Introducing Ilya Kutyukhin: Guglielmo in Glyndebourne's Cosi

Ilya Kutyukhin with Rachel Kelly and Kirsten MacKinnon

When we noticed Ilya Kutyukhin as Guglielmo in Glyndebourne's current run of Mozart's Così fan tutte, we couldn't believe that he'd never appeared on our site. The performances are his debut with the company.

Born in Pyatigorsk, Russia, Kutyukhin is currently a member of the Young Singers Project at The Salzburg Festival. From 2014 to June of this year, he was a member of the Young Artist Program at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow. 

During the 2015-16 season, he made his Bolshoi Theatre debut as Moralès in Bizet's Carmen and subsequently appeared as Shchelkalov in Mussorsky's Boris Godunov.

He'll be touring Così fan tutte through November 30th, with stops in Lewes, Surrey, Norwich, Woking, Milton Keynes and Plymouth. He's joined in the cast by Bogdan Volkov as Ferrando, José Fardilha as Don Alfonso, Kirsten MacKinnon as Fiordiligi, Rachel Kelly as Dorabella and Ana Quintans as Despina. Tickets are available online.   

The 2018 Barihunks Calendar

Our 2018 Barihunks Calendar, which includes 20 of opera's sexiest men is now available for purchase HERE. In response to reader demand, we've also added a Barihunks Photo Book this year, which includes additional photos that don't appear in the calendar. You can purchase that HERE. The New Year is approaching faster than you think!

David Adam Moore in Gatsby-esque Cosi fan tutte

David Adam Moore & Aaron Blake (left) in Cosí fan tutte*; Moore in Dead Man Walking (center)

American barihunk David Adam Moore is as sexy in evening wear as he is in briefs, which is when we last saw him as Joseph de Rocher in Jake Heggie's Dead Man Walking.

Moore opened last night at the Utah Opera as Guglielmo opposite hunkentenor Aaron Blake in their  production of Mozart's Cosí fan tutte, which is updated to 1920s Naples, Italy. The entire cast is bedecked in Great Gatsy-like costume complete with spats.

Will Crutchfield leads a cast that also includes Matthew Burns as Don Alfonso, Karin Wolverton as Fiordiligi, Leah Wool as Dorabella and Abigail Levis as Despina. Performances run through March 22nd and tickets are available online.

*(Cosi photos by Rick Egan of The Salt Lake Tribune)

John Chest's Munich Recital and Upcoming Billy Budd Debut in Berlin

John Chest

We haven't posted about American baritone John Chest in awhile. He's another of the long list of barihunks who have been cleaning up at vocal competitions, having won the Arleen Auger Prize in the 2012 Hertogenbosch International Vocal Competition. Previously, he also won the prestigious Stella Maris International Vocal Competition.

We first saw Chest when he was with the Merola Opera Program, where he brought down the house with his shirtless Guglielmo in Mozart's Così fan tutte . He is a recent graduate of the Opera Studio at the Bayerische Staatsoper, where he sang over eighty performances including Fiorello Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Schaunard La Bohème, Lovec Rusalka, Petrucci Lucrezia Borgia, Carmen with Jonas Kaufmann, La Bohème with Anja Harteros, and Lucrezia Borgia with Edita Gruberova.

If you're in the Munich area, you may want to catch his recital on Friday, November 16 at the Historischer Reitstadel. He'll be performing works by Samuel Barber, Robert Schumann and Hugo Wolf with accompanist Marcelo Amaral. Call 09181/255-125 for tickets.

Many of his future engagements are in Europe, including Masetto in Mozart's Don Giovanni in Bari, a recital at the Wigmore Hall and revivals of La finta giardiniera in Morocco and in Luxembourg.

Actor Terence Stamp as the blond Billy Budd from the movie

In the 2013/14 season he will take up a Fest contract with Deutsche Oper Berlin, the highlight of which will be his debut in the title role of Britten's  Billy Budd in a new production by David Alden. Many people watching Chest's career have said that this role was practically written for him, as it perfectly suits his voice and appearance. Details have not been posted yet, but you can subscribe to the Deutsche Oper's free newsletter HERE for updates.

You can listen to Chest sing Pierrot's Tanzlied from Korngold's Die tote Stadt by clicking HERE.

Have you bought your 2013 Barihunks Charity Calendar, which benefits young singers like John Chest? Click on the button below to help the next generation of singers:

NEWS FLASH: Dominik Köninger Joins Komische Oper Berlin

Dominik Köninger: Suddenly a very hot ticket

We've been following the meteoric career of German barihunk Dominik Köninger since he started blowing away judges at the Wigmore Hall/Kohn Foundation International Song Competition last year. Although he's been performing on stages since 2004, when he made his operatic debut at the Ludwigsburger Schloßfestspiele, his victory in London has made him a hot commodity with opera companies and major conductors.

Köninger sings Beethoven's 'Adelaide' and 
Korngold's "Du reine Frau aus Licht und Elfenbein" in the finals:

On April 15-16, he joins maestro Christopher Hogwood, the Limburg Cathedral Boys Choir and the Bremen Philharmonic Orchestra for performances of Mozart’s version of Handel’s Ode to St. Cecilia.

He will also perform Guglielmo in Mozart's Cosi fan tutte at the New National Theatre in Tokyo in a new production by Damiano Michieletto.

We also have some news that's so fresh it hasn't even appeared on the opera company's website. This year, Köninger will join the ensemble of Komische Oper Berlin in Berlin, where he will perform Guglielmo, Il Conte, Orfeo and Orest in Gluck's Iphigénie en Tauride.

CONTACT US AT Barihunks@gmail.com

Alex Esposito: A One Man "Mostly Mozart Festival"

Maltman, Schrott and Esposito (L-R)

We're unabashedly huge fans of Alex Esposito, who has established himself as one of the leading Leporello's of the last generation. He also made a name for himself as Masetto in the DVD from Salzburg opposite the Don Giovanni of Christopher Maltman and the Leporello of Erwin Schrott, which stands as one of the greatest barihunk productions in opera history.

Alex Esposito: The world's reigning Leporello (with Ildebrando d'Arcangelo on left)

Esposito has generally established himself as one of the most sought after Mozart singers in the world, singing in all of Mozart's standard repertory operas. He recently appeared as Papageno at La Scala and Guglielmo in Toulouse and his schedule is filled with Mozart for the next two years. He can be seen in Munich, Valencia, Valencia and London as Leporello; Papageno in Munich, and; Figaro in Venice and Paris.

To view his complete schedule and see more photos visit his website.

Alex Esposito as Papageno

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Christopher Maltman & Renée Fleming Sing "Lippen Schweigen"

Christopher Maltman & Renee Fleming

Operetta always seems like the most appropriate way to ring in the New Year. We're a week late with this, but it's worth it to hear these two great singers perform "Lippen Schweigen" at such a luxuriously languorous pace.

Maltman will be trading in operetta for plenty of Mozart in 2011. Two of the highlights will be his Papageno under Colin Davis' baton at the Royal Opera House in London. He will be joined by two amazing young singers, Joseph Kaiser as Tamino and Kate Royal as Pamina.

Maltman as Guglielmo in Seattle

In August, he will reprise his famous Guglielmo in Cosi under Marc Minkowski in Salzburg. The cast includes fellow barihunk Bo Skovhus as Don Alfonso and the gifted young tenor Alek Shrader.



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