Jonas Kaufmann Recital
Jonas Kaufmann is one of the most important tenors in his generation, as The New York Times proclaimed once. The German-Austrian artist’s career includes famous lead roles like Don José in Carmen by Georges Bizet, Cavaradossi in Tosca by Giacomo Puccini, and Siegmund in Die Walküre by Richard Wagner as well as the title roles in Wagner’s Parsifal, Giuseppe Verdi’s Don Carlos, and Jules Massenet’s Werther, to name but few. Kaufmann’s vocal lines flow effortlessly and beautifully, and his delivery is energetic and masterful. Three of his classic tenor roles will make an appearance in three different acts that make up his long-awaited recital at Arena di Verona. In addition to an evening of musical delight, the ticket also includes a special sightseeing tour around the City of Love. A mini train will take you across old town and along the river Adige on a route specially designed to capture millennia of architectural and cultural history.
Even though he was not born into a musical family, Jonas Kaufmann started his musical education at the age of eight with piano lessons. His first singing experience was in his elementary school’s choir. Originally meant to study mathematics, Kaufmann chose to enrol in the singing programme of the University of Music and Performing Arts in his native Munich, which he completed in 1994. Around that time came his first engagements at Saarbrücken’s Staatstheater, the Bavarian State Opera, the Hamburg State Opera and the Stuttgart Opera. In the 2000’s, Kaufmann earned international acclaim with leading roles at London’s Royal Opera House Covent Garden, New York City’s Metropolitan Opera, Chicago’s Lyric Opera, and more. Apart from keeping a busy concert and opera schedule, he is also regularly in the studio, recording award-winning classical albums of opera arias and songs. The Jonas Kaufmann Recital at Arena di Verona is a fantastic retrospective on a versatile career where the tenor will apply his silken voice to three of his trademark roles in an astounding solo performance.
Since you are in Verona anyway, why not expand your cultural horizon with the complementary mini train sightseeing tour? The ‘trenino’ takes off from Piazza Brà, home of the Arena itself, every 30 minutes. On your route there are ancient structures like the Gavi Arch or the city gates that date back to Roman times. From the medieval period, the majestic palace Castelvecchio and the Cathedral of Verona stand out. A trip down the Adige riverbank reveals magnificent views of the surrounding hills and the churches and palazzos that sit atop them. In the space of about 25 minutes, the Verona sightseeing tour packs all the major historical sites that make the City of Love the multi-layered beautiful pearl it is.