Birthday Interview with Samuel Ramey

Samuel Ramey as Attila (left)

He has been referred to as the original barihunk by some, for leading the way in sexy portrayals of the low voice repertory. His video of Boito's Mefistofele from the San Francisco Opera has become a cult classic with opera aficionados. He continued his sexy shirtless portrayals as Attila that were not only sexy, but set the vocal standard to this day.

His amazing vocal flexibility and range has allowed his to sing roles ranging from Argante in Handel’s Rinaldo to the title role in Bartok’s Bluebeard’s Castle. His repertoire includes the florid pasages of Handel, the bel canto roles of Bellini and Donizetti, the great baritone roles of Verdi and Puccini, great American operas and even many of the great Russian and French bass roles.

Rather than post our annual birthday tribute, we asked the legendary bass to answer a few questions for readers.

1. You were considered a "barihunk" before Francesca Zambello coined the phrase, singing both Attila and Mefistofele shirtless.  Did you ever imagine that baritones and basses would become the sex symbols of opera? 

Ramey: Generally speaking, most baritones and basses are "sexier" than most tenors.  So I can‘t say I‘m surprised.

2. You're now singing two comprimario roles at the Dallas Opera. What draws you to the stage when most singers are enjoying retirement? 

Ramey: I feel that I still have something to offer as a performer and I still love being on the stage.  I‘ve been trying to reinvent myself but it‘s not easy.  I appreciate the Dallas Opéra for giving me this opportunity.

3. Your Attila and Mefistofele are considered definitive interpretations by most opera aficionados. Were these your favorite roles. Which other roles did you love?

Ramey: Attila and Mefistofele were certainly two of my favorite roles, but I have quite a few favorites.  Others would be Mephistopheles in Faust and Damnation de Faust, Mozart‘s Figaro and Don Giovanni, Nick Shadow in Rake's Progress, Filippo II in Don Carlo, Bertram in Robert le Diable, Boris Godunov.

4. What role did you never get to sing that you would have loved to perform? 

Ramey: I‘ve always loved the early Verdi operas.  One I always hoped to sing was Silva in Ernani, but the opportunity never presented itself.

5. Karita Mattila just posted on our Twitter feed that Placido Domingo was her best stage kiss. Who was yours?

Ramey: I didn‘t have many stage kiss opportunities but I‘d have to say that my best stage kiss was Marie McLaughlin.

 

Atilla and Mefistofele to get San Francisco airings; Some Sam Ramey history

Samuel Ramey and Ildar Abdrazakov

Lovers of low voices in the San Francisco Bay Are area in for a real treat this summer, as their local PBS station KQED has announced that both Verdi's Attila and Boito's Mefestofle will be aired.

Attila will feature a veritable feast of Verdi low voices, led by the legendary Ferruccio Furlanetto in the title role, Quinn Kelsey as Ezio and Samuel Ramey as Pope Leo I. The 1846 masterpiece about the legendary warrior who is tormented by internal doubts will air on Thursday, August 3 on KQED Channel 9.

Verdi’s 1846 masterpiece about a legendary warrior who is tormented by internal doubts, will air on Thursday, August 3 on KQED 9 - See more at: https://sfopera.com/about-us/press-room/press-releases/KQED-Attila-Mefi/#sthash.LC1AnggY.dpuf

Boito’s Mefistofele will feature barihunk Ildar Abdrazakov in the title role accompanied by Ramón Vargas and Patricia Racette. The retelling of the Faust legend will be telecast on Thursday, August 24th. Adventurous opera goes can also see Abdrazakov as Attilla, as he will be singing the role in April at the Gran Teatre del Liceu.

Barihunk afficionados will recall that Samuel Ramey attained barihunk status before the word was even coined, when he sang Mefistofele at the San Francisco Opera in 1989 in a cast that included Daniel Harper as Wagner, Gabriela Benacková as Margherita and Dennis O'Neill as Faust. He secured his barihunk status as Attila in 1991 with the company, in a cast that included Elizabeth Connell as Odabella, Vladimir Chernov as Ezio, Philip Skinner as Pope Leo I and Craig Estep as Uldino.

