Evan Hughes as Somnus(Photos: Komische Oper and Leela Roos)
Barihunk Evan Hughes, who created quite a sensation as Somnus in Handel's Semele at the Komische Oper in Berlin last year, is stepping in to replace an ailing colleague at Dresden's Semperoper today.
Markus Marquardt had to withdraw as Leporello from the company's production of Don Giovanni, which features barihunk Ildebrando D’Arcangelo in the title role. He is expected to return for the remaining three performances on May 26 and June 16 and 20.
Hughes will be returning to his native country on July 18 and 20 to make his role debut as Papageno in Mozart's Die Zauberflöte with the Mostly Mozart Festival at Lincoln Center. He'll be alternating the role in the acclaimed Barrie Kosky production with Rodion Pogossov, who performs on July 17 and 19. Tickets and additional cast information is available online.
You can watch German barihunk and audience favorite Günter Papendell as Marcello in Barrie Kosky's new production of Puccini's La bohème from the Komische Oper Berlin from January 27 through July 26. The livestream can be seen on OperaVision.
Kosky says that the opera is about death and the audience needs to shed a tear, but without sentimentalism. This production looks at how young people look at death. Kosky sees the opera through the daguerreotype, which was invented around the time that the story takes place.
The remaining cast includes Nadja Mchantaf as Mimì, Gerard
Schneider as Rodolfo,Philipp Meierhöfer as Colline, Vera-Lotte Böcker as Musetta, and Dániel Foki as Schaunard.
Günter Papendell sings Tchaikovsky's "Nur wer die Liebe kennt":
If you want to see Papendell live as Marcello, he is performing the role on January 27 and 28, February 8, March 17, 22 and 30, and June 28 and 29. Tickets are available online, but many dates have limited availability.
Papendell's other roles at the Komische Oper include Doktor Malatestain Donizetti's Don Pasquale, Graf Almaviva in Mozart's Die Hochzeit des Figaro, Fritz Kothner in Wagner's Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, Fürst Jeletzki in Tchaikovsky's Pique Dame, Sharpless in Puccini's Madame Butterfly, the title role in Mozart's Don Giovanni, Odysseus in the Monteverdi triptych, Achilla in Handel's Giulio Cesare in Egitto, and Pollux in Rameau's Castor et Pollux.
Evan Hughes and Nicole Chevalier (left) and Nora Friedrichs (right)
American bass-barihunk had a breakout performance as the somnolent god Somnus in Handel's Semele at the Komische Oper in Berlin. He also elevated his status as an operatic sex symbol showing off both his luscious physique and resonant voice in his scene-stealing small role.
Fortunately, the opera is available online at OperaVision and is available for viewing HERE until November 11th. There are remaining live performances on May 26, June 3 and 15, and July 10. Tickets are available online.
Nora Friedrichs and Evan Hughes
The production got off to a rocky start when director Laura Scozzi fell ill shortly after rehearsals began, forcing the Komische Oper's intendant Barrie Kosky to take over the production. Kosky is one of opera's most original and entertaining directors, so the show went on, with the story being told in a flashback set in a burnt-out Baroque hall.
Evan Hughes and Nicole Chevalier (left) and Nora Friedrichs (right)
Semele was written in 1743 and tells the story of clashing gods and
mortals, the folly of vanity, and the fatal consequences of forbidden
passion.
The plot centers around the cautionary tale of
the delectable Semele and the god Jupiter, who tempt fate with a
dangerously imprudent love affair. The ambitious Semele craves
immortality, but also holds a secret, while Juno, plots a fiery finish
to the affair.
Director Barrie Kosky's hilarious and highly entertaing The Pearls of Cleopatra(Die Perlen der Cleopatra) by
Oscar Straus is back at the Komische Oper in Berlin. The piece was on the shelves for more than eighty
years before it was revived in 2016. The latest run features almost the identical cast, led by German barihunk Dominik Köninger, who sings the role of
the Roman Officer and appears in a number of pretty sexy situations
throughout the operetta.
Kosky has been reviving works by composers who fled the Nazis, which
Strauss did in 1939 following the Nazi Anschluss. He fled to Paris and
eventually to Hollywood. After the war, he returned to Europe, and
settled at Bad Ischl, where he died. Straus' best-known works are Ein Walzertraum (A Waltz Dream), and The Chocolate Soldier (Der tapfere Soldat). He may be best remembered for composing the theme song from the 1950 film La Ronde.
