Canadian Mike Nyby will be making his role debut as the evil police chief Scarpia in Puccini's Tosca with Opera Ithaca. Nyby will be replacing fellow barihunk Zachary James, who had to withdraw for personal reasons. Nyby has previously performed with the company as Demetrio in Kristin Hevner Wyatt's Il Sogno and as Falke in Johann Strauss' Die Fledermaus.
Jake Stamatis (Photo: Joshua Bernard)
The cast also includes barihunk Jake Stamatis as Angelotti, Megan Nielsen as Floria Tosca and Paola Buffagni as Mario Cavaradossi. The semi-staged production will be performed at the Community School of Music & Arts in Ithaca on February 16th and at the Lafayette Avenue Presbyterian Church in Brooklyn on February 18th. Tickets and additional cast information is available online.
This is Nyby's fourth Puccini role, have previously performed Pinellino in Gianni Schicchi and both Schaunard and Marcello in La bohème. This is a homecoming of sorts for Nyby, who graduated from Ithaca College with a Bachelor of Music.
Bass-barihunk Erwin Schrott waited until February of last year before he felt comfortable enough to debut the role of the evil police chief Scarpia in Puccini's Tosca. That debut happened in Berlin and now he's slated for a series of performances of the plum role, beginning tonight at the Vienna State Opera in an all-star cast that includes Angela Gheorghiu as Tosca and Massimo Giordano as Mario Cavaradossi.
Future performances of the role will be in Munich, the Royal Opera House in London and Madrid. Additional performances in Vienna will be on January 12, 13 and 16 and tickets are available online.
After his run as Scarpia, the Uruguayan singer remains in Vienna for three performances of Méphistophélès in Gounod's Faust, running from January 25-February 2. He'll reprise that role in Munich beginning on April 29. In between those performances, he will sing Procida in Verdi's Les Vêpres siciliennes, also in Munich.
Alexander Tsymbalyuk, Marco Vratogna and Douglas Williams
Puccini operas aren't known for great baritone roles, like Verdi or Wagner, and certainly not a lot of great barihunk roles. Gianni Schicchi is a dying old man, Michele is an old barge operator, Jack Rance is the law and order town sheriff with his eye on the girl, Scarpia is usually played as a lecherous old police chief and The Bonze is usually a despicable old relative.
The only Puccini opera where we regularly get one and sometimes two barihunks is La bohème where the young Parisians often include a sexy Marcello and lower-voice Colline. So imagine our delight when we learned that the online broadcast of the composer's Tosca would include the barihunk trio of Marco Vratogna as Scarpia, Alexander Tsymbalyuk as Cesare Angelotti and Douglas Williams as Sciarrone. We've always liked the idea of a younger Scarpia, as it adds some sexual tension to the Act II "seduction" scene with Tosca.
The trio will join Kristine Opolais as Tosca and Marcelo Alvarez as Mario Cavaradossi for the Berlin Philharmonic's fifth visit to the Easter Festival of the Festspielhaus in Baden-Baden.
Teddy Tahu Rhodes will return to the Western Australia Opera as Scarpia six years after making his role debut in Puccini's "shabby little shocker." In 2011, conservative Aussie critics didn't respond warmly to Christopher Alden’s dark and modern production, so they've returned to their previous production with set designs by Jan Ubels and costumes by Elizabeth Whiting.
Joining Tahu Rhodes will be soloists soprano Antoinette Halloran as
Tosca and tenor Paul O’Neill as Cavaradossi, as well as fellow barihunk Paull-Anthony Keightley as Sciarrone.
Tosca is on at His Majesty’s Theatre on March 28, 30, April 1, 4, 6, 8. Tickets are available online.
In May, Tahu Rhodes will appear in the U.S. as Daland in Richard Wagner's Der fliegende Holländer with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra along with Marjorie Owens as Senta and Alan Held in the title role. Performances are on May 4 and 6.
