Verismo Arias (CD) – Jonas Kaufmann

Composers: Riccardo Zandonai, Umberto Giordano, Francesco Cilea, Ruggero Leoncavallo, Pietro Mascagni, Arrigo Boïto, Amilcare Ponchielli, Licinio Refice
Artists: Jonas Kaufmann, Rosa Feola, Cristina Reale, Eva-Maria Westbroek, Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia
Conductor: Antonio Pappano
Number of Discs: 1
Label: Decca
CD Release Date: April 19, 2011

Jonas Kaufmann sings arias from verismo operas—music-dramas from the late 19th and early 20th centuries that take their subject matter from the raw emotions of everyday people. The CD includes the famous “Vesti la giubba” from Mascagni’s Pagliacci – a heartbreaking dramatic tenor showpiece where Canio bitterly reflects that he must play the part of a clown while his heart is breaking; a selection from Leoncavallo’s version of La Bohème; and Romeo’s final aria from Zandonai’s rarely performed Romeo e Giulietta.