I've been told repeatedly in the publishing industry that launches, advertising and press coverage make no difference to sales: apparently all that counts is "word of mouth". This can set off the bullshit alarm — it seems obvious that a book will sell better if its image is plastered across a bus. But there's a kernel of truth nonetheless: nothing sells a product as reliably as a personal, heartfelt recommendation from a friend. So the manner in which the music industry has mass-produced "stars" for the past 25 years is in serious danger of having its bluff called by Kaufmania. 

We want great artists. Yes, we do. Honest. Forget the women musicians draped over sofas, pouting; the purveyors of miked-up classico-lite who are passed off, ridiculously, as opera singers; and the artists for whom the ratio of sales to story increases the more the latter tells of mental illness or reality TV. All of that is disposable fast-food wrapping, discarded for recycling when there's no enduring artistry to sustain it. It's worth noting that Nigel Kennedy is still going strong because under that punky image is a passionate, devoted violinist with a technique to die for and an insatiable hunger for music-making. 

Kaufmann, 41 and originally from Munich, is to the best of my knowledge a regular bloke and devoted father of three who has worked his way steadily and sensibly up the operatic tree. Rolando Villazón, younger still, should have been his chief competitor but has already been chewed up and spat out, his career effectively wrecked, by the industry. Kaufmann's magic exceeds Villazón's in any case. He can pack a punch with voice size when he wants to, but he saves the impact for the moments when the music and the character truly require it. In Die schöne Müllerin it was the quiet moments you had to watch, the nuances of colour that revealed the hero's psychology — such as the shock, a few songs in, when we understood how he was building the tension and just how much it was going to hurt when the tragedy struck.

Artistry of this quality speaks for itself, and word spreads quickly because it's so rare. We wouldn't value it so much if it were commonplace. But it throws into sharp relief the phoniness of others. Much excessive promotion is there because the artists' musicianship is not strong enough for word of mouth to do the trick. And to be fair to the companies, which can seem desperate, they have to push comparatively indifferent artists because usually that is all they have. Meanwhile, other performers, often fine musicians with all the humility in the world, moulder away in their practice rooms because they lack the necessary extra milligram of compulsive inspiration. In both cases the best is the enemy of the good.

"Kaufmania" brings hope that great musicianship will out. So why not stop the hype, shut down the marketing, save on the advertising budget? Just let people hear the reality. The music — and the truth behind it — will do the rest.