Barihunk Franco Cerri is at the Torre del Lago Festival through August 13th in Puccini's hometown where he's performing Sciarrone in the composer's Tosca, as well as Tartaglia in the Ferruccio Busoni version of Turandot. Last season, he performed Guccio in Puccini's Gianni Schicchi at the Festival.
Busoni’s Turandot is based on same subject that Puccini set to music by Puccini, but has a more ironic fairytale style than the better known work. Busoni has been fascinated by the fairy tale by Carlo Gozzi before Puccini and wrote his own libretto. Busoni’s Turandot, premiered at the Municipal Theatre in Zurich on May 11, 1917 and remains among one of the most significant works of his rich artistic productions It took Busoni 100 days to write the Turandot score, a record time but, needed to not miss the opportunity that the Theatre of Zurich had offered him to host his composition.
There are various oddities in Busoni's libretto which recall the play's Commedia dell'arte roots: characters with Italian names like Truffaldino, Pantalone and Cerri's character Tartaglia; Allah is praised in China; and there are references to Venice, St. Mark's, and gondolas. The spoken dialogue harks back to Mozart's operas, especially The Magic Flute. In comparison to Puccini's opera on the same subject, Busoni retains the intimate, unreal atmosphere of Gozzi's pla.y Busoni's princess Turandot is not quite so implacable; her heart is readier to melt.
Barihunk Franco Cerri backstage at Torre del Lago(left) and in rehearsal (far right)
The opera is often performed as part of a double bill with Busoni's earlier one-act opera Arlecchino, a tradition which began at the premiere (the Festival is not performing Arlecchino). The first performance in Italy (without Arlecchino) was on November 29, 1936 in Rome, conducted by Fernando Previtali. Previtali, a Busoni champion, who went on to conduct performances in other Italian cities and conducted the premiere of the opera at the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires in 1964.
Tickets for Tosca and Turandot are available online.
Born in Genoa, Italy, Cerri began his studies with piano, drama and
ballet dancing. While at the Conservatory, he studied singing with the
great Italian baritone Silvano Carroli. In 2012, he won the Città di Alcamo International Singing Competition.
Franco Cerri sings Rossini's "Resta immobile" from William Tell:
He made his professional debut as a bass, singing the Bonze in the Puccini's Madame Butterfly and the title role in Rossini's Mosè in Genoa. His debut as baritone was with the role of Marcello in Puccini's La boheme followed by the role of Silvio in Leoncavallo's Pagliacci.
He has performed Riccardo in Bellini's I Puritani in Licata, Madama Butterfly and The Barber of Seville at the Arena Alpe Adria of Lignano, Germont in Verdi’s La Traviata at the Trentino Opera Festival, Manzitti’s Les Invisibles at the Great Palazzo Ducale in Genoa and Belcore in Donizetti's L'elisir d'amore at the Festival Illica Castell'Arquato.
Leonardo Capalbo, Andrew Lovato and Rodolfo Nieto (l-r)
When hunkentenor Leonardo makes his role debut on March 12th as Mario Cavaradossi in Puccini's Tosca with the Minnesota Opera, he'll be joined by two barihunks on stage. Andrew Lovato will be singing Angelotti and Rodolfo Nieto will take on Sciarrone. Tosca will be sung by the riveting Kelly Kaduce. Capalbo and Kaduce also perform together on March 17, 19, 24 and 26. The alternate cast will feature Dominick Chenes as Mario and Alexandra LoBianco as Tosca. Lovato and Nieto are featured in all performances.
A shirtless Leonardo Capalbo in La traviata from Geneva:
Lovato made his Minnesota Opera debut as the role of Sonora in La fanciulla del West and subsequently performed Young Raymond in the world premiere of The Manchurian Candidate by Kevin Puts and Mark Campbell and Le Dancaïre in Carmen.
