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| Dominik Köninger |
We've been following German barihunk Dominik Köninger at the Komische Opera ever since he joined their esnsemble after winning the 2011 Wigmore Hall/Kohn Foundation International Song Competition. His riveting performance in the Monteverdi/ Elena Kats-Chernin Orpheus in their Monterverdi Trilogy is currently available for viewing on the
Opera Platform. Check him out singing and dancing in Act 2 and then giving a tour de force shirtless performance in Act 5.
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| Dominik Köninger in Orpheus |
The production is by Barrie Kosky, who took the world by storm with his innovative production of Mozart's
Die Zauberflöte at the Komische Oper, which has gone on to be performed worldwide, including at the Los Angeles Opera and Minnesota Opera.
In
Orpheus, Köninger is asked to sing, dance, act and even perform in water. It's evident why he's one of the most talked about young baritones in the business. He also made our
Barihunks Best of 2016 list for a completely different performance, pulling off last year's best comedic turn as the Roman Officer in Oscar Straus'
The Pearls of Cleopatra, which is also viewable on
viewable on the OperaPlatform. Both
Orpheus and
Pearls are worth watching to appreciate the full range of Köninger's talent.
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| Dominik Köninger in Orpheus |
Orpheus is part of a Monteverdi adapted by the Uzbek composer Elena Kats-Chernin, which also includes
Odysseus and
Poppea. Kat-Chermin has integrated jazz, klezmer, tango, and ragtime into the scores. Additional live performances of
Orpheus are on June 23 and 26, and July 1, 3 and 9. Tickets are available
online.
I really enjoyed this production, but feel I have to point out that Elena Kats-Chernin has lived in Australia since she was 18. I think she should be credited as an Australian composer, or at least Uzbek/Australian.
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