Jonas Kaufmann, 'Evening With Puccini,' Concert Program

7/24/2019 Jonas Kaufmann, 'Evening With Puccini,' Concert Program

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From La ScaLa, miLan FiLarmonica DELLa ScaLa

conDUcTor JocHEn riEDEr

JONAS

KAUFMANNan EvEningwiTH PUccini


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PROGRAMME

Giacomo Puccini (1858-1924)

PRELUDIO SINFONICO A-DUR

LE VILLI

Ecco la casa Torna ai felici d Prelude andLa Tregenda

EDGAR

Orgia, chimera dallocchio vitreo Edgar Prelude to Act III

MANON LESCAUT

Donna non vidi mai

Intermezzo

Ah! guai a chi la tocca! No! pazzo son! Guardate!

TOSCA

E lucevan le stelle Prelude to Act III

MADAMA BUTTER FLY

Intermezzo

LA FANCIULLA DEL WEST

Una parola sola! ... Or son sei mesi

SUOR ANGELICA

Intermezzo

TURANDOT

Nessun dorma

ENCORE

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Arts Alliance is delighted to welcome you to this

special screening ofJonas Kaufmann: An

Evening With Puccini.

Jonas Kaufmann is perhaps the greatest tenor on the

world stage today and his performance at La Scala, on

the 14 June, 2015, was hailed as a triumph by all who

were fortunate enough to be present at Italy's world

famous opera house.

Through the unique and powerful medium of cinema,

audiences in more than 40 countries can now come

together and enjoy this joyful and momentous event.

Arts Alliance believes passionately that art and culture

should be enjoyed by everyone. Working with our equally

enthusiastic network of cinema partners we produce and

present the widest range of outstanding events, from

world-class artists, bands, opera and ballet, to the finest

theatre companies, museums and galleries. These events

draw together audiences from around the world, offering

the chance to share the thrill and excitement of liveperformance, gallery exhibitions and one-off events.

I hope you enjoy Jonas Kaufmann in concert and we

look forward to bringing you many more special events

in the future.

Nick Varley

Chief Executive, Arts Alliance

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LE viLLi

This hybrid of opera and ballet premiered at Milans Teatro

Dal Verme on 31 May, 1884. It was Puccinis first stage

work. Set during the Middle Ages,Le Villitells the legend of

the eponymous fairies that, upon witnessing the death of a

heartbroken soul, force the heartbreaker to dance until their

own demise. Roberto has pledged his love for Anna, but whilst

traveling away from home a siren seduces him. Annas despair atRobertos absence proves her undoing and following her death,

her father calls on the Villi to exact their revenge. Upon hearing

the fate of his betrothed Roberto seeks forgiveness but is destined

to dance in the forest until he dies, his body lain at Annas feet.

The composer was unhappy with the first version of his opera

and revised it twice, in 1888 and again in 1892, premiering it at

Hamburg, with Gustav Mahler conducting.

EDgar

Loosely based on Alfred de Mussets play La Coupe et les

lvres, Puccinis three-act opera premiered at La Scala on 21

April, 1889. It remained an on-going work-in-progress for the

composer (it was originally conceived in four acts) until he finally

gave up on perfecting it, even declaring the work irredeemable,

although he never blamed his librettist Ferdinand Fontana,

suggesting it was more my fault than his. The story unfolds in

medieval times and like Wagners Tannhuser, it features a knight

torn between the attractions of lustful indulgence and the appeal

of true love. Edgar leaves wanton Tigrana for innocent Fidelia,

but cannot resist his former lovers temptations. His indecision

ultimately leads to the trios undoing and it is only at the point

of her death that Edgar realises what Fidelia truly meant to him.

Orgia, chimera dall'occhio vitreogives voice to those feelings.

THE OPERAS

manon LEScaUT

Adapted from the 1731 novelLhistoire du chevalier des Grieux

et de Manon Lescautby the Abb Prvost, with a libretto penned

by no less than five writers (authorship of it was so confusing

that the title page of the original score didnt feature a writing

credit), Puccinis third opera premiered at Turins Teatro Regio

on 1 February, 1893. It was his first major success. Moving from

Amiens and Paris to Le Havre and, finally, New Orleans,ManonLescautcharts the emotional journey of young love, giving way

to the realities of life and how easily idealism can be dashed.

Des Grieux adores Manon, even when she elopes with the

ageing Geronte. He keeps track of her and, after upheavals and

hardship, they are together again in the new world, only to be

undone by the hardships of poverty.Donna non vidi maicaptures

the impulsiveness of young love, whileAh! non v'avvicinate!... No!

no!... pazzo sonis imbued with world-weariness and desperation.

