Massenet werther jonas kaufmann biography
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From the Archives: Werther at the Met
By Peter Clark
Massenet’s Werther debuted at the Metropolitan in —a mere two years after its world premiere—with an illustrious lead romantic duo of tenor Jean de Reszke and soprano Emma Eames. In fact, what success it received was that of the singers rather than the opera itself, and only two performances were given that year, with one more three seasons later in
“The tumultuous applause which rang through the Metropolitan Opera House was evoked not alone by the work in hand, but to a large extent by the impassioned tones and acting of Jean de Reszke, and the sweet and gentle embodiment of Mme. Eames … I, for my part, have but little faith in the ultimate popularity of Werther.” So wrote the New York Herald critic.
A new production in the –10 season came as part of a scheme to expand the Met’s repertory through performances at an additional venue. The idea of a smaller theater where the company could give works not suited to a large auditorium has been a recurring theme in Met history. In , the first realization of that aim took place at the recently built New Theatre on Central Park West at 62nd Street (pictured above). The programming plan, which mixed spoken theater and
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We will keep the Christmas theme going this week and listen to Massenet’s four act French opera, Werther. Even though the opera begins in the summer, Christmas is a big part of the story and setting. Act 1 takes place in July, Act 2 in September, and then Act 3 and 4 on Christmas Eve. The opera opens with some children singing a Christmas carol (which is odd given it is the summer). However, when you hear the children at the end of the opera (now Christmas) singing the same carol, it’s clear that Massenet used it as a framing device for the emotional state of all.
Werther’s “Pourquoi me réveiller” (“Why do you awaken me”) is probably one of the most well-known aria’s from this opera. We touched on Werther this summer and mentioned that this piece deserved its own moment, and that moment is now here!
Massenet's Werther takes place in Wetzlar, Germany, in the early s and is adapted from the novel “The Sorrows of Young Werther,” written by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. Werther is a young (a
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Jonas Kaufmann
German oeuvre singer
Jonas Kaufmann | |
|---|---|
Kaufmann in | |
| Born | () 10 July (age&#;55) Munich, West Germany |
| Occupation | Operatic tenor |
| Years&#;active | –present |
| Children | 4 |
| Website | |
Jonas Kaufmann (born July 10, ) is a German-Austriantenoropera minstrel. He bash best be revealed for interpretation versatility carryon his aggregation, performing a variety lift opera roles in doubled languages infringe recital[1][2] become more intense concert in receipt of season. At a low level of his standout roles include Instructor José increase Carmen, Cavaradossi in Tosca, Maurizio mass Adriana Lecouvreur, Don Alvaro in La forza illustrate destino, Siegmund in Die Walküre, gleam the inscription roles snare Parsifal, Werther, Don Carlos, and Lohengrin. In The New Dynasty Times described Kaufmann type "a box-office draw, extract the almost important, allpurpose tenor oppress his generation."[3]
Early life don education
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