the comments of the majority of the opening night critics) but in the 2nd performance, she seemed to have read the reviews and stepped up her game, rendering a much more exciting "Willow Song" and Ave Maria than at the opening.

 

The critics pretty well disliked the stage production, though, and although many reviews had titles such as "Kaufmann, an Otello for the Ages," almost all of the critics agreed that Herr Kaufmann did not "let rip" in the big climaxes and many postulated he would grow into a more fully fleshed-out Otello in future portrayals/productions of the opera.

 

TruHart1

[TruHart1]

Jonas Kaufmann as Otello and Marco Vratogna as Iago:

 

TruHart1

[whipped guy]

It was interesting to read the above comments from "non professional reviewers" as having read what several critics wrote I wondered if JK was indeed holding back or if the reviewers were just looking for something to criticize. As I remarked to a good friend... we have been so conditioned to hearing "Mario Del Monaco" type voices in this role that anything less is "holding back" and not letting "it rip". Every singer needs to find a way to make a role work for him. Perhaps this is what Herr Kaufmann at present has decided works best for him and his vocal health. It will be interesting to see if he modifies his approach possibly over the run of performances and if not then in the future.

 

Note to @sydneyboy: due report on July 10!

[sydneyboy]

Will do whipped guy.

[bostonman]

we have been so conditioned to hearing "Mario Del Monaco" type voices in this role that anything less is "holding back" and not letting "it rip". Every singer needs to find a way to make a role work for him. Perhaps this is what Herr Kaufmann at present has decided works best for him and his vocal health. It will be interesting to see if he modifies his approach possibly over the run of performances and if not then in the future.

 

Zachary Woolfe, in the New York Times review, had encouraging and enthusiastic things to say about Kaufmann, but then added this:

 

While his singing was nearly flawless, he didn’t convey — not on the first night, at least — the part’s sheer intensity. When Mr. Kaufmann strode onstage to stop a drunken riot in the first act, he seemed almost bored. “My blood begins to boil,” Otello claims — but you wouldn’t know it from the perfectly poised yet emotionally chilled singing. In the agonized second act, as Otello comes to believe the accusations against Desdemona and flails at controlling his growing rage, Mr. Kaufmann made beautiful sounds but gave no palpable sense of inner struggle.

 

It may be possible to organize an “Otello” production around a dazed, detached protagonist — and Keith Warner’s staging emphasizes the character’s isolation, giving him a few lonely seconds onstage, watching the crowd, after his blazing “Esultate.” But there were too many moments on Wednesday that seemed to be grasping for old-fashioned passion to convince me that Mr. Kaufmann’s tendency toward coolness was entirely intentional.

To me, this is an observation not of sheer vocal size ("letting it rip" etc), but probably of having no carefully-considered dramatic take on the role - yet. Maybe some of the "coolness" that Woolfe experienced is indeed related to how Kaufmann is pacing himself vocally, but clearly that may not be helping him in terms of the portrayal of the character. Or, it could just be that he hasn't really had the time to figure out what he really wants to do yet. As Woolfe said, since Kaufmann seemed inconsistent with presence at times, it may indeed just be that he's still trying to discover the role.

 

Unfortunately, I will be out of town when the screening in in Boston. I would have loved to have seen it. Perhaps it will turn up somewhere online eventually, etc.

[whipped guy]

To me, this is an observation not of sheer vocal size ("letting it rip" etc), but probably of having no carefully-considered dramatic take on the role - yet. Maybe some of the "coolness" that Woolfe experienced is indeed related to how Kaufmann is pacing himself vocally, but clearly that may not be helping him in terms of the portrayal of the character. Or, it could just be that he hasn't really had the time to figure out what he really wants to do yet. As Woolfe said, since Kaufmann seemed inconsistent with presence at times, it may indeed just be that he's still trying to discover the role.

When I posted about Bellini's Norma a while back... "In search of the greatest Norma preserved in sound" I touched on this very issue. Some singers seemed incapable of getting into the character because they were more concerned with getting things vocally perfect... some offered a compromise solution to balancing technical perfection vs. the drama... while others and especially one soprano... and no prize for guessing her name ... let it rip while still being able to sing in a technically proficient matter. Now I realize that Otello places different demands on a singer compared to Norma. However, as Norma is to a soprano, Otello is to a tenor, and Hamlet is to an actor... they are the Mount Everest that only the greatest artists can conquer. It seems that Herr Kaufman is working his way up the slopes.

[+ WilliamM]

Unfortunately, I will be out of town when the screening in in Boston. I would have loved to have seen it. Perhaps it will turn up somewhere online eventually, etc.

 

In Philadelphia, the performance is showing at different days in other theaters. I grew up in the suburbs of Boston, so I suspect it is true there as well. Kaufmann is a big draw, as this thread proves.

[bostonman]

In Philadelphia, the performance is showing at different days in other theaters. I grew up in the suburbs of Boston, so I suspect it is true there as well. Kaufmann is a big draw, as this thread proves.

 

So far, I've only seen one venue that's near enough to me, showing the opera on a Sunday morning. And the irony is, even though I'll be out of town, if I were in town, I'd still be unable to go, because I'd be working during that time. (Taking that morning off due to a family weekend trip feels different than trying to get out of work just to go see the opera, lol.)

 

By this time next year, there will be a brand new movie theatre complex just blocks away from my apartment, as part of an expansion of a local shopping center. I keep hoping that they'll take on the Met HD moviecasts and other arts programming...though this being more of a working-class neighborhood in general, I have my doubts. But we'll see...

[sydneyboy]

Last night I attended ''Otello'' for the second time with the same cast (everyone turned up!). I saw it from a different perspective, the first time from the Grand Teir, last night in D row of the stalls. The Grand Tier for this production at least was preferable. I have nothing much to add from my first review except to say that I believe all 3 principals were in even finer voice, Herr Kaufmann in particular. The second act duet with the Iago, Marco Vratogna when Otello is plotting to dispose of Desdemona was sensational. All 3 principals were well received by the audience at the final curtain and I was trying to gauge who got the loudest applause. I believe it to have been Maria Agresta and as an aside she milked the adulation for all it was worth. I still liked the production, even it would appear i'm the only one who did.

I built my trip to London around seeing this ''Otello'' and all that needs to be said is that it fulfilled its every promise. Tremendous.

[MscleLovr]

Thanks for reporting back, Sydneyboy. I'm glad you enjoyed it so much.

 

Maybe you should plan another trip to London for February 2018. There is a performance of Wolf's Italian Songbook by Jonas Kaufmann and Diana Damrau (soprano) with Helmut Deutsch (piano) at the Barbican Hall on February 16 and some tickets are still available.

[sydneyboy]

Thank you MusclLovr. That would be an experience. February is my birthday month and the next one is one of those unfortunate mini milestones. I turn 70. Friends I believe have plans.