ToSca

Puccinis first venture into verismo and based on Victorien

Sardous 1887 play of the same name, Toscaunfolds at the

start of the 19th century, as the Kingdom of Naples' control of

Rome comes under threat from Napoleons invading army.

E lucevan le stelleis sung by the painter Cavaradossi in the hour

leading up to what he believes will be his execution. The opera

premiered at Romes Teatro Costanzi on 14 January 1900.

Unlike his first two productions, Toscasopening night was a

magnificent event, attended by Queen Margherita and the Italian

Prime Minister. In the years since, responses to the opera have

been varied. Most infamously, the American critic and musicologist

Joseph Kerman described it as a "shabby little shocker''. Millions of

opera-goers would passionately disagree."

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La FanciULLa DEL wEST

LikeMadame Buttery, Puccinis three-act opera was based

on a play by American writer David Belasco. It premiered at

the New York Metropolitan Opera House in 1910. The roles of

Dick Johnson and Minnie were created for Enrico Caruso and

Emmy Destinn who performed under the auspices of conductor

Arturo Toscanini, who described the opera as a great symphonic

poem. Set during the California Gold Rush, we are introduced

to Minnie, the owner of a saloon, who falls in love with Dick,initially unaware that he is actually the outlaw Ramerrez. The

aria Una parola sola!... Or son sei mesiunfolds at the moment

that Dick reveals who he really is and confesses his love for

Minnie. Although it has not made its way into the pantheon of

the most popular performed operas,La fanciulla del Westis

widely admired for its harmonic language and for furthering the

complexity of the Italian operatic form.

TUranDoT

Puccinis final opera was left unfinished, with two scenes

completed by Franco Alfano, based on ideas the composer

had sketched out before his death on 29 November, 1924. It

premiered at La Scala on 25 April, 1926. The story was inspired

by the epic 12th-century poem Haft Paykar by Nizami. Set in

China, at the narratives crux are a series of riddles that will

determine the future of two people. Prince Calaf has fallen in love

with Princess Turandot. To win her hand he must answer three

riddles correctly. A wrong answer to any will result in death. He

succeeds but Turandotrefuses to marry him. So he poses a test

for her: if she is able to learn of his name before dawn, he will

willingly die.Nessun dormais sung in the final act, in the dead of

night, as Calaf ponders his fate.

Unlike the majority of artists

throughout history who struggled

to gain recognition during their

lifetime, Giacomo Puccini achieved

spectacular success almost immediately.

And he enjoyed it, taking on the role

of playboy with an almost unrestrainedabandon. Regarded by many as second

only to Verdi in Italian opera, his work

became increasingly rooted in the post-

Romantic opera tradition of verismo,

basing a narrative within a recognisably

real world.

Puccini was born into a musical family.

Three generations of men, beginning with

his great-great grandfather, weremaestro

di cappellaof the Cattedrale di San

Martino, in Lucca. Puccinis grandfather

had also written a number of operas, a

tradition that continued with his father. After

graduating from the Pacini School of Music

in 1880, Puccini continued his studies at

the Milan Conservatory. His graduation

composition, a mass, is regarded as the

culmination of his familys association with

the church. Though never published, Puccini

occasionally lifted themes from the work,

using theAgnus Deiin his operaManon

Lescautand theKyrieinEdgar.

Puccinis first opera,Le Villi, received its

premiere in 1885 and played at La Scala

the following year, to moderate success.

GIACOMO PUCCINI1858-1924

His second opera, Edgar(1889) failed to

engage with critics and he would revise it

time and again over the next two decades.

His third opera,Manon Lescaut(1893),

changed the young composers fortunes.

Following its premiere in London, George

Bernard Shaw was quoted as sayingPuccini looks to me more like the heir of

Verdi than any of his rivals.

The composers reputation and fortune

were guaranteed by his next two operas. La

bohme(1896) is arguably his most popular

opera a swooning, deeply romantic tale

of love and death. Tosca(1900), Puccinis

most notable verismowork to date, also

won over audiences wherever it played.

And althoughMadama Buttery(1904)

was initially drubbed by critics, Puccinis fifth

version of the opera, which was completed

in 1907 and is now regarded as the

standard version, is a perennial favourite.