Berlin featuring the "other" Dutchman and Schrott as Attila

Seth Carico performing the "other" Dutchman

The Deutsche Oper Berlin has two exciting concert performances coming up in June. First up on June 4th is French composer Pierre-Louis Dietsch's “Le Vaisseau Fantôme” (The Ghost Ship), an opera based on the same story as Wagner's “The Flying Dutchman.” Dietsch's opera actually proceeded Wagner's by two months in 1842. 

Although the opera has some of the same characters and is based on the same story, the plot is a bit more dense even though it's 20 minutes shorter than Wagner's opera. However, the piece had its proponents, including Hector Berlioz.  We're excited because the opera has three baritone roles. Josef Wagner will sing Troïl, Nicolas Cavallier will sing Barlow and barihunk Seth Carico will sing Scriften.

Tickets and additional performance information are available online.

Erwin Schrott and Dalibor Jenis

Next up on June 19th and 22nd are concert performances of Verdi's Attila featuring Erwin Schrott in the title role and Dalibor Jenis as Ezio. Adding to the vocal excitement is the thrilling soprano Liudmyla Monastyrska, who is singing the demanding role of Odabella. This performance is all the chatter amongst Verdi lovers and a "must see" for anyone who can get to Berlin.

We love the idea of an age appropriate Attila, who actually ruled from the age of 29 to his death at age 47. Schrott can be heard singing the aria "Mentre gonfiarsi l'anima" on his 2012 release of arias on Sony.

Jerome Hines sings Attila:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SAMUEL RAMEY!!!

Samuel Ramey

He has been referred to as the original barihunk by some, for leading the way in sexy portrayals of the low voice repertory. His video of Boito's Mefistofele from the San Francisco Opera has become a cult classic with opera aficionados. He continued his sexy shirtless portrayals as Attila that were not only sexy, but set the vocal standard to this day.


His amazing vocal flexibility and range has allowed his to sing roles ranging from Argante in Handel’s Rinaldo to the title role in Bartok’s Bluebeard’s Castle. His repertoire includes the florid pasages of Handel, the bel canto roles of Bellini and Donizetti, the great baritone roles of Verdi and Puccini, great American operas and even many of the great Russian and French bass roles.

Samuel Ramey sings "The Impossible Dream"

If he sang nothing else, he would be famous for his interpretation of Boito’s Mefistofele,which has included  seventy performances in the Robert Carsen production of the opera specifically created for  him. In fact, devilish roles have dominated his stage performances, including Berlioz's devil in La damnation de Faust; the sinister Nick Shadow in Stravinsky’s The Rake’s Progress; and the tour de force of all four villains in Offenbach’s Les Contes d’Hoffmann. In 1992 Mr. Ramey sang all of Offenbach’s villains for the Metropolitan Opera’s opening night, prompting one critic to write, “[It was] the best interpretation of the four villains I can remember in the last 25 years. This is the stuff of which operatic legends are made.” In 1996 Mr. Ramey presented a sold-out concert at New York’s Avery Fisher Hall titled A Date with the Devil in which he sang fourteen arias representing the core of this repertoire, and he continues to tour this program throughout the world.

Samuel Ramey sings "Scintille, diamant" from Les contes d'Hoffmann:

Samuel Ramey holds the distinction of being the most recorded bass in history. His more than eighty recordings include complete operas, recordings of arias, symphonic works, solo recital programs, and popular crossover albums on every major label. His recordings have garnered nearly every major award including three Grammy Awards, Gran Prix du Disc Awards, and “Best of the Year” citations from journals including Stereo Review and Opera News. His exposure on television and video is no less impressive, with video recordings of the Metropolitan Opera’s Carmen, Bluebeard’s Castle, Semiramide, Nabucco, and the compilation “The Met Celebrates Verdi;” San Francisco Opera’s Mefistofele; The Rake’s Progress from the Glyndebourne Festival; Attila from La Scala; and the Salzburg Festival’s Don Giovanni. Ramey is seen frequently on television in appearances with “Live from the Met” and “Live from Lincoln Center” as well as other productions taped for PBS.

