Photos from Martin Achrainer's "Le Grand Macabre"

Martin Achrainer in "Le Grand Macabre" in Vienna

Back in August we mentioned that Austrian barihunk Martin Achrainer was going to appear in Györgi Ligeti's masterpiece "Le Grand Macabre" at the Neue Oper Wien.  The opera has opened to rave reviews and, lo and behold, we once again find Achrainer showing off his amazing physique.

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.

More shirtless shots of Martin Achrainer from "Le Grand Macabre"

There are performances remaining on October 6 and 7. Visit the Neue Oper Wien website for additional information or tickets. After he wraps up in Vienna, Achrainer will perform a concert entitled "Mir bleiben alle treu" ("I remain faithful to all") at the Casino Kitzbühel in Austria on October 14.

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.

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:

<iframe width="419" height="213" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/qN7Tl2Sxd6Q" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen>iframe>

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.

Contact us at Barihunks@gmail.com