HOW DOES JONAS KAUFMANN COMPARE TO THE GREAT TENORS OF THE PAST?

Jonas Kaufmann is an extremely talented singer. He possesses an incredibly naturally gifted voice as well as musicality and interpretive abilities. He has a talent for musical styles and languages, and he demonstrates a rare aptitude in regard to the precision of his technique. As a performer he has sensitivity, personality, memory and many other abilities that are needed to be a great singer. In light of these gifts there is no question that Jonas Kaufman is a great singer. 

Jonas Kaufmann is however not a real opera singer. 

In this article I will lay the foundations for a case which will go a long way to substantiating this controversial viewpoint. I invite you to review the facts and then make your own judgement concerning the validity of this claim. 

 

ANYONE FOR  MULTIPLE CHOICE? 

Question: what is the difference between an opera singer and a popera singer today?

A)  SQUILLO

B) A MICROPHONE

C) SINGING IN AN OPERA HOUSE

D) NONE OF THE ABOVE

If you choose A, B or C your answer is incorrect. While these answers were correct in the past they are no longer correct today. The correct answer is D (none of the above). This is because the differences are not what they once were and the gap is continuing to close. Both an opera singer and a popera singer sing in an operatic style. The difference is that popera singing is a genre which uses amplification, and opera singing is traditionally an acoustic genre which does not use microphones. By this definition however, opera today is no longer opera, because opera has become an amplified artform. The great opera houses of the world such as Covent Garden or the Metropolitan Opera are essentially offering poperatic performances to the public because the performances are enhanced with amplification. 

 

HAVE YOU EVER REALLY HEARD YOUR FAVOURITE OPERA STAR?

99.9% of people have never heard Kaufmann in a large performance venue that is a 100% acoustic environment. People have heard recordings and live performances, both of which include amplification. Even the vast majority of his colleagues have never heard him in a large acoustic environment. They may hear him through a practice room door, or in piano rehearsals in smaller rooms. But as soon as they move to the theatre the rehearsals are amplified, as are the performances. Of course there are exceptions to this rule but they are now becoming increasingly rare. It is a fact that some famous singers go to great lengths to further insulate themselves from being heard in large acoustic environments. These lengths include that amplification be used as a requirement of the contract and that early rehearsals be closed, thereby reducing possible exposure. 

 

HOW IS THE SINGING OF JONAS KAUFMANN SUITED TO MICROPHONES? 

The two main characteristics of Kaufmann’s singing from a technical standpoint are: 

1)  An unusually dark timbre

2)  An unusual command of very soft singing. 

 

THE DARK SOUND

Darkening one’s voice is not difficult. It is achieved by lowering the larynx, which elongates the vocal tract and brings in a darker sound. Kaufmann has a rather long neck for a tenor and a larger than average "laryngeal drop (the distance that his larynx descends to from its point of rest)”. This part of his anatomy allows him to create this darker timbre. What historically has made a tenor with a dark sound such a rare event is that darkening a voice to such an extent normally results in a reduction in the projective quality of the sound. Essentially, it is easy to make a dark sound but it is difficult to be projective at the same time. Few tenors in the past have successfully been able to sing with such a dark timbre and still have a voice which rings clear and maintains its projective quality; Enrico Caruso, Giuseppe Giacomini and Ramón Vinay are examples. While Kaufmann does sing with a very dark timbre his voice does not ring clear. This lack of clarity violates traditional tonal ideals making his voice sound muffled or “woofy". In addition to these undesirable qualities his voice also lacks projection. However when his voice is amplified the issue of projection is solved and the muffled effect is less apparent, making his type of sound a viable option for a singer in an amplified environment. 

 

SOFT SINGING

Kaufmann has been heralded as a technical genius due to his facility with soft singing. His plaudits include people like Antonio Pappano, who have gone on the record as stating that his messa di voce is on such a rarefied level that such ability has only ever been attained by a few singers in any generation. What cannot be denied is that Kaufmann does engage in softer singing with great regularity, however there is a question mark over the legitimacy of these sounds.  Like singing with very dark timbre, singing softly is not difficult to do. Singing softly while retaining core in the sound and projecting that sound to the back of an opera house is however an entirely different thing. A seldom-acknowledged fact is that microphones assist with enhancement of a badly projected pianissimo just as much as with a badly projected forte. The types of dark, veiled, hooty, falsetto sounds which Kaufmann makes vary greatly from the soft singing of great tenors of the past. As a result, many have questioned the operatic viability of these sounds in an unamplified context. 

 

BLACK AND WHITE OR SHADES OF GREY?

I am not advocating a great conspiracy theory which suggests that the most famous singer of our era would not be heard if we turned off all the microphones. That would be a silly argument, making this a black and white issue, which it is not. There are many shades of grey, as different performances venues use amplification to varying degrees. I do believe that in suitable repertoire Kaufmann would be audible without the assistance of amplification. But there is a big difference between being audible and being satisfiably projective. What I am saying is that if Kaufmann was to sing in the 1950s with the same technique that he does today, he would not be well-received and most certainly would not be a star. People would have said that his voice lacked projection and clarity due to the fact that his technique does not fulfil the needs of real acoustic opera singing. However, the operatic environment is now one which involves amplification and his singing does suit this current environment with great commercial acclaim. 

