Jonas Kaufmann - The Sound of Movies (2LP)

"Jonas Kaufmann sings popular film music hits in various languages ​​on The Sound of Movies. The spectrum ranges from Germany in the Weimar Republic ("I kiss your hand, Madame" from 1929) to film music by Ennio Morricone from The Mission and Once Upon a Time in America from the 80s and music by Hans Zimmer from Gladiator from 2000 to the global success "Bring Him Home" from the film adaptation of the musical Les Misérables from 2012. Kaufmann is accompanied by the Czech National Symphony Orchestra and Choir under the direction of Jochen Rieder and, on three tracks, by guitarist Miloš Karadaglić. "To immerse yourself in this world for a few hours and forget everything around you is incredibly fascinating - similar to going to the theater or the opera," says Kaufmann. "I have traveled a lot over many years, often alone for weeks and months to foreign cities on the other side of the world. In addition to museums, it was the cinema that fired my imagination - for me the best form of entertainment when I am alone." Kaufmann came to film music through the legendary tenors of the Weimar era, Joseph Schmidt and Richard Tauber, among others. He dedicated his gold album "You are the world for me" to the music from the dream factory of the Weimar era. With the introduction of the sound film, a new chapter in Richard Tauber's career began: with "I kiss your hand, Madame" and many other musical films, he was one of the stars of the film business. Kaufmann was equally impressed by the film music of the golden age, by composers such as Erich Korngold, Max Steiner and Bernard Herrmann, who brought the musical legacy of Giacomo Puccini and Richard Strauss to Hollywood. For him, The Sound of Movies presents the undeniable influence of opera on this most popular of all art forms. Kaufmann's new album includes Hans Zimmer's "Nella tue mani (Now We Are Free)" from Gladiator, Henry Mancini's "Moon River" from Breakfast at Tiffany's and Vangelis' title song from Conquest of Paradise. Major musicals are also represented, with "Maria" from Leonard Bernstein's West Side Story, the title song from Singin' in the Rain and songs by Rodgers & Hammerstein, including "You'll Never Walk Alone" (Carousel). Kaufmann selected songs from Ennio Morricone’s films Cinema Paradiso, The Mission and Once Upon a Time in America. A world premiere is the arrangement of a song based on the title theme of Rachel Portman's music for The Cider House Rules (with lyrics by Gene Scheer), which was written especially for this album by the composer, who is also the first woman to win an Oscar for a soundtrack. Guitarist Miloš Karadaglić accompanies Kaufmann on "Moon River", "Edelweiss" and "She Was Beautiful" (based on the "Cavatina" from Stanley Myers' score for Deer Hunter). Kaufmann has also recorded two hits by the American star tenor Mario Lanza: "The Loveliest Night of the Year" from the film The Great Caruso and "Serenade" by The Student Prince.