First photos of KC's film noir Don Giovanni

Daniel Okulitch with Samantha Gossard (left) and Joshua Bloom (right) Photo by Cory Weaver

The Lyric Opera of Kansas City is opening its 58th season with Mozart’s Don Giovanni featuring the barihunk trio of Daniel Okulitch in the title role, Joshua Bloom as Leporello and Rhys Lloyd Talbot as Masetto. Performances are on September 26 and 30 and October 2 and 4 at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. Tickets are available online. 

The opera is being done in a film noir theme set in the mid-20th century featuring snap-brim fedoras, trench coats and dimly lit speakeasies. Seville has been replaced by the mean streets of the big city as dark shadows hide mistaken identities.

“Film noir is about seduction and about mystery, and the lead character, Don Giovanni, is about seduction and about mystery,” said Deborah Sandler, general director and CEO of the Lyric Opera. The opera is directed by Kristine McIntyre. “There’s a lot that happens in this opera that we don’t see. It’s kind of in the dark. It’s about hints. The darkness and the shadows of film noir seem to be a very good lens with which to see this opera.” 

Lyric Opera of Kansas City's Don Giovanni Photo by Cory Weaver

Okulitch has sung the title role in Portland, Vancouver, Colón, Palm Beach, New York City Opera and will reprise it in Santa Fe next season with fellow barithunks Kostas Smoriginas as Leporello and Soloman Howard as the Commendatore.

After Don Giovanni, Bloom will portray The Pirate King in Gilbert & Sullivan's The Pirates of Penzance in October at both Théâtre de Caen and Les Théâtres de la Ville de Luxembourg. Okulitch will head to the Manitoba Opera where he will sing Count Almaviva in Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro. Talbot just completed the Young Artist program at Glimmerglass where he performed the Speaker/Second Priest in Mozart's The Magic Flute and the Apparition in Verdi's Macbeth. 

Barihunk trio in Kansas City's Don Giovanni

Daniel Okulitch as Don Giovanni at NY City Opera

The Lyric Opera of Kansas City is opening its 58th season with Mozart’s Don Giovanni featuring the barihunk trio of Daniel Okulitch in the title role, Joshua Bloom as Leporello and Rhys Lloyd Talbot as Masetto. Performances are on September 26 and 30 and October 2 and 4 at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. Tickets are available online. 

The trio are also all alumni of the prestigious Merola Opera Program in San Francisco, with Daniel Okulitch taking part in 2002, Joshua Bloom in 2001 and 2003, and Rhys Lloyd Talbot in 2013 and 2014. Elizabeth Caballero, their Donna Elvira, was in the program with both Okulitch and Bloom. 

After Don Giovanni, Bloom will portray The Pirate King in Gilbert & Sullivan's The Pirates of Penzance in October at both Théâtre de Caen and Les Théâtres de la Ville de Luxembourg. Okulitch will head to the Manitoba Opera where he will sing Count Almaviva in Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro. Talbot just completed the Young Artist program at Glimmerglass where he performed the Speaker/Second Priest in Mozart's The Magic Flute and the Apparition in Verdi's Macbeth.

John Chest to debut as Billy Budd in Berlin

John Chest as Billy Budd

Anyone who has ever seen or heard barihunk John Chest, with his golden locks and golden voice, immediately thinks of him as the perfect Billy Budd. Fortunately, conductor Donald Runnicles had a chance to hear and see Chest while they were both in San Francisco. The two are being reunited at the Deutsche Oper Berlin for five performances of Benjamin Britten's masterpiece running from May 22th-June 6th. Tickets are available online.

John Chest is a recent graduate of the Opera Studio at the Bayerische Staatsoper, where he sang over eighty performances including Fiorello in Rossini's Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Schaunard in Puccini's La Bohème with Anja Harteros, Dandini in Rossini's La Cenerentola, Guglielmo in Mozart's Così fan tutte, Lovec in Dvorak's Rusalka, Petrucci in Donizetti's Lucrezia Borgia with Edita Gruberova, Bizet's Carmen with Jonas Kaufmann.

Chest is now part of the ensemble at the Deutsche Oper Berlin, where he has sung Papageno in Mozart's Die Zauberflöte, Il Conte Almaviva in Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro and Albert in Massenet's Werther.  In November, he'll return to the U.S. to perform Marcello in Puccini's La Bohème at the Washington National Opera with fellow barihunks Joshua Bloom as Colline and Steven LaBrie as Schaunard. 

