© Patric Leo
At the Bremen Music Festival in August there was also an evening under the motto “Viva Puccini”. This was contested by Jonathan Tetelman and the Bremen Philharmonic. Now Jonas Kaufmann followed up with a similar program to honor the 100th anniversary of Giacomo Puccini’s death. He was accompanied by the German State Philharmonic of Rhineland-Palatinate under Jochen Rieder. He had brought the young soprano Valeria Sepe with him as reinforcement. This made possible a varied program that not only contained tenor arias, but also large duets as well as two of the most famous soprano arias, “Vissi d’arte” from “Tosca” and “Mi chiamano Mimi” from “La Boheme”. Puccini. Valeria Sepe performed it with a powerful soprano that shines impressively high. She always sang with full commitment and showed a lot of passion and charisma, especially in the duets (from “Tosca”, “La Boheme” and “Madama Butterfly”). However, differentiated piano tones were not her thing. Jonas Kaufmann does this masterfully. Like Tetelman, Kaufmann began with “Recondita armonia” from “Tosca.” Even at this introduction, Kaufmann impressed with the beauty of his bronze-colored tenor and effortlessly flooded the auditorium. Kaufmann (unlike Tetelman, who literally threw out his top notes) never relied on sensationalism. Exposed tones were also always integrated into the vocal line. The focus was on the design of each game. In the duet between Cavaradossi and Tosca, Kaufmann and Sepe’s voices harmonized perfectly. In addition, the playful, charming presentation of the two was very pleasing. With “E lucevan le stelle”, in which Kaufmann created an emotional and moving farewell to the world, he set a special highlight with fine piano culture and painful expression.
The big love duet from “Madama Butterfly” and the dramatic duet from “Manon Lescaut” were the focus of the second part. Here too, both impressed with their passionate design and sensual singing.
The accompaniment by the German State Philharmonic under Jochen Rieder was harmonious and had a beautiful sound. The conductor and orchestra set strong accents with the intermezzo from “Manon Lescaut” and the atmospheric preludes to the third act of “Tosca” and “Madama Butterfly”. The seamless transitions between the introduction to “Tosca” and the first aria as well as between the “Butterfly” intermezzo and the love duet were arranged and realized admirably well.
© Patric Leo
The audience’s enthusiasm was boundless. As a thank you, there were numerous encores, including “O mio babbino caro” from “Gianni Schicchi” and Liu’s aria from “Turandot” by Valeria Sepe, as well as “Ch’ ella mi creda” from “La Fanciulla del West” by Jonas Kaufmann. , “Non piangere Liu” from “Turandot” and the inevitable “Nessun dorma”. He belted it out with impressive power, although by the end of the evening the effort was starting to show.
Wolfgang Denker, November 8, 2024
Long live Puccini!
Concert with Jonas Kaufmann
Concert hall “Die Glocke” Bremen
am 6. November 2024
Valeria Sepe
Jonas Kaufmann
Musical direction: Jochen Rieder
German State Philharmonic Rhineland-Palatinate
