Barihunks galore in Hamburg's Mozart/Da Ponte trilogy; Livestream of Don Giovanni from Rome

André Schuen and Kyle Ketelson in Don Giovanni (© Brinkhoff/Mögenburg)

The Hamburg State Opera kicked off its Mozart/Da Ponte trilogy of opera with the premiere of Don Giovanni on October 20th featuring the barihunk trilogy of Andrè Schuen in the title role, Kyle Ketelsen as Leporello and Alexander Tsymbalyuk as the Commendatore. Additional performances are on October 23, 26, 29 and November 3, 6 and 9.

On October 22, they will add Così fan tutte to the rotation with barihunk John Chest as Guglielmo.  Additional performances will be on October 22, 27, 31 and November 2. The final opera will be Le Nozze di Figaro, which opens on November 1, with additional performances on November 5, 8 and 12. The cast features barihunks Christoph Pohl as the Count and Wilhelm Schwinghammer as Figaro.

Tickets for all three operas are available online.

Alessio Arduini as Don Giovanni in Rome

If you can't make it to an Hamburg or another opera house featuring Don Giovanni, you can watch a performance from the Teatro dell’Opera di Roma on Oct. 26, 2019 on OperaVision. The cast includes barihunk Alessio Arduini in the title role, along wtih Vito Priante, Emanuele Cordaro, Antonio Di Matteo, Juan Francisco Gatell, Maria Grazia Schiavo, Salome Jicia, and Marianne Croux. The livestream may not play in some countries.

Rare barihunk trio in Puccini's Tosca

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.

The performance will be on Arte TV for free starting on April 17th.

American barihunk Sean Michael Plumb joins Bavarian State Opera

Sean Michael Plumb (Karli Cadel Photography)

American barihunk Sean Michael Plumb has joined the ensemble at the Bavarian State Opera, where he will kick off his fest contract as the Porter in Shostakovich's Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk. Fellow barihunk Alexander Tsymbalyuk will also perform in the production as the Police Inspector and the Old Convict. 

This season Sean Michael Plumb will go on to perform a variety of roles with the company, including Servitore and Sicario in Verdi's Macbeth opposite fellow barihunk Ildebrando D'Arcangelo, Morales in Bizet's Carmen, Olav Bjaaland in Srnka's South Pole, Harlekin in Strauss' Ariadne auf Naxos with Karita Mattila in the title role, Yamadori in Puccini's Madama Butterfly and Dandini in Rossini's La Cenerentola.

Sean Michael Plumb sings Rene Orth's Empty the House:

Last summer, he was part of the Salzburg Festival’s Young Singers Project. Prior to that, he racked up a number of impressive wins at vocal competitions, including the Grand Prize at the 2016 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, Top Prize at the 2016 Gerda Lissner Foundation International Vocal Competition, a 2016 Shoshana Foundation Grant, the 2015 Sullivan Foundation Award from The Sullivan Foundation, Top Prize at the 2015 Opera Index Competition, a 2015 Sara Tucker Grant from The Richard Tucker Foundation, First Prize at the 2015 Gerda Lissner Liederkranz Competition, and the 2015 Theodor Uppman Prize from the George London Foundation.

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Our 2017 Barihunks in Bed calendar is now on sale. Order your copy by clicking on the LULU button. 

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Barihunk quartet in Paris Opera's Don Giovanni

Alessio Arduini (left) & Fernaando Radó (center, right)

Four of the the hottest men in opera are performing together at the Paris Opera's Don Giovanni. Artur Ruciñski sings the title role, with Alessio Arduini singing Leporello, Fernando Radó performing Masetto and Alexander Tsymbalyuk as the Commendatore. Arduini and Radó have both created mini-sensations with their shirtless pictures on this site.

The all-star cast also includes Maria Bengtsson as Donna Anna, Karine Deshayes as Donna Elvira, Matthew Polenzani as Don Ottavio and Nadine Sierra and Gaëlle Arquez rotating as Zerlina. Performances run through October 18th and tickets are available online.

Joanna Jakubas & Artur Ruciński sing Là ci darem la mano:

After Paris, Alessio Arduini will head to the Vienna State Opera where he will appear as Dandini in Rossini's La Cenerentola, Belcore in Donizetti's L'elisir d'amore, the title role in Rossini's Il barbiere di Siviglia and Marcello in La bohème. Tsymbalyuk will head to The Met to sing Timur in Puccini's Turandot and then to Munich for Sparafucile in Verdi's Rigoletto. Radó will next sing Monterone in Verdi's Rigoletto at the Teatro Real in Madrid and then return to Masetto as the Dutch National Opera. Ruciñski will also head to The Met to sing Sharpless in Puccini's Madama Butterfly and then Enrico in Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor an the Royal Opera in London.