Following his phenomenal success in opera, concert, and recordings, Samuel Ramey’s sold-out Carnegie Hall recital in 1987 added a fourth dimension to his spectacular career. His returns to New York’s Carnegie Hall for solo recitals in February 1995 and November 1998 were the culmination of extensive, critically-acclaimed North American tours which had taken Mr. Ramey from Alaska to Alabama, with appearances on America's finest vocal series. His European recital career is equally notable, with sold-out appearances in all the music capitals.

 Samuel Ramey "Mentre gonfiarsi l'anima" from Attila:

A native of Colby, Kansas, Samuel Ramey was active in music throughout high school and college. In 1995 he was named “Kansan of the Year,” and in 1998 the French Ministry of Culture awarded him the rank of Commander in the Order of Arts and Letters.

He is still actively performing, although in less demanding roles. Upcoming performance include Bartok's A Kekszakallu herceg vara in Omaha and the role of Dansker in Britten's Billy Budd with the Los Angeles Opera.

Last April, he performed the Grand Inquisitor in Verdi's Don Carlos at the Houston Grand Opera. In June of last year, he traded in the title role in Verid's Attila at San Francisco Opera for the less demanding role of Leone. In September, he thrilled his New York fans by returning to the Met to sing Timur in Puccini's Turandot.

Nathan Gunn returns to San Francisco as Papageno

Barihunk Nathan Gunn & Hunkentenor Alek Shrader

Nathan Gunn is back at the San Francisco in what is arguably one of his greatest roles, Papageno in Mozart's "The Magic Flute." Despite the fact that we're a site clearly dedicated to baritones, we often get asked why we don't feature tenors. So for all of you hunkentenor lovers, you'll be thrilled to know that Alek Shrader has been cast as Tamino.

Much of the chatter in San Francisco opera circles has been that the popular David Hockney production has been scrapped for a new production by visual artist Jun Kaneko. By all accounts, it's going to be every bit as spectacular and visually stunning.

SF Opera's "Magic Flute" by visual artist Jun Kaneko

Performances run from tonight through July 8th and tickets can be purchased on the San Francisco Opera website. The company is also presenting Verdi's "Attila" and John Adams' "Nixon in China." The Magic Flute will be sung in English.

Make sure to read our post about Nathan Gunn's upcoming performance in Mark Adamo's "The Gospel of Mary Magdalene," which is sure to generate a lot of interest in the opera world, as well as press attention. 

Contact us at Barihunks@gmail.com

Ildar Abdrazakov reprises successful Attila

Ildar Abdrazakov in a Met promo photo

We first posted Ildar Abdrazakov as Attila in Verdi's, when he was singing the role in Peru before taking the role to The Met. The post drew an enormous amount of interest and continues to receive a huge number of hits.

The Russian bass in back as the Hun leader in a Pier Luigi Pizzi production at the Teatro dell'Opera Roma under the baton of maestro Riccardo Muti. Also in the cast is fellow barihunk Luca Dall’Amico in the role of Leone. Performances run from May 25 through June 5th.

Luca Dall’Amico with a former Attila, Samuel Ramey

After wrapping up in Rome, Abdrazakov will perform the role in a concert version at the Mikkeli Music Festival under maestro Valery Gergiev. The performance on July 5th at the Mikkeli’s Wooden Church will be only the third performance of the early Verdi masterpiece in Finland.

