Jonas Kaufmann & Helmut Deutsch Perform Classics at Carnegie Hall

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Parent Category: Film and the Arts

Category: Reviews

Published on Tuesday, 19 October 2021 14:04

Written by Jack Angstreich

Jonas Kaufman (R) & Helmut Deutsch, photo by Jennifer Taylor

On the evening of Saturday, October 9th, I had the pleasure of attending a recital at Carnegie Hall by the incomparable and dashing Jonas Kaufmann, probably our greatest living tenor, superbly accompanied by Helmut Deutsch. The program was notable for presenting some less familiar—though excellent—repertory, all of songs in the German language, almost all of which the singer has recorded in two recent albums, Liszt - Freudvoll und leidvoll and Selige Stunde.

The evening opened with nine lieder by Franz Liszt, beginning with two to texts by Heinrich Heine: the bitter “Vergiftet sind meine Lieder” and the powerful “Im Rhein, im schöne Strome.” The composer set “Freudvoll und leidvoll” by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe—whose poetry could be found throughout the program—twice and the singer here performed both versions in succession. There followed: “O lieb, so lang du lieben kannst”—one of the celebrated Liebesträume—to a lyric by Ferdinand Freiligrath; the beautiful “Es war ein König in Thule,” again by Goethe; “Ihr Glocken von Marling”; “Die drei Zigeuner,” to a text by Nikolaus Lenau, one of the finest 19th-century German poets; and “Die Loreley,” to a famous lyric by Heine.

After these, Kaufmann performed two more Goethe songs: Franz Schubert’s “Der Musensohn” and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart‘s lovely “Das Veilchen,” the composer’s only setting to a text by the great poet. A highlight of the program was Robert Schumann’s very popular “Widmung”—from his magnificent cycle, Myrthen—to a lyric by Friedrich Rückert, the source also of many great songs by Schubert and Gustav Mahler. These were succeeded by another Schubert work, “Wandrers Nachtlied II,” to one of Goethe’s most beloved poems, and then another peak in the program, Antonín Dvorák’s gorgeous “Als die alte Mutter,” from his Zigeunermelodien. Johannes Brahm’s “Wiegenlied” was the most recognizable work in the recital, preceding “Still wie die Nacht,” by the less frequently heard Carl Bohm.

Frédéric Chopin’s exquisite Étude Op. 10, No. 3, is one of his most commonly played pieces and was adapted by Alois Melichar as the next song heard in the evening. Just as well-known is another Goethe setting, Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s unforgettable “Nur wer die Sehnsucht kennt,” another highlight of the recital which the tenor equalled in the ensuing version of Richard Strauss’s similarly extraordinary “Zueignung,” from his collection, Acht Gedichte aus “Letzte Blätter.” The program proper continued with Alexander Zemlinsky’s “Selige Stunde” and then concluded gloriously with two magisterial works: Hugo Wolf’s “Verborgenheit,” to a text by Eduard Mörike, another major German Romantic poet, and Mahler’s  “Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen,” one of the immortal Rückert-Lieder.

The artists garnered enthusiastic applause which amazingly elicited six encores! They began with Schumann’s “Mondnacht,” from his esteemed cycle, Liederkreis, all settings of lyrics by Joseph von Eichendorff, an eminent German Romantic poet. Kaufmann then performed another well-known song, Schubert’s “Die Forelle”—to a text by the Sturm und Drang poet, Christian Friedrich Daniel Schubart—the theme of which served as the basis for the variations of the fourth movement of the composer’s enormously popular Trout Quintet. Another peak in the program was reached with the next work, the astonishing “Träume” from Richard Wagner’s fabulous cycle, the Wesendonck Lieder. Three more Richard Strauss lieder followed, starting with “Nichts” from the same collection as “Zueignung.” The evening possibly reached its pinnacle with “Morgen,” maybe the composer’s finest song, and then ended with “Cäcilie (Wenn du es wüβtest).” One looks forward to the next local appearance of these wonderful performers.

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