Cleveland Orchestra to perform 5 operas with 5 barihunks

Simon Keenlyside, Hanno Müller-Brachmann, Eric Owens, Bo Skovhus and Ludwig Mittelhammer (center)

The Cleveland Orchestra announced that it is extending the contract of Music Director. Franz Welser-Möst’s for five years until 2027, which would be his 25th anniversary with the company.

They also announced five operas for upcoming seasons, each featured a noted barihunk.

First up will be Berg's Lulu, which runs from May 16-22, 2020 and features Bo Skovhus as Dr. Schön. The all-star cast will feature Barbara Hannigan in the title role, Jennifer Johnson Cano as Countess Geschwitz and John Tomlinson as Schigolch.

Next up will be a performance of Verdi's Otello in the 2020-21 featuring barihunk Simon Keenlyside making his role debut as the evil Iago. No other cast information was available.

The 2021-22 season will also include Wagner's Parsifal featuring barihunk Hanno Müller-Brachmann as Amfortas, along with tenor Piotr Beczala in the title role, mezzo-soprano Okka von der Damerau as Kundry and bass Peter Rose making his role debut as Gurnemanz.

The 2022-23 will undoubtedly feature a slew of barihunks in Puccini's almost all-male cast in  La Fanciulla del West. Bass-barihunk Eric Owens and soprano Tamara Wilson will both be making role debuts as Jack Rance and Minnie respectively.

The 2023-24 season will feature an all to rare U.S. appearance by Ludwig Mittelhammer, who will be features as Papageno in Mozart's Die Zauberflöte. He'll be joined by tenor Julian Prégardien as Tamino and bass Peter Kellner as Sarastro.

Karl V: First full-length twelve-tone opera to be broadcast

Actor Janus Torp and Bo Skovhus (Photo: Bayerische Staatsoper)

Ernst Krenek's "Karl V," the first full-length twelve-tone opera will be broadcast from the Bavarian State Opera on February 23rd with barihunk Bo Skovhus in the title role. The opera can be seen live on February 16, 21 and 23. 

The opera revolves around the life the Holy Roman Emperor, Karl V, particularly the end of his life. In his life confession he defends his actions as ruler and his failure to establish a grand Christian empire to the monk, Juan de Regla.

Krenek’s opera Karl V has rarely been performed since its debut on June 22, 1938. The opera created a cause célèbre when the 1934 premiere in Vienna was cancelled after Krenek was blacklisted in Germany by the Nazi government immediately following the German parliamentary elections in March 1933. Krenek revised the opera in 1954. Krenek was wrongly named as a Jewish composer during the Third Reich and ended up fleeing to the United States due to constant threats from the Nazi regime.

Bo Skovhus (Photo: Bayerische Staatsoper)

It was performed at the Bregenzer Festspiele in 2008 and has previously been seen in Munich. Performances at the Bavarian State Opera run through February 23rd, but the opera will also be performed at the Munich Opera Festival on July 19th.

The current modernist staging was produced by Carlus Padrissa, a member and co-founder of the theatre group, La Fura dels Baus, with stage designs and costumes by artist Lita Cabellut.

Barihunk duo in Reimann's Lear at Palais Garnier

Bo Skovhus in Paris Lear (Photo © Elisa Haberer)

Bo Skovhus returned to the title-role of Aribert Reimann’s Lear, this time at the Palais Garnier in Paris. He originally performed the role at the Hamburg Opera in 2012 and 2014, which was recorded on video for the first time. The 2014 performance included fellow barihunk Lauri Vasar as the Duke of Gloucester, who rejoins Skovhus in Paris.

The latest performance opened on May 23rd and will run through June 12. The Paris production in direceted by the provocative director Calixto Bieito and features the crownless king often stripped down, both emotionally and physically.

Lear is one of the most performed modern German operas. There have been 34 new productions since its premiere, - See more at: http://www.limelightmagazine.com.au/features/bo-skovhus-aribert-reimanns-lear#sthash.29yof3yS.dpuf

Bo Skovhus in Hamburg's Lear:

Lear is one of the most performed modern German operas, having received 34 productions since its 1978 premiere in Munich with Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau in the title role. The U.S. premiere was presented by the San Francisco Opera in June 1981 with Thomas Stewart as Lear.

Bo Skovhus in sexy livestream of Berg's Lulu

Bo Skovus and Marlis Petersen

The ageless barihunk Bo Skovhus takes on Jack the Ripper opposite the sexy Lulu of Marlis Petersen in Alban Berg's provocative opera at the Bavarian State Opera. The production by Russian director Dmitri Tcherniakov features lots of beautiful bodies in various states of undress throughout the production.