Jewish Journal: Profile on (Kinda) Jewish Joshua Bloom

Joshua Bloom

[Jewish Journal] The old theater saying that there are no small parts, only small actors, can also be said for opera. Just ask Australian bass Joshua Bloom, who was in town last month to begin rehearsals as Masetto for the Los Angeles Opera production of Mozart’s “Don Giovanni.” The opera’s seven performances run Sept. 22 through Oct. 14 at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.

Masetto marks Bloom’s L.A. Opera debut. “Masetto is a small role, but a good one because you can certainly make an impression,” Bloom said during a break in rehearsal. “There are some roles where nobody remembers you, but Masetto has enough meat to it — it’s great to debut with in a major house.”

[Read the remainder of the article HERE]

Of course, Bloom opens as Masetto opposite fellow barihunk Ildebrando D'Arcangelo in Mozart's Don Giovanni at the Los Angeles Opera. Performances begin on September 22nd. Visit the website for tickets and additional information.

Martin Achrainer to star in "Le Grand Macabre"

Martin Achrainer

One of our favorite singers, Martin Achrainer, will be portraying Nekrozar in György Ligeti's Le Grand Macabre at the Neue Opera Wien. The opera will have four performances between October 2-7.

Le Grand Macabre is György Ligeti’s only opera and is based on the theater piece La Balade du Grand Macabre by Belgian author Michel de Ghelderode. Ligeti wrote the libretto with Michael Meschke setting the work in the near-apocalyptic Breughelland (a reference to Dutch painter Pieter Breughel). Although the opera has become popular in Europe, it took 26 years before it had its successful premiere in the United States at the San Francisco Opera.  That 2004 performance starred Willard White as Nekrozar and barihunk Joshua Bloom as the Black Politician. The New York Philharmonic performed the piece with Eric Owens as Nekrozarin 2010.

Martin Achrainer in Marriage of Figaro

Ligeti said of the work: “It’s an imagining of the end of the world, but very colorful, very bizarre, populated with medieval imps... It’s a Rabelaisian world, a world full of obscenities, sexual and scatological. People are constantly eating and drinking and leading a very chaotic life. It all happens in a sort of broken-down dictatorship where two opposing parties, both completely corrupt, pursue in reality the same crooked policies... It’s tragic and light-hearted at the same time…It’s not my intention to be provocative, though naturally I enjoy shocking people a bit.”

The music is a collage of sonorities with references to Beethoven’s “Eroica,” ragtime, industrial noises, jazz, and Viennese waltzes.

The next production of the opera will be at the Komische Oper in April 2013. 

CONTACT US AT Barihunks@gmail.com. Also, entries for the 2013 Barihunks Charity Calendar are due by August 31.

Ildebrando D'Arcangelo Wows Verona, Heads to L.A.

Ildebrando D'Arcangelo

Barihunk Ildebrando D'Arcangelo just completed his historic run in Mozart's Don Giovanni at the Arena di Verona. The new Franco Zeffirelli production was the first performance of the opera at that venue in ninety years. We suspect that video will pop up over the next few months from the production. Most of what is available now is rehearsal footage. We promise to post it as it becomes available, because it was a production for the ages.

Video stills from Muica with Ildebrando D'Arcangelo

Musica did a wonderful video overview of the opera that features the Italian heartthrob shirtless most of the time. There's also an interview from RAI Radio 3 in Italy with the singer. Watch it at Euronews and D'Arcangelo's interview HERE (in Italian).

In the meantime, enjoy D'Arcangelo serenading some happy Italians with  "Deh vieni alla finestra."

 Ildebrando D'Arcangelo sings "Deh vieni alla finestra" from Verona:

D'Arcangelo now takes his seductive Don to Hollywood, as he opens as the title character with the Los Angeles Opera. The three week run begin on September 22 with the adorable Masetto of Joshua Bloom. Regular readers might recall that Bloom made his successful debut in the role last Fall with a cast that includes fellow barihunks Luca Pisaroni and Mariusz Kwiecien.

For additional cast and performance information visit the Los Angeles Opera website.

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Mariusz Kwiecien Stars In Two Met HD Broadcasts

Mariusz Kwiecien as the title character of Mozart’s “Don Giovanni”

Photo: Nick Heavican/Metropolitan Opera

On Wednesday night, the Metropolitan Opera launched their latest installment of the Live in HD broadcasts to hundreds of movie theaters across the United States with Donizetti's Anna Bolena.

