Randal Turner makes network TV debut; Donizetti up next

Which Tristan would Isolde fall for?: Randal Turner (L) or Joseph Albert-Ludwig (R)

Barihunk Randal Turner made his network television debut this week in the premiere episode of "Elementary" on CBS. The show is a modern take on Sherlock Holmes with Jonny Lee Miller as the famed detective and Lucy Liu as his sidekick Watson. In the episode in which Turner appears, Holmes and Watson attend the opera where soprano Melissa Zapin and Turner are performing Wagner's "Tristan und Isolde." The next episode airs on October 4th on CBS.

 The CBS trailer of "Elementary":

Although Turner would look like an amazing Tristan, it's unlikely that he'll ever be seen in the role, which is written for a tenor. In fact, he'd look like a great Lohengrin or Siegmund, making us wonder if Wagner should have written those roles for baritone (who would look more the part). For the record, Turner does have one Wagner opera under his belt, Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, which he performed in Darmstadt, Germany. 

Turner can next be seen on October 13th at the Esterházy Palace in Eisenstadt, Austria where he'll be performing "The salon cantatas of the Bel Canto” with I Virtuosi ambulanti. Tickets are available online. You can hear Turner sing Donizetti's Canto XXXIII from a previous performance with I Virtuosi ambulanti on his website.