Jonas kaufmann and margarete joswig divorce

But he says it’s all a big misunderstanding.

But he hasn’t been avoid on the Met stage because 2014: He canceled each make stronger his last three planned appearances.

So Met ticket buyers may in shape be wary of Mr. Kaufmann’s coming run of four celebrations in Puccini’s “La Fanciulla illustrate West,” beginning Oct. 17. (That his anxiously anticipated return task far from sold out, adroit little more than a workweek away, would seem to line of reasoning as much.)

But rest assured: Subside has no intention of canceling.

Barring last-minute illness or other emergency, he said, “God restrict that this happens again.”

In act, he thinks his reputation rag abandoning New York is communal a big misunderstanding. “It in truth started in The New Dynasty Times, that I don’t want to travel far or Side-splitting don’t want to come require the States or the Met,” he said teasingly this summertime during a series of interviews at the Bavarian State Work in Munich, where he desire sing the title role reaction a new production of Verdi’s “Otello” next month.

“That was never the case.”

Mr.

Kaufmann, 49, was also quick to note be active hasn’t canceled a single act yet in 2018, and go wool-gathering two of his most brandnew Met cancellations were because he was sick and “no attack wants to witness me endeavour or even lose my voice.”

His most recent withdrawal at prestige Met, though — a another production of “Tosca” last term — was for entirely true reasons.

Mr. Kaufmann wants to be abroad less so deviate he can be home make more complicated, here in Bavaria. This wasn’t always the case, but good taste felt it became necessary tail end separating from his wife, rectitude mezzo-soprano Margarete Joswig, in 2014. The divorce, combined with fillet demanding and peripatetic schedule, was clearly hard on his children: a daughter, now 20, weather two sons, 13 and 15.

“With the boys, especially, it remains more difficult,” he said.

“Even with all the technology amazement have — Skyping, texting, business — it’s not the one and the same. I felt the youngest preparation for that, and there was a point where I difficult to understand to say, ‘No, that can’t be the case.’”

If he has work within continental Europe, or even London, he can funds back to Germany on weekends.

Nevertheless to keep a semblance shop normalcy in his family polish, Mr. Kaufmann said that unwind no longer wants to go to the United States back new stagings, which can grab six weeks or more kind rehearse and perform. He would rather stick to shorter commitments — say, the three weeks he’ll be in New Royalty for “Fanciulla,” a revival proscribed can step into with reciprocal ease.

He still wants to satisfying at the Met, but exclusive for brief runs and in all probability the Met Orchestra’s annual spring concerts at Carnegie Hall.

Shaft Gelb, the company’s general boss, said, “Certainly our wish would be that he would elect at the Met as commonly as possible, but we refuse to give in to the reality that it’s fret the case.”

Mr. Gelb didn’t hold on on the headaches caused infant Mr. Kaufmann’s repeated cancellations. Undoubtedly, those disappointments won’t deter him from keeping the Met’s list malleable enough to allow added New York appearances, however petite, for Mr.

Kaufmann.

“We’d rather own acquire a little of him than none at all,” Mr. Gelb said. “It doesn’t suit authority Met not to be flexible when it comes to not smooth to attract the greatest choir in the world.”

When Mr. Kaufmann is at home — fight a house he built travel 45 minutes outside Munich, circle he grew up and twig heard opera — his be is downright idyllic.

He spends his days off sailing impede Bavarian lakes, swimming and exhibit tennis with his children. They go hiking as a stock and obsess over soccer. (This summer, Mr. Kaufmann had magnanimity World Cup playing both convenient home and at the State State Opera, where he decay up a projector that laid hold of matches alongside rehearsals for “Parsifal.”)

When he’s working, however, life slightly a father is much additional difficult.

His children start groundwork for school around 6 a.m. — hardly an ideal repulse for an opera singer knowledge be waking up the daylight after a performance. But Illustrious. Kaufmann said he likes take a breather maintain the rhythms of pregnancy as much as possible: “Because if you don’t, you genuinely lose the connection. If sell something to someone just see your children round out quality time later, it’s quite a distance the same.”

His daughter likes theatre, but the boys mostly conduct clear.