There are five more broadcasts and two feature barihunk mega-star Mariusz Kwiecien, who will be seen in June 27th performance of Mozart's Don Giovanni and the July 18th performance of Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor. The Don Giovanni is a barihunk lovers dream cast, as it also includes Luca Pisaroni as Leporello and Aussie Joshua Bloom as Masetto. The Lucia performance will feature Anna Netrebko and Piotr Beczala as the ill-fated lovers.

Mariusz Kwiecien and Luca Pisaroni (Leporello) in the Met's Mozart's "Don Giovanni"

Photo: Marty Sohl/Metropolitan Opera

Additional broadcasts include Anna Netrebko in Offenbach’s Les Contes d’Hoffmann on July 11th,  hunkentenor Juan Diego Flórez in Rossini’s Le Comte Ory on June 20th and Renée Fleming in Der Rosenkavalier on July 25th.

All screenings will begin at 6:30 p.m. local time. You can click HERE to find the theater closest to you.

Fans of Kwiecien should be reminded that he'll be in Santa Fe performing Karol Szymanowski King Roger from July 21 through August 14th. Check out the Santa Fe Opera website to watch Kwiecien discuss the opera or to purchase tickets.

CONTACT US AT Barihunks@gmail.com

Aussies invade England during Diamond Jubilee

Grant Doyle and Joshua Bloom

No one saw this one coming: The Aussies invaded England in the midst of the Queen's "Diamond Jubilee" and put on quite a show. Aussie barihunks Grant Doyle and Joshua Bloom took the stage at the Garsington Opera at Wormsley estate and had the crowd thinking about things other than British Royalty and Navy flyovers. 

 Grant Doyle sings "Mein Sehnen, mein Wähnen" from Korngold's "Die tote Stadt":

There are still six performances remaining between now and July 2nd. Check out the Garsington Opera website for more information. Also on the docket at Garsington is Mozart's "The Magic Flute" with barihunk Richard Latham, Vivaldi's "L'Olimiade," and Offenbach's "La Perichole."

Papageno won't be Richard Latham's first encounter with feathers

If you haven't been to Garsington and experienced opera in the lush English countryside, we highly recommend adding it to your travel itinerary.

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Barihunks Coming to Los Angeles; Listen to a Complete Performance of Verdi's "I due Foscari"

Ildebrando D'Arcangelo: Always sexy as Don Giovanni

 The Los Angeles Opera has announced their new season, which opens on September 15th with Verdi's I due Foscari, which deserves to be performed more in the United States. The baritone role of Francesco Foscari will be played by Placido Domingo. The season also includes Puccini's Madama Butterfly and Tosca, Rossini's La cenerentola and Wagner's Flying Dutchman.

Giangiacomo Guelfi sings"Eccomi solo alfine!... O vecchio cor che batti" from I due Foscari:

You can listen to the entire opera with Guelfi and the amazing Leyla Gencer here:

None of the performances have been cast with barihunks, except for the one other opera that they're performing. Of course, that would be the star barihunk vehicle Don Giovanni. Ildebrando D'Arcangelo will return to Los Angeles after a successful run last year in Cosi fan tutte. Joshua Bloom, who we just featured performing Figaro in Australia will be Masetto. Visit the L.A. Opera website for complete details.

Craig Verm & Ryan McKinny: Dream(y) casting

If you're in Los Angeles and looking for a night of barihunks, then you might want to head over to the Hollywood Bowl on August 12th for Verdi's Rigoletto under the baton of conducting wunderkind Gustavo Dudamel. The title role will be sung by baritone Zeljko Lucic, but the smaller roles are filled with barihunks including Alexander Tsymbalyuk as Sparafucile, Ryan McKinny as Monterone and  Craig Verm as Marullo.

You also want won't to miss the rising young tenor David Lomeli who is singing the Duke of Mantua. Visit the Hollywood Bowl website for tickets.

Alexander Tsymbalyuk sings Don Silvas' aria from "Ernani":

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Rising Star Joshua Bloom Featured in Opera Australia's "Marriage of Figaro"

Joshua Bloom starring at Opera Australia

We haven't featured the rising Aussie barihunk Joshua Bloom in awhile and now seems like a fitting time. Bloom is starring as Figaro in Mozart's "The Marriage of Figaro." Bloom joined the Metropolitan Opera roster to cover the role of Figaro for the internationally renowned baritone Bryn Terfel. More recently portrayed Masetto at the Met opposite two other barihunks, the Don Giovanni of Mariusz Kwiecien and the Leporello of Luca Pisaroni.

