The finest opera singers are entertainers at heart, and tenor Jonas Kaufmann is among the cream of the crop. Witness his ease and stylish manner with this charming album of Viennese classics, written during the heyday of the Austrian capital’s 19th-century light opera craze. His performances are perfection itself, his honeyed voice ravishing, and the orchestral accompaniment, courtesy of the Vienna Philharmonic, is a delight. After all, this is an ensemble with the music of light opera composers Johann Strauss, Franz Lehár and more flowing through its veins. From the nostalgic, waltzing lilt of Johann Strauss’ “Wiener Blut, Wiener Blut” (also featuring soprano Rachel Willis-Sørensen) to the final track, Georg Kreisler’s louche “Der Tod, das muss ein Wiener sein”, here’s musical confectionery at its best.
- Diana Damrau, Mariss Jansons, Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra & Helmut Deutsch
- Rolando Villazón & Xavier de Maistre
- Marcelo Álvarez, The Kühn's Choir, Paris Opera Orchestra, Chœurs de l'Opéra national de Paris, Welsh National Opera Orchestra, Roma Sinfonietta, Staatskapelle Dresden, Orchestre Philharmonique de Nice, Salvatore Licitra, Renée Fleming, Jorge Calandrelli, The City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra, Carlo Rizzi, Daniel May, Eugene Kohn, Jesús López-Cobos, Marcello Viotti & Sir Mark Elder
- Elīna Garanča, Orquesta Filarmónica de Gran Canaria & Karel Mark Chichon
- Rudolf Schock, Wilhelm Schüchter, Berlin Deutsches Staatopera Orchestra, Staatskapelle Berlin, Arthur Rother, Leopold Ludwig, Johannes Schuler, Philharmonia Orchestra, Issay Alexandrovich Dobrowen, London Philharmonic Orchestra & Walter Susskind
- Angela Denoke, Ana Maria Labin, Piotr Beczala, Staatskapelle Dresden & Christian Thielemann
- Peter Schreier & Gewandhausorchester