Ildar Abdrazakov and Claudio Sgura perform “Tardo per gli anni” from Attila:

The San Francisco Opera will also be performing Atilla this summer from June 12-July 1 with a much older Attila than is normally cast in the dramatically intense Ferruccio Furlanetto. The 63-year-old Furlanetto is about 15 years older than Attila was at his death. The cast will include another  great Attila of the past, Samuel Ramey, in the critical but small role of Pope Leo I.

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Highlights from Thomas Hampson/Luca Pisaroni Concert

Luca Pisaroni (L) & Thomas Hampson (R)

We recently posted about the much anticipated concert in Heidelberg, Germany featuring Luca Pisaroni and Thomas Hampson. As regular readers will know, not only are these two men some of the most popular barihunks in the world, but they are a father-in-law/son-in-law tandem. They also happen to be two of the greatest singers in the world today.

Luca Pisaroni (L) & Thomas Hampson (R)

For those of you who missed the broadcast, here are the duets from the concerts. We've also added Luca Pisaroni singing "Sorgete... Duce di tanti eroi"  from Rossini's Mamoetto II, which he will be singing at the Santa Fe Opera this summer. A performance that is not to be missed.  You can watch the entire concert at teresa59's YouTube site.

Thomas Hampson, Luca Pisaroni - Il rival salvar... Suoni la tromba (I puritani)

Thomas Hampson, Luca Pisaroni - Restate (Don Carlo)

Thomas Hampson, Luca Pisaroni - Cheti, cheti immantinente (Don Pasquale)

Thomas Hampson, Luca Pisaroni - Uldino...Tardo per gl'anni (Attila)

Luca Pisaroni - Sorgete... Duce di tanti eroi (Mamoetto II)

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A Tribute to Samuel Ramey on his 70th Birthday

Samuel Ramey as Attila

Today we celebrate the 70th birthday of Samuel Ramey, who was one of the early pioneers of the shirtless male opera singer. His video of Boito's Mefistofele from the San Francisco Opera has become a cult classic with opera aficionados. He continued his sexy shirtless portrayals with an Attila that was not only sexy, but set the vocal standard to this day.

Samuel Ramey has been a leading interpreter of the bass and bass-baritone operatic repertoire for thirty years. His amazing vocal flexibility and range has allowed his to sing roles ranging from Argante in Handel’s Rinaldo to the title role in Bartok’s Bluebeard’s Castle. His repertoire includes the florid pasages of Handel, the bel canto roles of Bellini and Donizetti, the great baritone roles of Verdi and Puccini, great American operas and even many of the great Russian and French bass roles.

 Samuel Ramey sings Attila's "Mentre gonfiarsi l'anima":

If he sang nothing else, he would be famous for his interpretation of Boito’s Mefistofele,which has included  seventy performances in the Robert Carsen production of the opera specifically created for  him. In fact, devilish roles have dominated his stage performances, including Berlioz's devil in La damnation de Faust; the sinister Nick Shadow in Stravinsky’s The Rake’s Progress; and the tour de force of all four villains in Offenbach’s Les Contes d’Hoffmann. In 1992 Mr. Ramey sang all of Offenbach’s villains for the Metropolitan Opera’s opening night, prompting one critic to write, “[It was] the best interpretation of the four villains I can remember in the last 25 years. This is the stuff of which operatic legends are made.” In 1996 Mr. Ramey presented a sold-out concert at New York’s Avery Fisher Hall titled A Date with the Devil in which he sang fourteen arias representing the core of this repertoire, and he continues to tour this program throughout the world.

