German barihunk Marco Vassalli is performing Count Mondego (Graf von Mercerf) in Frank Wildhorn's The Count of Monte Cristo at the Stadtheater Bremerhaven with Vikrant Subramanian taking on the title role. Performances run from September 29 through June 10 and some shows are already sold out, so get your tickets online.
Lyricist and librettist Jack Murphy took his influences from the Alexandre Dumas père book of the same name, as well as the popular movie starring Jim Caviezel, Guy Pearce, Richard Harris and Henry Cavill.
The musical was first work-shopped in New York City in 2008 with many of the cast members of Broadway's A Tale of Two Cities. The American professional premiere was produced by the Pioneer Theatre Company in Salt Lake City in May 2016. The German language version (Der Graf von Monte Christo) premiered at the Theater St. Gallen in Switzerland on March 14, 2009.
Vassalli will take advantage of a break in the schedule between his October 13 and 26 performances to make his only U.S. appearance. He will be reprising Clint Borzoni's Stufen with the Festival String Quartet, which was written for him and has proved to be immensely popular with audiences and on YouTube. He will also perform works by Leonard Bernstein and Franz Schubert along with the Piano Quintet in Eb major by Robert Schumann. Tickets are available online.
Marco Vassalli in Montreuil Bellay, France(Photo by Jack Michaels)
Barihunk Marco Vassalli will sing the German premiere of Clint Borzoni's Stufen and Magere Kost on September 9th in Überlingen. The two German language songs were written for the singer and debuted in San Francisco in 2016. The program will also include music by Robert Schumann, Samuel Barber and the Überlingen-based composer Justus Hermann Wetzel. He'll be accompanied by Florian Appel on the piano. The concert will be at the Stadtisches Museum Uberlingen and tickets are available online.
Marco Vassalli sings Clint Borzoni's "Stufen":
The first song is based on Hermann Hesse's Stufen and the second text Margere Kost
is by the contemporary poet Hilde Domin. These are the first German
language texts set by Borzoni. The singer hand selected the poems to be set by the American composer and performed at Vassalli's official U.S. debut.
The Borzoni songs were so popular when presented at Musica Marin that the chamber group is presenting the songs again at their upcoming festival, which runs from September 21-23. Tickets and additional information is available online.
German barihunk Marco Vassalli will be back in the United States to reprise his stunning U.S. debut with Musica Marin two years ago. In 2016, he premiered two works by composer-in-residence Clint Borzoni based on German poetry.
The first song is based on Hermann Hesse's Stufen and the second text Margere Kost is by the contemporary poet Hilde Domin. These are the first German language texts set by Borzoni. The premiere was so popular two years ago that a second performance had to be added. Demand has been so high that Vassalli has agreed to repeat the performance along with Samuel Barber's Dover Beach, which he also performed in his U.S. debut.
Marco Vassalli sings Clint Borzoni's "Stufen" with over 16k views on YouTube!
Marco Vassalli sings Clint Borzoni's "Magere Kost" with over 8k views on YouTube!
This year, Musica Marin is presenting their first festival setting and it will kick off on September 21st with Vassalli performing on a yacht on San Francisco Bay with food and wine prepared by “Best of the Bay” Chef Mark Furr. On the following day, Vassalli will repeat his performance of the Barber and Borzoni piece, all of which are set for string quartet and baritone, along with Johannes Brahms' String Sextet No. 2 in G Major Op. 36.
The Musica Marin International Chamber Music Festival performs masterpieces of the chamber music repertoire in various settings in the San Francisco Bay Area along with gourmet food and wines from Napa and Sonoma counties.
There are a number of composers who have had an amazing gift for writing
for the baritone voice. In an earlier era, Verdi, Wagner, Poulenc and
Carl Loewe all wrote timeless music for baritones. In contemporary
times, Jake Heggie, Ricky Ian Gordon and Clint Borzoni have kept the tradition alive, with all three writing baritone leads for almost every new opera.
Borzoni's latest opera, When Adonis Calls," which debuted on May 11, 2018 at the Asheville Lyric Opera is written for for bass-baritone and baritone, string quartet, percussion and two dancers. The opera already has second performance scheduled in
Chicago with the Thompson Street Opera Company this Fall and discussions are underway for
a West Coast premiere next year.
Marco Vassalli sings Clint Borzoni's "Stüfen" with Musica Marin:
Borzoni, who is the Composer-in-Residence at Musica Marin, has written highly acclaimed music low male voice. For those on the West Coast, you'll be able to enjoy his latest song cycle "The Hidden Singer," written for German bass Malte Roesner and string quartet. The cycle revolves around seven poems by Wendell Berry all
associated with birds,
which are normally correlated with high soprano voices. The piece will debut on June 3, 2018 with Musica Marin at the historic Ansel Adams home in San Francisco. Tickets are available online. The song cycle will be paired with
Mendelssohn's String Quartet in A minor.
Randal Turner sings Clint Borzoni's "I Dream'd in a Dream"
Borzoni has written another song
cycle for bass-baritone Tim
Hill, several songs for bass-baritone Randal Turner (based on Walt Whitman's poetry) and penned two pieces
for String Quartet and baritone for Marco Vassalli based on German settings. He also wrote the
two-act opera “Antinous and Hadrian,”
which features a baritone lead. His opera The Copper Queen, won Arizona Opera's Sparks Competition
for new works, and is based on a true story about the
alleged ghost of a prostitute haunting a historic hotel in Bisbee,
Arizona.
