From All Music Guide: Recording place:Dvorák-Saal, Rudolfinum, Prague

Tenor Jonas Kaufmann has resisted the pressure of opera companies and fans to settle on a single repertoire and has insisted on spanning the nationalities and styles of opera from the Classical and Romantic periods, ranging from Mozart to Wagner and Puccini. This CD is a demonstration of the wisdom of his decision not to let himself be restrained by the expectations of others, and to venture into whatever roles interest him and suit his voice. Kaufmann has a large, rich voice, and he handles it with the variety required by this diverse repertoire. He is absolutely technically secure, and that allows him to make some daring (and effective) interpretive choices. He occasionally allows himself a roughened texture, almost a grittiness, that you'd never hear in Pavarotti or Domingo, but which is entirely appropriate for the character. After all, these are mostly characters (Rodolfo, Cavaradossi, Don José, Werther) who've been tossed around p...

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