Jonas Kaufmann – Magische Tone (CD)

After Vienna, now Budapest: Jonas Kaufmann recorded his new album there with the Hungarian State Opera Orchestra, conducted by Dirk Kaftan. The album focuses on highlights from composers of the Austro-Hungarian Empire (1867–1918), especially evergreens from the operettas of Emmerich (Imre) Kálmán, Franz (Ferenc) Lehár, and Paul (Pál) Abraham.

“It’s an incredible wealth of music that this era produced,” Kaufmann summarizes. “Looking back, we can be glad that the vast majority of these works premiered in Vienna and were written in German, which is why they quickly became internationally known and popular.” In Hungarian, they would probably have remained a national art form—like the operettas of Jenő Huszka (1875–1960), which, despite their qualities, were hardly ever performed outside of Hungary. For this album, Kaufmann chose one of Huszka’s best-known pieces: Bob’s entrance song from the operetta *Bob herceg *.

“There, the whole world is still red, white, and green”—these are the final words in the duet “ Come with me to Varaždin ” from Kálmán’s Countess Maritza . Naturally, the colors of the Hungarian tricolor are just as clearly audible in the music as in the lyrics, thus representing a piece of national identity. But this second golden age of operetta also stands for that melancholic memory of a liberal, cosmopolitan, culturally diverse Europe that perished with the First World War and which Stefan Zweig so vividly described in his memoirs, The World of Yesterday . Jonas Kaufmann’s duet partner is Nikola Hillebrand, who has recently become one of the most sought-after sopranos of her generation.

For Dirk Kaftan, the album's conductor, the recordings were a welcome reunion with a genre he had thoroughly studied during his time as General Music Director in Graz. "Above all, one has to empathize with a musical language that cannot be captured in writing. The famous saying by Gustav Mahler, 'The most important thing is not in the notes!', applies particularly to this repertoire. That's also why I found the recording sessions with the Hungarian State Opera Orchestra so rewarding: the musicians know exactly what it's all about and how to bring it to life."

Kaftan sees a clear parallel between the innovative style of Paul Ábrahám, who enriched the operetta genre with elements of jazz, foxtrot and revue, and the works of Kurt Weill, as "a means of expression of a future that was destroyed by the National Socialists".

Two operatic pieces round off the new album: the aria "Hazám, hazám " ("My Homeland") from Ferenc Erkel's opera "Bánk bán "—a passionate declaration of love for his Hungarian homeland—and "Magical Tones," the famous aria from Karl (Károly) Goldmark's "The Queen of Sheba ." These tones become magical when the singer understands how to coax delicate, intimate piano sounds from his voice in its exposed register—something Jonas Kaufmann finds particularly appealing: "Someone once told me: 'Your loud tones are captivating, but your quiet ones drive me crazy.' Dramatic tones probably affect the listener's body and nervous system more, while quiet ones affect the heart and soul."

Track Listings

1 Komm, Zigány (From "Gräfin Mariza")

2 Komm mit nach Varasdin! (From "Gräfin Mariza")

3 Mondd meg hogy imádom a pesti noket "Grüß mir mein Wien" (From "Gräfin Mariza")

4 Liebe singt ihr Zauberlied (From "Kaiserin Josephine")

5 Tanzen möcht' ich, jauchzen möcht ich (From "Die Csárdásfürstin")

6 Tief wie der Bergsee...so verliebt kann ein Ungar nur sein (From "Der Teufelsreiter")

7 Es steht ein Soldat am Wolgastrand (From "Der Zarewitsch")

8 O Mädchen, mein Mädchen, wie liebe ich dich! (From "Friederike")

9 Ich trete ins Zimmer...Immer nur lächeln (From "Das Land des Lächelns")

10 Wer hat die Liebe uns ins Herz gesenkt (From "Das Land des Lächelns")

11 Schön wie die blaue Sommernacht (From "Giuditta")

12 Ein Paradies am Meerestrand (From "Die Blume von Hawaii")

13 Will Dir die Welt zu Füßen legen (From "Die Blume von Hawaii")

14 Pardon Madame (From "Viktoria und ihr Husar)

15 Nur ein Mädel gibt es auf der Welt (From "Viktoria und ihr Husar")

16 Párdon, hogy bocsánat..Sing Sing (From "Julia")

17 Der schönste Gedanke auf Erden (From "Zigeuner der Nacht")

18 Die Juliska aus Budapest (From "Maske in Blau")

19 Frag nur dein Herz, was Liebe ist (From "Die ungarische Hochzeit")

20 Londonban hej (From "Bob herceg")

21 Hazam, hazam, te mindenem! (From "Bánk bán)

22 Magische Töne, berauschender Duft (From "Die Königin von Saba")