We've always maintained that the smaller houses and festivals are where the best new operas are being performed. So kudos to the Asheville Lyric Opera for landing the highly anticipated world premiere of composer Clint Borzoni and librettist John de los Santos' "When Adonis Calls" on May 11th. Asheville is also the home of Gavin Geoffrey Dillard, whose poetry was refashioned into the libretto.
The opera, which was work-shopped at the Fort Worth Opera Festival's Frontiers series of new works in 2015, chronicles the tumultuous correspondence between an established writer and an eager young admirer.
"Two Nooses" from the Fort Worth Opera Festival
The piece is scored for two baritones, string quartet, percussionist and two dancers (and comes with an adult content warning). When Adonis Calls features a low and high baritone, and Asheville Lyric Opera will feature two amazing performers in Trevor Martin and Joshua Jeremiah, as well as two local dancers. The opera will have additional performances on March 12 and 13 and is expected to sell out in the 110 seat Masonic Temple. Tickets are available online.
Composers and opera administrators will tell you that a second performance of a work is often more difficult than the premiere. Remarkably, Adonis already has a second performance scheduled in Chicago with the Thompson Street Opera Company this Fall. Details are forthcoming. Our site has also learned that discussions are underway for a West Coast premiere.
Marco Vassalli sings Clint Borzoni's beautiful "Stufen" with Musica Marin:
Borzoni, along with Jake Heggie, has become particularly associated for writing major roles and works for low male voices. He has written a song cycle for bass-baritone Tim
Hill, several songs for bass-baritone Randal Turner, penned two pieces for String Quartet and baritone for Marco Vassalli, and is currently working on a commission for bass Malte Roesner to be premiered at Musica Marin this year. Turner’s songs
appear on his CD, “Living American Composers” and were performed at the 9/11 tribute at the U.S. embassy in Switzerland. He also wrote a two act opera titled “Antinous and Hadrian,” which features a baritone lead. His opera The Copper Queen, also to a libretto by John de los Santos, won Arizona Opera's Sparks Competition for new works in a runaway. The opera is based on a true story about the alleged ghost of a prostitute haunting a historic hotel in Bisbee, Arizona.
Barihunks has released its 2018 calendar, which includes nineteen of opera's hottest singers, hailing from seven countries. Baritones and basses include Alexander Elliot, Brad Baron, Marco Vassalli, Malte Roesner, Cody Quattlebaum, Gianluca Margheri, Jason Duika, Joa Helgesson, Ken Mattice, Règis Mengus, Robert Brouwer, Sam Roberts-Smith, Thomas Weinhappel, Zacharias Niedzwiecki, Zachary James and Zachary Gordin. Most of our calendar ahave included one honorary hunkentenor, but we added three this year, including Derek Chester, Daniel Lopez and John Tibbetts. The calendar is available HERE.
Zacharias Niedzwiecki
Due to requests from our readers, we've added a Barihunks Photo Book, which includes numerous additional photos not included in the calendar. The 20-page photo book is available HERE.
All proceeds will go to promote baritones and musical commissions for low voice.
The founder of Barihunks was interviewed by Kevin Clarke for the gay German blog Queer.de. You can read the entire interview in German HERE or read the English translation below.
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You started the blog Barihunks 10 years ago, in
2007. It’s dedicated to hunky baritones representing a sexy, sportive and
youthful vision and version of opera. What inspired you to create your blog,
where did the initial spark come from? (And how long did it take from the
initial spark to the actual website?)
The inspiration for
Barihunks started as a conversation between a friend in New York and me in San
Francisco. By coincidence, we had both just seen Dmitry Hvorostovsky and
Mariusz Kwiecien in different performances. Director Francesca Zambello had
recently coined the term “barihunk” in reference to Nathan Gunn performing
shirtless in The Pearl Fishers. We joked around that it would be fun to create
a tribute blog, believing that perhaps a handful of people would look at it.
Within a few weeks we noticed a huge surge in traffic and realized that we had
tapped into something with the opera crowd.
Was there anything like Barihunks around
before? Or was this a complete novelty in the world of classical music/opera?
I don’t know of anything
like Barihunks before it appeared on the scene.
I was personally put
off by a number of bitchy opera blogs and felt like opera needed a more
positive and fun portrayal of the artform. In fact we’ve posted the following
under our Mission Statement: “Keep opera positive! No bitchiness allowed! This
industry is tough enough.”
There have been a
number of copycat sites, like “Sexy Sopranos,” but none have really taken off.
There is something so unique about a gorgeous man with a low voice singing the
most beautiful music ever written that just can’t be copied.
Many people don’t
realize that we also use the site to raise money to support young artists and
new compositions for baritones and basses through our sale of the Barihunks
calendar and our tee shirts. Our goal is to truly be a positive force in opera.
There’s a famous saying, “It’s not over till
the fat lady sings.” Most people do not associate opera and opera performances
with well-build singers. Yet you present a never-ending army of them: where do they
all come from suddenly? Did something in opera change around 2007? Has sex
appeal become important in a business so exclusively focused on “voice” alone
for so many years? Is there a historic precedent from sexy singers – back in
the 17th or 18th century? Are you rediscovering something
that was an original appeal of the art form opera?