Back in his native country, he is now impressing audiences as the title character of Mozart's masterpiece. Music critic Murray Black of The Australian wrote, "Vocally, baritone Joshua Bloom was a superb Figaro, sustaining a strong sense of line and burnished timbre."

Bloom honed his skills as a member of the prestigious Merola Program and as an Adler Fellow in San Francisco. He was an impressive Don Alfonso in Mozart's Così fan tutte, but he really came to the opera world's attention in his portrayal of The Black Politician in the American premiere of Ligeti's "Le Grand Macabre" on the San Francisco Opera mainstage.

Joshua Bloom and Peter Tantsits in "Le Grand Macabre" with the NY Philharmonic:

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Performances of the "Marriage of Figaro" are running from February 10 through March 24 (Bloom performs through March 6, when Shane Lowrencev takes over the role). Visit the Opera Australia website for additional information or to purchase tickets.

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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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Mark your calendars: Christopher Herbert, Riley McMitchell & Joshua Bloom

Chris Herbert

October 17, 2011 at 1:00 PM, American barihunk Chris Herbert will perform in St. Paul's Chapel at the Trinity Wall Street Church in New York (talk about another great way to occupy Wall Street!). He will be a soloist in Bach's Cantata BWV 76, "Die Himmel erzählen die Ehre Gottes" with the Trinity Choir and Baroque Orchestra.

Here's a performance of the piece from Vienna in 1951:





Christopher Herbert performs concerts and opera throughout the United States and Europe, principally with his ensemble, New York Polyphony.  He played a prominent part of "Sing for Hope's" 2010 and 2011 Pop-Up Pianos throughout New York.  Check out the New York Polyphony website for upcoming concerts in your area. They are not to be missed!

Riley McMitchell

On November 11th, which is Canadian "Remembrance Day," barihunk Riley McMitchell will be performing the "Mass No. 2 in G major, D.167" by Franz Schubert. The performance will begin at 8 PM at the Canadian Memorial United Church at 15th and Burrard in Vancouver, B.C.

Coming soon to Barihunks: Havard Stensvold

Here is a highlight of Schubert's Mass in G major, which includes the bass Havard Stensvold, who we can assure you will be seen on Barihunks soon!




If you can't get enough of Joshua Bloom in the Met's "Don Giovanni," you're in luck. On Monday, November 28th at the Baruch Performing Arts Center in New York City, the Aussie barihunk will perform Schwanengesang by Franz Schubert, as well as songs by Tom Lehrer and Poulen'c "Le Bestiaire."

Mojca Erdmann (Zerlina), Joshua Bloom (Masetto) (Marty Sohl / Metropolitan Opera)

Joshua Bloom was a member of the Merola Program and an Adler Fellow with San Francisco Opera. In 2005 he sang Garibaldo in "Rodelinda" for the San Francisco Opera, in 2006 he made his role debut as Nick Shadow in "The Rake’s Progress" for Opera Australia under Richard Hickox and appeared in "Die Zauberflöte" and "Salome" for Santa Fe Opera. For Opera Australia he has sung Dandini, Escamillo and Mozart's Figaro and Leporello. He made his Chicago Opera Theater debut in "Béatrice et Bénédict". Engagements include Masetto ("Don Giovanni") and Truffaldino ("Ariadne auf Naxos") for the Metropolitan Opera, Alidoro and Leporello for Garsington Opera Festival, and Rodolfo ("La Sonnambula") and Figaro for Opera Australia.

Here is the great Thomas Allen singing "Le Bestiaire":



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Sexy Barihunk Trio in Met's "Don Giovanni"; Don't Miss It!

Mariusz Kwiecien: Met promo photo (L); In Krakow Giovanni (Top); From NY Times society pages (Bottom)

New York opera fans have been consumed with Anna Netrebko's portrayal of Anna Bolena and it has often overshadowed some other good offerings at the Met. Mainly, the barihunk-laden performance of Mozart's "Don Giovanni" that is running through November 11th.

Luca Pisaroni is Leporello & Joshua Bloom is Masetto

Polish barihunk Mariusz Kwiecien, one of the world's greatest and most dramatically interesting Don Giovanni's is leading the cast. If you haven't seen "The Hot Pole" perform this role, then you haven't seen the opera. He brings an intensity and sexual energy to the role that few others have ever mustered. His sidekick is another regular from this site, Italian barihunk Luca Pisaroni. The bumpkin Masetto is performed by Australian barihunk Joshua Bloom, who would make one wonder why Zerlina would even think about being unfaithful. Visit the Metropolitan Opera website for additional dates and performance information.