Samuel Ramey sings Argante's "Sibilar gli angui d'Aletto" from Rinaldo:

Samuel Ramey holds the distinction of being the most recorded bass in history. His more than eighty recordings include complete operas, recordings of arias, symphonic works, solo recital programs, and popular crossover albums on every major label. His recordings have garnered nearly every major award including three Grammy Awards, Gran Prix du Disc Awards, and “Best of the Year” citations from journals including Stereo Review and Opera News. His exposure on television and video is no less impressive, with video recordings of the Metropolitan Opera’s Carmen, Bluebeard’s Castle, Semiramide, Nabucco, and the compilation “The Met Celebrates Verdi;” San Francisco Opera’s Mefistofele; The Rake’s Progress from the Glyndebourne Festival; Attila from La Scala; and the Salzburg Festival’s Don Giovanni. Ramey is seen frequently on television in appearances with “Live from the Met” and “Live from Lincoln Center” as well as other productions taped for PBS.
Following his phenomenal success in opera, concert, and recordings, Samuel Ramey’s sold-out Carnegie Hall recital in 1987 added a fourth dimension to his spectacular career. His returns to New York’s Carnegie Hall for solo recitals in February 1995 and November 1998 were the culmination of extensive, critically-acclaimed North American tours which had taken Mr. Ramey from Alaska to Alabama, with appearances on America's finest vocal series. His European recital career is equally notable, with sold-out appearances in all the music capitals.

 Samuel Ramey sings "Fin ch'han dal vino" from Don Giovanni:

A native of Colby, Kansas, Samuel Ramey was active in music throughout high school and college. In 1995 he was named “Kansan of the Year,” and in 1998 the French Ministry of Culture awarded him the rank of Commander in the Order of Arts and Letters.

He is still actively performing, although in less demanding roles. In April, he performs the Grand Inquisitor in Verdi's Don Carlos at the Houston Grand Opera. In June, he trades in the title role in Verid's Attila at San Francisco Opera for the less demanding role of Leone. In September, he returns to the Met to sing Timur in Puccini's Turandot.

CONTACT US AT Barihunks@gmail.com

Early Verdi with Giorgio Caoduro (and some upcoming Attila performances)

Giorgio Caoduro (with Ortrud) and Stefan Kocan

We're huge fans of early Verdi operas at Barihunks, but we don't get nearly enough opportunities to post about them. Recently there have been a number of companies performing Attila, which often features multiple barihunks in the cast. Fortunately, the trend seems to be continuing in 2012.

In May, barihunk Ildar Abdrazakov will take on the title role in Rome in a production by Pier Luigi Pizzi and conducted by Riccardo Muti. Barihunk Luca Dall’Amico will perform the role of Leone. The San Francisco Opera performs it this summer with one of the greatest Attila's ever, Samuel Ramey, in the smaller role of Leone. The great baritone duet will be sung by Ferruccio Furlanetto and Quinn Kelsey, who portray Attila and Ezio respectively. In September, the opera opens in Santiago with barihunk Stefan Kocan in the title role. 

One of the operas that rarely gets performed is La battaglia di Legnano, which has amazing moments of inspiration, Verdian patriotic fervor, a love triangle and some great baritone music (even though the best known piece is the tenor aria "La pia materna mano"). Verdi, in fact, was a baritone and loved writing great roles in that range.

We were thrilled when a reader sent us a video of barihunk Giorgio Caoduro singing the great baritone aria and cabaletta "Se al nuovo di pugnando...Ah scellerate alme d'inferno"" from a recent performance of La battaglia di Legnano at the Teatro Verdi in Trieste.



Caoduro can next be seen at the Opéra de Lyon where he is donning his matadors outfit for Escamillo. He can next be seen in the United States in March 2013 at the Washington National Opera singing Lescaut opposite the Manon Lescaut of Patricia Racette. 

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Choose Your Weapon: Gunn replaces Spear in Texas

Deborah Voigt (photo NYTimes) and Nathan Gunn as Billy Budd

Barihunk Nathan Gunn will replace one of the great spear carrying Brunnhilde's of all-time, Deborah Voigt, on March 20th in Ft. Worth. Gunn is stepping in for Voigt at the Cliburn Concerts at Bass Hall. Voigt withdrew because of illness. The performance also serves as a preview to local audiences, who will see Gunn in the Dallas Opera's production of Dominik Argento's The Aspern Papers  in 2013.

Accompanying Mr. Gunn in performance will be his wife, pianist Julie Gunn.