His last three completed works, La

fanciulla del West(1910),La rondine

(1916) and the trilogy of one-act operas

Il trittico: Il tabarro, Suor Angelica, and

Gianni Schicchi(1918) were nevertheless

received rapturously. Puccini was diagnosed

with throat cancer whilst working on

Turandot, and following his death in 1924

it was completed from the composers

notes by Franco Alfano. It was premiered

at La Scala in 1926.

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ECCO LA CASA

(Le Villi)

Ecco la casa.

Dio, che orrenda notte!

Strane voci m'inseguon.

Le Villi... Evvia!

Son fole!

No, delle Villi me non perseguita

la vendetta fatal!

Tu sol m'insegui, rimorso,

vipera infernal!

Vipera dal veleno infernal!

Torna ai felici d

dolente il mio pensier,

ridean del maggio i or,

oria per me lamor!

Or tutto si copr

di lugubre mister,

ed io non ho nel cor

che tristezza e terror!

ORGIA, CHIMERA DALLOCCHIO VITREO

(Edgar)

Orgia, chimera dallocchio vitreo,dal sofo ardente che i sensi incendia,

tu a me, dellalta notte nel glauco

mister silente, invan ritorni...

Non pi dai tuoi sguardi

ammaliato sar il mio cor!

N pi mavvince a te la volutt.

Ma il terror del domani!

un vigliacco terror che lonor mio

combatte e vincere non pu!

O soave vision di quellalba dapril,

o vision gentil damore e di splendor!

ECCO LA CASA

(Le Villi)

Here is her house.

O God, what a horrible night!

Weird voices pursue me.

The Wilis... Away with them!

They are Imaginings!

No, the fatal vendetta of the Wilis

does not pursue me!

Thou alone, remorse, dost plague me

viper of Hell!

Viper of the poison of hell

My anguished thought

returns to those happy days

when May was gay with flowers

and love blossomed for me

Then everything was blackened

by lugubrious mysteries

and now in my heart there is

naught but sadness and terror!

ORGIA, CHIMERA DALLOCCHIO VITREO

(Edgar)

Orgy, you empty-eyed chimera

with a fiery breath that sets the senses on fire,

you return to me in vain in the dark,

silent mystery, in the depth of the night.

Your stares will no longer

affect my heart!

And your sensuousness will no longer capture me.

But I am terrified of tomorrow;

a vile terror which my honour

is unable to fight!

O sweet vision of that April dawn,

O gentle vision of love and splendour!

Nellabisso fatal, dove caduto io or son,

rimpianta vision,

te il mio pensiero evca sempre ancor!

Sovra un sereno ciel si dilegua il prol,

dolcissimo, infantil,

Dellangiol che mam...

DONNA NON VIDI MAI

(Manon Lescaut)

Donna non vidi mai simle a questa!

A dirle: io t'amo,

a nuova vita l'alma mia si desta.

Manon Lescaut mi chiamo!

Come queste parole profumate

mi vagan nello spirto

e ascose bre vanno a carezzare.

O sussurro gentil, deh! non cessare!...

AH! NON V'AVVICINATE!... NO! NO!...

PAZZO SON!

(Manon Lescaut)

Ah! non v'avvicinate!...

Che yivo me, costei

nessun strappar potr .!..No! no!... pazzo son! Guardate,

com'io piango e imploro... com'io piango,

guardate, com'io chiedo piet!

Udite! M'accettate

qual mozzo o a piu vile mestiere,

ed io verr felice!

M'accettate! Ah! guardate,

io piango e imploro!

Vi pigliate il mio sangue... la vita!

V'imploro, vi chiedo piet!

Ingrato non sar!

In this fatal abyss into which I have fallen,

longed for a vision,

I think of you all the time!

In a serene sky is outlined a profile,

the sweetest picture

of the angel who loved me!

DONNA NON VIDI MAI

(Manon Lescaut)

Never have I seen such a woman!

To tell her: I love you,

awakens my heart to a new life.

"My name is Manon Lescaut."

How those fragrant words

linger in my spirit

and caress hidden chords.

O gentle murmur, pray never cease!

AH! NON V'AVVICINATE!... NO! NO!...

PAZZO SON!

(Manon Lescaut)

Ah, don't come any nearer!

For, while I live,

on one shall snatch her away from me!

No! I am crazy! Look at me,

how I weep and implore you, how I weep,

see, how I plead for pity!

Hear me! Take me on

as a cabin boy or in some even meaner duty

and I shall come gladly

Accept me, Ah, see

I weep and beg you!

Take my blood... my life!

I implore you, I beg for compassion

I shall not be ungrateful!