This is a complicated
question and I will answer it in the affirmative and the negative.
Yes, something did
change, which is the omnipresence of TV and movies that made appearance more
important. I had a singer say to me once, “Being on your site has given me the
edge. If ten of us are going in for an audition for Don Giovanni and we all sing
pretty much at the same level, but I may look better shirtless or in a closeup
that is being broadcast on TV or on a movie screen, then I’ll probably get the
role.” We talk about singers taking care of BOTH their voices and their bodies,
as directors are demanding more physicality on stage and broadcasts are making
appearance more important, whether one likes it, or not.
No, sexy singers are
not new and that goes back to the earliest days of opera. The castrati singing
in the 18th century European courts were often gorgeous and made up
as beautifully as any woman. More recently, there have been barihunks around
who we can still watch on old TV broadcast and videos on YouTube. We’ve
featured many of them as “Historical Hunks,” including Gérard Souzay, Justino
Diaz, Theodor Upmann, Paul Robeson (who famously posed nude!),Ettore Bastianini, Mario Sereni and the German
Roland Hermann. I still think for both voice and looks, Ettore Bastianini is
one of the sexiest singers to ever grace the stage.
Duncan Rock
Why baritones and not tenors or basses? What is
it about baritones that makes them physically hunkier than others? (Do they
have to make up for the sex appeal tenors have in climactic high notes with
pumped up torsos? Is the baritone sound in itself hunkier than other sounds…..
are there any historic baritones you would describe as hunks, vocally or
physically? And what about the basses, not sexy at all?)
If you look at our
Mission Statement on the site, it reads “To promote the baritone to bass voice
range, especially emerging talent.” We LOVE basses and feature them all the
time. As for tenors, or hunkentenors as they’ve been dubbed, I’ll leave that to
someone else. We do sneak a few onto our site and even into our calendar. Tenor
Glenn Seven Allen is one of our sexiest photos in this year’s calendar. There
was a Hunkentenor site that briefly appeared and went dark pretty quickly.
I do believe that the
baritone has a special appeal. The great composer Ricky Ian Gordon said that
the baritone is the voice of the “All-American man.” Both he and Jake Heggie
compose many, if not all, of their lead roles for baritones. The tenor as the
lead may be an artifact of the past. Baritones and basses are no longer always
the villain and are becoming more sympathetic characters.
As for basses, I would
argue that some of the sexiest singers on our site are basses, including the
German Malte Roesner, who is the seventh most viewed singer on our site of all
time and a regular in our calendars.
How do you select the barihunks you feature?
How do you get the photos? (How many photos or messages a day do you receive?
How strong is the increase in numbers since 2007 and 2017? From any region in
particular?)
I receive photos and
“barihunk tips” on a daily basis, for which I am grateful. When I first started
the site, I had to hustle for content, but now it shows up in the in-box.
Content comes from a variety of sources. Some are not surprising, like from
singers, colleagues, boyfriends/girlfriends, spouses, opera marketing
departments and agents.
However, my favorites
come from mothers! Not a month has gone by without a submission from a mother
and it usually comes with a note that says something like, “I know I’m biased,
but I think my son is beautiful and definitely a barihunk.” I have one mother
who gives me monthly updates on her son’s career. I simply adore her for
it.What’s more beautiful than a
mother’s love and pride for her son?
As for regions, I’d
say 80% of my content comes from the United States, Germany, Canada, Australia
and the United Kingdom. Sadly, for someone who loves Latino men, the most
underrepresented area is Central and South America.
You are a gay man living together with another
man. How much has your sexuality influenced your fascination for hunky
baritones? Do you think a heterosexual male opera lover would have ever thought
of creating such a blog? (Are there any heterosexual equivalents with gorgeous
sopranos or mezzos, or is that not necessary because it’s how the current
mainstream opera business works anyway, Miss Netrebko showing her décolleté and
selling a million more CDs/concert tickets?)
This is a fascinating
question, because intuitively I would say that my sexuality totally influenced
me to create the site. However, I’ve learned so much from the straight
barihunks on the site about self-esteem and fitness. A number of singers,
including Keith Miller and Kasey Yeargain, have created fitness sites and
businesses which are an outshoot of what we’ve created. Therefore, I would say
that a straight man could have created the site, but I would argue that
Barihunks probably had to happen first.
I find mezzos to be
the female equivalent of barihunks. There are a ton of sexy mezzos out there on
the world’s opera stages. We’ve had Joyce DiDonato on our site in an “Honorary Barihunk”
tee shirt. There is a young mezzo named Laura Krumm who is both sexy and has
the most seductive voice I’ve heard in years.
Jan Rekeszus (Bild: Dennis König Photographie)
Is it an act of gay liberation to be able to
openly admit and discuss ones fascination for attractive singers today, without
feeling ashamed about it? (And how do the singers react to being thus admired?)
I wouldn’t call it an
act of gay liberation. Directors have made the fascination with attractive and
even naked singers a pretty ordinary occurrence (especially in Germany!). Most
singers love being admired. After all, anyone who walks out onto a stage is
seeking approval and admiration.
I was surprised by a
conversation with a barihunk on my recent visit to Germany, who said to me, “I
don’t mind being admired for being shirtless on stage, but I am uncomfortable
with posing for a calendar.“ He said being admired as beefcake made him feel
like a woman who is sexualized simply for being attractive and not for her other
traits.