Single tickets are available from $15-$90, and can be purchased at Cliburn.org or by calling 817.212.4280. Tickets to Deborah Voigt's recital will be honored.

Gunn is currently wrapping up a highly acclaimed performance in Show Boat at Lyric Opera of Chicago. After the Ft. Worth recital, he heads back to the stage in two of his most heralded roles at two of America's greatest opera houses. On May 4th, he portrays the title character in Benjamin Britten's Billy Budd at the Metropolitan Opera. He then heads to the San Francisco Opera on June 13th, where he will portray Papageno in Mozart's The Magic Flute. The San Francisco Opera summer season also includes John Adams' Nixon in China and Verdi's Attila. 

Nathan Gunn as Papageno in Julie Taymor's famous production:

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Emerging barihunk Xavier Edgardo; NPR examines the baritone voice; Verdi's Attila in Seattle

Puerto Rican barihunk Xavier Edgardo

We just had to share emerging barihunk Xavier Edgardo, who is simply adorable. The 22-year-old singer has been studying at the University of Puerto Rico, where he also sang in the choir. He honed his solo skills for two seasons at the International Vocal Arts Institute run by the esteemed Joan Dorneman, assistant conductor at the Metropolitan Opera.

Edgardo has participated in and won a number of vocal competitions, include many in Europe. In 2009, he was asked to participate in the prestigious Pablo Casals Festival. He has participated in masterclasses with a number of great singers, including fellow Puerto Rican Justino Diaz, Denis Sedov, Sherril Milnes, Mignon Dunn and Elaine Ortiz Arandes. He is currently a member of the Opera of Puerto Rico chorus. We plan of following the solo career of this young talent in future seasons.

Gerard Souzay: A Barihunks favorite

If you haven't heard Tom Huizenga's analysis and breakdown of the baritone voice, we recommend that you click HERE and listen to it. The article includes sound clips, including one of Gerard Souzay's beautiful rendition of Faure's "Clair de lune."

John Relyea reprising Attila in Seattle

We want to remind readers that Canadian barihunk John Relyea is returning to the Seattle Opera in the role of Attila on January 14th. This should be a huge hit and is a "must see" opera for any Verdi fan. Visit the Seattle Opera website for additional cast information and performance dates. Attila also contains two great baritone parts, including a baritone duet! We covered Relyea when he recently sang the role in a concert format this fall in Washington, D.C. Click HERE to see our previous post.

John Relyea sings Publio's "Tardi S'Avvede" from Mozart's La Clemenza di Tito:



Relyea’s previous Seattle Opera credits include the title roles in Don Quichotte and Bluebeard’s Castle, and Giorgio in I puritani. He won the 2005 Seattle Opera Artist of the Year award for his Four Villains in Les contes d’Hoffmann.

You can watch Attila in its entirety on YouTube by clicking HERE. The cast includes barihunk Samuel Ramey, Giorgio Zancanaro and soprano Cheryl Studer.

DON'T BE A SCROOGE. BUY YOUR 2012 BARIHUNKS CHARITY CALENDAR TODAY. ALL PROCEEDS GO TO BENEFIT THE PORTLAND OPERA STUDIO AND THE SEAGLE MUSIC COLONY. CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE YOU CALENDAR TODAY.

John Relyea: Attila the BariHUN

Two Great Attilas, Sam Ramey from opera (L) and Gerard Butler (R) from film. John Relyea (C)

We have a lot of favorite operas that aren't in the standard repertory and Verdi's "Attila" is at the top of the list. As our poll to the right shows, Verdi wrote the best music for bass and there aren't many juicier roles than Attila. Not only that, but the opera has another great baritone role, Ezio, which includes a duet with Attila. If you like crazy sopranos, few can match the crazed Odabella, who makes Lucia di Lammermoor and Ophelia look downright stable.

