Henk Neven's sexy Don Giovanni in Bergen

Henk Neven in Bergen's Don Giovanni

For the Bergen National Opera's new Don Giovanni, British director Oliver Mears has transformed the stage of Grieg Hall in Bergen, Norway to a grand 1960s cruise ship with its classy salons and swimming pools. The production sets the story amongst the labyrinthine corridors and salons of a grand ship, with its upper and lower decks and their implicit privileges and deprivations. What could be more appropriate in a city set along Norway's famous fjords?

Mear's said of the production, "We wanted to set the production somewhere that was self-contained, labyrinthine, where it could be plausible that characters keep running into each other (as they do in the original libretto), and where the class and status differences so crucial to the original story could retain their importance.'

In the title role they've cast Dutch barihunk Henk Neven, who spends much of the opera in various stages of undress. Tickets and additional cast information are available online.

Henk Neven sings "Deh viena alla finestra" in Amsterdam:

After Don Giovanni, Neven returns to his native country to perform Bach's Matthäus Passion with the Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century from March 25-30. He then heads across the Pond for two performances of Purcell's Dido and Aeneas, first in Quebec City on April 9th and then at New York's Carnegie Hall on April 12th.

Watch Henk Neven in complete Dido & Aeneas

Henk Neven & Vivica Geneaux in Dido & Aeneas at Rouen

You can watch an entire performance of Purcell's Dido & Aeneas from Opéra de Rouen Haute-Normandie with an all-star cast featuring barihunk Henk Neven as Aeneas, Vivica Genaux as Dido, Ana Quintans as Belinda and Marc Mauillon as the magician. The entire production was magically staged, directed and choreographed by the team of Cécile Roussat and Julien Lubek. You won't want want to miss the opportunity to watch this!

Dido & Aeneas de Purcell à l'Opéra de Rouen Haute Normandie

If you want to see the performance live, it will be reprised at Versailles with two performances daily on June 14 and 15. You can book online. From May 23-25, Versailles is also presenting the barihunk-laden performance of Lully's Persée that we recently featured starring Olivier Laquerre, Vasil Garanliev, Stephen Hegedus and Curtis Sullivan.

"Nude Hamlet" headed to La Monnaie (and available online and TV)

Franco Pomponi rehearsing Hamlet at La Monnaie

Back in Apil we told you that the "nude Hamlet" from Theater an der Wien was headed to La Monnaie in Brussels. Well, it has arrived and it still has FOUR barihunks in the cast, although you'll have to attend two nights to see all four of them, as Stéphane Degout and Franco Pomponi are alternating the role of Hamlet. Joining them for all the performances are Henk Neven as Horatio and Jérôme Varnier as the spectre. This is Neven's debut at Horatio.

Stéphane Degout as Hamlet in Vienna

Stéphane Degout created quite a stir with his nude scene in Vienna and we expect that the matinee idol-looking Franco Pomponi will cause a few opera glasses to be raised for better viewing.

Hamlet is a five acts grand opera by the French composer Ambroise Thomas, with a libretto by Michel Carré and Jules Barbier. It as based on a French adaptation by Alexandre Dumas, père, and Paul Meurice of William Shakespeare's Hamlet. The work was premiered at the Paris Opéra March 9, 1868. Among the noted singers in the original cast were Jean-Baptiste Faure as Hamlet and Christine Nilsson as Ophelia.

The production at La Monnaie is directed by Olivier Py and is running from December 3-22. Tickets are available online. 

Jérôme Varnier as the spectre and Henk Neven as Horatio

If you can't make it to Brussels, don't be dismayed as La Monnaie broadcasts all of its productions for free on the internet. This production of Hamlet will be available from Tuesday, December 31, 2013  through Monday, January 20, 2014.

It will also be available on television on December 17 at Mezzo TV.

If you love beautiful opera singers, make sure to purchase your 2014 Barihunks Charity Calendar. Remember that all proceeds to go to benefit young artists. Help keep opera alive and thriving and buy yours today by clicking on the Lulu button below.

Listen to Henk Neven live on the BBC

Henk Neven

Our goal at Barihunks is two-fold, to promote great low-voice singers, especially since baritones tend to get lost in the shadows of the tenor and soprano p.r. machines. We also believe in promoting singers who take care of their voices as well as their bodies. Not only is it good for a long, healthy career (i.e. - Thomas Hampson, Simon Keenlyside, Rod Gilfry and Nathan Gunn), but it makes opera a more believable art form and it allows it to compete with the omnipresence of television, movies and online media.

There are few singers who we've been more excited about than the Dutch barihunk Henk Neven. When he shot onto the scene, we instantly compared him to a young Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau for his ability to beautifully convey the nuances of an art song. We first featured him almost two years ago, long before he was receiving Gramophone magazine nominations for his great singing.

He's also our birthday feature for tomorrow, so we were thrilled when we learned that BBC3 was giving the public Henk Neven as a birthday gift. His French song recital with English soprano Geraldine McGreevy and accompanist Graham Johnson can be heard live at 7:30 PM London time (2:30 PM EST/11:30 AM PST).

