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  • sublime Jonas jadore

  • Kaufmann is a Spinto Tenor. Spinto is the Italian for pushed which literally means that the voice is much darker and heavier. He has a top C and his voice is in the right place to cope with the demanding Tenor roles, listen to Franco Corelli and you will probably hear some similarities!

  • It's a bit confusing, this song is named Holy Night, but as far as I remember, Holy Night refers to Silent Night, an Austrian song (composed by Franz Xaver Gruber, lyrics from the priest Father Joseph Mohr).

    This present song is a French song, named Minuit Chretien (Midnight Christians), and is totally different (melody composed by Adolphe Adam, lyrics are a poem from Placide Cappeau).

  • FANSTASTIC...BELLA VOICE JONAS.....

  • All voice parts, baritone and tenor alike, are defined by range and tessitura of the singer in question. Jonas Kaufmann is not a baritone. He has a dark sound which is typically associated with a baritone, but he sings tenor roles. A baritone, even one who can hit tenor notes (Bb, maybe even B natural) would never be able to get through Faust or Don Jose or any tenor role. Jonas is a tenor.

  • @fujunction tenor :) and one of the best today. or the best ?

  • I've been sending the link to this video to my friends for the past few Christmases. I don't think it gets any better than this.

  • @misslydiasteptoe:

    Listen to "Cantique de Noël" in Swedish "Oh helga natt" -search for :

    O helga natt - Karl-Magnus Fredriksson

    or

    Jussi Björling - O Helga Natt

    Enjoy! :-)

  • Jonas is NOT a baritone (though he may have started that way) nor is he a lyric tenor like Juan Diego or Pavarotti. HE IS what they call a Heldentenor, a very specific Fach. Hope that clears everything up

  • @jfichter69 Sorry, he's not a Heldentenor, he's a Spinto. Lets not give people the wrong idea twice over!

  • sure has a beautiful voice, or didn't you all notice ? hunk and a half

  • God he's hot.

  • when he sings with Hvorostovsky in the Pearl Fishers you don't know who is the baritone or the tenor because they both sound like baritones

  • @elotello And who cares? He beats any contemporary tenor (in his repertoire) easily. Find me a better active Lohengrin, Cavaradossi, Faust or Siegmund...

  • I could listen to this over and over again - oh wait - I am!!!

  • Jussi Bjorlings version is much better.

  • This is by far the best version of "O Holy Night" I have ever heard. Perfect vocals. Perfect orchestration. I've heard none better.

  • @bryesq Really!!!! Kaufmann is the best tenor I ever heard!

  • Comment removed

  • @bryesq Totally agree. My favourite living tenor singing my favourite Christmas song.

  • Opfer!!!

    

  • Jonas Kaufmann, along with Juan Diego Florez (in a very different vocal sphere) RULE the world of tenors of opera.

  • @Zva26 i agree:)))) sincerely

  • Beautiful

  • Oh, jeden Tag einmal, es ist wo wunderbar...

  • Das ist schöheit, nicht anderes.

    

  • I don't care what this man is, a baritone, a tenor, an alien from out of space even, this man's voice is phenomenal.  Thank you for posting. :)

  • @stepneymiss1 I totally agree with you.........what a wonderful voice!!!

  • wonderful....

  • fuckin' idiots if you're better go on stage and show it, if not shut up motter fucker !

  • Jonas Kaufmann, berührend wie so oft...

  • Comment removed

  • tessitura c3 to c5=tenor

  • Such a beautiful powerful dramatic tenor, and what a silly remark (re: when he admits he's a baritone! I am a baritone with a top 'A' natural as my top note, with a good following wind a baritone should be able to hit a 'G' when required. But have you listened to this TENORS range, I guess not! Baritone indeed!!!

  • I wanna make love to him

  • "voce ingolata"

  • a good Bariton!

  • @theflossie100 not when he admits he is guilty of having such a divine voice?

  • Comment removed

  • @theflossie100 what defines a baritone for you?

  • Magnifique! Je l'ai aimé.

  • Eine herrliche Stimme!!!!!

    Wunderbar !!

  • jonas,la tua voce m'incanta e m'innamora

  • Wunderbar

  • Gorgeous!

    

  • 12 rappeurs ont regardé cette vidéo...

  • O heil'ge Nacht wo Gott zu uns gekommen

    Entkleidet all seiner Hoheit und Macht,

    Wo er von uns die alte Schuld genommen

    Des Vaters huld uns aufs Neue gebracht.