In the comedic The Pearls of Cleopatra, the queen longs for a ‘little Egyptian flirting’ to lift her mood. The permanent drought and the armies
of the Roman Empire at the Egyptian borders have given her quite a
headache. So she flirts with the Syrian prince Beladonis and takes
Silvius, the Roman ambassador, as her new lover. International or
intimate relations – the most beautiful queen of the world holds sway
over the hearts of all men. Could the pearls be the secret to her power.
The Pearls of Cleopatra features plenty of scantily clad,
energetic performers on stage, adding to the lively Cabaret feel of the
pre-Nazi Weimar Republic. The operetta opens on January 31st and runs through March 30th. Tickets are available online. Opening night is SOLD OUT.
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Director Barrie Kosky has done it again, with another highly original production of a long lost piece of musical theater. His highly entertaining The Pearls of Cleopatra(Die Perlen der Cleopatra) by Oscar Straus is destined to become one of the major hits in any opera house this year. The piece has been on the shelves for more than eighty year and is now viewable on the OperaPlatform. There are additional performances at the Komische Oper on December 15, 19 and 21.
German Barihunk Dominik Köninger and Dagmar Manzel
Kosky has been reviving works by composers who fled the Nazis, which Strauss did in 1939 following the Nazi Anschluss. He fled to Paris and eventually to Hollywood. After the war, he returned to Europe, and settled at Bad Ischl, where he died. Straus' best-known works are Ein Walzertraum (A Waltz Dream), and The Chocolate Soldier (Der tapfere Soldat). He may be best remembered for composing the theme song from the 1950 film La Ronde.
Dancers and extras from The Pearls of Cleopatra
In the comedic The Pearls of Cleopatra, the queen longs for a ‘little Egyptian flirting’ to lift her mood. The permanent drought and the armies
of the Roman Empire at the Egyptian borders have given her quite a
headache. So she flirts with the Syrian prince Beladonis and takes
Silvius, the Roman ambassador, as her new lover. International or
intimate relations – the most beautiful queen of the world holds sway
over the hearts of all men. Could the pearls be the secret to her power.
German Barihunk Dominik Köninger
In this production, German barihunk Dominik Köninger sings the role of the Roman Officer, who is shown in a number of pretty sexy situations throughout the operetta. There are also plenty of scantily clad, energetic performers on stage, adding to the lively Cabaret feel of the pre-Nazi Weimar Republic.
Time is running out to order your 2017 Barihunks in Bed calendar.
Dominik Köninger as Papageno in the Barrie Kosky production
German barihunk Dominik Köninger is at the Edinburgh Festival reprising his highly-acclaimed Papageno in Barrie Kosky's magical production of Mozart's Die Zauberflöte, which has performances remaining on August 29 and 30.
The innovative Barrie Kosky production of Die Zauberflöte is a collaboration with the
amazing British theater group “1927," who put together a production that mixes silent
movies, Weimar era cabaret, David Lynch and a touch of the Grimm's Fairy Tales.
The oft-shirtless Dominik Köninger
If you can't catch Köninger as Papageno in the U.K., you'll have plenty of additional opportunities as he's singing the role in the same production at the Deutsche Oper am Rhein beginning on September 19th, then again in Barcelona next summer at the Gran Teatre del Liceu.
We've been huge fans of Dominik Köninger since he won the 2011
Wigmore Hall Song Competition and have been enjoying his regular
appearances at the Komische Oper Berlin, where he's sung in Monteverdi's
Orpheus, Guglielmo in Mozart's Così fan tutte, Pantalone in Prokofiev's The Love for Three Oranges, Oreste in Gluck's Iphigenie en Tauride and Count Almaviva in Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro.
Dominik Köninger sings Hai gia vinta la causa from the Marriage of Figaro:
He returns to Berlin on September 11th to sing the title role in Handel's Giulio Cesare with fellow barihunk Günter Papendell as Achilla. On October 2nd, he'll open in Barrie Kosky's new production of Offenbach's The Tales of Hoffmann. For the first time in the opera's 132-year performance history, the role of Hoffmann will be sung by a baritone, which was Offenbach's original intention.
