DOPPELGANGER. Franz Schubert’s Swan Song with Jonas Kaufmann

Tenor Jonas Kaufmann
Pianist Helmut Deutsch
Director Claus Guth
Stage design Michael Levine
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Doppelganger is a musical production based on Franz Schubert’s late-life song collection Swan Song, featuring the world-renowned tenor Jonas Kaufmann and his long-time stage partner, pianist Helmut Deutsch. Their compelling live performance, enriched with atmospheric soundscapes and lighting effects, vividly conveys the tragedy, longing and zest for life embedded in the songs. It represents a soldier protagonist’s mental journey through various states of mind – from illusions and despair to love and ecstasy – until he sees himself from the outside and comes to terms with reality: he has fallen in war, and his journey has reached its end.

The acclaimed German opera director Claus Guth and designer Michael Levine, along with their team, developed this production with elements of performance art for New York’s Park Avenue Armory. The piece premiered in the autumn of 2023 and met with sensational success. Audiences, usually accustomed to experiencing a song cycle in a classical concert hall, were reportedly left breathless. Schubert’s timeless songs still resonate and speak profoundly to modern listeners.