With a turn as Wagner’s tortured knight and an intelligent solo recital, Kaufmann makes a triumphant return to the stage.

Tenor Jonas Kaufmann has made a successful and long-awaited return to the stage after taking an extended vocal rest. A burst blood vessel in his vocal cords required the singer to take four months off, leaving fans around the world nervous at the possibility of a diminished vocal state. They needn’t have worried, however, as his performance of Wagner’s Lohengrin at Paris Opera and his residency at the Barbican in London have earned glowing reviews.

^{Jonas Kaufmann in Lohengrin at Opéra National de Paris. Photo by Monika Rittershaus}

The Financial Times declared that “nobody can sing Lohengrin quite like Kaufmann”, stating “all the lush beauty and refined control are there”, adding that he brought a “fragile sweetness, wounded innocence, [and] undercurrent of crackling masculinity… You could put him alone on a black stage and it would still be blisteringly good drama”, said the review.

Kaufmann is now based at the Barbican Centre in London for a few weeks to give a series of concerts and a talk. His first recital, a challenging and inspired programme of Schumann, Duparc, and Britten, has similarly impressed audiences and critics alike.

Just as comfortable with the intimacy of the recital format as he is onstage, Kaufmann acknowledged his extended break from performing by poking fun at his need for a music stand by way of introduction – which he didn’t end up using.

The Telegraph dubbed his recital “simply superb”, praising his “consummate artistry” and “marvellous solidity of technique”. The Evening Standard concurred, stating “he is in fine voice…his technical control was as impressive as ever,” adding that “Kaufmann’s fans will be relieved his voice is largely unimpaired and still capable of extraordinary things”.

The tenor follows up his impressive appearance with an all-Wagner recital, and a Strauss programme that includes the composer’s Four Last Songs, a work usually sung by women. And if that wasn’t enough to consolidate his triumphant return, Paris Opera recently announced a new production of Verdi’s Don Carlo to open in October, with Kaufmann in the lead.