his musicianship melds with his keen interpretative intelligence to achieve real and extraordinary success...Otello on stage may still be ahead of him, but he explores the depths of 'Dio mi potevi' and 'Niun mi tema' with a purpose many distinguished Latin tenors would struggle to summon up.

a huge achievement resulting in some thrilling singing...But his employment of volume of tone (to emphasise a heroic, or at least central, presence?) does not serve his chosen repertoire equally well. As Otello of course it works well, as it does for Manrico

there’s just the right amount of greasepaint – and ample opportunity for him to display his massive dynamic range...the real high point is that foretaste of Otello, the role which many consider him born to sing. This is where Kaufmann’s gift for nuanced psychological drama really comes home to roost.

He comes into his own as Don Carlo, Don Alvaro from La forza del destino and, above all, Otello — where his dark timbre and dramatic delivery of the text rank with the finest on disc.

Unusually for a singer noted for interpretative subtlety, he's at his best in I Masnadieri and Il Trovatore where Verdi is at his most upfront. You get a sense of how good he might be one day as Otello and, above all, as Radames

these great Verdi moments, even ripped out of context, are believably dramatic...Kaufmann is served well by the Orchestra dell’Opera di Parma, the woodwind particularly lovely.

Our spines tingle at Kaufmann’s force; but we shiver too at his sudden moments of quiet reverence or desolation. Kaufmann’s expert control of dynamics has never been so impressive, nor has the sheer weight of tone currently at his command. His theatrical flair is also impressive

he has clearly thought through the changes needed for an authentic Verdi style. The results are thrilling. Kaufmann’s singing is characterized by clarity of diction and a fine range of vocal colour, though it must be said that his plush, dark-toned voice is more suited to the heavier rather than the more lyrical roles...Nevertheless, there is some wonderful singing here.