Vittorio Prato to perform Rameau with Rousset

Vittorio Prato: Hot, Hotter and hottest

We don't need much of an excuse to post something about Italian barihunk Vittorio Prato, so when we saw these recently posted clips from Massenet's "Werther" on YouTube, we figured it was time to see what he was up to.

Prato was born in Lecce, Italy and graduated in piano from the Conservatorio Tito Schipa in Lecce and in harpsichord from the Conservatorio Martini in Bologna. He voice with the great baritone Ivo Vinco and even worked with Luciano Pavarotti. In 2003, he won the Mattia Battistini International Competition and his singing career took off from there.

Vittorio Prato sings "Elle m'aime" from Werther with Rocio Ignacio as Sophie:



Vittorio Prato in Act 3 of Werther with Anna Bonitatibus:



We couldn't find Prato performing anywhere for the remainder of this year, but in May 2012, Prato can be seen as Osman in Rameau's "Les Indes Galantes" at the Théâtre du Capitole in Toulouse. The production also includes fellow barihunk Thomas Dolié as Adario and will be conducted by Christophe Rousset. Visit their website for additional cast and performance information.

Thomas Dolié

Don't forget to order your 2012 Barihunks calendar. Click HERE to order. All proceeds go to support young artists and young artist programs. It's a great gift and an easy way to support our next generation of baritones. You can read more about our calendar at this previous post.

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"The Hot Pole" Debuts as Don Giovanni TONIGHT at Met Opera

Mariusz Kwiecien backstage

The biggest barihunk news story of the season comes to a head tonight when Polish barihunk Mariusz Kwiecien steps on stage at the Metropolitan Opera.  The sexy singer suffered a herniated disk about two weeks ago and missed opening night of 'Don Giovanni,' devastating New York fans who had yet to see him in his most famous role.

There are still a limited number of seats available. Visit the Met website for ticket availability. Also in the cast are fellow barihunks Luca Pisaroni and Joshua Bloom.

Here is a video of him preparing for tonight's performance:



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Erwin Schrott Interview & the Baritone Renaissance

Erwin Schrott talking about his life and opera

Erwin Schrott has become one of the most popular singers in opera along with his wife soprano Anna Netrebko. He is currently singing Figaro at the Opera National de Paris' production of "Le Nozze di Figaro" where he took time out to talk about his new CD Rojotango, future roles (many devilish), his vocal chords, burning out on Don Giovanni (for awhile) and juggling a career and a relationship. In July, Schrott and Netrebko will be back on stage together for a concert with the Cologne Philharmonic Orchestra.

We continue to delight in the "Golden Age of Baritones" which Schrott is a major part of with his sold out performances, benefit concerts and best selling CDs. He joins a long list of baritones who are releasing critically acclaimed recordings, including Daniel Okulitch's performance of American composers, Rene Pape's upcoming release of Wagner, Peter Mattei's performance of the greatest baritone arias, Dmitri Hvorostovsky and Sandra Radvanovsky's thrilling Verdi duets recording,  and Randal Turner's concert of American composers, which includes two baritone world premieres.

Publicity shot for Rojotango

Schrott has become almost the unofficial leader of the baritone renaissance, with his savvy public relations skills, high profile benefits, movie star good looks and scintillating stage performances. It has probably been 50 years since baritones have dominated the world stage as they do today, when Ezio Pinza, Ettore Bastianini, Tito Gobbi, Robert Merrill and Cesare Siepi were considered major audience draws and were prominently marketed by opera companies. Schrott has excelled in the territory that was previously left for sopranos, using sex appeal as a marketing tool. It appears that even the "3 Tenors" phenomenon is giving way to baritones, as recordings like Paulo Szot's "South Pacific" seem to be dominating the "crossover" charts. 



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NIcholas Nelson for "Abercombie & Fitch"?

Nicholas Nelson

Seven months ago we introduced readers to Minnesota native Nicholas Nelson and his sexy abs. He was performing at the Central City Opera at the time and we've been waiting for an excuse for a follow up post.

When we first saw these pictures, we thought they were from an Abercombie & Fitch catalogue. If there is any question left in anyone's mind that singers are taking better care of their bodies these days, these pictures should dispel those thoughts.

Fans of the young singer Nelson can see him at the Portland Opera in the double bill of Ravel's L'heure Espagnole and L'enfant et les sortilèges. He will be performing as the Armchair and the Tree. Performances will run from April 1-9. He also just finished singing the Mandarin in Turandot with the company.