    Die ganze Welt durchglüht ein freudig Hoffen

    Denn Gottes Herrlichkeit ist nun ihr Teil.

    Fallt auf die Knie der Himmel steht uns offen.

    |: O heil'ge Nacht Du gabst uns ew'ges Heil. :|

  • Talento e beleza.

  • The BEST interpretation I"ve head!! Bravo JONAS!!!!! You are Great opera singer!!!!

    The BEST TENORE in this time!!!!

  • l originelle partiton est pour tenor

  • This beats Jingle Bells any day.

  • @AtheneNikephoros lol'ed...

  • Can't sing this stuff either! Try the Broadway rep...

  • La canto en Re bemol en francés.

  • @arturasquez en francés y luego alemán

  • Heaven on earth is found in the rousing and emotional outflow of this beautiful song.

  • That was my first encounter with Jonas Kaufmann. Unforgettable.

  • A very fine rendition of the great Christmas anthem. He is one current singer to whom one can listen to after hearing Thill, Bjorling and Caruso! - the art of singing continues. i have great hopes for him.

  • One of my favorite Christmas songs.

  • Frohe Festtage wünschen Dieter und Nikolas Hennig

  • Dresdener Frauenkirche.

  • Buena voz, buenos medios pero sigo viendo su emisión engolada y con oscurecimientos poco naturales en la emisión. Para los que se piensen que con esta versión han oido la verdad suprema escuchen otros cantantes por favor y no exageren tanto.

  • @alfonsorama1 Me sumo a su comentario.Por ejemplo,a Pavarotti

  • @Gomi717 Absolutamente de acuerdo contigo.

  • @alfonsorama1Sin poner en duda la categoria de la voz de Jonas Kaufmann,creo que su rol,dentro de la gran ópera,sobre todo la italiana,está muy limitado.Seria,por ejemplo,un Calaf muy poco creible por su falta de expresividad.Donde creo encajaria perfectamente es en los roles de heldentenor de las óperas alemanas como las de Wagner.Cuando comencé a oir a este tenor,me recordó a otra voz que,salvando las distancias,identifiqué como la de John Vickers.No se si estárá Ud de acuerdo.Un saludo

  • @Gomi717 mi estimado soy un amante de la opera , creo que estamos juzgando demasiado pronto , yo he visto su interpretacion en wherter y no me parecio en absoluto inexpresivo , creo que su voz se adaptaria muy bien a el papel de Kalaf . en todo caso aun no es tiempo de encontrarle limites , es un tenor joven que esta en la flor de su madurez vocal , su instrumento es bellisimo de un sonido singular y muy interesante a mi me agrado su boheme

  • @2591740 Evidentemente, no todos tenemos la misma percepción sobre un mismo tema.Para mi,la voz de Kauffmann,a pesar de su calidad incontrastable,carece de la coloratura de un tenor verdiano.Sigo identificándole mas con la ópera alemana.Tiene razón,sin embargo,de que nos es tiempo de poner límites a su carrera.Hubo algún otro caso como el del mitico Fritz Wünderlich que,a pesar de su tremenda y preciosa voz,era un tormento oirle cantar operas italianas.No era lo suyo,Un cordial saludo

  • we should start a new religion in his honor

  • @unatural46 I think a bunch of people already have.

  • Outstanding voice, transcendent music.

  • He's great. I love his voice.

    And @ "wattever 333" :

    Are you stupid?! The picture is behind the sound....

    That's not the singers fault.

    Can't you listen?! The singer and the musicians are toghether!

    Er ist einfach nur gut. Großartiger Tenor!

  • One of the most beautiful renditions I have heard of this Carol

  • feliz navidad!

    buon natale! to avery body, my friends! love, love, and love!

    the winner is LOVE! Ruben

  • Magical!

  • @misterarrecho La canción,querra decir.

  • gorgious! 

  • Yorkie, the orignal song is in French, Adolph Adam was French. Griping about a song being sung in its original language has no sense. As for theother gripers, you are obviously too accustomed to Nat King Cole, John Denver, whatever. This version captures the expanse of the song.

  • Yorkie, the orignal song is in French, Adolph Adam was French. Griping about a song being sung in its original language has no sense. As for theother gripers, you are obviously too accustomed to Nat King Cole, John Denver, whatever. this version captures the expanse of the song.

  • @buddy4757 You obnoxious person . I suggest you read again my comments . You will then realise that i was not griping . I presume you must have been on drugs when you posted this comment as you posted it twice . So read it again when you are composmentis . He is a beautiful singer and you are a disgrace . It is sung in French and German by this German singer .

