Mariusz Kwiecień is Opera Now cover boy

Mariusz Kwiecień on the cover of Opera Now

As regular readers know, Barihunks was created when a fan of Dmitri Hvorostovsky and a fan of Mariusz Kwiecień connected on social media about separately creating fan sites for the two singers. Realizing that the concept had limited appeal to fans of the two singers, Barihunks was created as a tribute to all low male voice who caught the eye of discerning opera goers. 

The site has endured for 10 years, promoting oft-neglected baritones and basses and raising money to support young artist and musical projects for low voices. The death of Dmitri Hvorostovsky has made us pause to think about the future of this site and whether we will continue for much longer. 

In the meantime, our other inspiration Mariusz Kwiecień is the cover boy on the new issue of Opera Now, where he talks about his future, including taking on some roles that were identified with his great Siberian counterpart.   

"I've got about 30 roles in my repertoire, but now I'm thinking again about adding some of the biggerr ones," Kwiecień told Opera Now. "I've recently done Rodrigo from Don Carlo, and loved it; so I'm hoping to do Boccanegra, Macbeth and Renato. Some people would say I should, some that i shouldn't. But it's my voice, and my decision." He's hoping to try out Boccanegra in a small house in Kraków before taking it to a major house. He also says that he's not a huge fan of Wagner, so don't expect Wolfram or any other of the German composer's roles to show up in his repertory. 

He also states that he doesn't work out at the gym (although he may start now that he's in his mid 40's, that he doesn't talk about his private life, and that he loves cars, particularly the Porsche Panemera. 

The Polish baritone is wrapping up a run as Zurga at Lyric Opera of Chicago and his upcoming performances include Malatesta in Donizetti's Don Pasquale at Opera Krakowska in March, the title role in Mozart's Don Giovanni in Dallas and London, and Enrico in Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor in Munich. 

 

Derek Chester and Marco Vassalli

Our 2018 Barihunks Calendar, which includes 20 of opera's sexiest men is now available for purchase HERE. In response to reader demand, we've also added a Barihunks Photo Book this year, which includes additional photos that don't appear in the calendar. You can purchase that HERE. The New Year is approaching faster than you think!