The program from Wigmore Hall features music by Debussy, Faure, Satie, Roussel and the rarely-heard Andre Caplet. Faure's song 'Le plus doux chemin' is the inspiration for Graham Johnson's latest series of themed recitals, exploring the tonal beauty, vibrant imagery and sense of spontaneity that is French chanson.

Henk Neven is a former Radio 3 New Generation Artist, and also studied with Graham Johnson and his latest CD is an acclaimed recital of mostly French songs.

Click HERE to listen to the broadcast.

Four Barihunks in "Nude Hamlet" at La Monnaie

Stéphane Degout in Hamlet at Theater an der Wien

Director Olivier Py has never been shy about featuring male nudity, whether in operas like Ambroise Thomas' Hamlet or Alban Berg's Lulu, or theater productions like Die Sonne at Volksbühne Berlin. His Hamlet featuring Stéphane Degout in the buff created quite a buzz last Spring at the Theater an der Wien. The production is now coming to the La Monnaie in Brussels starring Stéphane Degout again. He will be alternating the role with fellow barihunk Franco Pomponi.

We were also intrigued to see two of our favorite barihunks in smaller roles, Jérôme Varnier and Henk Neven. If you like shirtless guys...and lots of them...you may want to order your tickets when they go on sale October 10. Although there are thirteen performances, tickets are expected to be extremely scarce. Tickets will be available for as little as € 12.

New Henk Neven Recital Coming on CD

Henk Neven

We're unabashedly huge Henk Neven fans and his recitals are as magical as those by Simon Keenlyside or Christopher Maltman. His recital from earlier this year was recorded by ONYX and will be released next month. The CD entitled 'Auf einer burg' includes music by Schubert, Faure and Debussy, all with a theme of the sea.

Henk Neven sings Schubert's "Gute Nacht":

If you can't wait for the CD, he has two upcoming recitals of note. 

On September 17, Neven will perform a recital of music by Brahms and Liszt at Wigmore Hall with accompanist Hans Eijsackers. On September 22, he'll give a recital at the Huis te Linschoten sponsored by the Schubert Foundation. Neven will perform accompanied by guitar player Fernando Riscado Cordas. Many of Schubert's songs were originally written for both piano and guitar accompaniments.

Amazingly, despite his meteoric rise as one of the top recitalists in Europe, no one has booked Neven yet in the United States.

Henk Neven Nominated for Gramophone Award

Henk Neven, who we recently introduced to American audiences, has been nominated for a presitigious Gramophone Award in the category of "Solo Vocal." Neven was nomintated for his recording of Carl Loewe's "Ballades" and Robert Schumann's Liederkreis with Hans Eijsackers on piano. The winners, including the prestigious Recording of the Year, will be unveiled on October 6 at London's Dorchester Hotel. 

Other nominees in the category are:

• Richard Rodney Bennett Songs with Sophie Daneman, Susan Bickley and Iain Burnside 
• Benjamin Britten's "Songs & Proverbs of William Blake" with Gerald Finley
• George Butterworth's "A Shropshire Lad" and other songs with Roderick Williams
• Richard Strauss lieder with Diana Damrau
• Hugo Wolf's "Italienisches Liederbuch" with Christoph Prégardien

For a complete list of nominees visit the Gramophone website.

Neven has yet to make his U.S. debut. 

Contact us at Barihunks@gmail.com

Introducing Henk Neven

Henk Neven

We were recently sent an email asking why we've never featured Henk Neven. We were certain that we had because we remembered preparing the post. However, when we checked it seemed like we forgot to post it. So we'd like to belatedly introduce you to this gifted Dutch barihunk.

Henk Neven studied with Maarten Koningsberger and Margreet Honig at the Conservatory of Amsterdam where he graduated cum laude in 2003. In winning the 2008 Fortis MeesPierson Award, the jury declared that "Neven has the potential to grow into a sensational artist". On April 16, 2011, Henk Neven received the Dutch Music Prize (Nederlandse Muziekprijs), presented by Judith van Kranendonk, a representative of the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science.

Neven's new recording of Loewe & Schumann

In addition to lieder and oratorio Henk Neven has sung in many operas, performing such roles as Marco Gianni Schicchi, Don Giovanni and Leporello Don Giovanni, Count Le nozze di Figaro, Aeneas Dido and Aeneas, Schaunard La boheme, Morales Carmen, Ben The Telephone and Mr. Gobineau The Medium (Menotti) and Mars Vénus et Adonis (Desmererst), Pollux Castor et Pollux and Frère Léon St. François d’Assise staged by Pierre Audi which was also recorded for DVD by Opus Arte (De Nederlandse Opera). He has appeared at the Opéra National de Paris, Staatsoper Berlin Unter den Linden, Le Duo de Dijon, Grand Théatre de Bordeaux, L’Opéra National de Montpellier, Grand Theatre de Tours, Opéra de Rouen and De Nederlandse Opera. In the Notre Dame in Paris he sung the role of Joseph in L’Enfance du Christ by Hector Berlioz, conducted by John Nelson.



Neven can next be heard on July 5th at the City of London Festival where he will be performing Brahms, Grainger and Britten. 

Contact us at Barihunks@gmail.com