Traditionally, “opera queens” as Wayne
Koestenbaum describes them or Terrence McNally portrays them worship sopranos.
Are you the next step in the opera queen evolution?
I started as the
quintessential “Diva worshipper,” which comes out of that old stereotype of gay
men idolizing strong, passionate, over-the-top female femme fatales. I find it
a bit passé today. What I love about the barihunk phenomenon is that it appeals
equally to men and women, as well as straight or gay.
Considering the homoeroticism of many barihunk
photos: are the visitors of your blog only gay men? (Do you ever have to deal
with homophobia? Do you discuss sexual orientation with your barihunks? Is it
an issue for baritones today whether they are admired by gay men or
heterosexual women? Are there regional or age differences?)
From what we can tell
from analytics and sales of our merchandise, we’re almost 50-50 male to female.
As I mentioned earlier, many of our male readers are straight men obsessed with
fitness and exercise. We’ve done some Bari-Chunk to Bari-Hunk features which
have generated ten times our usual traffic. Most of the email about those posts
comes from straight guys thanking us for inspiring them to get in shape and to
improve their self-esteem.
As for homophobia,
we’ve experienced virtually none in ten years of posts. We did have one singer
ask us to remove a post because it violated his religious beliefs.
We’ve had a series of
“Barihunk Lunches” where we gather a group of low voices and discuss a variety
of topic over a meal. I’m so impressed with how easily straight and gay men in
this business get along, tease each other and even toss around sexual
innuendos. I believe there has been a true generational shift around sexual
orientation. Fortunately, the opera world is miles ahead of everyone else.
What do you think attracts heterosexual women
to barihunks? And is the opera industry fully responding to the needs these
women have? Any suggestions for improving the image of opera, in general?
I love that Barihunks
has allowed women to not only talk about, but brag about, their attraction to
men. Some of the most provocative comments and emails that I receive are from
women – and they know what they like! It is interesting to me that gay men and
straight women tend to be attracted to completely different men. For instance,
Nathan Gunn and Thomas Hampson seem to be total magnets for women, but don’t’
generate the same level of intensity from men.
If you look at an
average opera audience, the majority is made up of gay men and women. We both
clearly love beautiful men with gorgeous, resonant low voices. More of that
would go a long way! I’m proud that a positive image of healthy, virile men has
become the new stereotype for opera, rather than the antiquated idea of an
oversized Wagnerian soprano with horns and a spear.
Justin Hopkins
Where do your followers come from, mostly?
The United States,
Germany, Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom, with a huge increase coming
from Russia and Eastern Europe.
You mentioned that one of your most successful
posts was on a red headed singer. Why are red heads such an item?
I follow my analytics
closely, as they dictate who I post (or don’t post). Certain types seem to have
particularly passionate followers and red-heads fall into that category, as do
hairy men, hairless men, Asian singers and men in tuxedos.
Puerto Rican Xavier Edgardo
Talking of red heads: how much desire for
diversity do you see among your followers? Are there any Asian, Arab, black or
any other people of color barihunks?
We are very cognizant
about diversity and truly try to put as much of it on display as possible.
We’ve featured numerous black and Asian singers on the site, but there aren’t
many Arab baritones in the world today. If your readers know of some, send them
our way at Barihunks@gmail.com.
Do your followers ever discuss vocal aspects,
or do they focus only on exterior body elements?
You can’t have an
opera blog and not discuss the voice. It’s still first and foremost about the
voice.
After 10 years of barihunks: what has changed
in the opera world, for you? Has barihunks influenced these changes? What do
you wish should happen in the future, what happens in the US that Germany could
learn from or vice versa?
The biggest change in
opera has been its accessibility. I’m sitting in California as I respond to
your questions from Germany while watching Semiramide on my laptop from France. The barihunks
phenomenon cannot be separated from the fact that opera is showing up on
people’s TV screens, laptops and in movie theatres. It has become as much a remote
VISUAL MEDIA artform as a LIVE VOCAL artform.
Your focus on sexy singers is very pop culture
orientated, it corresponds to what most teen magazines do with pop stars. Why
are traditional opera magazines like Opernwelt completely ignoring the trend you
sent and why are most opera magazines so unsexy and stuffy? (While opera
companies lament the lack of interest from young audiences.)
I think part of the
success of Barihunks is that we’re not stuffy, don’t take ourselves too
seriously, yet still respect the artform and remain informative.
I’m fascinated by the
marketing of opera in Europe, which often features an 80-year-old conductor,
while in the U.S and Canada the focus in on the singers. Even US opera
magazines like Opera News are doing Hollywood-style photoshoots with singers
and featuring young, often attractive, rising stars of opera. I open some
European music magazine and I feel like I should be blowing dust off of the
pages.
Marco Vassalli sings Clint Borzoni's "Stufen"
What’s the most inappropriate mail you ever received
from a barihunk (or singer)?
Oh Lord! I had a
British baritone (of some note) who delighted himself by sending me the most
inappropriate dick pics. I never knew if he was serious, or not, but he claimed
he did it because he was obsessed with getting on the site. We don’t ever post
random nudity and only post it if it’s related to a performance.