 

UNBOUNDED VERSATILITY

At this stage of the article, you the readers are going to have a myriad of different feelings about the views I am expressing. Some of you will undoubtedly be amongst Kaufmann’s most loyal fans, and may consider all of my talk about microphones to be sheer nonsense. If you are amongst this group I will ask you to consider the following intelligently.

Isn't it interesting that Kaufmann is significantly more versatile as a performer than any other tenor in history? The extent to which his versatility surpasses every singer that has come before surely proves one of us correct. Either he is the greatest tenor who has ever lived by a significant margin or his vocalism is highly supported by amplification. 

In an exploration of which of these two statements is the truth, let’s consider the following.

Jonas Kaufmann has performed:

• roles in all tenor fachs from lyric to dramatic. These roles include the lightest of the French repertoire to the heaviest roles in the German and Italian repertoire such as Tristan and Otello.
• songs written for women such as the Four Last Songs by Strauss, and Wesendonck lieder. 
• both the higher and lower parts of Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde. 
• extensive song repertoire in a variety of keys. This repertoire is not confined to the more heroic cycles such as Strauss’ Opus 27 but includes some of the most delicate music contained within the song repertoire.
• a range of music from popular genres including Viennese operetta, Neopolitan songs, musicals, pop songs and cabaret.    

Such versatility is historically unprecedented. Invariably, a voice that is capable of singing Otello or Tristan does not simply turn around and excel in singing Schumann or Fauré. This is because these powerful helden singers have developed their voices to have the stamina, projection and heft needed to sing their specialised repertoire. Neither do such voices have the flexibility, dynamics and tessitura to sing the Four Last Songs. Many tenors have the lower range to sing the mezzo/baritone part of Das Lied von der Erde but they abstain from doing so because any technique that enabled them to sing the lower part to the best of their capabilities would result in concessions to their ability to sing the higher part. This is because the thing that makes real opera singing unique from other styles is the volume of the singing and not the range.  

Projection is a great limiter of range. Many pop singers have a five-octave range but are unable to project over an orchestra in any part of their voice. Opera singers only require two octaves of projective range and within those two octaves there are zones where they need to be more projective. A heldentenor for example needs to be extremely powerful in the mid range, and developing a voice to do this means making concessions in the degree of ease in which he sings the top. A lyric tenor by contrast needs ease and power in the top. Constructing his voice to fulfil this requirement means that concessions are made to the projective nature of the mid and lower range. 

In other words, it is only possible for one to sing with dynamic nuance and different vocal timbres in all of these different tessituras when one is not projective in any of them. In non-singing terms this would be like an Olympic athlete winning a gold medal in weight lifting, synchronized swimming and pole vault. It is just not possible. This jack of all trades approach is one which has great commercial possibilities in regards to selling recordings but has little artistic merit.

 

A COCA-COLA CULTURE

I have been thinking about writing this article for a while. Today something came onto my YouTube feed which was the tipping point. The YouTube clip was a concert of Jonas Kaufmann giving a lieder recital at Grafenegg Festival. For those readers who are unfamiliar, Grafenegg Festival takes place on the grounds of Grafenegg Castle in Austria. Amongst the grounds is an outdoor amphitheatre which has no acoustic whatsoever, and as a result all musical performances are overtly amplified via loudspeakers. The first thing that struck me was how can they perform a lieder recital in this way? What is the point of taking the most intimate artform and blasting it through speakers at people? But it gets much worse. What many watching on YouTube would not realise is that a short distance away there is a beautiful hall with an excellent acoustic. The festival uses this hall for rehearsals and also as a back up venue in the event of bad weather. This beautiful hall would have been empty while they were blasting Schumann over a loudspeaker at people. What this illustrates to us is that today our society is so cheap that people prioritise the gimmick of an outdoor André Rieu setting plus some selfies for Facebook over a quality musical experience. No consideration is given to the denigration of an artform in the process. In reality no compromise needed to be made, people could have experienced the recital in a beautiful acoustic setting and then walked out into the gardens enjoying the beautiful surrounds and the castle. However these values are not deemed important in this Coca-Cola culture. I say shame to the festival, shame to the performers and shame to the portion of the audience that should know better. What this example does illustrate is the value system within our artistic society today and how amplification plays a big part in the commercialisation and denigration of our art. Microphones are everywhere and they have altered the musical landscape and in particular acoustic singing. This is not only true in outdoor concerts but also in opera houses and concert halls. 