If you're in the Washington D.C. area tonight you might want to head over to the Lisner Auditorium at George Washington University for John Relyea's debut in the title role. You can click HERE for tickets. If you're on the West Coast, you can catch Relyea's first staged performance of Attila at the Seattle Opera with barihunk Marco Vratogna as Ezio. If you don't know the opera, we recommend that you listen to Seattle Opera general director Speight Jenkins talk about the opera by clicking HERE. Performances will run from January 14-28. Click HERE for additional cast and performance information.

One of the greatest Verdi recordings ever is of tenor Beniamino Gigli, soprano Elisabeth Rethberg and bass Ezio Pinza singing the trio "Te Sol Quest' Anima" from Attila. If you have experienced this, it's a must hear:





 
Later this season, Relyea will portray the Four Villains in Offenbach's "Tales of Hoffman" at both the Bayerische Staatsoper and with the Canadian Opera Company. In the Spring of 2012, he will be at the Met as Leporello in "Don Giovanni" opposite Gerald Finley.

Don't forget to submit your barihunk charity calendar submissions to us at Barihunks@gmail.com. All proceeds will go to benefit young artist programs. We need all submissions by the end of next week.

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Nmon Ford's Spicy Hungarian Escamillo

Nmon Ford rehearsing Escamillo in Szeged

Barihunk Nmon Ford will be at the Szegedi Szabadtéri (Open Air Festival of Szeged) in Hungary for the next two days performing Escamillo in Carmen. Szeged sits on the Tisza River and is Hugary's third largest city. It is believed that Attila the Hun's seat of power was somewhere in the area. Regular readers of the site will remember that we dubbed Nmon Ford the hottest Attila the Hun ever when he performed the role in Macerata last year.

Nmon Ford as Attila in Macerata

Szeged is also the home of the spice paprika, which seems appropriate as this production is pretty spicy. Updated to contemporary times by director Gábor Kerényi Miklós, Escamillo is seen in a classic white muscle tee shirt, acid-wash jeans and brandishing a bottle of booze. Ford describes the Escamillo in this production as "strongly sexual" and a "media whore." The production includes cameras on the stage and large video projections of the singers allowing people in the furthest reaches of the theater enjoy Nmon Ford's ripped physique.

Here are two videos of Ford discusing the production and the interpretation of his role:





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Ticket information can be found HERE.

The Verdi Kings

Samuel Ramey as Attila and a young Sherrill Milnes

We're going to continue exploring Verdi this week with a look at the Verdi kings. We'll start with Verdi's first major success, Nabucco. This is the story of the Babylonian king Nabucodonosor, who assaults, conquers and drives the Jewish people from their homeland. Despite the story, it contains some of the most dramatically exciting and hair raising music in all of Verdi. The famous chorus "Va pensiero" is universally known and has become the unofficial national anthem of Italy. In a country filled with music, nothing stirs the heart of an Italian like this piece of music.

Not many barihunks have sung the title role of Nabucco, but we found this version of Ettore Bastianini from the San Francisco Opera in 1961.



Just for fun, here is the famous chorus sung by some of the greatest singers who were around in 1985, including Montserrat Caballe, Agnes Baltsa, Gwyneth Jones, Jose Carreras, Giuseppe di Stefano and baritones Christian Boesch, Renato Bruson (a great Nabucco), Sherrill Milnes, Giorgio Zancanaro and Juan Pons.



We now move to Amonasro, the king of the Ethiopians and father of the title character Aida. He plays a key role in the plot line and has been played by some of the greatest baritones in history. Here is the Act 3 duet between Aida and Amonasro "Ciel, mio padre...Rivedrai le foreste imbalsamate" with performances by seven of the greatest baritones and sopranos to ever sing the opera. We have a definitive favorite in this bunch, but we'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments section.



Verdi based his ninth opera on the Solera play "Attila, King of the Huns." Besides the title role, there is a another wonderful role for a more lyric baritone, that of Ezio, who sings the aria "E gettata la mia sorte." You can watch Sherrill Milnes perform the aria below. We've always wondered why more young singers don't audition with this show stopper. It's a sure winner if you can nail the ending.



