Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Armide in the Raw






The reputation of directors working in German opera companies is beyond mockery. Their obsession with sex, fetishism and leather, and their penchant for shock value is a running joke in opera circles. I'm beginning to wonder what type of psychological damage WW II created on the German psyche.

Spanish director Calixto Bieito has taken it to another level with his production of Gluck's "Armide" at the Komische Oper in Berlin. I'm not quite sure what to make of this production, which is usually about vengeance, magic, love, fulfillment and abandonment.

Bieito has made it about sex, obsession and more sex. One German paper called it porno-opera. I'm not certain who is in these pictures, but I think that the naked guy is tenor Peter Lodahl. I've got to believe that one of those bare butts or danglers is a baritone, so these photos have earned a spot on Barihunks.

Enjoy.

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3 comments:

  1. Maybe the tenor's name should be Peter Lodown?

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  2. Peter Lodahl plays Rinaldo, the one laying down (fully dressed) at the bottom of the third picture. In the trailer, he's in the latter bit, where the soprano is drawing a pair of scissors all over his bare chest, and kissing him before unzipping his pants. Totally has to be on the hunkentenor website!

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  3. Peter Lodahl - there you go..

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/tenor/176386116/in/set-72157594174378844/
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/tenor/176386516/in/set-72157594174378844/

    ReplyDelete