Classical Music: Puccini Love Affairs

Puccini Love Affairs

La bohème (Act I, Rodolfo & Mimì) ‘O soave fanciulla’ with Pretty Yende; Manon Lescaut (Act II, Manon & Des Grieux); ‘Tu, tu, amore? Tu?’ with Anna Netrebko; Tosca (Act I, Tosca & Cavaradossi) ’Mario!’ – ‘Son qui!’;‘Ah, quegli occhi!’ – ‘Qual occhio al mondo’ with Sonya Yoncheva; La fanciulla del West (Act I, Minnie, Johnson, Nick) ‘Mister Johnson, siete rimasto indietro’; ‘Quello che tacete’ with Malin Byström; Il tabarro (Giorgetta & Luigi)'O Luigi! Luigi! … Dimmi: perché gli hai chiesto’ with Asmik Grigorian; Madama Butterfly (Act I, Pinkerton & Butterfly) ’Viene la sera’; ‘Bimba dagli occhi pieni di malia’; ‘Vogliatemi bene’ with Maria Agresta; La bohème (Act I, Rodolfo) ‘Che gelida manina!’; Tosca (Act III, Cavaradossi) ‘E lucevan le stelle’.

Jonas Kaufmann tenor
sopranos: Pretty Yende · Anna Netrebko · Sonya Yoncheva
Malin Byström · Asmik Grigorian · Maria Agresta
Orchestra del Teatro Comunale di Bologna
Asher Fisch conductor
Sony Music Classical 19802806712
https://www.sonyclassical.com/news/news-details/jonas-kaufmann

Prepare to undo your shirt's top button, as the temperature is about to rise with a fiery intensity whenever and wherever you listen to this album. The 29th of November 2024 marks the 100th anniversary of Puccini’s death, and as a tribute, Jonas Kaufmann is marking the occasion with a superb album where he has selected for the new recording six great duets and scenes with six outstanding sopranos—legendary love scenes, emotionally charged love affairs. 

“What really appealed to me was recording these very different duets with different partners,” says Kaufmann. “With almost all of them, I’ve experienced unforgettable moments on stage.” Kauffman performs with six different first-rate sopranos.

With each performance, the fervent nature of Puccini’s compositions captivates with sublime singing. Anna Netrebko in Manon Lescaut Act II conveys all that Italian amore and passion.

It is an opportunity to compare the different sopranos' timbres and vibratos; none will disappoint. Kaufmann and Malin Byström in La Faniculla del West are delightful together.

All musicians convey the drama with sensitivity throughout, bringing out the nuances with wonderful dynamics and tonality. The German tenor is compelling and particularly fine, especially in La Fancilulla del West Act 1 'Quello che tacete'. However, at times, when he is reaching for notes at the top of his register, his voice can sound a bit tense. The coupling between Maria Agresta and Kaufman in Act 1 of Madama Butterfly 'Viene la sera' is charming. In the different movements from Madama Butterfly, the orchestral departments, whether strings or woodwind, add to the enchanting performances, as they do in Tosca and the haunting Act III, 'E lucevan le stelle', which ends the recital.

Asher Fisch conducts The Orchestra del Teatro Comunale di Bologna, and the orchestral players provide luscious and persuasive accompaniments.

The opera disc serves as a delightful introduction to Puccini and could potentially ignite a passion for the composer.