The Sedona International Film Festival is proud to present the Northern Arizona premiere of “Jonas Kaufmann: My Vienna” for two shows only on Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 26 and 27 at 1 p.m. at the Mary D. Fisher Theatre.
“Jonas Kaufmann: My Vienna” is a deeply personal tribute by the star tenor to the world-famous melodies from the birthplace of waltz and operetta.
Filmed live in the magical setting of the Wiener Konzerthaus in Vienna, the concert features popular Viennese music from “Die Fledermaus” and “Wienerblut” by Johann Strauss and Franz Lehár’s “The Merry Widow”, plus many classic songs inspired by the city of Vienna.
Jonas Kaufmann performs with the Prague Philharmonia orchestra under the baton of Maestro Jochen Rieder and is joined by the internationally acclaimed soprano Rachel Willis-Sørensen.
Kaufmann has always had a special rapport with Austria and Vienna. His grandmother had a fondness for the light classics and was happy to sing the evergreens of Johann Strauss, Franz Lehár and Robert Stolz – a nice contrast to his grandfather’s passion for Wagner. As a child, Jonas spent much of his free time on his grandparents’ farm in Tyrol. Austrian television was almost more familiar to him than its German counterpart. Since then he has had a deep love for Viennese songs and operetta.
“The music always put me in a good mood”, he recalls. “When I had unlikeable things to do as a student, like cleaning or vacuuming, all I had to do was play Carlos Kleiber’s ‘Fledermaus’ recording, and in no time at all I had a grin on my face.”
“The most important, versatile tenor of his generation.” – The New York Times
“The world’s greatest tenor.” – The Telegraph
“The biggest opera star in the world.” – Classic FM
“The tenor with the golden voice.” – The Guardian