people would say, "but you have to concentrate on something — you have to become a donizetti or a bellinituff, but don't do anything else. you have to specialise," and i kept saying, "n0, because placido didn't. and they say, "yeah, but this is placido. no, this is the exception. you can't do it." and he did, and that's why he was my role model. just what he and domingo can do with their voices, how they can colour, how they act with the voice — it's notjust a question of the body and psychology, but in the very colour, they show you the psychology. jonas has a natural ability to musicalise in a mediterranean way, and so his voice, though not losing its german heroic quality, musically he is so convincing as a romantic latin italian — call it what you will — hero. bravo, guys. bravo. terrific. you should never be too much fixated on your role model. you should find your own natural sound and hope that this is individual and beautiful enough to succeed and make a career. that was katie razzall talking to jonas kaufmann, and by the way i don't think you have to be in the royal opera house t