Jonas Kaufmann - Magische Tone -Operetta Arias, Duets - Import CD

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Jonas Kaufmann

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Heartfelt Melodies of Nostalgia: The Sweet and Glittering World of Hungarian Operetta Jonas Kaufmann’s latest recording, *Mysterious Melodies: A Collection of Hungarian Opera & Operetta Arias & Duets*, features a collection of beautiful masterpieces from operettas and operas by Hungarian composers such as Kálmán, Lehár, and Ábrahám, who were active during the Austro-Hungarian Empire (1867–1918) from the 19th to the 20th century. For Kaufmann, this is his third album in this genre, following 2014’s *You Are My Heart’s Delight* and 2019’s *Vienna, City of My Dreams*. He is joined by the Hungarian State Opera Orchestra conducted by Dirk Kaftan, and for the duets, Nicola Hillebrand, one of today’s most acclaimed sopranos, makes a guest appearance. Kaufmann speaks of this era as follows: “This era produced an astonishingly rich body of music. Looking back, it was fortunate that many of these works premiered in Vienna and were written in German, because that allowed them to achieve international success immediately.” Had these works been written in Hungarian, they might well have remained confined to Hungary and never gained international recognition. A sad example of this is the operetta by the Hungarian composer Jenő Huszka (1875–1960). Although his operettas are highly regarded, they rarely have the opportunity to be performed abroad. For this program, Kaufman has selected Bob’s entrance aria from one of his masterpieces, *Bob Herzeg* (*Prince Bob*). Furthermore, the final lyrics of “Let’s Go to Várszín” from Kálmán’s operetta *Countess Maritza* state, “There, the world is still tinged with red, white, and green.” Red, white, and green represent the colors of the Hungarian flag, and these hues are felt not only in the lyrics but also in the music, serving as an element that symbolizes Hungarian national identity. However, the operetta’s second golden age is not limited to such simple patriotic expressions. It also symbolizes a longing for the free, international, and culturally diverse Europe that was lost with the outbreak of World War I. This evokes the image of pre-war cosmopolitan Europe as depicted by the Austrian writer Stefan Zweig in his memoir *The World of Yesterday*. For conductor Kaftan, who led this recording, it holds special significance. For him, this album marked a reunion with a genre he had thoroughly studied during his tenure as Music Director at the Graz Opera House. Kaftan remarked: “Above all, it is essential to understand the language of music that cannot be fully captured on the page.” Gustav Mahler’s famous words, ‘The most important things are not written in the score,’ apply to this repertoire as well. The reason this recording turned out so rich is that the Hungarian State Opera Orchestra understands the essence of this music and knows how to express it vividly.” (1/2) Sony Music