Watch Dmitri Hvorostovsky in The Demon from Moscow

Dmitri Hvorostovsky onstage and backstage for The Demon

We have photos and we have the video!!!

Yes, we have this sexy backstage photo of über-barihunk Dmitri Hvorostovsky as he readied for his  role debut in Anton Rubinstein’s 1871 opera The Demon this week at the Tchaikovsky Concert Hall  in Moscow. There is still one more performance on February 5th, but for those who can't jet off to Moscow, here is the video of the entire performance.

In the semi-staged performances Hvorostovsky sings the haunting and seductive title role under the baton of Mikhail Tatarnikov with the State Academic Symphony Orchestra of Russia accompanying. Also featured in the cast are soprano Asmik Grigorian, contralto Larisa Kostyuk, countertenor Vadim Volkov, tenor Vasily Efimov, and basses Alexander Tsymbalyuk and Dmitry Skorikov. Dmitry Bertman directs.

The setting of the Demon is somewhere between heaven, hell and earth – just as the demon himself is a fallen angel, an inwardly torn character, a negating power and adversary of the angel at the same time. Unable to love and still be humble, he falls in love with Tamara, who is about to marry Prince Gudal’s son, and kills the bridegroom. The bride escapes to a convent and is visited by the demon, who promises to renounce evil and pictures their future as eternity and boundless power. Tamara, yielding to temptation, is killed when he kisses her. In the struggle for her soul, the angel keeps the upper hand, for "he who loves belongs to paradise". For the demon, nothing has really changed: he carries on living in eternal damnation and loses his hope in the shape of Tamara, with whom he shared his solitude, his longing for love, his thirst for knowledge and the sadness resulting from it all.

Dmitri Hvorostovsky to make role debut in The Demon

Dmitri Hvorostovsky

Dmitri Hvorostovsky, who just gets sexier with every passing year, will be making his role debut in Rubinstein’s The Demon from January 30 – February 5 at the Tchaikovsky Concert Hall  in Moscow. The performance will be led maestro Mikhail Tatarnikov with the State Academic Symphony Orchestra of Russia.

Dmitri Hvorostovsky sings music from the The Demon and Don Giovanni:

Joining him in the semi-staged production will be fellow barihunk Alexander Tsymbalyuk, soprano Asmik Grigoryan, contralto Larisa Kostyuk, countertenor Vadim Volkov, tenor Vasily Yefimov,and bass Dmitry Skorikov. Ticket information is available online.

Alexander Tsymbalyuk can currently be seen at the Bavarian State Opera in Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor. Hvorostovsky is singing Renato in Verdi's Un ballo in maschera at the Royal Opera House in London. He'll return to the opera in May at the Metropolitan Opera in the role of Count Anckarström.

Christopher Maltman takes on Don Giovanni and Wotan

Christopher Maltman

Barihunk Christopher Maltman will be making his Ravinia operatic debut in the title role of Mozart's Don Giovanni. The performance will be at the Martin Theatre with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra under the baton of James Conlon. Performances will be on Thursday, August 14 and Saturday, August 16.

The cast includes Tamara Wilson as Donna Anna, David Bižic as Leporello, Kristinn Sigmundsson as the Commendatore, Saimir Pirgu as Don Ottavio, Aga Mikolaj as Donna Elvira, Ailyn Pérez as Zerlina and Yohan Yi as Masetto.

Visit the Ravinia website for more information or to purchase tickets.

Next up for Maltman will be a somewhat surprising foray into the music of Richard Wagner, as he takes on Wotan in Das Rheingold in Seoul, Korea. The performance will be the kickoff of conductor Myung-Whun Chung and the Seoul Philharmonic's concert version of the Ring of the Nibelungen. The performance is on September 26 and includes fellow barihunk Alexander Tsymbalyuk as Fafner, as well as Michelle DeYoung as Fricka, Catherine Wyn-Rogers as Erda,  Malin Christensson as Woglinde & Freia, and Yuri Vorobiev as Fasolt.

Barihunk trio in new ROH production of Don Giovanni; Worldwide Broadcast

Alexander Tsymbalyuk, Alex Esposito & Mariusz Kwiecien (L-R)

Perhaps the hottest opera ticket in Europe right now is Kasper Holten's new production of Mozart's Don Giovanni at the Royal Opera House. Most performances are either sold out or close to it with opening night still a month away.

The dream cast is led by a trio of our favorite barihunks, Mariusz Kwiecien as Don Giovanni, Alex Esposito as his sidekick Leporello and the thrilling Alexander Tsymbalyuk as the Commendatore. Holten shifts the emphasis from Don Giovanni’s sex life into a darker place, as this production presents Giovanni’s womanizing as an attempt to stave off his own mortality. Each woman he seduces represents a life he could have had.

If you can't make it to London, the February 12th performance will be broadcast live to cinemas in Europe. and taped for screenings worldwide throughout March. If you're in Europe, check the Royal Opera House website for listings. If you're outside of Europe, check your local movie listings.

