Puccini's most beautiful arias...
Puccini Centenary Festival
Following his enthusiastically applauded appearance in our homage to Enrico Caruso on the occasion of the legendary tenor’s 150th birthday and the Principality’s Fête Nationale in 2023, we are delighted to welcome back Jonas Kaufmann for a concert he specially designed in honour of Giacomo Puccini. At the same time, this evening concludes the Opéra de Monte-Carlo’s memorial events remembering the 100 years of the composer’s passing. Jonas Kaufmann is one of the few tenor superstars of today and amazes audiences on all continents with the intelligence of his interpretations, the ease with which he sings the most varied parts from the grand German, French and Italian repertoire, and of course the earthy bronze colour of his voice, which lets listeners’ hearts melt before soaring with ease to a radiant high C.
Among others, Jonas Kaufmann is currently one of the most sought-after interpreters of Puccini’s Cavaradossi in Tosca, Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly and Calaf in Turandot, which he sings on the world’s greatest stages. His concert repertoire, however, also contains arias from Puccini’s other works, some of which are less often heard. For the Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo, our affiliated orchestra, this music is home ground too, which means that we can certainly look forward to a wonderful evening of italianità.
“I’m a great admirer of Puccini, and his music has fascinated me since I was 6 or 7. The turning point came when I attended a family performance of Madama Butterfly at the Bavarian Staatsoper, where I discovered the immense impact of his music. It entranced me, so to speak, and I remain under its spell to this day. As a singer, I experience this seductive power at first hand during numerous performances of Manon Lescaut, La bohème, Tosca, La fanciulla del West and Turandot, as well as during the many hours I spend rehearsing at the piano with the vocal coach and my partners. And yet I never get tired of it. The same goes for millions of audience members. Puccini’s music is so effective, it never goes out of fashion despite the passage of a century, even though we are saturated with all kinds of sounds and images these days. This is why I believe that Puccini will remain for the public the key to the magical world of opera.”