I also receive
“revenge photos,” which really upset me and which I DO NOT TOLERATE. I had a
soprano send me a series of nude photos of her barihunk ex-boyfriend, begging
me to post them. I finally threatened legal action against her with the help of
an attorney, as this is both illegal and inappropriate.
Would it bother you if a barihunk did porn? Does
porn stop you from having a serious opera career, as it did years ago in
Hollywood? Has the opera business become more tolerant about sex videos, too?
Has opera embraced porn as a topic in the same way Hollywood has? Or is this
the next cross-over frontier?
Well, there has been Gordon Beeferman’s The
Enchanted Organ: A PornOpera featuring a character named Avery Dick that was done in New York and Pornographi,
which was donein the
Netherlands. I suspect that if
there is an audience, it will get performed.
I know of a
singer who seriously considered doing porn to supplement his income, but wisely
decided against it. I suspect that it would adversely effect one’s career. I
knew of an amateur video of a barihunk that made the rounds and it created some
serious problems for his agent and almost cost him a major debut.
Will you ever publish a book about your time as
“Mr. Barihunks”? And did you ever think you ever think your blog would become
such an era defining thing?
I’m not sure that a
book would be of much interest, but I have seriously explored shutting down the
site and turning it into a foundation to support young artists and new
compositions.
Sam Ramey and Giorgio Zancanaro in the Attila duet:
(What’s your favorite baritone aria? Sung by
whom, historically?)
I love two low voices
together, so two duets stand out for me:
·The
Attila-Ezio duet “Tardo per gli
anni" by Verdi with Sam Ramey as Attila!
·The King Philip and Grand Inquisitor duet from
Verdi’s Don Carlo with Ferruccio Furlanetto and Sam Ramey.
As for a solo aria,
there are far too many to chose from, but I’m a sucker for Don Giovanni’s “Deh,
vieni alla finestra” sung by Mariusz Kwiecien or Dmitry Hvorostovksy, Wotan's
Farewell “Leb' wohl” and Hamlet’s drinking song “O vin, dissipe le tristesse”
sung by Stépane Degout or Simon Keenlyside.
My personal contemporary
favorite is Marco Vassalli singing Clint Borzoni’s song “Stufen,” with text by
Hermann Hesse, which is viewable on YouTube.
Germany will have musical celebrations of Martin Luther's Reformation, which occurred 600 years ago this year.
One of our favorites will have its world premiere at an open air concert in Tecklenburg in September with additional performances at the Stadtkirche Westerkappeln on October 14th and 15th, and then in Seligenstadt and Aschaffenburg. The concerts will feature barihunks Marco Vassalli and Malte Roesner in a new piece written by composer Thomas Gabriel and librettist Eugen
Eckert called "Bruder Martin" (Brother Martin). The two singers will be
part of a four soloists backed by orchestra and a massive chorus, which will tell the life
story of Martin Luther in an oratorio-style piece.
Leipzig
is in the midst of a month long celebration of the Reformation
featuring a number of barihunks. On June 12, Felix Schwandtke will
perform music by Johann Rosenmüller at the Nicolaikirsche, Jochen
Kupfer will perform Mendelssohn's Paulus at the Thomaskirsche on June
15th, and on June 18th, Luca Pisaroni will perform Bach's Mass in B-minor at the Thomaskirsche. The entire program is available here.
Felix Schwandtke
On June 17th, barihunk Roman Trekel will perform the debut of
composer Daniel Pacitti and librettist Christian Meißner's new work
"Luther Oratorio" under the baton of Helmuth Rilling at the Berliner
Dom.
The Reformation happened when Martin Luther
rejected several teachings and practices of the Roman Catholic Church.
He strongly disputed the Catholic view on indulgences as he understood
it to be, that freedom from God's punishment for sin could be purchased
with money. Luther proposed an academic discussion of the practice and
efficacy of indulgences in his 95 Theses of 1517. Luther taught that
salvation and, consequently, eternal life are not earned by good deeds
but are received only as the free gift of God's grace through the
believer's faith in Jesus Christ as redeemer from sin. His theology
challenged the authority and office of the Pope by teaching that the
Bible is the only source of divinely revealed knowledge from God.
His
translation of the Bible into the vernacular (instead of Latin) made it
more accessible to the laity, an event that had a tremendous impact on
both the church and German culture. It fostered the development of a
standard version of the German language, added several principles to the
art of translation, and influenced the writing of an English
translation, the Tyndale Bible. His hymns influenced the development of
singing in Protestant churches. His marriage to Katharina von Bora, a
former nun, set a model for the practice of clerical marriage, allowing
Protestant clergy to marry.
Thank you again to our readers, who keep this site alive and thriving. Your purchases of our calendars and tee shirts goes to supporting young artists and opera projects.
BEST NEW OPERA (tie): Missy Mazzoli and Royce Vavrek's Breaking the Waves
John Moore, Kiera Duffy and the cast of Breaking the Waves
Barihunk John Moore performed in the premiere of Missy Mazzoli and Royce Vavrek's Breaking the Waves at Opera Philadelphia and then reprised his role at the PROTOTYPE Festival along
with co-star Kiera Duffy.
The
opera is based on the Oscar-nominated 1996 film by Lars von Trier and tells of the story of a woman's sexual desires and confessions after her husband becomes paralyzed. The opera was performed with a "mature audience" warning in Philadelphia, as it involved nudity from the leads. More importantly, the opera is a riveting piece of theater.
