Polish bass-barihunk Daniel Miroslaw joins Glyndebourne's La traviata

Daniel Miroslaw

Polish bass-barihunk Daniel Miroslaw will be appearing in two of the Glyndebourne Festival operas this season, beginning on June 12th when he takes over as Doctor Grenvil from Henry Waddington in Verdi's La traviata. The cast also includes Kristina Mkhitaryan as Violetta in her Glyndebourne debut, Zach Borichevsky as Alfredo Germont and Igor Golovatenko as Giorgio Germont. Miroslaw will also be performing on June 16 and 19.

You can see Glyndebourne's 2014 of La traviata with the thrilling tenor Michael Fabiano from June 8-15 by clicking HERE.

Daniel Miroslaw sings "It's just another Rumba":

On June 25, he takes the stage as Truffaldino in Richard Strauss' Ariadne auf Naxos with fellow barihunk Björn Bürger as Harlequin. The cast also includes the legendary baritone Sir Thomas Allen as the Music Master, soprano Lise Davidsen in the title role, tenor AJ Glueckert as Bacchus and Erin Morley as Zerbinetta. Performances run through July 27.

Miroslaw is a member of the Frankfurt Opera, where he's slated to sing a number of roles this season, including Eustazio in Handel's Rinaldo, Ferrando in Verdi's Il Trovatore and Sparafucile in Verdi's Rigoletto.  In April 2018, he will be making his debut at the Municipal Theatre of Santiago singing a title role in Mozart’s Don Giovanni.

Last chance to watch Duncan Rock's shirtless Tarquinius

Duncan Rock in The Rape of Lucretia

This is your last chance to watch the broadcast of the Glyndebourne Festival Opera's production of Britten's The Rape of Lucretia, as it ends at midnight GST on August 16th. The opera stars über-barihunk Duncan Rock as Tarquinius, who sings are ravishing "Within this frail crucible of light." He also gets a chance to show off his amazing gym-toned body! Richard Fairman in the Financial Times described Duncan Rock's Tarquinius as "Schwarzenegger-like."

Duncan Rock in The Rape of Lucretia

The Rape of Lucretia was first performed at Glyndebourne in 1946. It tells the story of Lucretia, who is raped by the tyrant Tarquinius Superbus, ruler of Rome. Unable to live with the shame, Lucretia  commits suicide. The action of the opera is commented on throughout by a Male and Female Chorus who occupy another dimension, at times narrating the story and at times voicing the thoughts of the different characters.

The opera was not particularly well received by audiences or critics at the time, but the chamber opera has grown in popularity in recent years, with Glyndebourne bringing it back just two years after they performed it for the Benjamin Britten centenary in 2013.  The broadcast also stars Kate Royal as the Female Chorus, Allan Clayton as the Male Chorus, Matthew Rose as Collatinus, Michael Sumuel as Junius, Christine Rice as Lucretia, Catherine Wyn-Rogers as Bianca and Louise Alder as Lucia.

Duncan Rock in The Rape of Lucretia

Duncan Rock can next be seen at the English National Opera singing Marcello in Puccini's La bohème from October 16-November 10. He's returning to the U.S. in April to sing Billy Bigelow in Carousel at the Houston Grand Opera with Stephanie Blythe as Nettie Fowler and Andrea Caroll as Julie.

Did you know that Duncan Rock started his musical career playing the bagpipes, and that he also played basketball as well as the bass?

The final Glyndebourne stream on the Telegraph website for 2015 will be the new production of Donizetti's Poliuto beginning on Sunday, August 16th with tenor Michael Fabiano (and it's not to be missed!). 

Watch Ildar Abdrazakov in Richard Tucker Gala

Ildar Abdrazakov

If you missed the broadcast of the Richard Tucker Gala on PBS a few days ago, you can still watch it online. Barihunk Ildar Abdrazakov is one of the featured performers, singing “Infelice!..e tuo credevi” from Verdi's Ernani, “Là ci darem la mano” from Mozart's Don Giovanni with Ingeborg Gillebo and the sextet from Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor.