Fortunately, the opera will be available in the company's third season of performances available on their free live streams at STAATSOPER.TV. The live stream can be watched on June 6th at 6.00 PM CET/1 PM EST/10 AM PST. The cast also includes Daniela Sindram as Countess Geschwitz, Matthias Klink as Alwa and Rainer Trost as the painter.

Rainer Trost and the Lulu ensemble

The Bavarian State Opera's live streams will continue on July 4th at 7 PM CET with barihunk Elliot Madore as Pelleas and soprano Elena Tsallagova as Melisande in Debussy's Pelléas et Mélisande.

Bo Skovhus next heads to the Salzburg Festival where he will sing Cortez in Wolfgang Rihm's Die Eroberung von Mexico (The Conquest of Mexico) opposite Angela Denoke. The production runs from July 26-August 10.

Bo Skovhus to perform double-bill of operatic rarities

Bo Skovhus in Reimann's Lear

One of our most popular posts with readers was entitled "Lauri Vasar Strips Down for Il Prigioniero," which prompted us to put up a follow up post with additional photos of the barihunk in his scivvies. So imagine our excitement when we found out that über-barihunk Bo Skovhus would be performing the piece with Oper Köln in March and April 2015.

Dallapiccola's Il Prigioniero is a 7-part, 50-minute opera which was first broadcast by the Italian radio station RAI on December 1, 1949. The work is based on the short story La torture par l'espérance ("Torture by Hope") from the collection Nouveaux contes cruels by the French writer Auguste Villiers de l'Isle-Adam and from La Légende d'Ulenspiegel et de Lamme Goedzak by Charles de Coster. Some of the musical material is based on Dallapiccola's 1938 choral work Canti di prigionia.


Despite the taxing nature of the role, Skovhus will return after intermission to sing an equally demanding role, that of the bass solo in Bernd Alois Zimmerman's Ekklesiastische Aktion: Ich wandte mich und sah an alles Unrecht das geschah unter der Sonne ("I turned and saw all the injustice there was under the sun")

Bo Skovhus and Silvana Dussmann in The Merry Widow: 

The 35-minute piece is scored for two speakers, bass soloist, and large orchestra, with text based on the words of the Preacher in the Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes. The work also requires enormous physical stamina, as it includes the stamping of feet, gesturing, jumping and performing in various yoga-like poses.

The piece was commissioned by the city of Kiel for the Munich Olympic Games in 1972. Ekklesiastische Aktion was Zimmermann's final composition before he killed himself and the music quotes Bach's, "Es ist genug" (It is enough). That section is played fortissimo by trumpets and trombones in a jolting expression of mortality.

Bo Skovhus is currently singing the role of Graf Danilo in Franz Lehár's Die lustige Witwe (The Merry Widow) at Oper Köln. Tickets and additional cast information for both shows are available online.

David Adam Moore & Xavier Rivera

Time is running out to order your 2015 Barihunks Charity Calendar - ONLY 4 MORE DAYS!!! Click below to order your copy today.

Teddy Bare to Make Chicago Debut: Craig Verm Heads Barihunk Casting in Windy City

Teddy Bare aka Teddy Tahu Rhodes

The Lyric Opera of Chicago has released its 2012-13 schedule and two of the sexiest men in all of opera have been cast. Teddy Tahu Rhodes will make his Lyric debut as Stanley in a semi-staged version Andre Previn's "Streetcar Named Desire." There will be four performances, which will be made available to subscribers first before being sold individually. Renee Fleming will sing the role of Blanche Dubois. There will also be a single students-only performance with an understudy cast.

Fans of Teddy Bare will have other opportunities to see him in 2012. In the United States, he will perform Guglielmo in Mozart's "Cosi fan tutte" at the Washington National Opera and will also return to the Metropolitan Opera. On the other side of the Equator, he will tackle his first Scarpia with the West Australian Opera and return in his signature role of Don Giovanni with both Opera Australia and Opera de Bordeaux.

Craig Verm as Aeneas

Craig Verm, who unquestionably has one of the nicest chests in opera, is one of the numerous barihunks cast next season. Verm, who has bared his torso as much as Teddy Bare, will be performing the unsexy role of Albert in Massenet's " Werther." However, with Verm playing Albert, we can certainly understand why Charlotte's mother wanted her to marry him and not the suicidal tenor.

For those who want to see Verm in some of his sexier fare, you'll have to travel to the Teatro Municipal de Santiago in Chile. He'll be performing in both Bizet's "Carmen" and the title role in Britten's "Billy Budd."