GIACOMO PUCCINI

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E LUCEVAN LE STELLE

(Tosca)

E lucevan le stelle

ed olezzava la terra

stridea l'uscio dell'orto

e un passo sorava la rena.

Entrava ella, fragrante,

mi cadea fra le braccia.

Oh! dolce baci, o languide carezze,

mentr'io fremente

le belle forme disciogliea dai veli!

Svani per sempre il sogno mio d'amore

L'ora e fuggita

e muoio disperato!

E non ho amato mai tanto la vita!

tanto la vita!

UNA PAROLA SOLA!... OR SON SEI MESI

(La fanciulla del West)

Una parola sola!

Non mi difender... sono un dannato!

Lo so, lo so!

Ma non vi avrei rubato!

Sono Ramerrez:nacqui vagabondo,

era ladro il mio nome

da quando venni al mondo.

Ma no che visse mio padre,

io non sapevo.

Or son sei mesi

che mio padre mor...

Sola ricchezza mia,

per la madre e i fratelli, alla dimane,

leredit paterna: una masnada

di banditi da strada! Laccettai.

Era quello il destino mio!

Ma un giorno

vho incontrata... Ho sognato

dandarmene con voi tanto lontano,

per redimermi tutto in una vita

di lavoro e damore...

E il labbro mio

mormor una preghiera ardente:

Oh Dio!

chella non sappia mai la mia vergogna!

Il sogno stato vano!

Ora ho nito...

NESSUN DORMA!...

(Turandot)

Nessun dorma!...

Tu pure, o principessa,

nella tua fredda stanza

guardi le stelle

che tremano damore e di speranza!

Ma il mio mistero chiuso in me,

il nome mio nessun sapr!

No, no, sulla tua bocca lo dir,

quando la luce splender!Ed il mio bacio scioglier il silenzio

che ti fa mia!

Dilegua, o notte!... tramontate, stelle!

Allalba vincer!

E LUCEVAN LE STELLE

(Tosca)

The stars seemed to shimmer

The sweet scents of the garden,

The creaking gate seemed to whisper,

And a footstep skimmed over the sand.

Then she came in, so fragrant,

And fell into my arms!

Oh! sweet kisses, oh, languorous caresses,

While I, trembling, was searching

For her features, concealed by her mantle.

My dream of love faded away, for good!

Everything's gone now.

I'm dying hopeless, desperate!

And never before have I loved life like this!

And never before have I loved life like this!

UNA PAROLA SOLA!... OR SON SEI MESI

(La fanciulla del West)

Just one word!

I'll not defend myself. I'm a scoundrel!

I know, I know!

But I wouldn't have robbed you.

I am Rammerrez:

I was born a vagabond,

thief was my name

from the day I came into this world.

But while my father lived,

I never knew it.

Six months ago

my father died.

The only means to support

my mothers and brothers

was my father's legacy: a gang

of highway bandits! I accepted it.

That was my destiny!

But one day

I met you... I dreamed

of going far, far away with you

and putting everything right

by a life of love and honest work...

And my lips

murmured a fervent prayer:

O God!

May she never learn of my shame!

The dream was all in vain!

Now I've finished...

NESSUN DORMA!...

(Turandot)

No man will sleep!

You too, O Princess,

in your virginal room

are watching the stars

that tremble with love and hope!

But my secret lies hidden within me,

no one shall discover my name!

Oh no, I will tell it only to your lips,

when daylight shines forthand my kisses shall break the silence

that makes you mine!

Depart, O night! Set, you stars!

At dawn I shall win!

ENCORE

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Brian Large is an award-winning director who has filmed some of the

greatest stars of opera and many of the most acclaimed productions

of the last few decades. He talks here about bringing An Evening with

Puccini to the screen.

What originally attracted you to the opera world?

I was trained as a musician and wanted to be a concert pianist and a conductor.

I was drawn to opera because of a love of theatre. I wanted to make the perfect

marriage of the music and theatrical worlds.

The performance seems to have a narrative progression, even though the

arias are from a variety of operas.

Yes, that's true. There are some directors who might wish to take a different

approach to such a concert, even thinking of it as one would a football match,

with movement happening everywhere. But I felt that it was important to focus

on the way that Jonas Kaufmann was performing, and how he interacts with

the orchestra and his conductor. I wanted to convey his commitment to singing

and these very different arias some that are more tuneful, others less so;

some are lyrical, others very dramatic. And while we are watching him perform

these stories, I wanted to capture his emotions, which present us with a specific

storyline in the context of this performance.