BEST NEW OPERA (tie): JFK at Forth Worth Opera
Daniel Okulitch as LBJ and Matt Worth as JFK
The Fort Worth Opera, in
collaboration with the American Lyric Theater, debuted David T. Little and Royce Vavrek's JFK in April to rave reviews. The opera, which starred barihunks Matthew Worth as JFK and Daniel Okulitch as LBJ, tells of the final twelve hours of President John F. Kennedy's life. Okulitch performed a memorable and scene stealing, comic piece stripped down to his Texas flag inspired underwear.
Fort Worth was a fitting setting for the opera, as it was the last place that the
President slept before being gunned down in Dallas. JFK left the Hotel
Texas (now the Fort Worth Hilton) on the rain-soaked morning of November
22, 1963, and spoke to thousands who had waited in the rain to hear him
speak. Those remarks were to be his final public speech.
HOTTEST NEW BARIHUNK TO THE SITE: Basque Barihunk Vincent Simonet
Basque barihunk Vincent Simonet
Our hearts starting racing when we saw these pictures of Basque barihunk Vincent Simonet by photographer and fellow barihunk JF l'Oiseleur des Longchamps. Simonet is a decendent of the famous 19th century baritone Paul Barroilhet (aka
Paolo Barroilhet), whose bust still graces the Opera Garnier in Paris.
This summer he performed Dandini in Rossini's La Cenerentola at the Centre Européen de Musique. He was asked by French composer Philippe Mazé to sing at the 100-year anniversary of the Cathedral of Monaco (Saint Nicholas Cathedral). The cathedral is home to the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Monaco where many of the Grimaldis are buried, including Prince Rainier III and his wife Grace Kelly.
Simonet is also one of the initiators of the charity recital "Ensemble pour les Enfants Malades" (Recital for the Sick Children) which is a benefit for the Pediatric Immuno-Hematology Department at the Hôpital Necker de Paris. We love a barihunk who does charity work!
HOTTEST PERFORMANCE: Hadleigh Adams in Powder Her Face at West Edge Opera
Hadleigh Adams as The Duke in Powder Her Face
West Edge Opera, situated across the Bay from it's big budget sister San Francisco Opera, continues to make waves with the most innovative and thrilling productions anywhere. Under the inspired leadership of Mark Streshinsky they have made the Top 10 lists of virtually every music critic on the West Coast. Their productions, which take place in old abandoned train station (where portions of the movie RENT were filmed), are so popular that they often have to add performances.
Such was the case with Thomas Adès' provocative Powder Her Face starring barihunk Hadleigh Adams, hunkentenor Jonathan Blalock and sexy soprano Emma McNairy, who previously made waves with her sizzling Lulu with the company. Adams sang the roles of the vapid Duke (for which he strips down completely!), the condescending hotel manager, and the hypocritical judge who condemns the Duchess.
The opera was brilliantly directed by Elkhanah Pulitzer, which the Financial Times dubbed "buoyant" and "exhilirating."
Upcoming performance for Adams include Jonathan Dove's Flight with Opera Parallèle and Puccini's La fanciulla del West with the Michigan Opera Theater.
Ryan McKinny as Amfortas
We have to give a close runner-up mention to Ryan McKinny as Amfortas in Bayreuth's Parsifal. If you can look this sexy in a "man diaper" then you deserve some credit.
BEST BARIHUNK CHARITY WORK: Michael Hewitt/Cancer Research
Michael Hewitt (from our calendar and buffing up for charity work!)
Barihunk Michael Hewitt took to crowd sourcing to raise $3000 for The Decath10n, which raised money for pediatric cancer research at the University of Texas MD Anderson
Cancer Center in Houston. (Full disclosure: Barihunks contributed to the effort).
Michael is also featured in July in our 2017 "Barihunks in Bed" calendar. He will make his company debut with the Glimmerglass Opera in 2017 in the role of Jud Fry in Oklahoma!
Hewitt also has a fitness website and he says that consistency is the key to staying in shape and that you can't outwork a poor diet.
BEST NEW SOLO WORK FOR BARITONE: Clint Borzoni's Two German Songs for Baritone and String Quartet, sung by Marco Vassalli
Composer Clint Borzoni and barihunk Marco Vassalli worked on this commission over Skype after the German singer chose Hermann Hesse's Stufen and Hilde Domin's Margere Kost for his text. Musica Marin presented the works, which were inspired by adding something other than Samuel Barber's Dover Beach to the repertory for baritone and string quartet. Vassalli performed all three pieces at two sold out concerts in the former home of Ansel Adams in San Francisco.
Borzoni, one of the most talented young composers on the scene is now Musica Marin's "Composer-in-Residence." Barihunk Edward Nelson will perform the composer's new arrangement of his aria "Two Nooses" from his opera When Adonis Calls, arranged for baritone, viola, cello and piano. Borzoni's opera The Copper Queen won the Arizona Opera's award for best new opera.
BEST PERFORMANCE IN AN OPERETTA: Dominik Köninger in Oscar Straus' The Pearls of Cleopatra
Dominik Köninger
What would a Barihunk "Best of..." list be without German barihunk Dominik Köninger? He made our list again by giving the funniest performance of the year as the Roman Officer in Oscar Straus' The Pearls of Cleopatra(Die Perlen der Cleopatra) at the Komische Oper in Berlin.