Ildebrando d'Arcangelo (L) & Bo Skovhus (R)

Although they've cast a good number of barihunks, none of them will be in roles that show off their non-vocal assets.  For those of you who like "more mature" barihunks, Lyric is rolling out some of the hotter over-40 singers around in some Verdi and Wagner.  

Craig Verm as Zurge and Sean Panikkar as Nadir in the famous Pearl Fishers duet:

Other barihunks appearing with Lyric next year include Bo Skovhus as Beckmesser in Wagner's "Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg," Thomas Hampson as the title character in Verdi's Simon Boccanegra, Ildebrando d'Arcangelo in the title role of Donizetti's "Don Pasquale" and Lucas Meachem as Marcello in Puccini's "La boheme." Visit the Lyric website for tickets and additional performance information.

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Can Barihunks Sing?

Dmitri Hvorostovsky: The perfect barihunk package?

The wonderful Dutch opera site Place de l'Opera recently wondered if barihunks were just sexy guys who were getting jobs because of their looks and couldn't really sing. Basia Jaworski rated seven singers that have appeared on the site and ranked them for looks and singing ability.

In her article, Jaworski also points out that many roles in opera actually require a lot of charisma and sexuality to make the role work.  She also points out that the site appeals to more than gay men, which if our email is any indication is more than accurate. About half our mail and photo submissions come from women. What is interesting is how some singers seem to appeal to women and others to men, while others seem to have a more universal appeal.

Also, we pride ourselves in posting singers who not only look good, but who can sing. This is why we tend to highlight singers who are winning vocal competitions and are being hand-selected by composers to premiere their works. After all, we like our barihunks to be the complete package.

Here are her rankings. Feel free to share your thoughts in the COMMENTS section:

Erwin Schrott: Looks 9, Singing 6

Bo Skovhus: Looks 9, Singing 9

Rod Gilfry: Looks 9, Singing 9

Simon Keenlyside: Looks 9, Singing 10

Dmitry Hvorostovsky: Looks 10, Singing 10

Mariusz Kwiecien: Looks 8, Singing 7

Nathan Gunn: Looks 8, Singing 8

You can read Basia Jaworski's complete article on the Place de l'Opera website.

Bo Skovhus sings Robert Schumann's "Stille Tränen"



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Doppelgängers? Bo Skovhus & Andrew Finden

The German newspaper Badische Neueste Nachrichten wrote in a review that they thought Australian baritone Andrew Finden looked like barihunk Bo Skovhus, although they reserved artistic comparisons at such and early stage of Finden's career.

What do you think? Do you have any examples of barihunks who you think look like someone else? If so, send them to Barihunks@gmail.com. [Somewhat kiddingly we request no emails from angry exes!]

Here's what they wrote:

Zwar kann bei den Interpreten der mittleren Partien eine endgültige Beurteilung ihrer Leistungsfähigkeit erst nach weiteren – größeren – Auftritten erfolgen, doch lässt sich schon jetzt festhalten…, dass Andrew Finden als Bo-Skovhus-Doppelgänger dem Marquis d’Obigny einen grossen, noch etwas ungeschlacht eingesetzten Baritone lieh.

Finden is a graduate of the opera course at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama where he was awarded the Harold Rosenthal Prize. Finden recently joined the ensemble of the Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe.

Andrew Finden

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Bo Skovhus Replaced in Vienna's "Don Giovanni"

Bo Skovhus (L) & Adam Plachetka as Don Giovanni

We have covered the current production of Don Giovanni at the Vienna State Opera, due primarily to a rotating cast filled with barihunks. Much like Salzburg, they have filled the roles of Don Giovanni, Leporello and Masetto with certifiable hunks. The current production had featured the seemingly ageless Bo Skovhus in the title role, but he had to withdraw for the remaining four performances due to illness. He is being replaced by Adam Plachetka, a Czech native who has been a member of the Vienna State Opera.

Alex Esposito and Tae Joong Yang

The role of Leporello is being sung by our favorite exponent of the role, Alex Esposito (will someone please cast this guy in the U.S.). Masetto is being sung by Tae Joong Yang, who we recently introduced to readers.
  Tickets are still available for the remaining four performances online. Here is Adam Plachetka singing Leporello's "Catalogue Aria" at a recent gala concert:
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L.A. Opera Podcast of "Marriage of Figaro"

Bo Skovhus

Listen to the Los Angeles Opera podcast of the Marriage of Figaro HERE.

