Jonas Kaufmann Releases New Album MAGISCHE TÖNE Featuring Operetta and Opera Favorites

Tenor Jonas Kaufmann has released a new album, MAGISCHE TÖNE (Magical Sounds), featuring operetta and opera selections from composers associated with the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The recording, released by Sony Classical, includes works by Emmerich Kálmán, Franz Lehár, and Paul Abraham.

The album was recorded with the Hungarian State Opera Orchestra under the direction of conductor Dirk Kaftan. Soprano Nikola Hillebrand appears as a duet partner on several selections.

Kaufmann said the repertoire reflects a particularly rich period of musical history. “This era produced an incredible wealth of music,” he said. “In retrospect, it is fortunate that the majority of these works were premiered in Vienna and written in German, because that meant they quickly achieved international success.”

The recording features operetta highlights from works including Gräfin Mariza, Die Csárdásfürstin, Der Zarewitsch, Das Land des Lächelns, and Die Blume von Hawaii. The program also includes music by Jenő Huszka, whose operetta Bob herceg (Prince Bob) contributes the aria “Londonban hej!,” selected by Kaufmann for the album.

Two opera arias complete the recording: “Hazám, hazám” from Ferenc Erkel’s opera Bánk bán, and the title piece “Magische Töne” from Karl Goldmark’s opera Die Königin von Saba (The Queen of Sheba).

For Kaftan, the project also highlights a distinctive performance style associated with operetta. “Above all, one must develop an understanding for a musical language that cannot be captured in notation,” he said, citing Gustav Mahler’s observation that “the most important things are not written in the score.”

The album also reflects the musical diversity of the late Austro-Hungarian cultural world, an era often described in the writings of Stefan Zweig in his memoir Die Welt von gestern (The World of Yesterday).

MAGISCHE TÖNE Tour Dates

Kaufmann will present selections from the album on a European concert tour:

• April 11 – Hamburg, Laeiszhalle

• April 15 – Munich, Isarphilharmonie

• April 18 – Nuremberg, Meistersingerhalle

• April 20 – Paris, Théâtre des Champs-Élysées

• April 22 – Vienna, Konzerthaus

• April 24 – Budapest, Müpa

• April 26 – Hanover, Kuppelsaal

• April 28 – Essen, Philharmonie

• April 30 – Freiburg, Konzerthaus

• May 3 – Stuttgart, Liederhalle

• May 5 – Lucerne, KKL

• May 7 – Mannheim, Rosengarten / Mozartsaal

• May 9 – Frankfurt, Alte Oper