The operetta has been on the shelves for more than eighty
years and was written before the composer fled the Nazi Anschluss in 1939. As the Roman Officer, Köninger is shown in some pretty sexy situations and there also plenty of scantily clad,
energetic performers on stage, adding to the lively Cabaret feel of the
pre-Nazi Weimar Republic.
The operetta is viewable on the OperaPlatform. We sure hope that someone else produces this work using this Barrie Kosky production, which is perfect in every way.
BEST "OVERNIGHT SENSATION": Björn Bürger
Björn Bürger as Don Giovanni and the Barber
We've been keeping our eye on German barihunk Björn Bürger since 2014, when he caught our eyes and ears at the Mirjam Helin Competition. We continued to be impressed by him as an ensemble member at the Frankfurt Oper, where he performed Pelléas, Schaunard, Plunkett in Martha, Curio in Giulio Cesare in Egitto, Frank and Fritz in Die Tote Stadt. Count Almaviva, Masetto and Owen Wingrave. But we really began to take note with his sexy portrayal in the title role of Mozart's Don Giovanni at Den Norske Opera.
There is no such thing as an overnight sensation, as years of coaching, training and performing goes into any singer's career, but Bürger may have had just such a moment this year. His performance in the title role of Rossini's Barber of Seville at the Glyndebourne Festival was the talk of the town, where his cast mates included Taylor Stayton as Almaviva and Danielle de Niese as Rosina.
The Guardian said that Bürger "dominates with singing of great bravado and warmth," while The Express wrote that he sang "beautifully...and acted with impressive energy.' Mark
Valencia in What's on Stage wrote, "The handsome young baritone exudes
elegant bonhomie and fourth-wall-breaking razzle-dazzle, and he delivers
Rossini's tongue-twisters with an eloquence it would be hard to
better."
BEST APPEARANCE IN AN ADULT MAGAZINE: Edward Miskie in Britain's Mascular Magazine
Edward Miskie (right) in Mascular Magazine
Edward Miskie, who has appeared in our Barihunks Calendar for the last two years, was asked to pose for the UK's erotic art magazine Mascular Magazine. The
magazine is geared toward those who love bears (and we have a ton of readers who fit that category!)
However, Miskie shows more skin in our new calendar than he did in his photoshoot with Brooklyn-based photographer Ron Amato for the magazine's feature entitled "Pride." Whether in a suit or staring out shirtless from his bed, this is one sexy man who holds his own with any of the models in Mascular Magazine. Check it out for yourself.
BEST JOKE THAT WE PLAYED ON READERS: Nathan Gunn and Anna Netrebko appearing in Wagner's Ring at the MET
Nathan Gunn would make one sexy Wotan. Check out that spear.
Barihunk Zachary Luchetti penned an April Fool's Day joke for us claiming that Nathan Gunn and Anna Netrebko would be appearing the Metropolitan Opera's new production of Wagner's Ring as Brünnhilde and Wotan. Luchetti is one of the most entertaining and original personalities in the industry and we loved running with this gag. It was worth it just for the emails from people outraged that this duo would take on role "obviously ill-suited to their voices," as one reader wrote. This is why one should read every post to the end (especially on April 1st).
BEST INTERVIEW: Malte Roesner discussing fitness routineand his fach change
Malte Roesner
When we first met Malte Roesner in France last year, he was singing as a
baritone and wrapping up a decade long run at the Staatstheater
Braunschweig (State Theater of Brunswick). Since that time, he has gone
through a fach change to bass and recently came to California for a series of auditions. We will have an exciting update about his upcoming U.S. debut(s) in a future post. (Yes, debut may be plural).
He is featured prominently in both our 2016 calendar and our "2017 Barihunks in Bed" calendar.Roesner, who is one of the most intelligent singers on the scene, also translates operas, having translated both Jake Heggie's For a Look or a Touch and Jonathan Dove's Mansfield Park from English to German.
In our interview with him, the always fascinating singer discussed his recent fach change from baritone to bass, his workout routine, his month-long audition tour in the US and why it's “all about the bass.” You can read the entire interview HERE.
BEST WEIGHT LOSS: Lucas Meachem
Lucas Meachem
When we posted an interview with barihunk Lucas Meachem about his recent weight loss it went viral and jumped to one of our ten most viewed posts ever (and the top post that didn't reveal any "skin")!!!
Prompted by being forced to deal with high cholesterol and the new age of HD opera broadcasts, Meachem took his wife's advice and switched to a plant-based diet, which led to an amazing physical transformation.
When he took the stage as Doctor Malatesta in Donizetti's Don Pasquale at the San Francisco Opera, Meachem had slimmed down a remarkable 45 pounds (20.4 kilos). He also sounded as luxurious and resonant as ever.
He told us, "I used to rail against the system for it's
unfairness that weight is even an issue when it came to my voice. For me
vocal prowess should be the main determining factor of an opera singer
but I realized that I couldn't play by those rules anymore. The fact is
it's easier to change yourself than the system. So instead of resisting,
I decided to change myself."
On an unrelated note, Meachem won the San Francisco Opera's inaugural "Emerging Star of the Year" competition, whose goal is to engage the community in
the thrill of experiencing artists on the cusp of greatness, and to
build awareness among the broader opera-going public of San Francisco
Opera's leadership in nurturing and showcasing new talent.