From August 12-20 he will be performing Alidoro in Opera North's Cenerentola.


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A Mel Ulrich Comeback?

Mel Ulrich as Stanley in Previn's "A Streetcar Named Desire"

One of our greatest regrets at this site is that Mel Ulrich retired from opera just as we were launching. There is no doubt that he would have been a regular on this site and extremely popular. He was one of our first posts and people still send us emails about him, but there has been nothing new to report.

That's why we were thrilled when we received a message that Mel Ulrich was performing in Graham, Texas. It may be a long way from San Francisco where he performed with Anna Netrebko in the Merola Opera program and then burned up the mainstage there and elsewhere with his searingly sexy performances.

We're not sure if this a comeback, but we know that the opera world would eagerly welcome his return.

Graham, Texas is about 90 miles northwest of Ft. Worth, so if you're in the area on Monday, January 10th. The concert is at the Graham Memorial Auditorium at 7:30 PM and will feature American music. We hear that the town also has an airport.

Here are a few tidbits about the singer:

• Born in Aibonito, Puerto Rico
• Among the places that Ulrich performed were the Seattle Opera, San Francisco Opera Lyric Opera Cleveland, New York City Opera and the Metropolitan Opera.
• His final performances took place in 2007 at the Los Angeles Opera in Kurt Weill’s “Mahagonny” opposite Patti LuPone and Audra McDonald.
• He retired to Graham to spend more time with his family.

Ulrich as a Merola student (L) and backstage in Puerto Rico (R)

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Nathan Gunn Talks About His Legs (and other things)

Nathan Gunn: Insecure about his legs?

Albert Imperato's classical music blog "The Ecstatic Living Room" has 20 questions (actually 21) for barihunk Nathan Gunn. You'll learn about his favorite music, his devotion to his kids and what makes him insecure about his legs. Of course, from looking at this picture we can't find much to be insecure about it. Check out his answers HERE.

Gunn has consistently remained one of the most viewed singers on this site since its inception and for good reason.

As we've reported, Gunn will be reprising his definitive Papageno at the Metropolitan Opera from December 21-January 3. Click HERE for ticket and performance information.

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Erwin Schrott Switches Teams

A Decca Promotional Shot of Erwin Schrott

Barihunk Erwin Schrott aka "Hot Schrott" is switching his recording label from Decca to Sony Classical.

The Uruguayan singer has signed an “exclusive, long-term agreement” with Sony Classical and will release his first CD in April 2011. The recording will feature music from his native South America, and include tangos by Astor Piazzolla, Pablo Ziegler and Juan Carlos Coblan, as well as songs from Argentina and Brazil.

Next year will feature a heavy dose of Mozart, as he sings Leporello and Figaro at Salzburg, Don Giovanni in Berlin and the Count in Vienna.

Keep in mind that we're still posting Messiah's where barihunks are performing. Send us your listing to Barihunks@gmail.com.

Hunkenfest 2010: Kwiecien and Borowitz Together

Lukasz Borowitz & Mariusz Kwiecien

Mariusz "the Hot Pole" Kwiecien is teaming up with the equally hunky conductor Lukasz Borowitz for a concert of Rossini, Mozart, Verdi, Borodin, Tchaikovsky and Mussorgsky. The concert is slated for November 25 at Smetana Hall in Prague

The 34-year-old conductor studied with Ivan Fischer and has led the Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra since 2007. He has not made his U.S. or U.K. debut as of this date. Click HERE to read an interview with Borowitz discussing his collaboration with the internationally acclaimed baritone. 

Click HERE to purchase tickets.

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"Teddy Bare" Down Under

Teddy Tahu Rhodes - Baritone Bad Boy - Streeetcar,Don Giovanni etc from EXERO HDTV on Vimeo.

Opera Australia has just announced that "Teddy Bare," aka Teddy Tahu Rhodes, will be returning to the company as Escamillo in their production of Carmen. Rhodes will perform on January 15, 18,24 and February 1 and then turn over his Torreador's outfit to Shane Lowrencev.

The video is an extended interview with Rhodes, who talks about his singing career, his admiration for Dame Kiri te Kanawa, his worst experience on stage (which involved a horse), American vs. European audiences, and why he's glad that composers like Jake Heggie are writing new operas.