There are certain moments when I remain focused on Jonas after he has

stopped singing. I not only wanted to capture his emotions, but the way hecommunicated them to an audience. These emotions what he might be

thinking about how he just interpreted a piece remain after he has stopped

singing. It is important to register these. For instance, at the end of the Tosca

aria, he's so intense. It would be criminal to just step away and not record

that mood.

How easy was the editing?

Everything was mapped out to the music. All the shots and the cutting between

them were dictated by the harmonies and key changes within the music, and in

the poetry of the libretti. Things fell into place because of my knowledge of the

music and previous experience of working at La Scala.

I first visited the opera house many years ago. I was a student and managed to

get a gallery place. I'll never forget that moment of standing there as the curtain

went up and the performance of Verdi's Otellobegan. It's one of the reasons why

I chose to shoot the stage from that high angle. I wanted to give a viewer who

had never had the chance to go to La Scala the incredible impression I had when

I first went there.

Did you set up the cameras for this performance?

Yes. On this occasion we had 13 cameras and they were all located specifically

for this performance. Whatever I'm doing, the set-ups always have to cater to

that particular project. With opera, we have to take into account the scenery

as well as the singers. And with this performance everything was put in place to

ensure that we captured the best results on a visual and dramatic level.

We even employed a Cinma vritaspect with one backstage camera, in order

to follow the artists out on to the stage. But it had to be done discreetly and in a

way that didn't feel mechanical or happen too often. However, I feel it involves

the viewer in what it must feel like for Jonas, having sungManon Lescaut, to

walk back up to the stage and face an audience of 2000 appreciative faces. We

are able to witness their passion for his wonderful talent and, in turn, we see his

warmth and the sense of gratitude he exudes at their appreciation. It was also

important for me that we saw the human side to Jonas.

He is ranked as one of the great tenors. Where do you think hisappeal lies?

He is a singular talent with a truly wonderful voice. He uses it as a painter

would a palette of vocal colours, only painting with sound and pure emotion.

It's a God-given voice that displays remarkable versatility in terms of emotion

and encapsulating the full dramatic spectrum, as well as possessing the qualities

of a baritone.

Jonas has film star looks and real acting talent, but what makes him special

is his naturalness. He has a down-to-earth quality that can be seen in his

appreciation for his audience, but also in his generosity as a colleague. He's a

lovely man.

ON DIRECTING

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One of the pinnacles of an opera singers career is to perform at La

Scala, Milans legendary theatre, which has played host to some of the

worlds greatest voices since it opened on 3 August, 1778. That night,

audiences watched the premiere of Antonio Salieri's two-actEuropa riconosciuta.

The next time it was performed was over 225 years later, in 2004, when the

theatre re-opened after an extensive, three-year renovation. With Riccardo Muti

conducting, the event emphasised the theatres rich history, whose opulence todayshowcases the grand neoclassical designs of architect Giuseppe Piermarini.

The theatre was built on the site of the church of Santa Maria alla Scala, hence

its name. It was intended that 3,000 people would fill the many boxes, stalls and

balcony areas for each performance, and it was illuminated with more than 1,000

oil lamps. (The venue was also populated with buckets of water, just in case a fire

broke out.) A 1907 restructure brought the capacity to just below 2,000.

La Scala came into its own with the advent of Rossini, whoseLa pietra del

paragonepremiered there in 1812. It soon became the appointed home of

Italian opera seria. Other Rossini works performed there includedIl turco in

Italia, La Cenerentola, Il barbiere di Siviglia, La donna del lago, Otello, Tancredi,

SemiramideandMos. Bellini and Donizetti subsequently became favourites

before Giuseppe Verdi dominated the second half of the 19th Century and

became the composer most closely associated with the theatre. With his passing,

Giacomo Puccini took over his mantle, bringing opera into the 20th century and

offering audiences a world of sweeping, lyrical romanticism.

In addition to the countless principal conductors and musical directors, such

as Arturo Toscanini (1898-1908 and 1921-29), Victor de Sabata (1930-53),

Riccardo Muti (1986-2005), Daniel Barenboim (2007-14) and its current guiding

light Riccardo Chailly, La Scala has played host to the finest singers. Enrico

Caruso, Maria Callas, Luciano Pavarotti, Renata Tebaldi, Plcido Domingo,

Giuseppe Di Stefano and Mario Del Monaco, amongst the many greats, have

performed there. And now its the turn of Jonas Kaufmann.An Evening with

Puccinihighlights the importance of La Scala and its standing as a landmark in

operas grand legacy.