There are only 48 hours left to buy your 2014 Barihunks Charity Calendar, so order NOW by clicking below. We'll be announcing our newest recipients of our grants from the proceeds next week.

Barihunks Coming to Los Angeles; Listen to a Complete Performance of Verdi's "I due Foscari"

Ildebrando D'Arcangelo: Always sexy as Don Giovanni

 The Los Angeles Opera has announced their new season, which opens on September 15th with Verdi's I due Foscari, which deserves to be performed more in the United States. The baritone role of Francesco Foscari will be played by Placido Domingo. The season also includes Puccini's Madama Butterfly and Tosca, Rossini's La cenerentola and Wagner's Flying Dutchman.

Giangiacomo Guelfi sings"Eccomi solo alfine!... O vecchio cor che batti" from I due Foscari:

You can listen to the entire opera with Guelfi and the amazing Leyla Gencer here:

None of the performances have been cast with barihunks, except for the one other opera that they're performing. Of course, that would be the star barihunk vehicle Don Giovanni. Ildebrando D'Arcangelo will return to Los Angeles after a successful run last year in Cosi fan tutte. Joshua Bloom, who we just featured performing Figaro in Australia will be Masetto. Visit the L.A. Opera website for complete details.

Craig Verm & Ryan McKinny: Dream(y) casting

If you're in Los Angeles and looking for a night of barihunks, then you might want to head over to the Hollywood Bowl on August 12th for Verdi's Rigoletto under the baton of conducting wunderkind Gustavo Dudamel. The title role will be sung by baritone Zeljko Lucic, but the smaller roles are filled with barihunks including Alexander Tsymbalyuk as Sparafucile, Ryan McKinny as Monterone and  Craig Verm as Marullo.

You also want won't to miss the rising young tenor David Lomeli who is singing the Duke of Mantua. Visit the Hollywood Bowl website for tickets.

Alexander Tsymbalyuk sings Don Silvas' aria from "Ernani":

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Reuters: "La Scala seduces crisis-hit Italy with Don Giovanni"; Cast Loaded with Barihunks!

We caught his article about how the Italians are hoping that their new Don Giovanni will divert attention away from their debt crisis. When we saw the cast, which is loaded with barihunks, we wondered how Italians could think about anything else other than this Don Giovanni. Gotta love those Italians.

Kostas Smoriginas and Alexander Tsymbalyuk

(Reuters) - Milan's opulent La Scala theatre is hoping the seductive powers of Mozart's "Don Giovanni" can momentarily drown out the chorus of economic doomsayers in Europe when it opens its opera season next week.

Continue article HERE.

As we mentioned, the cast is full of barihunks and world-famous baritones. Alternating as Don Giovanni will be Peter Mattei and Ildebrando d'Arcangelo. The role of Leporello will be alternated between Ildebrando d'Arcangelo and Bryn Terfel. Masetto will feature our "Johnny Depp" look alike Kostas Smoriginas, who will share the role with Štefan Kocán. Even the role of the Commedatore features the sexy Ukranian barihunk Alexander Tsymbalyuk, who shares the role with Kwangchul Youn. Tickets and additional cast information are available HERE.

Leigh Melrose in Holocaust Opera

Leigh Melrose

British barihunk Leigh Melrose has never received the attention that he deserves on this site. We featured a video of him singing a selection from Britten's "Billy Budd" at the end of a feature on Alexander Tsymbalyuk. He certainly can't be ignored anymore, as Melrose has landed a key role at English National Opera in Mieczysław Weinberg’s 1968 opera The Passenger. 

The opera was banned in the Soviet Union and was first premiered last year at the Bregenz Festival. Weinberg, a Soviet composer of Jewish-Polish heritage who died in 1996, never saw a performance of this lost masterpiece in his lifetime. 


The opera revolves around an encounter between two women – one a former Auschwitz guard and the other a former prisoner. Melrose plays Tadeusz, a camp inmate and violinist who defies the Commandant byordered by performing some meloncholy music by Bach rather than a frolicking waltz. Needless to say, things don't end well for Tadeusz.



We continue to find the performances at ENO as some of the most innovative and interesting in all of opera right now. We loved Nic Muhly's "Two Boys" and look forward to seeing The Passenger. The opera runs from September 19-October 25. Additional cast and performance information is available HERE. If you're looking for more traditional operatic fare, ENO will be performing the highly acclaimed Jonathan Miller production of Donizetti's "The Elixir of Love" at the same time.

You can read an entire feature on Leigh Melrose and The Passenger in the Islington Tribune by clicking HERE. 

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Alexander Tsymbalyuk SIngs "Son lo spirito che nega sempre"

Here is the first video from Alexander Tsymbalyuk's June 2nd Rosenblatt Recital in London. He's singing the aria "Son lo spirito che nega sempre" from Boito's Mefistofele. There will be more videos from this concerts in future posts.

