You Mean the World to Me – With Jonas Kaufmann

Jonas Kaufmann dives into lyric opera repertoire from the time of the Weimar Republic. Discover this documentary program featuring the iconic German tenor.

In early 20th century Weimar, local enthusiasm for all kinds of cultural expression, was encouraging an explosion of artistic productivity, experimentation, and innovation. Meanwhile, the rest of Germany was in crisis, with high unemployment and unstable political and economic conditions. The result in Weimar was a blossoming of sophisticated approaches to popular entertainment.

The film includes excerpts from Jonas Kaufmann’s album recording sessions with the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin and conductor Jochen Rieder in the Funkhaus Berlin. Interviewees include Yvonne Kálmán (daughter of composer Emmerich Kálmán), Marta Eggerth, and Clarissa Stolz-Henry (the foster-daughter of Robert Stolz). Archival film footage is also interwoven throughout the documentary, with selections from various operetta movies ("Ein Lied geht um die Welt", "Ich liebe alle Frauen"), radio-documents, hit records by Richard Tauber, Joseph Schmidt, Helge Rosvaente, Jan Kiepura, and historic film news bulletins.