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Forget LeBron James, The Action is at the Cleveland Opera

Like many arts organizations, Opera Cleveland is facing challenging financial times. So we feel it is incumbent upon us to support their efforts, especially when it includes operas with barihunks and sexy marketing campaigns.

Of course, few operas scream for a hot ad campaign more than Bizet's Pearl Fishers and Opera Cleveland doesn't disappoint.  They've also cast two barihunks: Michael Todd Simpson as Zurga and Ben Wager as Nourabad.

Performances will run from September 23 through September 26. 

As an aside, it should be noted that the term "barihunk" came into common usage after tenor William Burden and barihunk Nathan Gunn performed the Pearl Fishers shirtless and forever changed opera. Here is a clip of the two men performing the famous duet in Philadelphia in 2004.

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New Photos of Vittorio Prato

The stunningly handsome Vittorio Prato is currently performing in Ennio Porrino's opera "I Shardana (Gli uomini dei Nuraghi)" at the Teatro Lirico di Cagliari. There are two performances remaining on Febraury 19 and 21.

UPDATE: We received a message that Prato is Dijon performing Belcore in Donizetti's "L'Elisir d'Amore" rather than performing in "I Shardana" in Cagliari, despite what their website says.

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Barihunks Showing Some Skin

At Barihunks we celebrate the beautiful men who grace our operatic stages. There is nothing sexier than Erwin Schrott or Mariusz Kwiecien ripping his shirt off in "Don Giovanni." Or who can blame Carmen for dumping Don Jose when Kyle Ketelsen struts out on the state as Escamillo. There are few things on the stage hotter than Matthew Worth in "Rape of Lucretia," Simon Keenlyside or Nathan Gunn in Billy Budd, or Daniel Okulitch baring everything in "The Fly." So we decided to showcase a bunch of the hottest barihunks around in one post.

One thing that we've noticed about our readers is that they like to see a little skin once in awhile. So here are some of the dreamiest barihunks showing off their goods onstage and offstage.

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TOM CORBEIL IN Haydn’s "L’isola disabitata AND LAURENT ALVARO IN "The Fly"

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TOM FORDE, SIMON KEENLYSIDE & MICHAEL RICE

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JONATHAN KIMPLE & PAUL LAROSA

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CALE OLSON ON THE L/R & JOHN CHEST (CENTER)

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ANDREW GARLAND & ANDREA CONCETTI

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Schrott & Kaufmann in La Scala's Carmen

Barihunks receives a lot of mail asking why we don't post more tenors or why we aren't adding more content to the Hunkentenors site. This video is a good opportunity to remind people that this site is dedicated to baritone hunks, hence "bari" hunks. Also, we have nothing to do with Hunkentenors and we've been equally disappointed that the site is never updated.

So for all of you tenor fans, here is the stunningly sexy hunkentenor Jonas Kaufman with one of our three most popular barihunks, Erwin Schrott. This video is from the December 7, 2009 performance of Carmen at La Scala, which included three barihunks.

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Hot Schrott Featured in Italian Vanity Fair

[Click on photos to enlarge]



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Teddy Tahu Rhodes in Cincinnati

This may be the longest period of time that we've gone without a post of Teddy Tahu Rhodes. We never did find any juicy pictures of his Billy Budd in Santa Fe, but we're encouraged by the fact that he has plenty of barihunk roles on his schedule. He is performing Escamillo at The Met and in Munich, as well as Stanley Kowalski in A Streetcar Named Desire at the Sydney Opera.

The pictures from Cincinnati show him with a full head of blonde hair that makes his philandering all the more believable. Tonight is the last performance. Go to www.cincinnatiopera.org for ticket information.

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Armide in the Raw

The reputation of directors working in German opera companies is beyond mockery. Their obsession with sex, fetishism and leather, and their penchant for shock value is a running joke in opera circles. I'm beginning to wonder what type of psychological damage WW II created on the German psyche.

Spanish director Calixto Bieito has taken it to another level with his production of Gluck's "Armide" at the Komische Oper in Berlin. I'm not quite sure what to make of this production, which is usually about vengeance, magic, love, fulfillment and abandonment.

Bieito has made it about sex, obsession and more sex. One German paper called it porno-opera. I'm not certain who is in these pictures, but I think that the naked guy is tenor Peter Lodahl. I've got to believe that one of those bare butts or danglers is a baritone, so these photos have earned a spot on Barihunks.

Enjoy.

