Jonas Kaufmann, Royal Festival Hall

German tenor, Jonas Kaufmann, is one of today’s most acclaimed and popular singers - blessed with a gloriously rich voice that encompasses a very wide and varied repertoire. He is able to switch effortlessly from the Italian lyricism in Mozart, Verdi and Puccini operas, to the more weighty Wagnerian roles and the interior world of Schubert and Schumann lieder.
Yet Kaufmann is no overnight sensation. Indeed, he very nearly gave up singing, until a new teacher taught him how to hone his voice into the magnificent instrument it is today. Since then, he’s been gracing all the world’s opera stages and concert halls, and has a slew of recordings to his name.
In this concert, he will sing a selection of Puccini arias, accompanied by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and conducted by Jochen Rieder. The programme hasn’t been announced yet, but they may well include some of Puccini’s greatest hits - “E lucevan le Stelle” (“And the stars were shining”) from Tosca, “Che gelida manina” (“Your tiny hand is frozen”) from La Bohème, and perhaps best known of all, “Nessun Dorma” (“None shall sleep”) from Turandot.
There is no doubt that Puccini was the master of the romantic, tender and heart-wrenching melody. And Kaufmann certainly epitomises the romantic hero, not only with his vocal ability, but also his debonair looks, charm and extraordinary stage presence.