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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Wilhelm Schwinghammer: Latin Lover? Vibrating Hammer?

[Photo from the Hamburger Abendblatt]

Bass-Barihunk Wilhelm Schwinghammer was recently featured in the Hamburger Abendblatt. The first line of the article roughly translates, "With his thick black hair and dark eyes under thick brows, he could easily be mistaken for a Latin Lover." The article goes on to explain that the singer is actually Bavarian. He's also been featured on this site before in a post called "Hamburger Hunks." The hunky German studied at the Musikgymnasium der Regensburger Domspatzen before heading to the University of the Arts in Berlin. He has refined his craft in smaller roles at the Hamburg Staastsoper.

Schwinghammer recently gave a riveting performance of Beethoven's 9th Symphony with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra. You can briefly hear him in this YouTube clip from Johann Gottlieb Naumann's "Aci e Galatea." Word out of Germany is that he is an extremely gifted Handel performer.

Just for laughs, Barihunks placed "Schwinghammer" in the Google Translator and it came out "Vibrating Hammer." With a name like that he might be mistaken for more than a Latin Lover.

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Christopher Maltman as Oreste

The Hamburg State Opera is home to two of our favorite barihunks, Wilhelm Schwinghammer and Alexander Tsymbalyuk. Needless to say, we keep a close eye on what's happening on their stage. We were thrilled to see that Hamburg is performing Iphigenie en Tauride with another of our favorite hunks.

Christopher Maltman is performing Oreste in Iphigenie en Tauride with hunkentenor Toby Spence as Pylade. Perhaps neither is showing us as much skin as the cast in the recent Armide in Berlin, but it's a total joy to watch Maltman onstage with his raw sexuality, especially when paired with Toby Spence.

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Hamburger Hunks

If you're looking for a good dose of barihunks, check out the Hamburgische Staatsoper where you'll find Wilhelm Schwinghammer and Alexander Tsymbalyuk, a.k.a. "The Hamburger Hunks."

Schwinghammer is a former choir boy who went on to study at the University of the Arts in Berlin. After singing primarily in choirs he gained acclaim singing with Philippe Herrewegehe and the Colegium Vocale and a performance of Handel's Saul under Rene Jacobs. After a successful stint in the International Opera Studio at the Hamburg Opera he was engaged as a regular member of the ensemble.

Alexander Tsymalyuk studied in Odessa with some of the most famous low voices of the opera stage including Kurt Moll and Paata Burchuladze. He was engaged in Hamburg after winning a number of vocal competitions.

Dream casting: The Hamburger Hunks in the Salzburg production of Don Giovanni. Wouldn't that be a lot of beefcake?