Jonas Kaufmann explores the riches of 19th-century opera—from Halévy via Bizet and Gounod to Massenet—in a series of beautifully characterised French arias and duets. His French is superb and he assimilates the style and elegance of this music with the imagination you'd expect of an intelligent singer in his prime. Sonya Yoncheva and Ludovic Tézier make impressive guest appearances, not least in the glorious Pearl Fishers duet (“Au fond du temple saint”). A must for Kaufmann fans.
- Rolando Villazón
- Elīna Garanča, Filarmonica del Teatro Comunale di Bologna & Yves Abel
- Plácido Domingo
- Cheryl Studer, James Levine, Juan Pons, Luciano Pavarotti & The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra
- Angela Gheorghiu
- Cecilia Bartoli, Roberto Alagna, Aleksandra Kurzak, Bryn Terfel, Joyce DiDonato & Juan Diego Flórez