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Ttenor [JONAS KAUFMANN] was born in Munich in 1969 and made his professional opera debut at the Staatstheater Saarbruecken in 1994. Since then, the tall. handsome, undeniably talented German has sung at most high-end international opera houses and festivals in Europe and abroad. Given the breadth of his repertoire, he is a bit oía vocal enigma. After signing an exclusive contract with Decca, in fact, the company described him as \"a kind of superman on the opera stage.

This disc has a cross-section of Kaufinann's active repertoire, including Verdi's Rigoletto, Don Carlo and La traviata, Massenet's Manon and Werther, Puccini's La bohème and Tosea, Weber's Der Freischiitz and [Wagner]'s Die Meistetsinger van Number's. Marco Armiliato and the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra provide serviceable accompaniment. -NC

His sound had its usual burnished fullness as he delivered the Schumann songs (one saw why the Kerner Lieder aren't often done), but the Heine settings of Dichterliebe, though finely nuanced, didn't move the heart as they should have: only the suppressed horror of \"Ich grolle nicht\" - in which the poet sings of the \"night\" he perceives in his beloved's cruel heart - generated the right sort of frisson...

The more lavish writing of [Wagner]'s Wesendonck Songs and [Liszt]'s Three Petrarch Sonnets suited [Jonas Kaufmann]'s vocal largesse better than the finer-grained intimacy of the Schumann settings. [Helmut Deutsch], too, revelled in the virtuosic piano parts of the Liszt songs, which have rarely seemed more operatic than they did on this occasion. Yet however opulent the singing, Kaufmann retained perfect control over his instrument, producing some haunting effects and flooding Liszt's effusive vocal lines with a wealth of glorious tone.

Jonas Kaufmann draws on classic Weimar cabaret favourites for this unusual album.

Jonas Kaufmann's long-awaited Verdi Album is something of a disappointment. Of the 11 operas from which he sings extracts, only two - Rigoletto and Don Carlos - were in his stage repertoire at the time of recording.

There was no inner international footballer in the young [Jonas Kaufmann]; a singer is what he wanted to be. He joined the city''s children''s choir. A highlight of his time with them would come every Christmas when they''d gather in the Marienplatz in front of Munich''s iconic Rathaus (or City Hall) and sing carols. His big breakthrough came with his New York debut as Alfredo in Verdi''s La Traviata in 2006, and within two years his debut CD -- Romantic Arias (Decca 475 9966) -- had been released. His latest -- his fifth -- is a Wagner compilation to tie in with the 200th anniversary of the composer''s birth. Kaufmann Wagner (Decca 0289 478 5189 9) would have delighted his granddad, whose love of the great German composer was a seminal influence.

Then came [Wagner], a mixed bag of what used to be called bleeding chunks, with [Jonas Kaufmann] giving a stirring, well projected Siegmund from Die Walkure and a tantalising glimpse of his Walther from Die Meistersinger. Parsifal's great outburst of remorse and understanding after Kundry's kiss was unquestionably the highlight, grippingly articulated and ideal for his voice's current stage of development. Generous encores included two of Wagner's Wesendonck songs, rarely sung by tenors these days, but a reminder of how well Kaufmann can scale down as well as up.

His artistry is exceptional. His heroic way with [Siegmund], and the marvellous introversion he brings to Lohengrin's In Fernem Land, leave us in no doubt as to why he is today's interpreter of choice for both roles. Yet he brings the same insight and intensity to his new material. His almost baritonal lower registers and his ability to sing soft high notes are tremendously persuasive in the Wesendonck-Lieder. Best of all is Rienzi's prayer, in which his almost oceanic tone blends with the elegance of the fine Mozart singer he once was.