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An Interview with Alexander Tsymbalyuk

There are still tickets remaining for Alexander Tsymbalyuk's London recital on June 2. Click HERE for tickets. Even if you can't make the recital, here is an interview with the gifted young barihunk from the Rosenblatt Recital website.

When did you realise you wanted a career in music?
At birth my grandmother predicted that I would become a composer as whenever music played I would sit still and listen. When I turned four my uncle gave me a piano, which I studied for 7 years, then I went on to study drums and began singing at the age of 20.
What one thing that has happened in your life has made the biggest impact on who you are today?
I cannot identify a specific event as there are many things that made me the person I am today but mostly it was people like my family, teachers, the audience, my agency... my motto is that you have to live, love and enjoy. I try to be positive and always be ready to give somebody a smile: what goes around comes around.
Do you have a favourite opera?
I like all opera depending on my mood - today it's Boris Godunov, tomorrow a Verdi opera and next week Rossini. It's impossible to give a definitive answer.
What was the last book you read?
Walter Scott's The Bride of Lammermoor, as this was the last major new production I performed in Hamburg.
What three items would you take to a desert island?
I would take a stack of books, a few people to sing to, and wings - to fly away if I am bored of the Island.
What advice would you give to any aspiring singers?
Hang in there! Focus on the big goal, be patient, optimistic and always be friendly.
How would you like your career to develop in the future?
I would like to continue to study and hope more people are touched by my singing. I would like to expand my repertoire, bring different colours to my voice, but the main thing is that I am happy with what I am doing.
Which of your favourite songs to perform could you not live without?
Очи чёрные, (Ochi chyornye; Black Eyes) Russian folk song.
In which country would you most like to perform?
England (laughs).
The best advice anyone has ever given you?
Hang on in there! Keep going!
Highlight of your career so far?
Winning the “The XIII International Tchaikovsky Competition” Moscow (2007)

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Alexander Tsymbalyuk To Perform WIth Rosenblatt Recitals

Ukrainian-born barihunk Alexander Tsymbalyuk will be performing a recital with the Rosenblatt Recitals series in London, England. The program is a wonderful mix of Russian music and operatic show pieces. The program begins with songs by Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninoff, then concludes with arias by Verdi, Boito and Massenet.

As we've reported, Tsymbalyuk is slated to return to the Metropolitan Opera in Il Trovatore. His star is clearly on the rise, as he's also scheduled to perform at the Bavarian State Opera and the Royal Danish Opera.

The recital is scheduled for June 2 at St John's, Smith Square. For ticket and concert information visit the Rosenblatt Recitals website.

For a sampling of the wonderful programs put on my Rosenblatt recitals, check out this amazing video of fellow barihunk Leigh Melrose singing the Canon aria from Billy Budd.



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Alexander Tsymbalyuk Returning to The Met

[Flickr photo by Robert Garbolinski]


Barihunk Alexander Tsymbalyuk is a regular at the Hamburg State Opera, where he is currently performing in the "Barber of Seville" and "Marriage of Figaro." But the big news for those on the East Coast is that he's returning to the Met this Fall to perform Ferrando in Il Trovatore.

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Ukrainian Barihunk to Make Met Debut

[Alexander Tsymbalyuk]


We have just learned that 33-year-old Ukrainian barihunk Alexander Tsymbalyuk has been engaged by the Metropolitan Opera. We're not sure yet what role he'll be singing, but we'll let our readers know as soon as we find out.

Tsymbalyuk is a currently a member of the ensemble of the Hamburg State Opera where he has performed in Les Contes d’Hoffmann, Das Rheingold, La Traviata, Turandot, Die Frau ohne Schatten, Rigoletto, La Bohème, Tannhäuser and Billy Budd. Let's hope that his Met role is as the sexy lead in Billy Budd.

Now if the Met would engage Randal Turner, we'd really be happy. It's a mystery to us why great American talent gets showcased in Europe and not in the United States.

[Randal Turner]


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Prize Winner Alexsander Tsymbalyuk

Aleksander Tsymbalyuk sings Aleko's aria by Raxmaninov



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Aleksander Tsymbalyuk has appeared on this site before and he's unquestionably one of the hottest barihunks to emerge on the scene. In 2006, he won first prize at the 5th annual Elena Obraztsova International Competition of Young Opera Singers in Moscow. Here is a video of his winning performance, singing the gorgeous aria from Aleko by Rachmaninov.

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Bass Alexander Tsymbalyuk - "Come Dal Ciel Precipita" from Macbeth

This isn't a role one usually finds a barihunk, but Alexander Tsymbaluk looks absolutely hot as Banco. His gorgeous, rolling bass voice is pretty wonderful, too.