Go See Daniel Okulitch in Nozze (or tell your friends in L.A.)

Opera's Proud Barihunk - Daniel Okulitch

The Daniel "I'm too sexy for my shirt" Okulitch media lovefest is continuing with an article in Ontario's Kingston Whig Standard. The sexy Canadian's interview with the L.A. Times went viral on the internet and on opera blogs before being picked up by the Canadian press.

Okulitch takes a refreshing approach to his sexiness being used for marketing and attracting younger audiences. His frank talk about nudity and traveling with a whip is refreshing in opera's often staid and stuffy world.

Therefore, we are going to use this opportunity to remind readers that he's appearing at the Los Angeles Opera in the Marriage of Figaro opening on September 26th. The production also features fellow barihunk Bo Skovhus and we hope that this production helps resurrect the L.A. Opera's reputation after a critically panned Ring Cycle. The opera company deserves to be supported and the casting in the Marriage of Figaro should be reason enough for any opera lover to run out and buy tickets.

By the way, as measured by "hits" on this site, Okulitch continues to be our most popular barihunk. We salute him and wish him well in Los Angeles.

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CONTEST: Hamlet's Drinking Song

If there is an opera that seems to be experiencing a major revival, it's Ambroise Thomas' "Hamlet,' Of course this is great news for lovers of the baritone voice, as it is an absolute showcase for baritones. Here are five very different renditions spanning 100 years of singing. Use the poll at the right and let us know which is your favorite version. 

Here is Bo Skovhus:



Here is Dmitri Hvorostovsky:



Here is Simon Keenlyside:



Here is Nelson Eddy:



Here is Titta Ruffo:



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Okulitch's Returns to Los Angeles

Since we're on a Mozart kick, check out the barihunk laden cast coming to Southern California.

The Los Angeles Opera is presenting seven performances of "The Marriage of Figaro" with one of this sites most popular barihunks, Daniel Okulitch. The Canadian returns to Los Angeles as Figaro after he created a sensation as Seth Brundle in "The Fly," where he appeared totally nude on stage.

They've also cast Danish barihunk Bo Skovhus as Count Almaviva, who just wrapped up a critically acclaimed performance as Don Giovanni opposite the Leporello of Kyle Ketelsen at Aix-en-Provence.

Figaro returns to the L.A. Opera after two successful runs in 2004 and 2006. Performances run from September 26 through October 17.

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Don Giovanni LIVE from Aix-en-Provence Today

The live broadcast of Don Giovanni from Aix-en-Provence begins at 3:30 EST/12:30 PST today. The cast includes barihunks Bo Skovhus as Don Giovanni and Kyle Ketelsen as Leporello. Here is the rest of the cast:

Masetto, David Bizic
Don Ottavio, Colin Balzer
Donna Anna, Marlis Petersen
Donna Elvira, Kristine Opolais
Zerlina, Kerstin Avemo
Commendatore, Anatoli Kotscherga

Orchestre Freiburger Barockorchester

Direction musicale, Louis Langrée

Skovhus & Ketelson in Aix-en-Provence Giovanni

We think Bo Skovhus gets sexier and sexier every year. Shaving off those strawberry blond locks that he was famous for only made him more masculine on stage and the voice is as solid as ever. We can't imagine a better role for him at this stage of his career than Don Giovanni, nor a better sidekick than Kyle Ketelsen's Leporello.

The two barihunks will be performing together at the Aix-en-Provence Festival beginning on July 1st and running through July 20th. Here are some rehearsal pictures of the two men working together.

Also, due to the popular demand of the Barihunk t-shirt, we have opened up a store where you can purchase your very own apparel. We even have t-shirts for the women who like their men with low notes and hot bodies!

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Imbrailo Says Barihunk Fans Will Be Disappointed WIth Glyndebourne "Billy Budd"

[Jacques Imbrailo]

Jacques Imbrailo has told The Times of London that Barihunks readers will be disappointed with his portrayal of Billy Budd at Glyndebourne. Click HERE to find out why.

[Bo Skovhus: Not afraid to look sexy!]


For those of you who still like a sexy Billy Budd, there are performances of the Benjamin Britten masterpiece coming up at Vienna with Adrian Eröd, Paris with Lucas Meachem, and Frankfurt with Peter Mattei. The Netherlands Opera, which is far more provocative than the somewhat stuffy Glyndebourne, has also booked Imbrailo to sing Billy Budd. Of course, the Netherlands Opera always has other barihunk options. They have Bo Skovhus singing in Eugene Onegin and Henk Neven in Romeo et Juliette.

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