Donizetti's "Venti Scudi" from L'elisir d'amore

Another video has been posted of the Hot Pole Mariusz Kwiecien singing in his disco see-through shirt from a performance of L'elisir d'amore in Amsterdam in 2002. To hear how his voice has grown, listen to him sing the duet with Juan Diego Flores on the latter's new CD.

Hot Pole Competition

How could Barihunks pass up the opportunity to mention the latest Hot Pole competition? It's not what it sounds like, as it was actually a singing competition. In the men's division, the top three prizes went to baritones, all of whom could make a claim to being barihunks. However, the Hot Pole winner by far is Jaroslaw Kitala, who is every bit as gorgeous as Mariusz Kwiecien, who regularly graces these pages.

Kitala won second prize in the 14th Ada Sari International Vocal Art Festival in Nowy Sącz, Poland. He lost to Stanisław Kierner who you can find on YouTube singing Handel, Caccini and Bach (http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=lw2xXe7pp4A). Third place went to Patryk Rymanowski, whose last name I could have some fun with. He's pretty fine, too, but not in the Kitala/Kwiecien classkowski.

Hamburger Hunks

If you're looking for a good dose of barihunks, check out the Hamburgische Staatsoper where you'll find Wilhelm Schwinghammer and Alexander Tsymbalyuk, a.k.a. "The Hamburger Hunks."

Schwinghammer is a former choir boy who went on to study at the University of the Arts in Berlin. After singing primarily in choirs he gained acclaim singing with Philippe Herrewegehe and the Colegium Vocale and a performance of Handel's Saul under Rene Jacobs. After a successful stint in the International Opera Studio at the Hamburg Opera he was engaged as a regular member of the ensemble.

Alexander Tsymalyuk studied in Odessa with some of the most famous low voices of the opera stage including Kurt Moll and Paata Burchuladze. He was engaged in Hamburg after winning a number of vocal competitions.

Dream casting: The Hamburger Hunks in the Salzburg production of Don Giovanni. Wouldn't that be a lot of beefcake?

Michael Mayes

It looks like the physical appearance of baritones is getting appreciated beyond Barihunks. Michael Mayes' own artist management company, ANA Archuleta, starts his bio with this tantalizing tidbit:

Michael Mayes is making waves in the opera world for his command of the stage and attractive masculine presence.

Mayes has been singing smaller roles around the country, but has recently graduated to playing lead roles including Marcello at Skylight Opera in Milwaukee.

Markus Werba

I figured since Markus Werba's US debut at the LA Opera is rapidly approaching, I'd post pictures showing him hot in a tux, hot dressed casually and hot on all fours. The early word on him is that he's unusually small for a baritone, but he still produces a big enough sound for the major opera houses.

Kiwi Roy Snow

OK, no bitchy emails from the purists for posting Roy Snow on Barihunks! Sometimes we have to bend the rules a little in order to post our favorite hunks.

Snow is well known in New Zealand for appearing on the TV show Shortland Street and for cameos on Xena, but he has regularly used his beautiful baritone to sing in The Threepenny Opera, Les Miserables and other musicals. I always think of him as the John Barrowman on Kiwi Kountry.

The photo above is from a production of The Threepenny Opera in New Zealand. He looks pretty good in a mezzo beater tee shirt, too. Moreover, it's nice to know that there are plenty of other Kiwi hunks besides Teddy Tahu Rhodes.

Dmitri Hvorostovsky sings "On a Nameless Hill"

You know that someone is a certifiable barihunk if they can sing Russian crossover music and still be totally hot.

Jose Carbo - Largo al factotum

It's nice to see a Barber who is attractive.

Quirijn de Lang

Barihunks readers will remember Quirijn de Lang from the steamy photos on this site from his portrayal as Escamillo in La Tragédie de Carmen. He is currently singing Count Robinson in Cimarosa’s Il Matrimonio Segreto at the Scottish Opera in Glasgow.

I recently discovered his MySpace page where you can enjoy his singing while staring at these lovely pictures.

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=403897582

Keenlyside's Front Side

The request for photos generated some interesting emails. Even though I didn't get much of what I was looking for, I did receive some great future material (including one from a British baritone that I could never post, but thanks for the candid shot!). I figured that these shots of Simon Keenlyside deserved immediate posting, especially since I'm on a Don Giovanni kick.

More "Hot Pole" Dancing as Don Giovanni

[Mariusz Kwiecien as Don Giovanni in Santander Opera House in Spain and Houston; Bottom photo in I Puritani in Seattle]

I just saw Howard Shore's "The Fly" in Los Angeles, which had a lot of male nudity and it wasn't nearly as hot as Mariusz Kwiecien as Don Giovanni in the San Francisco Opera's production of the opera (same production as above). It was so incredibly sensuous and he managed to make a dinner table as sexually desirable as the bedroom.

The photo from Houston shows him at his physical prime and could make one forget Zorro forever. And what woman (or man) wouldn't be completely seduced by Mariusz thinking of you while sniffing a rose?

Photo Help!

[Photos of David Adam Moore]

LollySD posted a tantalizing comment that seemed to indicate that their were shirtless photos of David Adam Moore from his recent performance of Soldier Songs in New York. I can't find them anywhere. If someone has them, please send them to MikeOpera@mac.com

While we're on the subject of missing photos, I'm still looking for:
1. A shirtless photo of Teddy Tahu Rhodes from Billy Budd in Santa Fe or Opera Australia.
2. A shirtless photo of Mariusz Kwiecien from Don Giovanni in San Francisco.
3. The partially nude photo of Eugene Brancoveanu from Lou Harrison's "Young Caesar."
4. A photo of David Adam Moore from Pittsburgh's "Billy Budd."
5. A photo of Jesse Blumberg from Ricky Ian Gordon's "Green Sneakers."
6. Anything with Gabriel Bermudez! Where are the photos of this guy?
7. Anything with Philip Cutlip, who got a ton of hits when I posted him, but I've been unable to follow up with anything.
8. Any hot photo of Erwin Schrott that I haven't run. He is my current hit leader along with Teddy Tahu Rhodes, Mariusz Kwiecien, Daniel Okulitch and Nathan Gunn.

Again, email photos to barihunks@gmail.com

A little reminder, this is barihunks, barichunks.

Gunther Groissbock to heat up U.S. stages

American fans of matinee idol Gunther Groissbock will be pleased to learn that his appearances in the U.S. are becoming more common. He'll be performing Sarastro at L.A. Opera in January 2009, Daland at Atlanta Opera in April 2009, Heinrich in Lohengrin at Houston Grand Opera in November 2009 and Colline at the Metropolitan Opera a year later.

Shoo Fly!

I flew to Los Angeles to see (and hear) Daniel Okulitch in Howard Shore's "The Fly." Unfortunately, it failed to live up to the buzz. Daniel Okulitch, fortunately, kept his barihunk credentials in tact, but it was about the only redeeming thing about this opera.

Perhaps the reviewer from the Orange County Register summed it up most succinctly:

Let's not mince words. That's always the best way. Just rip the bandage off quickly. Howard Shore's "The Fly," which was given its U.S. premiere Sunday afternoon courtesy of Los Angeles Opera, is the worst opera I've ever seen.

Mariusz Kwiecien IS the Elixir of Love

Here is a shot of the Hot Pole Mariusz Kwiecien in an updated production of the Elixir of Love. I believe that this production is from Amsterdam.