BEST GATHERING OF A BARIHUNK SEXTET IN ONE PLACE (tie): A Midsummer Night's Dream atTeatro Amilcare Ponchielli Cremona and Lakes Area Music Festival
Prior to 2016, the most barihunks that we had ever featured on one stage at the same time was four. It seemed like this year at least two companies decided to blow that number out of the water, as both the Teatro Amilcare Ponchielli Cremona and the Lakes Area Music Festival decided to present operas with SIX barihunks performing together.
Zachary Altman and Nicholas Masters (top); Dario Shikhmiri, Rocco Cavalluzzi, Federico Benetti and Paolo Ingrasciotta (bottom l-r)
The cast list for Britten's A Midsummer Night's Dream
at the Teatro Amilcare Ponchielli Cremona, included Zachary Altman as Bottom, Nicholas Masters
as Quince, Dario Shikhmiri as Starveling, Rocco Cavalluzzi as Snug,
Federico Benetti as Theseus and Paolo Ingrasciotta as Demetrius.
Eric Broker, Andrew Lovato, Sam Parkinson, John Taylor Ward, Rodolfo Nieto and Benjamin Sieverding
Meanwhile, on the other side of the globe the Lakes Area Music Festival's production of the same opera included John Taylor Ward as Bottom, Andrew Lovato as
Demetrius, Rodolfo Nieto as Theseus, Benjamin Sieverding as Quince, Eric
Broker as Starveling and Sam Parkinson as Snug. John Taylor Ward not
only performed in the opera, but he serves as Associate Artistic Director
of the company and wrote the program notes.
All we have to say for 2017, is bring us more performances of A Midsummer Night's Dream.
BEST SHIRTLESS APPEARANCE: Alessio Arduini in Così fan tutte
Alessio Arduini in Così fan tutte
We don't know how this site could survive without streaming video from opera houses around the world, as it continues to be an endless source of content and visual and audio excitement.
Imagine our reaction when we watched the BBC Radio 3 broadcast of the Royal Opera House production of Mozart's Così fan tutte with a shirtless Alessio Arduni asGuglielmo. German director Jan Philipp Gloger made his house debut with the new production using librettist Lorenzo Da Ponte’s alternative title for the opera: "The School for Lovers." The ROH cast a vocally and visually impressive cast to live up to the title, which included Corinne Winters as Fiordiligi, Angela Brower as Dorabella, Daniele Behle as Ferrando, Johannes Martin Kränzle as Don Alfonso and Sabina Puértolas as Despina.
Arduini is currently performing Marcello at the Metropolitan Opera on Januray 6,11 and 14.
SEXIEST SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNT: Zachary Gordin on Instagram
Zachary Gordin on Instagram
If you're not one of Zachary Gordin's 1,450 followers on Instagram (zgordin) then you're missing out on some of the best barihunk shots on the internet. Gordin's site alternates personal posts with images from performances and his brutal gym workouts.
The fitness buff also serves on the voice faculty of Sonoma State University and operates a private vocal studio in the San Francisco Bay Area. Upcoming performances include "Mozart at the Opera" with the Youth Orchestra of San Antonio on January 22 and a recital with accompanist Brian Nies at the Green Music Center in Sonoma.
We particularly love him because he includes us in his bio, "Gordin is also widely recognized as the face of the website Barihunks, which celebrates physically fit and vocally-talented operatic baritones from around the globe."
THANK YOU AGAIN TO ALL OF OUR READERS, AS 2017 WILL MARK OUR 10TH ANNIVERSARY. WE REMAIN COMMITTED TO PROMOTING SINGERS IN THE BARITONE TO BASS RANGE AND ENCOURAGING AND FUNDING NEW REPERTORY FOR THOSE VOICES.
Malte Roesner and Marco Vassalli as seen in the National Post and the Barihunks Calendar
Canada's National Post has written a feature on the barihunk phenomenon, which includes extensive comments from site co-founder Jack Michaels. Canadian barihunks Philippe Sly and Phillip Addis are mentioned, along with Italian bass-barihunk Luca Pisaroni and Germans Marco Vassalli and Malte Roesner.
"Look at what we watch on television. Police detectives look like supermodels! We live in a culture where aesthetics are important. I don’t want to ever say it’s more important – voice is always the most important – but it’s become an important factor." - Barihunks co-founder Jack Michaels
The article mentions our charity calendar, which has funded numerous projects for low voices, including the West Coast premiere of Ricky Ian Gordon's opera "Green Sneakers" and Marco Vassalli's U.S. debut. 2017 will mark the tenth anniversary of the site, which was originally conceived as a fan site for Dmitri Hvorostovsky and Mariusz Kwiecien.
“It’s about the music first – that’s why I got into this. Any fitness things that are related, I do try to deliver them, but only as much as they serve the actual work. I’m definitely not thinking, ‘How will this pose look on Barihunks?'" -Barihunk Phillip Addis
Author Catherine Kustanczy does a great job of explaining that the "hunks in opera" phenomenon predates the creation of Barihunks almost a decade ago. She cites such historic opera figures as Cesare Siepi, Theodor Uppman, Jose Carreras, Placido Domingo and Samuel Ramey, who all were operatic "pin up boys" decades ago.
