A Look Back At Anja Harteros & Jonas Kaufmann’s Remarkable Operatic History As Duo Reunites for ‘Andrea Chénier’

By David Salazar

This weekend audiences in Munich will get a chance to experience the dynamic duo that is Jonas Kaufmann and Anja Harteros in Giordano’s “Andrea Chénier.”

Kaufmann likely needs no introduction, the tenor arguably the most popular of his voice type in the entire universe. Harteros deserves equal praise, her dramatic soprano a superb instrument that is simply unmatched in the repertoire that she has dominated over the years.

The two have become a major star attraction over the years, performing in a plethora of major productions together.

It all started in 2000 with a run of “Così Fan Tutte” in Frankfurt. Then they would come back together in 2009 in “Lohengrin” in Munich. The major highlights that followed included a Verdi “Requiem” run in Milan in August 2012 before a “Lohengrin” reunion in 2012 in Milan. The following January they would take on “Tosca” together at the Deutsche Oper Berlin before reuniting for Verdi’s “Don Carlo” in London. More “Don Carlo” runs would ensue in Munich and Salzburg in 2013 with “Il Trovatore” on July 13 in Munich. That would be followed by another Verdi opera, “La Forza del Destino,” in Munich at the end of 2013. Another “Forza” would reunite the pair in the summer of 2014, also at Munich.

In February 2015, the two Germans would sing together in “Aida” at the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia under the guidance of Antonio Pappano. Another “Forza” would follow in Munich in May 2015.

There are also four DVD performances available that audiences can watch to prime them for their magnetic chemistry. The first of the bunch is a 2010 release of “Lohengrin” from Munich. There is also a Verdi Requiem that also features Elīna Garanča and René Pape from Teatro alla Scala. That 2013 release is available on video and audio recording. A 2014 offering of “Don Carlo” from Salzburg is the next option available on DVD and Blu-Ray while the final release is a recording of “La Forza Del Destino” from Munich. Finally, there is an “Aida” recording on CD under the direction of Antonio Pappano.


Categories

Special Features