 

VOCAL HEALTH

There have been many people who have criticised the technique of Kaufmann since his arrival on the international scene. These criticisms generally have been along the lines that the voice is "woofy" and lacks core. Often, such criticisms included concerns regarding his vocal health over the long term, as it is widely known that voices that lack squillo tend to wear out and decline prematurely. In 2016 Kaufmann did experience serious vocal problems which resulted in numerous cancelations and an extended period of vocal rest. No acknowledgement that these issues were technique-related has ever been made. Singers are normally reluctant to make such admissions, instead extremely creative explanations are given, none of which are remotely related to singing or undertaking inappropriate repertoire. Such examples are as follows. In 2014 Sir Simon Keenleyside experienced vocal problems after venturing into heavier repertoire. In a statement made by him to his fans he claimed that the nanny of his children needed a holiday. This resulted in him having to talk to his children instead of observing vocal rest which was the cause of his vocal problems. Another example was the retirement of dramatic soprano Lisa Gasteen in 2010. The reason given on this occasion was an accident involving picking a high-lying cumquat in the garden. Another English baritone of lesser renown named Michael Dale claimed his career was cut short due to an accident where the tip of Wotan's spear became lodged in his larynx. Other singers choose the medical route.  The diagnosis of rare forms of neuromuscular disease and suffering from rare forms of acid reflux have become the medical conditions of choice. The only common denominator amongst all these excuses is that none of them ever involve singing. The reason given for Kaufmann's vocal trouble was equally as fascinating. The cause on this occasion was attributed to the consumption of aspirin coupled with experiencing the high altitude of Machu Picchu, which we were told had the combined effect of creating a bleed on one of his vocal cords. I was highly sceptical of this, as it is common knowledge amongst singers that blood-thinning medications are to be avoided and that safe alternatives are available. What is apparent is the presence of a marked decline in the quality of Kaufmann’s singing after this incident. His vocalism since his return has featured a tendency to sound "worn out" which has gone a long way to substantiating the claims made by those who predicted his technique would be the cause of future problems.

COULD JONAS KAUFMANN HAVE BEEN A GREAT SINGER BY TRADITIONAL STANDARDS? 

This question is hypothetical in nature. There have been other singers who were great commercial successes in an amplified environment but who failed to be successful in an unamplified context. A famous example of such a singer is the Azerbaijani baritone Muslim Magomayev. Magomayev made many films in which he had the full illusion of having a very projective voice. However, when he attempted to sing opera in an unamplified environment his voice lacked projection. As a result of this failure he never again attempted to sing opera onstage. Obviously Magomayev would have easily been a success within today's operatic industry despite failing in the past. This is due to the fact that opera is now an amplified art form which has had a significant change on vocal demands. 

As for Jonas Kaufmann I do believe that he could have been successful in any era if he had developed his technique to sing acoustically. That being said he probably would not have enjoyed the degree of success that this technological age has made possible for him. He also would have had to sing in an appropriate fach suitable for his voice which is far more lyrical in nature.

 

A PRODUCT OF HIS ENVIRONMENT

It's important for me to stress that Jonas Kaufmann is not deserving of criticism in regards to his singing. He has only made the most of the technology available to him. Personally I do not like the changes that have occurred within the operatic environment. It is this environment which I believe deserves criticism and not the artist which most adeptly exploits it. I love opera of the past but things change and I accept this as a fact of life. In this article I have freely acknowledged the talents of Kaufmann and I respect him as a performer and a singer. I do not begrudge him the incredible success which he has achieved. However, I do not believe he belongs in any intelligent discussion which compares him to the great tenors of the past. 

 

AN AGE OF DENIALISIM

This article speaks to a truth which society can neither confront or accept. There is a massive difference between the opera of only a few decades ago and the opera of today. We as society have made these changes but now cannot confront the consequences of them. Reality is suppressed with emphatic denialism. Opera administrations, singers and opera fans alike contribute equally to sustaining this little game of fantasy. People desperately need to believe that their stars are comparable with the greats of the past and any honest evaluation that suggests otherwise is strongly shunned. But we cannot have our cake and eat it too. We have intentionally taken opera away from its acoustic traditions and moved it on a performance continuum in the direction of musical theatre. These changes amongst other things have directly impacted singing. Society can attempt to suppress this truth all they like but it will not change the facts. This week, thousands of opera lovers will meet up for tea and biscuits at Wagner societies around the world. Many will wax lyrical about how excited they are to hear Florian Vogt and Kaufmann and how they compare with Lorenz and Melchior. In other circles equally odious comparisons will be made within Italian opera comparing Kaufmann to Caruso, Corelli and Del Monaco. We have all heard this talk and seen the promotion. Jonas Kaufmann “Tenor of the Ages”, Jonas Kaufmann, the greatest tenor in history. Let me point out the inconvenient truth. Caruso, Lorenz, Melchior, Del Monaco and Corelli all performed without the assistance of amplification. By contrast, the fans of Kaufmann, the people who make these claims despite owning numerous recordings and despite hearing him perform all over the world, have never actually heard his voice in an unamplified setting. In light of this truth I put to you the following question: how can he possibly be compared with the greats? 

 

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