Malte Roesner to star in Mansfield Park (in his own translation)

Malte Roesner in For a Look or a Touch (left) and from the Barihunks photo shoot (right)

Jonathan Dove's 18-scene chamber opera Mansfield Park will open on December 5th at the Staatstheater Braunschweig with barihunk Malte Roesner as Edmund Bertram. Roesner also translated the libretto from English into German, which he also recently did with Jake Heggie's Holocaust themed opera For a Look or a Touch.

Mansfield Park is based on the 1814 novel by Jane Austen. It's the story of Fanny Price, a Cinderella-like heroine, who quietly negotiates her way through the moral perils of early nineteenth century high society, from landscape gardening and amateur theatricals to balls and arranged marriages, and wins the hand of the man she has loved all her life. Edmund Bertram is the lead character of the novel. He intends to be a clergyman is known for his kindness and generosity towards Fanny, distinguishing him from the rest of his family, who tend to exploit her good nature and mock her less privileged upbringing.

The opera had it's debut in 2011 at the Heritage Opera in the U.K. and it's American debut in February of this year at the Peabody Conservatory Chamber Opera. Milda Tubelytė will sing the role of Fanny. Performances in Braunschweig will run through March 2016 and tickets and additional cast information is available online. 

You can check out audio of Malte Roesner on his website by clicking HERE. He's also prominently featured in our new 2016 Barihunks Charity Calendar. All of the proceeds are going to fund the creation of the Foundation for the Advancement of Baritones (FAB), which will promote new music for low voices, assist artists financially and fund a baritone prize at a competition to be named in January. Order your copy by clicking on the LULU button below.

Malte Roesner and Marco Vassalli in the Barihunks Calendar