Andrew Lovato sings the Father's Entrance Aria from Hansel und Gretel:
On March 20th, he performs "A Taste of Opera: Tosca" with the company. It's a a pre-show brunch and informal conversation with experts from the world of opera which also includes Leonardo Capalbo an Stephen Powell. On April 2, he joins resident artists from the Minnesota Opera at the Metropolitan Ballroom for a 1930’s Cabaret. You can register online.
Rodolfo Nieto sings Non più andrai from Le nozze di Figaro:
Bass-barihunk Rodolfo Nieto has been featured frequently with the Minnesota Opera in various roles including Castro in La fanciulla del West, Horatio in Hamlet, Johann in Werther, Scottish Soldier #1 in the world premiere of Silent Night, Joseph in Wuthering Heights and Colline in La bohème. Nieto will also be part of both "A Taste of Opera: Tosca"and the 1930s Cabaret.
Andri Björn Róbertsson will sing a Christmas concert at the Langholtskirkja Church the Langholtskirkju Choir in Reykjavík, Iceland on December 16-18. He'll be joined by singer/song writer Eivør Pálsdóttir. Hot chocolate and gingerbread cookies will be on offer during intermission.
Róbertsson was a member of the International Opera Studio in Zürich during the season 2014-15, where he sang a number of roles on the mainstage. In February and March, he returns to Zurich to perform in Purcell's King Arthur under the baton of Laurence Cummings. In April, he returns the role of the Speaker in Mozart's Die Zauberflöte with the company.
Andri Björn Róbertsson sings Loewe's Herr Oluf:
Róbertsson has been studying at the RoyalAcademyofMusic in London since 2010, where he graduated with the highest honors. He'll be making two major debuts in the UK, with Angelotti in Puccini's Tosca at the English National Opera and an unannounced world premiere by a British composer the Royal Opera House.
Time is running out to order your 2016 Barihunks Charity Calendar,
featuring 18 of the sexiest men in opera. ORDER TODAY by clicking HERE
(you won't regret it!).
It's not often that Angelotti in Puccini's Tosca catches our eye, but that was the case with American bass-barihunk John Paul Huckle, who looked pretty damn sexy with his open shirt at the Teatro Carlo Fenice in Genoa, Italy. He was performing in a rotating cast opposite the Tosca of Susanna Branchini, the Scarpia of Elia Fabbian, and Rubens Pelizzari and Rudy Park alternating as Mario Cavaradossi.
Huckle hails from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and looks like he could play fullback for the Steelers. He studied at Boston University Opera before completing his Master of Music at the Indiana Univerisity where he studied with the
legendary bass Giorgio Tozzi. At Indiana University he performed the Commendatore in Don Giovanni, Pistola in Falstaff,
Friar Laurence in Roméo et Juliette, Hobson in Peter Grimes, Sarastro
in The Magic Flute, Antonio in Le nozze di Figaro and the
Count Des Grieux in Manon.
He went on to hone his skills at young artist programs at the Central City Opera, Tulsa Opera, Utah Festival Opera, Opera North,
Brevard Music Center, and the Sarasota Opera. While at Sarasota Opera,
he received the distinguished Leo Rogers Outstanding Apprentice award.
John Paul Huckle(right)and Tosca at the Teatro Carlo Felice in Genoa (Photo: Marcello Orselli)
In 2007, he made his professional debut as Sparafucile in Verdi's Rigoletto with the Cleveland Opera.
Since the 2010-2011 season, he has been singing in major European houses including the Deutsche Oper Berlin, Teatro
Regio di Torino, Teatro Verdi in Pisa and the Teatro Carlo Felice in Genoa.
John Paul Huckle sings Il lacerato spirito from Verdi's Simon Boccanegra:
He has become a regular at the Teatro Carlo Felice where he has performed
Simone in Puccini's Gianni Schicchi opposite Rolando Panerai, the Second Guard in Mozart's Die Zauberflöte, Colline in Puccini's La bohème and Friar Laurence in
Gounod's Roméo et Juliette opposite tenor Andrea
Bocelli.