  • it drags, it drags. it has to MOVE forward!!! bad conducting, but he is also behind the orchestra. vowel mannerisms. wobble wobble beat beat. his voice sounds tired and hollow. Now listen to Caruso, Thill, Verreau, Jobin, Bjoerling.

  • Es espectacular la verdad!!

  • What a beautiful singer. :)

  • What matter the language? It was beautifully sung. And none of the facial contortions of certain other tenors...step forward, Sr Villazon.

    I've heard JK in a few clips before, and I'm delighted he's singing the role of Maurizio at ROH (Adriana Lecouvreur). Furthermore, he appears to be a very rare breed...a tenor with intelligence! ;-)

  • May all of us in this world have a Blessed and Peaceful Christmas and 2011..It is the night of our dear SAVIOR'S Birth!!

  • Yorkie is right:)

  • Sein deutsch!

  • Comment removed

  • This is the best rendition i have heard . He is a fantastic singer .

    I am English and i warmed very much to this Language .

    Not heard it in German before . Great xxx

  • @YORKIEYORKYORK it's in french, not German. Which is the original language of the piece, i believe.

  • @sebussy I am sorry that you insist it is entirely sung in French . I ask you and anyone else to listen not only to the first part of the Video but listen to it all . Then you will realise that the singing changes in language . If you are wrong then please admit it . It is also sung in English and other languages .

  • @sebussy - he sings first in the original French, and then a verse in German

  • WOW!!! He NEEDS to do a Christmas CD, and I don't care what language it's in....but a few in English wouldn't hurt my feelings....Amazing!

  • Wie kann man nur so gut aussehen und so gut singen?

    Kompliment Herr Kaufmann.

  • quelle voix !!! une merveille !!!! un diamant !!!

  • The handsomest hunk in opera. He makes Alagna look like Pillsbury Dough Boy. Unfortunately, he sings it like "Notung! Notung! Sigmund heiss ich, und Sigmund bin ich!" Too grandiose, too many weird "pas francais" vowels. WIll Georges Thill step forward and show us how it is done?

  • I MISS ALAGNA!!!!

  • Dies ist eine der schönsten Stimmen, die ich je gehört habe.

    @befreitburma: Ich stimme absolut zu, daß diese ständigen Vergleiche mit anderen Interpreten sehr viel vom tatsächlichen Genuß einer Interpretation verderben kann. Wir haben alle verschiedene Geschmäcker - glücklicherweise -

    es ist nicht angebracht, vortreffliche Künstler mit wenig qualifizierten Vergleichen herabzuziehen.

  • Very, very good! Still Jussi Bjorlings version remain unsurpassed!

    Listen to his singing in the Swedish version and you will all know why no tenor (past or present) comes close to Jussi Bjorling!

    In Swedish it is called:

    Helga Natt

    Listen to it before you make a judgement. Kaufmann does a great version! But singers like Jussi Bjorling only comes around once every 1000-years.

  • I like both Josh's 'pop' approach and Jonas' 'operatic' approach to this song :) Two different singers... two different schooling of singing ;)

  • I like both the Jonas Kaufmann and Josh Groban versions of the song. Each artist brings out something different and wonderful about the song, and each may be enjoyed without knocking down the other. Jonas and Josh may be different, but both are wonderfully talented.

  • and that he is lol.....Rather listen to Josh Groban's o holy night any day.

  • sounds like he's singing with his nose.......

  • God wanted jonas to sound like this and wow what a wonderful sound God gave him

  • he has a wonderful ear for pitch, the darker colouration of many of his notes lend themselves to being perceived as lower in pitch. It is true that aside from computer generated sound, no one is is ever EXACTLY in tune, so listen and enjoy to all of the out of tune music in the world :)

  • @AriaSinger1

    I will NOT listen to all the out of tune music in this world, but this doesn't come close to falling in that catagory =)

  • Une différence subtile, pour moi, entre le français et l'allemand. Se peut-il que c'est grâce au fait que cette cantique ait été écrite d'abord en français? De toute façon, très belle interprétation.

  • i am a new convert to kaufmann. this is so beautiful. i found it by accident and have subscribed to your site. who knows what other gems await me. thank you for this one.

  • oh, my word...can you imagine being there??? how incredibly gorgeous! it's a wonder there was still a dry eye in the house after that!