LA SCALA

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Opera has a long and rich relationship with cinema. There are the countless film

adaptations that run the gamut from the traditional to more radical fare. The

best of them include Powell and Pressburgers glorious The Tales of Hoffman

(1951), Hans- Jurgen Syberbergs experimentalParsifal (1982), Joseph Loseys stunning

Don Giovanni(1979), Francesco Rosis hugely popular Carmen(1984), the many Franco

Zefferelli productions of which 1982s La Traviatais perhaps the finest and IngmarBergmans sublime The Magic Flute(1975).

Opera has also been a mainstay of many a classic film soundtrack. It is unlikely that

the famous helicopter scene in Apocalypse Now(1979) would have had the same impact

if WagnersRide of the Valkyrieshad not been accompanying the attack. Nor would

Malones death scene in The Untouchables(1987) be quite as powerful if it werent

played out to the strains of Leoncavallo's Vesti La Giubba. But what of Puccinis contribution

to cinema?

The composers first encounter with the nascent art form was less than auspicious. Al

Jolson, Buddy DeSylva and Vincent Roses popular songAvalon, which the Puccini estate

took to court in 1921 and from which they were awarded royalties due to the tunes

similarity toE lucevan le stelle, first appeared in the forgettable Joe E. Brown and Ginger

Rogers vehicle You Said a Mouthful(1932). It also featured in a range of films over the next

two decades, from the forgotten westernKing of the Lumberjacks(1940) to such classics

asIts a Wonderful Life(1946),Dark Passage (1947) andEast of Eden (1955). As for the

aria that inspired the song, it was best used in Sidney Lumets gritty cop drama Serpico

(1973) and Sylvester StallonesRocky Balboa(2006), the surprisingly good fifth sequel in

the boxing franchise.

Puccinis swooning romanticism, tempered by a fatalism that gives his work such tragic

weight, has offered directors the perfect soundtrack for accentuating the heightened drama

of a scene; or even offering a counterpoint to the action. Manon Lescauts gorgeousSola

Perduta Abandonnatowas arranged for guitar and helped reinforce a theme of longing in

James Grays Two Lovers(2008). By contrast, Meir Zarchis notorious 1978 rape revenge

shockerI Spit on Your Gravemade extraordinary use of the aria in one of the fi lms most

uncomfortable scenes.

PUCCINI & CINEMA

The tragedy at the heart of Madame Butterybecame both soundtrack and theme to

Adrian Lynnes hugely popular mainstream thrillerFatal Attraction(1987). In the same

year,La Bohemechannelled the blossoming romance certainly more promising than the

operas in Norman JewisonsMoonstruck.La Bohemewas also used to stunning effect in

Werner Herzogs epicFitzcarraldo(1982) and was the source material for Baz Lurhmanns

intoxicating exercise in sensory overload,Moulin Rouge(2001).Madame Buttery,meanwhile, has underpinned the passions of Michael Caines adulterer in Woody Allens

Hannah and Her Sistersand Bob Hoskins' minder in Neil JordansMona Lisa(both 1986).

More perversely, the opera featured on the soundtrack of Oliver StonesNatural Born

Killers(1994).

Toscasmost visible presence in recent cinema was a production of the opera at the open

air theatre in Bregenz, Austria, providing the perfect backdrop for the best scene in the

otherwise disappointing Bond film Quantum of Solace (2008). While a production of

Turandot, this time at the Vienna State Opera, offered up a thrilling set piece in the recent

Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation (2015). That operas most famous aria,Nessun Dorma,

has probably adorned more key scenes in films than any other piece of music. It helped

heighten the wickedly supernatural drama of The Witches of Eastwick(1987), added class

to the on-pitch antics ofBend It Like Beckham(2002), underpinned the high stakes at play

in the otherworldly, monochromatic thrillerSuture(1993), and gave voice to the anguish

experienced by Javier Bardems paraplegic in the Oscar-winning The Sea Inside(2004).

The arias finest use on screen was in another Oscar-winner, The Killing Fields (1984),

accompanying a speech by President Nixon and footage showing the plight of Cambodians

under the yolk of Pol Pots brutal regime.

O Mio Babbino Caro, the most popular aria from Puccinis one-act comic opera Gianni

Schicchi, may not be as well known asNessun Dorma, but its place in film history is secure

thanks to two films. It emphasises the yearning of Jack Nicholsons Mafia hitman, who

desires a love greater than life, in John Hustons brilliant gangster dramaPrizzis Honor

(1985). In the same year, the themes that dominate Puccinis best-loved operas and the

breath-taking beauty that marks his work found their cinematic ideal in Merchant Ivorys

E.M. Forster adaptationRoom with a View. The Italy we see portrayed in the film just

wouldnt look the same without the music of that countrys most romantic composer.

