California has long been a beauty-obsessed state, thanks mostly to Hollywood and Beverly Hills, but one is surprised to see half of a recital review taken up by physical description: "The latest swoon-worthy tenor is Munich-born Jonas Kaufmann, who drove the audience nuts Friday at his U.S. recital debut sponsored by the Los Angeles Opera at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. Fans demanded no fewer than five encores....Kaufmann is tall, poised, curly-haired. He has chiseled looks and dramatic presence. His voice has a baritone’s dark coloring and weight, and he can use it for poetic effect. He knows that less is more, so he did not rely on extraneous gestures to punch up his program of lieder by Schumann and Strauss." How was the singing? Mostly good, but the rest of the review can be summed up in one direct quote, "One fears he may be living off his capital not his interest." [Source]