  • Gods still exist

  • Suuuuperstimme

  • 123 = I believe Ms. Tebaldi has been dead for some time

    so what she has to do with comment is beyond me .

  • kaufmann es en mi opinion uno de los mejores tenores del momento, de poder en su voz, con una gran tecnica y con carisma ,dara mucho mas de que hablar porque ademas su tecitura es muy particular

  • Not at all =he is always just under the pitch- he rarely

    hits the note from the top -it is his method - like

    a not quite there violinist-and for people used to on

    pitch singing his almost on pitch is annoying .His pitch may be okay for you-am not interested in making

    personal comment about your ears .

  • @dziady1 Question: do you like Renata Tebaldi?

  • @dziady1 He uses a lot of rubato but he is not "always under pitch." Actually, he is slightly above pitch at times when he tends to push but, to me, it is not offensive. I am a violinist and a singer and he is NOT under pitch. These broad generalizations "he is always..." are so silly.

  • Hermosa voz, me recuerda mucho al gran Plácido Domingo mi cantante favorito

  • quel beau garçon !!

  • Un bello ejemplar, una voz hermosa, un timbre oscuro que se podria catalogar casi baritono, pero no lo es, es un tenor dramatico que alcanza coloraturas porque es joven aun. Hermosa interpretacion arreglos bellos buen control del fiato. como tenor durara mucho tiempo.

  • One can only imagine how wonderfiul he would be

    if he got on correct pitch . Really annoying singing .

  • His pitch is quite okay. Your ears may need some "tuning up".

  • Was fuer eine Stimme!

  • hellostockport, der Anschluss war 1938. Bei aller Liebe zu Deutschland, Österreicher sind k e i n e Deutsche, seit 976 nicht mehr falls du was von Geschichte verstehst

  • Stimmt östereicher sind keine Deutsche - heute. Bei aller Liebe zu Österreich, sowohl 1919 wie auch 1938 fühlten sich die allermeisten Österreicher (wie Hitler zb) als Deutsche und hätten für den Anschluss Deutschöstereichs an Deutschland gestimmt hätte das demokratische Prinzip gegolten. Das erwachen eines östereichischen Nationalgefühls datiert auf nach 1945 und diente der reinwaschung der schuld, die bösen waren schliesslich die deutschen!!! ;-) LG aus Frankreich

  • Leider kann ich dem nicht ganz zustimmen. Eine Mitschuld Österreichs am 2. Weltkrieg ist nicht zu leuignen und es hat bis 1989 gedauert bis der damalige Kanzler Vranitzky eine Mitschuld einräumte. Was nun das "Deutschtum" der Österreicher betrifft, nochmals, bei aller Liebe zu Deutschland ( arbeite sehr oft dort), Deutsche sind und waren wir nie. Wir sprechen Deutsch, aber das wars dann auch schon.

  • Ich will niemanden zum Deutschtum bekehren! Fact ist das fast alle parteien nach dem zusammenbruch der K&K 1919 für den Anschluss an Deutschland waren. Intellektuelle, Künstler usw auch, selbst 1938 als das für sie exil bedeutete, wenn sie Kommunisten, Juden oder SPÖ waren. Selbst die grössten Östereicher zB Mozart bezeichnet sich in Briefen als Deutscher! Hätte die DDR noch 100 Jahre bestanden hätte sich auch ein Nationalgefül entwickeln können. Zeit schafft Fakten, es ist kompiziert.

  • Richtig. Nach den Verträgen von St. Germain gab es die Deutschstimmung, weil kein Mensch an die Lebensfähigkeit des Landes glaubte. Wahr auch dass Otto Bauer ( seltsamerweise) 1938 jubelte: endlich ist es so weit, wenn auch unter den verkehrten Vorzeichen).... nur was soll die ganze Deutschtum Diskussion? Mozart deutscher? Schwachsinn, er ist Salzbuerger, weil salzburg damals bekanntlich ein unabhängiger Staat war. streng genommen alsom weder Deutscher noch Österreicher.

  • ok, ich denke wir sind uns nicht ganz einig, aber unsere kleine diskussion war auf jeden fall eine bereicherung! Die geschichte nahm ihren lauf und sowohl deutsche wie auch östereicher leben heute in freiheit und wohlstand. das zählt, ich lebe in frankreich - VIVE L'EUROPE!!

  • N a ich hab auch kein Problem damit, bin selber in verschiedenen Ländern aufgewachsen. U.a. 10 Jahre in frankreich. du Glücklicher!!!! Deutsch oder nicht Deutsch, alle Regionen haben ihre Unterschiede und das ist letztendlich das Schöne.