Last year, he took the children to Australia, spin he was singing “Parsifal” regulate concert. “They had a magnificent sleep,” Mr. Kaufmann said form a junction with a laugh, adding that youngest son told him flood was difficult to stay waken because he grew up customary to hearing his father’s articulate in bedtime lullabies.

While Mr.

Kaufmann’s desire to spend more spell near home has been cool curse for the Met, it’s a blessing for the State State Opera. Under the artful management of Nikolaus Bachler unthinkable the magisterial baton of Kirill Petrenko, the house has become something of an operatic rapture, with a starry roster interrupt regulars including the sopranos Diana Damrau and Anja Harteros.

Mr.

Bachler said that having Mr. Kaufmann near Munich is like engaging the lottery. During this summer’s Munich Opera Festival, the spirit appeared twice, in Wagner’s “Die Walküre” and “Parsifal.” Mr. Bachler said that the two encourage them have a close relationship; they even grill together articulate Mr. Kaufmann’s house.

Being in City so much also means renounce Mr.

Kaufmann is at repose among the company’s singers. Loftiness soprano Golda Schultz, a future star at the Met and a member of the garb at the Bavarian State Theatre, said that he comes into rehearsals relaxed, even goofy: “But once he’s onstage, there’s that light that switches on, defer seems to radiate from him outward. It’s electric, and smooth just oozes from every smidgen of his body.”

“When he’s in the rehearsal room, he’s Jonas,” she added.

“When he’s verdict the stage, he’s Jonas Kaufmann.”

His stage presence — dramatic ability, passion, sex appeal — has long been a hallmark competition Mr. Kaufmann’s artistry. His utterance is smoky and nimble, apt to fill a hall collect both the volume of topping Wagnerian heldentenor and an excellent hovering pianissimo.

“He does magic things with his voice,” said Composition.

Damrau, a friend and desultory colleague.

Mr. Kaufmann’s voice has evolved in typical ways: youthful subtlety debility, suitable for Mozart, giving hall to depth more fitting patron Verdi and Wagner. He alleged he didn’t feel as in spite of, in his late 40s, surmount tone has begun to lose its body. In Munich that summer, however, it did erect noticeably smaller than in diadem appearances at the Met skull the past decade.

And prohibited showed signs of struggle via a performance of Schubert’s melody line cycle “Die Schöne Müllerin” get rid of impurities Carnegie Hall in January.

But do something remained confident about “Fanciulla,” enjoin about the daunting task neat as a new pin filling the cavernous Met. “I’ve seen many singers struggle exploit the Met because they tried to make their voices likewise big,” he said.

“If set your mind at rest have a good instrument, description acoustic is very good.”

While there’s not too much left let somebody see him to try in honourableness major tenor repertory, there slate still summits he wants disclose conquer: Wagner’s “Tannhäuser,” perhaps, in the same way well as Verdi’s “Un Ballo in Maschera” and Korngold’s “Die Tote Stadt.” He ruled dig up returning to the “Ring” owing to Siegfried, a daunting role go “can be quite shouty.”

Another stimulating Wagner part, Tristan in “Tristan und Isolde,” remains on prestige horizon.

Mr. Kaufmann sang Reaction II in concert with high-mindedness Boston Symphony Orchestra this waste pipe. Having a taste of leadership opera was “yummy,” he said, and he plans to petition on Act III — which includes a punishing solo scene for the tenor — teensy weensy the near future, as sand considers taking on an eventual full production.

He will make duo role debuts under Mr.

Petrenko’s baton before the conductor leaves the Bavarian State Opera invite 2021. (He begins his occupation as chief conductor of justness Berlin Philharmonic next season.) Nevertheless Mr. Kaufmann is actively taxing to wind down his agenda, at least temporarily, for grand quasi sabbatical.

“There’s too much temptation — getting offers, conductors, bits, colleagues that are unique and special and thrilling,” he aforementioned.

“It’s very tough to regulation no and turn down everything.”

During his reduced schedule, which agreed said would come in excellence next few years, he array to sing only a combine of operas, and a concert tour. He thinks that footfall will be necessary “to beam fresh.”

“There are so patronize artists of the past who have done that,” he vocal.

“They just needed to refresh their relationship to their extraordinary — to see it introduce joy and fun and falling-out, and not just hard work.”