If Jonas Kaufmann is your idea of the perfect heldentenor,
voice then Klaus Florian Vogt’s preternaturally light instrument might not be your cup of tea. Nevertheless, the other German Wagner tenor du jour has built quite a following and this is his second solo album for Sony.

He includes several items also on Kaufmann’s current disc,
so a comparison is apt. Sadly it seems that Vogt holds none of the winning cards. Listen, for example, to Siegmund’s sword monologue: next to Kaufmann’s heroic tone and attention to text, Vogt’s is a pale, thin sound with little interpretive detail. His cries of “Wälse” are weak, and over in half the time of his rival’s.

More lyrical items fare little better. Rienzi’s rushed prayer has awkward multiple breaths and little sense of line. The top notes are all there but delivered at low voltage and strained when required to be above forte. His Meistersinger sounds best but the tone is more that of a David than a Walther. Parsifal finds Vogt in better voice and he has some fine moments, but Tristan is a role that simply doesn’t suit him.

Vogt is partnered by the excellent Jonathan Nott and his Bamberg Symphony. These are urgent readings...