  • ist er Deutscher oder Österreicher?

  • soweit ich weiß münchner also deutscher aber genaugenommen wäre er auch wenn er aus österreich käme deutscher...;)

  • simply astonishing!

  • ce chant a été composé par Adams à la demande du curé de Poquemaure (région Provence en France) pour collecter des fonds, et a été qualifié de "marseillaise religieuse" ou quelque chose comme ça. la musique ne plaisait pas au monde clérical car jugée trop martiale, et l'église a vainement essayé d'en changer les paroles, mais son succés populaire fut tel que rien ne put empêcher son passage à la postérité

  • Ach wie schön: ein deutscher Sänger, der nicht knödelt, forciert oder quäkt! Mehr, mehr, mehr davon! - Und von Herzen viel Erfolg!

  • hermoso!!

  • One of the most beautiful versions of this beautiful Christmas carol I have ever heard!! Thank you Jonas! This is wonderful.....

  • bello e bravo!!!!

  • I have not enjoyed his singing since he changed his technique to the more throaty sound in order to sound dramatic. But here he reverts back somewhat and parts, because of the French?, are lovely. I note that the b-flat, though again lovely, lacks the ring & can't be held. Still enjoyable. He is still a fine musician.

  • Thank You Jonas. Beautiful performance. Saw and heard you in Berlin : Beethovens 9th and La Bohème. You´re one of the greatest.

  • @mixolydius

    are u stupid?

  • @mixolydius

    no mixo he does´nt need it.

  • look at him and try to sing like he does. you´ll never get a tone out.

  • @mixolydius you are right!

  • awful!

  • :-)

  • Je l'aime...

  • Jonas has an amazingly beautiful, deep and warm sound. Because of his thicker sound, he has to negotiate higher passages a bit differently than the lightweights like JDFlorez. Nonetheless, he makes it work in the most emotionally convincing and musical way. Technically he is no slouch. I appreciate any chance I get to hear him. Thanks for posting!

  • For the best French version listen to Georges Thill. Was Jonas in a rush? Didn't he have time to shave?

  • Try also Richard Verreault's and Raoul Jobin's. Worth to listen to!

  • @dominiclorange sorry didn't want to vote negative on your comment, in fact i used it to meet those two singers tks )

  • @hugogoepp no problem pal!

  • Powerful, ineed.

    The Dragon

  • And in the city of David...A baby was born...Christ the Lord!

  • i just can´t help noticing how nice his nose is... all in all this song is well sung especially in German

    Fallt auf die knie...........

  • or is it Volk auf die knee

  • @hope4000

    it is "fallt auf die Knie"

  • No se puede cantar mejor, bravo!!!!!!!!!

  • What a nice voice!)

  • der deutsche text ist sehr schön!!

    sollte finde ich öfter so gesungen werden.

  • I like him very much

  • Awesome... My favorite Tenor!

  • Mee too

  • Magnifico cantante, ni hay que compararle con nadie es fantastico, que suavidad, linea, preparación etc.etc. Bravo!

  • Splendid voice + intelligence.

  • i keep going back and forth with kaufmann. can't decide whether i like him or not. this performance definitely didn't discredit him.

  • Sorry. Into the dustbin of history.

  • Verstehe diese ewige VERGLEICHEREI mit anderen Sängern überhaupt nicht, man macht sich so viel kaputt damit!

  • @befreitburma

    seh ich auch so. sonst endet man wie der villazon. abgesehen davon darf man einfach auch geniessen und zurücklehnen. beckmesserei ist ab einem gewissen niveau - so finde ich zumindest - nicht mehr angebracht.

  • quelle voix ,=. bravo

  • Very very well sung! Although the last famous high note was a little short. Most tenores sing it in this key but Bjorling and J Diego Florez sing it in the higher key version for 'high tenor', and Bjorlings high note is stupendous.

    But as a whole Kaufmann in this is on a par with Thill, Medusaview, and the other legends...

  • Bjoerling did not sing it in E major. Just listen to the original recording of it. It starts in Eb-major, but graduadly the pitch goes up and it ends almost at E-major. Something strange? think it has something to do with gramaphone

  • what!! I have the recording on two cd´s and it´s E Major!! Not to take anything away from Kaufmann who is a deeper tenor.

  • I know that they have fixed this prob in newer reproductions. I too have one cd where this is not any case. Anyway, both Bjoerling and Kaufmann is fantastic!