No one has owned the role of Attila in recent years more than the great Samuel Ramey, who always sang it with barihunk swagger and his chest bared. Here he is singing the great baritone duet with the Ezio of Giorgio Zancanaro, followed by the thrilling aria "Or son libere i miei sensi."





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Video of Nmon Ford's "Attila"

Hot off of YouTube, here is Nmon Ford's amazingly hot Attila from Macerata. If you'r impatient, the Ford shows up at about the 2:18 mark. You can check out our previous post with photos HERE.



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Nmon Ford: The Hottest Hun Ever

Our post about Luca Dall'Amico led one of our readers to alert us to another very sexy performance at the Sferesterio Festival in Macerata, Italy. Barihunk Nmon Ford is singing the title role in another early Verdi opera, Attila. Ford was named by the German magazine Bild as the most beautiful baritone in the world and these pictures show why!

There is one remaining performance on August 10th.

Of course, Ford isn't the first singer to perform the role shirtless. Samuel Ramey was a noted interpreter of the role who sang Attila showing some skin. We'll be watching for video of Nmon Ford from this production, but in the meantime here is a clip of Ramey from 1987.

 

For comparison, here is Homero Pérez-Miranda, who has also been featured on this site.



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Another Hot Attila; Cuban Homero Pérez Miranda

This site receives a lot of requests to post singers in Verdi's Attila and they invariably come from Spanish speaking countries. This request was no different, as a reader in Argentina alerted us to this video of bass-barihunk Homero Pérez Miranda singing the title role at the Avenida Theater in Buenos Aires. We've also added the stunning duet "Avrai tu l'universo, resti l'Italia a me" which he sings with baritone Omar Carrion.

Homero Pérez Miranda studied at the Instituto Superior de Arte de La Habana in Cuba before completing his studies in Chile. Most of his career has centered around Buenos Aires and Santiago where he has had huge successes in the Verdi roles of Macbeth, Attila and Amonasro. He has recently made highly acclaimed forays into the German repertoire, singing in Salome and Flying Dutchman.

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Attila is a Barihunk

[Top two photos of Abdrazakov from the Callao website; Ramey screencap from 1987 RAI broadcast]

The posting of Ildar Abdrazakov generated more mail than usual. It's becoming evident that many Barihunks readers like the big, beefy guys. Three readers chastised the site for never having posted Samuel Ramey, so here he is in two clips singing Attila in his prime. The second clip is the trailer for the current production in Peru with Abrazakov, but they use Ramey's 1991 performance from La Scala. Clearly, he deserved a place on this site.

Another reader directed us to the Peruvian website for the Festival Internacional De Opera Alejandro Granda del' Callao, which has some great stuff on it, including inteviews with Abdrazakov and other singers, video and lots of pictures. You can find it here: http://www.romanza.pe/.

Perhaps my favorite email was the one that read, "Ildar is super hot. More hunks, less twinks. Or rename your site baritwinks."

There will plenty more of both.

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Ildar Abdrazakov: A Hunky Attila

I'm not sure how the Russian bass Ildar Abdrazakov has eluded a place on Barihunks. However, the gorgeous photo of him from the new Metropolitan Opera brochure for the 2009-20 season is an attention grabber. He'll be singing the title role of Attila at The Met, a role he's singing right now at the Teatro Municipal del Callaoin in Lima, Peru.

Abrazakov was born in Ufa in 1976, where he studied at the Institute for Arts.

He attained notoriety with the release of Rossini's Mose et Faraon on DVD. With his hairy chest and oversized features, he will certainly make Attila a barihunk role. He already has Escamillo, Mephistopheles and Don Giovanni in his barihunk repertoire.

To see the rest of The Met schedule, please visit http://www.metoperafamily.org/metopera/.

This site can be contacted at barihunks@gmail.com

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