Jonas Kaufmann’s Liszt album Freudvoll und Leidvoll, has been released on Sony Classics. Recorded during the lockdown with his musical partner, pianist Helmut Deutsch, this album features an exclusive collection of well-known songs like Loreley and O lieb, so lang du lieben kannst and those to (re)discover.
Liszt deserves to occupy a leading place in the history of the art song, and yet even today he is denied this status. Jonas Kaufmann has been singing Liszt’s Petrarch settings – exceptionally demanding from a vocal point of view – for many years. During that time he has added further Liszt songs to his repertory. It is a source of tremendous pleasure for me that I have been able to share my enthusiasm with him and persuade him to record an entire album with me.
Helmut Deutsch