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Jonas Kaufmann was born in Munich and studied singing

at the Munich Academy of Music and Theatre. He

began his career at the opera houses of Saarbrcken

and Stuttgart, and later became a member of the Zurich

Opera. Since his debut at the Metropolitan Opera in New

York in 2006, he sings main parts at the worlds leading

opera houses, including La Scala, Paris Opera, Wiener

Staatsoper, Bayerische Staatsoper Mnchen and the Royal

Opera House in London. His exceptionally wide repertory

includes Italian, French and German opera as well as French,

English and German Lied, oratorio and operetta. Kaufmann's

versatility is documented on a number of CDs and DVDs

in performances of such works as Don Carlo, Tosca,

Adriana Lecouvreur, Werther, Carmen, Lohengrin,

Die Walkre, Parsifal, Knigskinder and Ariadne auf

Naxos. His solo albums are bestsellers; the Berlin album

with popular tunes of Franz Lehr, Imre Klmn, Robert Stolz,

Richard Tauber and others even made it into the pop charts.

Kaufmann has been selected several times as Singer of

the Year, by the classical music magazines Opernwelt,

Diapason and Musical America as well as by the juries

of Echo-Klassik and the inaugural International OperaAwards (London 2013). Kaufmann has also been acclaimed

for his lied recitals (Schumann, Schubert, Wagner, Mahler,

Strauss, Liszt, Duparc, Britten etc.). His partnership with pianist

Hemut Deutsch, with whom he worked as far back as his

student days in Munich, has proven itself in countless concerts

including one on October 30 2011, on the stage of the

Metropolitan Opera in New York. This was the first solo recital

given at the Met since Luciano Pavarottis back in 1994.

JONAS KAUFMANN

Pht Jul Hees Sy clssl

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Born 1970, Jochen Rieder initially took up positions as conducting

assistant and Kapellmeister at German State Theaters in Karlsruhe and

Bremen. In 2001, he became a permanent ensemble member of Zurich

Opera, where he remained until 2014.

Over the years, a long and intense musical friendship has been

established with star-tenor Jonas Kaufmann. Together, they have

performed at many of the worlds finest venues. Their joint Australian debut in August 2014,

with concerts at the Sydney Opera House and Melbournes Hamer Hall, was hailed as a

sensation. In Spring 2015, a concert tour included stops at the most prestigious concert

halls of Europe: the Philharmonic Halls of Berlin, Cologne, Hamburg, Munich, the Stuttgart

Liederhalle, Baden-Badens Festspielhaus, Viennas Konzerthaus, the KKL Lucerne and the

Thtre des Champs-Elyses in Paris.

In autumn 2014, You Mean the World to Me which features Jonas Kaufmann and the

Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin conducted by Jochen Rieder, was released by Sony

Classical. Both the CD and accompanying DVD were recorded in the concert hall of Berlins

legendary Nalepa Strasse Broadcasting House. Since the summer 2014, Jochen Rieder has

been active as a freelance conductor focusing on opera as much as on the popular works

of the great orchestral repertoire, symphonic rarities and contemporary music.

Brian Large studied at the Royal Academy of Music, before graduating

from the University of London with doctorates in Music and Philosophy.

He joined BBC2 at its inception in 1965, where he became responsible

for directing regular music and opera programmes. In 1970, he was

appointed chief opera producer. Since then, he has directed operas

at venues around the world. He has received a Peabody Award and

recognition from the Royal Television Society for his filming of the

Chreau/Boulez production of Der Ring des Nibelungen, The Three Tenors World Cup

concert andStiffeliofrom Covent Garden. His 1992 film Tosca, shot in the Rome settings

that Puccini stipulated, was screened live in 106 countries and earned him his second

Emmy. The French government named him a Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in

1985 and in 1991 he was appointed Fellow of the Royal Academy and Music.

