Jonas’ Variations. The story of a Virtuoso

“You can’t overrate talent, since this a must if you want to be on stage - but to have success and make a career, this of course needs much more than talent.”

Telos: Opera is a unique art form bringing together words, music, theatre and design. Italy is the birthplace of the art to which you have dedicated your entire life. Italy has also a particular meaning in your family (so, considering all this it is no surprise that you speak a great Italian!). Have you ever felt inspired by our Country and what is the role that the Italian Opera tradition has played in your career?  

Jonas Kaufmann: Italy has a special place in my and my family’s heart, that’s true. My parents were convinced that the best way to spend holidays was to combine culture with leisure; they thought - and I think they were right - that the ideal combination was Italy: nice climate, nice landscape and beaches plus great culture. Therefore for many years, we were always going to Italy, at least once a year, sometimes two or three times, each year in another place, combining some relaxing at the beach with sight-seeing of some cultural highlights. And this was something I found very fascinating as a boy. I was very interested in archeology and therefore in history as well. I also learned the Italian language: my sister, who is some years older then me, didn’t want to be with me all the time, she had other interests. So I had to find some playmates to spend time at the beach. Therefore I had to learn the language, and my father helped me a lot with that. Looking back, I can only say that this was a great luck, and a great advantage for me to start the language so early. As we all know now, as a grown-up it’s so much more difficult if not impossible to learn a language with idiomatic tones. Without doubt, starting very very early speaking Italian, it helps a lot today when singing the Italian repertoire. Coming to the second part of your question: Italy inspired me in so many ways, not only in terms of architecture and music, but also in lifestyle. I’m addicted to Italian food - coffee, sweets, pizza, pasta, all those things you can’t resist when you are in Italy. Of course, the Italian Opera tradition has influenced me as well, especially via all those recordings of great Italian singers, from Claudia Muzio to Franco Corelli.

The Opera world recognises your perfect combination of words, theater and music. Clearly, this didn’t happen overnight. Please tell us something about your voice development and how you discovered this amazing native talent?

I always loved classical music and I always loved to sing. When I was in primary school, I joined a children’s chorus. When I moved on to secondary school, I joined the school chorus, an activity that went right through all my school years, not even pausing when my voice changed. The last two school years were pretty important for me in two ways. First I was talked into doing a major in music, and secondly, I joined the extra chorus at Munich’s Gärtnerplatztheater, the second opera house in my hometown. And so, for the first time in my life, there I stood on the operatic stage. With my secondary school diploma in my pocket, I took my parents’ advice and registered at the university in Munich to study mathematics. They wanted me to learn something sensible, substantial, something that I could later use to get a job like my father, who earned a decent income in an insurance company and was thus able to provide for his family. I wanted a family, too, and it was just as clear to me, that professional singing was a pretty chancy business, especially because a singer is dependent on his health. So, I held out as a math student for a couple of semesters, but the certainty that I wasn’t born to be a desk jockey, weighed heavier and heavier. I tried auditioning for a slot as a vocal student, and I was accepted on the spot. It took a huge amount of courage to make the fateful decision and say good-bye to the security of life as a mathematician. And so, in the summer of 1989, I began training to become an opera and concert singer at the Academy of Music and Theatre in Munich. I got in touch with many teachers not only in the Hochschule, but also outside, such as Josef Metternich, James King and Hans Hotter. But despite the fact that I learned a lot from them, I was not really prepared for the daily life of an opera singer. When I started as a professional singer, 1994 in Saarbrücken, I still believed in what I had been taught as a student: to be the typical lyrical German tenor with Tamino and Don Ottavio being the centre of my repertoire. But soon I realised that this wasn’t right for me. That was during my first season in Saarbrücken. I got ill very quickly, and I was unable to cope with all those things I had to sing. In the darkest moment of those years, I got hoarse during a Parsifal performance singing the small part of the fourth squire! Thank God I met Michael Rhodes shortly after, and he taught me to sing with my own voice instead trying to sound like a lyrical German tenor. Fortunately, I managed to overcome that crisis rather quickly. But when Rhodes told me, that I’d sing Lohengrin some day and that I’d even sing at the Met, I shook my head in disbelieve. But he was right, and I can’t express how grateful I am having met this wonderful teacher at the right time.

Is talent overrated? Is there anything else that separates world-class performers from everybody else?

You can’t overrate talent, since this a must if you want to be on stage - but to have success and make a career, this of course needs much more than talent. There are several important criteria. First, I’d say, you should have a beautiful and reliable instrument, that allows you to concentrate on interpretation and acting. Also essential is a continuous study and development of your voice and technique. As the body and the mind change, you must be aware of the developments and work with your voice. Then you should have two or three people, on whose ears you can be sure to rely and that you remain open to criticism. Maintaining your health is essential for a successful career, and this demands a lot of self-discipline in the daily private life. Coming back to the second part of your question: to become a world-class performer you need to reach the point where you are the master of your instrument and its possibilities. It is impossible to be confident without this. Technique is what frees the singer to fully express himself as an artist. But aside from that issue, the best way to keep a positive attitude is to remain focused, not on competition but on your own path, your own voice, and by that I mean not just your singing voice but your inner voice as well. And I would say to every young artist. Always hold on tightly to the reasons which made you become a singer in the first place: your love of the art, your love of music, your desire to contribute to it through your own expression. Keep that as your anchor.  

Let’s be honest: you are one of the greatest tenors of all time. Your vocal range is extremely wide and you gave evidence to be a very eclectic actor. Furthermore, you’ve played in the most prestigious Opera houses. A while ago, you declared that one of the greatest steps of your professional life came in February of 2006 with your début as Alfredo in La Traviata at the Metropolitan Opera in New York. What are you aspirations now?

Generally: to stay healthy and to have more time for my family and myself. But I guess you meant artistic things. Well, I hope that I will continue in developing vocally and artistically. And after I did that small part next to John Malkovich in the film Casanova variations I’d like to do more movies - not necessarily as a singer, but as an actor. In fact, I’d prefer a non-singing part, it should be pure acting.