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Hunky Hercules

[Photos courtesy of Ruth Walz, Netherlands Opera]

There is something about the story of Ercole (Hercules) that just seems like it was made for Barihunks. Unfortunately, Vivaldi's version, Ercole su'l Termodonte, was written for a tenor. The performances from Italy are already legendary because of hunkentenor Zachary Stains protracted periods of full-frontal nudity. (It's on video). We have no objection to hunky Zachary, but there are just so many more barihunks who could do this role justice!

Now the Netherlands Opera has produced Cavalli's version, Ercole amante, and it looks like a riot. It may be the one production that I regret missing this year and I hope that Cavalli's version joins the Vivaldi version on DVD. Don't miss the teaser video that I posted, as it is quite entertaining.

Barihunk Luca Pisaroni plays Hercules to its campiest extreme. The review from Opera Today, described the performance brilliantly:

I had never personally imagined mythical Hercules as a WWF Wrestler-cum-Caveman but damn if Dutch National Opera's staging of Francesco Cavalli's Ercole Amante didn't almost persuade me it could be so.

For shortly into their thoroughly entertaining mounting of this 17th Century rarity, our leading bass-baritone morphed from a Louis Quatorze persona into a quasi-cartoonish hero by strapping on muscled legs, arms and torso (think: comic Ninja Warrior padded outfits), stringy blond wig, and knee high black platform boots. Oh, yeah, and brandished a Flintstone style club.

Luca Pisaroni gave a consistently animated impersonation as Ercole (Hercules), narcissistically mugging, and grimacing orgasmically enough that he may have a future in porn should his skyrocketing international opera career stall. He clearly relished the goof on contemporary hero worship, and all the while sang most mellifluously and, when required, forcefully.

Maybe Jake Heggie and Terence McNally can team up for a modern version of Hercules. Then again, Heggie is working on an opera called "Moby Dick," which depending on the subject matter could be a lot more interesting. If it's not about the whale, Barihunks suggests casting Mariusz "The Hot Pole" Kwiecien. See our
"Guess the crotch" feature: http://barihunks.blogspot.com/2008/05/guess-crotch.html

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Teddy Bare Days Away From "Barber" Debut

[Photo from NY City Opera]

Rehearsals are underway for Teddy Tahu Rhode's debut in Samuel Barber's glorious Antony and Cleopatra. Here is a photo Teddy Bare hot as ever in a tee shirt during rehearsals.

Playbill describes him as the "...strapping 6-foot-5 baritone from New Zealand," while the City Opera website describes him as, "...a striking baritone from New Zealand." Clearly, we're not the only ones who find it tough to write about Teddy Bare without talking about his stunning good looks. Of course, this is a concert performance, so Barihunks fans will have to focus on the music. If you haven't heard this opera before, it is absolutely ravishing. Here are the words to the duet between Cleopatra and Antony. Cleopatra will be portrayed by the dramatically intense Lauren Flanigan. This should be a highlight of the night.

Antony and Cleopatra

Oh take, oh take, those lips away
That so sweetly were forsworn

Cleopatra

And those eyes, like break of day.
Oh lights that do mislead the morn.
But my kisses bring again.
Seals of love, though seal'd in vain.

Antony

Hide, oh hide, those hills of snow,
Which they frozen blossom bears,
On whose tops the pinks that grow
Are those that April wears.
But first set my poor heart free.
Bound in those ivy chains be thee.

For ticket information, click here: http://www.carnegiehall.org/article/box_office/events/evt_12457.html?selecteddate=01162009

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Simon Keenlyside: Sexiest Count Ever in "Le Nozze di Figaro"?

Three things about Simon Keenlyside's Count in Marriage of Figaro:
1. He actually looks good in 18th century garb.
2. He is virile, sexy and even a bit edgy. Watch his facial expression at the end.
3. He sounds incredible.

If I were the girls in this household, I'd watch my knickers.

BTW, he's singing "Hai gia vinta la causa."

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Happy Birthday, Erwin Schrott

[Pictured with his wife soprano Anna Netrebko on a holiday card from http://anna-netrebko.blogspot.com]

Uber-Barihunk Erwin Schrott turns 36 today and this site would like to wish him a Happy Birthday! Erwin, if you're honoring the old tradition of a birthday spanking, I think we have plenty of volunteers.

Also, in the Bradelina tradition, we're now dubbing you and your wife Schrottko.

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