FILARMONICA DELLA SCALAJOCHEN RIEDER

BRIAN LARGE

Fst vl

Francesco De Angelis

Francesco Manara

Laura Marzadori

Eriko Tsuchihashi*

Duccio Beluffi

Rodolfo Cibin

Alessandro Ferrari

Agnese Ferraro

Alois Hubner

Fulvio Liviabella

Kaori Ogasawara

Andrea Pecolo

Gianluca Scandola

Enkeleida Sheshaj

Dino Sossai

Gianluca Turconi

Corinne Van

Eikema Estela

Sheshi Evgenia

Staneva Francesco

Tagliavini Elitza

Demirova Claudio

Mondini Francesca

Monego Enrico Piccini

Sed vl

Giorgio Di Crosta*

Pierangelo Negri*

Daniele Pascoletti*

Anna Longiave

Anna Salvatori

Emanuela Abriani

Damiano Cottalasso

Stefano Dallera

Silvia Guarino

Stefano Lo RePaola Lutzemberger

Antonio Mastalli

Roberta Miseferi

Roberto Nigro

Gabriele Porfidio

Alexia Tiberghien

Elena Aiello

Cristina Ardizzone

Suela Piciri

vl

Simonide Braconi*

Danilo Rossi*

Matteo Amadasi

Giorgio Baiocco

Carlo Barato

Maddalena Calderoni

Marco Giubileo

Gonzalez Cardaba

Olga Joel Imperial

Francesco Lattuada

Emanuele Rossi

Giuseppe Russo Rossi

Luciano Sangalli

Rosaria Mastrosimone

Federica Mazzanti

Fabio Merlini

Eugenio Silvestri

Adriana Stoica

Monica Vatrini

cell

Sandro Laffranchini*

Alfredo Persichilli*

Massimo Polidori*

Martina Lopez

Jakob Ludwig

Alice Cappagli

Gabriele Garofano

Simone Groppo

Tatiana Patella

Cosma Beatrice Pomarico

Marcello Sirotti

Massimiliano Tisserant

Clare Ibbott

Gianluca Muzzolon

Andrea Scacchi

Duble Bss

Giuseppe Ettorre*

Francesco Siragusa*

Roberto Benatti

Attilio Corradini

Omar Lonati

Roberto Parretti

Emanuele Pedrani

Claudio Pinferetti

Alessandro Serra

Gaetano Siragusa

Antonio Lipari

Chiara Molent

Daniele Pisanelli

Flute

Marco Zoni*

Claudia Bucchini

Enrico Giacomin

Serena Zanette

Pl

Giovanni Paciello

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Fabien Thouand*

Augusto Mianiti

Gianni Viero

c als

Renato Duca

clet

Mauro Ferrando*

Fabrizio Meloni*

Christian Chiodi Latini

Denis ZanchettaPierluigi Capezzuto

Bss clet

Stefano Cardo

Davide Lattuada

Bassoon

Gabriele Screpis*

Valentino Zucchiatti*

Maurizio Orsini

Nicola Meneghetti

Duble Bss

Marion Reinhard

Cornet

Jorge Monte De Fez*

Danilo Stagni*

Roberto Miele

Stefano Alessandri

Claudio Martini

Stefano Curci

Piero Mangano

Alberto Prandina

Tupet

Francesco Tamiati*

Gianni Dallaturca

Mauro Edantippe

Nicola Martelli

Tbe

Daniele Morandini*

Torsten Edvar*

Riccardo Bernasconi

Renato Filisetti

Giuseppe Grandi

Tub

Brian Earl

Javier Castano Medina

Tp

Brian Barker*

Peuss

Gianni Arfacchia

Giuseppe Cacciola

Antonello Cancelli

Gerardo Capaldo

Francesco Muraca

Hp

Luisa Prandina*

Olga Mazzia*

Dahba Awalom

P

Lorenzo Bonoldi

* prima parte

24 25


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ARTS ALLIANCE PRODUCTIONS PRESENTS IN ASSOCIATION WITHSONY CLASSICAL JONAS KAUFMANN: AN EVENING WITH PUCCINIABRIAN LARGE FILM

EXECUTIVE PRODUCERSSTEVE LAPPIN MARK FOSTER MASSIMILIANO SFORZINI ARTIST MANAGENTBRUCE ZEMESKY ALAN GREEN CO-PRODUCERSFRANCESCA ZAMBELLI

ANTONIA FARRUGIA SAVERIA RAIMONDI WRITTEN BYBRIAN LARGE ANDTHOMAS VOIGT DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHYLUCIANO BARESI CONDUCTORJOCHEN RIEDER

MUSIC BYGIACOMO PUCCINI EDITORSTEVE EVELEIGH PRODUCED BYBARRY CLARK-EWERS DIRECTED BYBRIAN LARGE

Documents

Jonas Kaufmann, 'Evening With Puccini,' Concert Program