Barihunks in La Fenice's "Rake's Progress"

Michael Leibengut

The upcoming performances of Stravinsky's The Rake's Progress at Teatro La Fenice will feature barihunks Alex Esposito as Nick Shadow and Michael Leibundgut as Father Truelove.

The versatile Swiss singer Michael Leibundgut last appeared at the venerable opera house in a very different 20th century piece, when he performed in Luigi Nono's Intolleranza in 2011. Leibundgut has established himself as an artist who is willing to push boundaries, singing everything from early music to techno mixes. Earlier this year, he made his US debut in  the world premiere of Enjott Schneider’s Robert Schumann's Traumreise at Symphony Space in New York.

Alex Esposito

Esposito has established himself as a favorite of the Venetian opera crowd, performing in Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro, Mozart's Die Zauberflöte, a New Year's Day concert in 2012 that was released on DVD, Wolf-Ferraris' La Vedova Scaltra, Mozart's Don Giovanni and Mozart's La finta semplice.

Performances of The Rake's Progress are on June 27 and 29, July 1, 3 and 5 and 16. Visit the Teatro La Fenice website for tickets and additional information.

Michael Leibundgut releases single from crossover album (with racy photos)

Michael Leibundgut's "Michael and the band from outer space"

Many opera singers release crossover albums, but it's usually pop standards or Broadway tunes. Leave it to the always innovative Swiss barihunk Michael Leibundgut to place his unique stamp on his new CD. 

His techno-pop band is called "michael and the band from outer space" and their new album "hello" will be released this spring. However, they have been releasing singles, with "a room we share" now available on iTunes. 

Of course what caught our attention was the promotional artwork, which features Michael in his natural glory.

You can listen to his singles "the big o" and "like a gun" by clicking HERE and HERE. 

Leibundgut in Aureliano Cattaneo's La philosophie dans le labyrinthe 

Leibundgut initially studied choir directing at the Music Academy in Basel, Switzerland, where he later completed his studies in voice. He performed as a member of the International Opera Studio at the Zürich Opera during the 2000-2001 season. From 2001 to 2005, he performed regularly with the Theater St. Gallen.

As regular concert performer, Leibundgut nurtures a wide repertoire including both early music and 20th century music.

Miscellaneous News

We've fallen a little behind with our posts as our Barihunks team is enjoying opera at Glyndebourne, Santa Fe and Bayreuth. We appreciate the emails encouraging us to maintain daily posts, so here are some quick updates from the opera world. Please help us keep us to date by submitting news and photos to Barihunks@gmail.com, which continues to be our best source of barihunk activity.

Eugene Brancoveanu

Opera fans on the West Coast can see the gifted Romanian barihunk Eugene Brancoveanu in three upcoming performances. He will be at the Firehouse Arts Center in Pleasanton, California on September 11 at 3 PM. Brancoveanu’s performing selections from opera. On Sunday, November 13^th, he travels north to Brookings, Oregon to perform An Afternoon of Opera and Musical Theater with tenor Thomas Glenn and soprano Ronit Widmann-Levy joined by the gifted accompanist Peter Gruenberg.  In April 2012, he will be a soloist in Orff’s Carmina Burana with the underrated Fresno Philharmonic Orchestra in Central California.

Christopher Theofanidis & Thomas Hampson in Vanity Fair

We've previously covered American barihunk Thomas Hampson's upcoming performances as 9/11 hero Rick Rescorla in Christopher Theofanidis’ “Heart of a Soldier,” which opens September 10 at the San Francisco Opera. We thought that readers would enjoy this article from the San Francisco Examiner. Also, make sure to check out the September 2012 issue of Vanity Fair, which features a wonderful profile on the Hampson and "Heart of the Soldier." [Page 202]

Matthias Hausmann

The Austrian Cultural Forum NYC will Present “From Austria With Love,” sung by Mathias Hausmann and accompanied by pianist Craig Rutenberg on Thursday, October 6 at 7:30 PM. The program will feature songs by Austrian composters who lived in American including Mahler, Korngold, Zeisl, Krenek, Stolz and Kalman. Admission is free but tickets must be reserved by calling 212-319-5300 ext. 222. 

Michael Leibengut

On September 16, 2001, Michael Leibengut will make his debut with the Luzerne Festival in the premiere of Georg Friedrich Haas' "Nacht," a chamber opera in 24 scenes. For additional information, visit the Luzerne Festival website. 

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Fröhliche Weihnachten! from Michael Leibundgut

Michael Leibundgut

Enjoy German Barihunk Michael Leibundgut singing "O Little Town of Bethlehem" on this homemade vide.

Fröhliche Weihnachten!



Contact us at Barihunks@gmail.com

Michael Leibundgut Shows Some Skin

[Center photo: Regine Koerner, Munich]

We featured Michael Leibundgut back in May, but we didn't have any pictures at the time showing off his gorgeous body. Thanks to one tenacious reader in Der Schweiz, you can see more of what makes this teutonic beauty a barihunk. It looks like Michael is spending as much time at the gym as with his scores (and we're not complaining!).

The center photo features him in Aureliano Catteno's "La Philosophie Dans de Labyrinthe" from Munich. Apparently, Leibundgut was a hit. Here's the review from MusicWeb Live: "Michael Leibundgut, was particularly impressive as the Minotaur. Besides singing unaccompanied, he encompassed a vocal range from deep bass to falsetto, yet established a powerful presence in each register."

You can read more about him at: http://barihunks.blogspot.com/2009/05/emerging-barihunk-michael-leibundgut.html

This site can be contacted at barihunks@gmail.com

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Emerging Barihunk Michael Leibundgut

[Top photo by Annette Boutellier]
Our series of emerging barihunks continues with Michael Leibundgut after an email from Switzerland alerted us to a number of hot baritones performing in a country more famed for chocolate, banks and watches. Leibundgut completed his studies at the Music Academy in Basel and then further honed his craft with Samuel Ramey and Elisabeth Schwartzkopf.

Leibundgut is currently performing "Un Ballo in Maschera" and barihunk favorite "A Midsummer Night's Dream" in Bern. The top photo is from the performance of Midsummer Night's Dream with Carlos Esquival sporting a big schwanstucker [click photo to enlarge]. Leibundgut is on the far right of the picture.

He was a member of the International Opera Studio at the Zürich which has had a number of barihunks pass through its program. So far his career has been primarily in Switzerland, Germany and Italy. Although he sings a wide range of music, he has made his mark in a number of contemporary operas. He is also featured on a CD called "20th Century Songs From Switzerland" with works by Othmar Schoeck, Meinrad Schutter and Andrea Lorenzo Scartazzini.

Take a look at the guy next to Leibundgut in the Midsummer picture. He's our next post.

This site can be contacted at barihunks@gmail.com

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