We've been huge fans of German barihunk Dominik Köninger ever since he wowed the
judges at the 2011 Wigmore Hall/Kohn Foundation International Song
Competition. We always knew that he could sing, but now with this new video of him as Orpheus in
Komische Oper's controversial Monterverdi Trilogy, we've learned he can dance, too! Check him out singing and dancing in Act 2 and then giving a tour de force shirtless performance in Act 5.
Dominik Köninger
The production is by Barrie Kosky, who took the world by storm with his innovative production of Mozart's Die Zauberflöte at the Komische Oper, which was recently performed at the Los Angeles Opera and is now headed to the Minnesota Opera. There has seldom been a production where a singer was asked to sing, dance and perform this much and Köninger pulls it off brilliantly. It's evident from these videos why in the last few years he's become one of the most talked about and heralded young singers in the business.
Köninger starred in the marathon musical interpretation of Monteverdi's trilogy by the Uzbek composer Elena Kats-Chernin which was performed in a single day, running from 11a.m. until 11p.m. The trilogy included Orpheus, Odysseus and
Poppea and feautured 200 artists on stage. The production definitely wasn't for purists as Kat-Chermin integrated
jazz, klezmer, tango, and ragtime into the score.
Dominik Köninger sings a riveting rendition of "Machtvolle Gottheit" from Orpheus:
Köninger can currently be seen at the Komische Opera as Pantalone in Prokofiev's The Love for Three Oranges, which runs through February 19th. He then returns to his popular potrayal of Papageno in Mozart's Die Zauberflöte, which he's alternating with Tom Erik Lie through May 4.
Jesse Blumberg in Opera Omnia's The Return of Ulysses
We were very excited when we learned that the innovative young opera company Opera Omnia had hired Jesse Blumberg for their production of Claudio Monteverdi’s The Return of Ulysses.
He's become a favorite of ours, as well a favorite of composers like Ricky Ian Gordon and a number of leading opera companies. A thoughtful singer with great dramatic instincts and a beautiful voice, he's also a true barihunk in every sense of the word. For this role he had to sing shirtless for almost the entire first act and we heard that he stuck to a pretty strict workout regime. Of course, we had to get a picture to share with our readers.
The New York Times wrote of his performance, "And the vocal performances were in general excellent. Jesse Blumberg was
compelling as Ulysses, throwing himself into the role physically as
well as vocally."
Blumberg can next be seen on October 4th in the premiere of Paul Richards' Biennale with fellow barihunk Christopher Burchett in Philadelphia. Later that month he can be heard performing music of Emmanuel Chabrier with the Mirror Visions Ensemble in New York and Philadelphia. We're most excited about a performance in April next year with the Minnesota Opera when he'll be performing Papageno in the brilliant production of Mozart's The Magic Flute created by director Barrie Kosky and the British theatre group 1927. We saw this in Berlin and it is brilliant. Add it to your opera travel calendar today. More information is available online.
Anyone who reads this site knows that we're completely enamored with the "Magic Flute" from the Komische Oper in Berlin directed by Barrie Kosky and designed by the innovative London theater group "1927." Inspired by the silent movies, this production makes Mozart's 222-year-old opera seem like a new hit musical. Loaded with stunning animation and digital effects this production is a "must see" for any opera aficionado.
Imagine our excitement when the Los Angeles Opera announced that it was shelving its 20-year-old Gerald Scarfe/Peter Hall production for the Komische Oper production.
The baritone roles will be filled by Russian Rodion Pogossov as Papageno, Canadian Phillip Addis as The Speaker and American Morris Robinson as Sarastro. The young lovers Tamino and Pamina will be sung by Lawrence Brownlee and Janai Brugger. The scene stealing role of the Queen of the Night is being sung by Erika Miklosa.
Dominik Köninger in pictures form the Komische Oper
We've become such huge fans of Dominik Köninger since he won the 2011 Wigmore Hall Song Competition. We we thrilled to see that he's Papageno in the new highly innovative production of Die Zauberflöte at the Komische Oper in Berlin.
The innovative Barrie Kosky production is in collaboration with the amazing British theater group “1927," whose humorous shows have thrilled audiences all over the world with their interaction between film animation and live-performing actors. The production is a mix of silent movies, Weimar era cabaret, David Lynch and Grimm's Fairy Tales.
Performances will run into February and tickets and additional performance information is available online.
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