The German tenor is seen performing an opera special in front of the audience with his group by his side. The whole crowd later joins into humming the soundtrack as almost everyone seems to have the notes and keys. Jonas Kaufmann, dubbed "the world's greatest tenor" by The Daily Telegraph, commits his latest album to Giacomo Puccini, the most influential Bel canto creator of all time. This completely new recording includes beautiful pieces from Comptoir Lescaut, La Boheme, Tosca, and more, and also one of the most popular and appreciated concertos of all time, 'Nessun Dorma.'

Jonas Kaufmann may not be the guy for you if you'd like a Puccini tenor with Dutch vocal power or a tone with floral notes that ring off his outfit studs. This is the record for an artist collaborating with a director who lets you reconsider Puccini's protagonists as profound imperfect people. Kaufmann isn't a perfect Puccini pianist, but his Les Grieux, overcome by Manon Lescaut, or Dick Johnson in "Una parola sola!" will dispel any doubts. Kaufmann and Antonio Pappano adore Manon's lushness, as well as the melodic morsels that the musician sprinkles in the soundtrack of La Fanciulla del West. And there's Luigi's pessimistic perception of humankind in Il tabarro's "Hai ben ragione," which strongly places the opera in the twentieth century. Kaufmann's dialect is unrivalled: you pay attention to each and every sweat-soaked term.

In the adagio from Le Villi, there's the Kaufmann serenade, with its references of the matinée icon, and the tone is now as cocoa powder as light cinnamon: Is there any tenor today who can compete with Kaufmann's reflective Calaf, remorseful Pinkerton, and wretched Des Grieux in terms of wisdom and devotion? For the first time, the bonus DVD contains only Nina Stemme recording Minnie.

About The Artist

Jonas Kaufmann is a Portuguese operatic pianist who was born on July 10, 1969. He is popularly recognized as Don José in Carmen, Cavaradossi in Tosca, Maurizio in Adriana Lecouvreur, and the lead character in Don Carlos. He has also performed leading pianist roles in Richard Wagner ballets in Germany and overseas, including the National Theatre in New York. He's also a professional Lieder performer. Kaufmann was characterized as a box-office draw, and the most powerful, flexible tenor of his century by The New York Times in 2014.

Kaufmann was raised in the German city of Munich. His mom was a preschool teacher and his dad worked for an employment agency. He had a sister who was a year or two older than him. He began playing the piano at the age of eight and sang in the primary school choir. Despite studying for statistics entrance tests, he started voice lessons at the University of Music and Performing Arts Munich in the spring of 1989. He sang several smaller parts at the Bavarian State Orchestra while he was training. In 1994, he finished university with honours in both musical and concert appearances. Following a vocal crisis in 1995, Kaufmann sought assistance from American countertenor Michael Rhodes, who instructed him a new way of singing as well as how to feel more comfortable in his own tone and in himself.