Here is a Met Opera preview from WQXR's great program Operavore. It starts with Anna Netrebko and includes her singing Anna Bolena's "Mad Scene," but later in the video you'll be treated to Luca Pisaroni singing Leporello's Catalogue Aria [At 43:30 minute mark].



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Teddy Tahu Rhodes Redux & More Barihunk Mozart

Teddy Tahu Rhodes as Don Giovanni

It's not often that we feature a singer two days in a row, but (A) it's a slow news day, and (B) why would we pass up an opportunity to post more pictures and a video of Teddy Tahu Rhodes?

Teddy Tahu Rhodes' return as the title character in Don Giovanni is big news in Australia, where his career was launched as the Don and Joseph de Rocher in "Dead Man Walking."



If you love Mozart then Opera Australia should be your destination in 2012. They are also performing the Magic Flute, Marriage of Figaro and Cosi fan tutte. All of the opera include barihunks, including Joshua Bloom, Luke Gabbedy and Sam Dundas.

Luke Gabbedy (L), Sam Dundas (C) & Joshua Bloom (R)

Visit the Opera Australia website for additional cast and performance information.

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Who is the hottest Aussie Barihunk?

The death of Dame Joan Sutherland reminded us that Australia has a long tradition of producing amazing operatic talent. Names like Joan Hammond, Frances Alda, Marjorie Lawrence, Nellie Melba and Yvonne Minton jump immediately to mind. Australia also produced one of the greatest baritones ever, John Brownlee, who you can hear here:



Our recent post of Sam Roberts-Smith also reminded us that we've featured some major barihunks from Down Under. Although we find them all hot, we're wondering who you think is the hottest hunk from Down Under. Check out the photos and vote in the box to your right.

Simon Lobelson

Hadleigh Adams

Joshua Bloom

Sam Roberts-Smith

Laurence Meikle

Grant Doyle

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Zachary Gordin in "A Night of Barihunks"

Zachary Gordin is new to our site and he's part of what we're calling "A Night of Barihunks" at the Oakland East Bay Symphony on November 13th. The former countertenor will be joining barihunks Brian Leerhuber and Joshua Bloom in a night of operatic scenes (including tenors and sopranos, as well).

Bloom and Leerhuber have both appeared on this site before. Leerhuber was featured for his amazing chest and Gordin gives him some serious competition in that category. These are two guys who need to be featured in the shirtless barihunk roles that provide this site with content (i.e. - Pearl Fishers, Rape of Lucretia, Don Giovanni and Billy Budd).

Gordin has recently performed with the Oakland East Bay Symphony in a concert performance of “Otello." In August, he appeared as Wagner in “Faust” with the Festival Opera in Walnut Creek. If you miss him in "A Night of Barihunks," you can see him portray Enrico in “Lucia di Lammermoor” with North Bay Opera in March 2010.

We hope to see a lot more of Gordin in the future.

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Quirijn de Lang Caught With His Shirt On

We've featured Quirijn de Lang on this site three time before, but this is the first time with his shirt on! He's still sexy as the fully clothed Dandini in Rossini's La Cenerentola at Garsington Opera. The opera also features barihunk Joshua Bloom as Alidoro, so this production is a true feast for the eyes. For some reason pictures of Bloom are really difficult to find (is anyone at Askonas Holt listening?).

There are still two peformances left: http://www.garsingtonopera.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=12&Itemid=32. If you want to see our previous post of de Lang, click here: http://barihunks.blogspot.com/search?q=quirijn.

This site can be contacted at barihunks@gmail.com

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More Kwiecien; Barihunk Fest awaits

The third picture from the top is the latest hot photo of The Hot Pole Mariusz Kwiecien singing his signature role of Don Giovanni in London. The photo second from the top is allegedly from Canada. The article accompanying the center photo has Kwiecien quoted as saying that he did an "uncomfortable" photo shoot with the Polish version of Cosmoplitan magazine. I googled like crazy, but couldn't find the photo. I even tried the Polish sites and was that an adventure. What some people will do to get a photo of a Hot Pole.

Speaking of Don Giovanni, I'm back on U.S. soil after listening to some Puccini in his home town of Lucca and I'm off to the Metropolitan Opera on Saturday for the barihunk fest with Erwin Scrott, Ildebrando d'Arcangelo [top photo] and Joshua Bloom.