Also featured on the broadcast is baritone Željko Lučić, soprano Pretty Yende, soprano Angela Meade and the thrilling tenor Michael Fabiano.

If you're in New York, make sure to check out Ildar Abdrazakov's upcoming recital. Clink on his image to the right to buy tickets.

Brandon Cedel discusses barihunks on WQXR

Brandon Cedel in a lovely tee shirt

Barihunk Brandon Cedel, whose career is on the steady ascent, joined some operatic royalty on WQXR's show with Naomi Lewin. The AVA graduate and winner of the 2013 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions joined legendary soprano Renata Scotto, superstar tenor Michael Fabiano and fellow Richard Tucker Grant award winner Jennifer Johnson Cano for a discussion and selection of music.

Watch the video HERE. At 16:30 you can hear him discuss being in the 2012 Barihunks Charity Calendar.

He'll be performing at the Metropolitan Opera in Shostakovich's Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk opening on November 10 and Verdi's Don Carlos next March.  In the Summer of 2015, he heads to the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis where he will be performing in Handel's rarely produced Richard the Lionhearted. Fans on the West Coast can catch him with the Los Angeles Philharmonic in Beethoven's Missa Solemnis under the baton of Michael Tilson Thomas on January 9 and 10.

Maltmann and Szot star in Met Fledermaus

Paulo Szot, Christopher Maltmann & Patrick Carfizzi (L-R) Photo by Joseph Marzullo/WENN

Two of the most prominent and beloved barihunks in the world will appear onstage together when the Metropolitan Opera's new production of Johann Strauss' Die Fledermaus opens on New Year's Eve. Paulo Szot wil perform the role of Dr. Falke and Christopher Maltmann will be Eisenstein.

The cast also features an amazing blend of talent from the worlds of opera and Broadway. Opera is represented by sopranos Jane Archibald as Adele, Susanna Phillips as Rosalinde, Paulo Szot, Anthony Roth Costanzo as Prince Orlofsky, Michael Fabiano as Alfred and Patrick Carfizzi as Frank. Broadway is represented by Danny Burstein (South Pacific, Golden Boy) as Frosch and Betsy Wolfe (The Last Five Years) as Ida. According to the Met site, "the action is moved to turn-of-the-century Vienna, an elegant, opulent setting with echoes of Gustav Klimt’s glittering paintings and of Sigmund Freud’s newly fashionable ideas."

Paul Armin Edelmann sings "Brüderlein und Schwesterlein" 

Die Fledermaus features a new book by Tony Award nominee Douglas Carter Beane (The Nance, Cinderella) with staging by Tony Award nominee Jeremy Sams (Amour, Noises Off). 

The sold out December 31st performance will be broadcast live on Metropolitan Opera Radio on SIRIUS XM Channel 74. Tickets for the remaining performances are available online.

Rumor Mill: Kwiecien & Florez to Perfom "Pearl Fishers"

Juan Diego Florez & Mariusz Kwiecien sharing the stage?

The hottest rumor floating around the internet is that two of the hottest singers in opera are pairing up for opera's classic shirtless duet. If rumors are true, barihunk Mariusz Kwiecien will be teaming up with heartthrob tenor Juan Diego Florez for a run of Bizet's "Les pecheurs de perles" (The Pearl Fishers" at the Las Palmas de Gran Canaria off the coast of Africa. The run is rumored to start on June 18, 2012 and appears on Florez's calendar as well as soprano Patrizia Ciofi's website, but with very few details.

We will be following this story with great interest.

UPDATE: The Pearl Fishers' cast at Las Palmas in June 2012 will be: Patricia Ciofi (Leila), Juan Diego Florez (Nadir), Vasily Ladyuk (Zurga)


The Pearl Fishers' cast at Teatro Real Madrid (concert version) in March 2013 will be : Patricia Ciofi (Leila), Juan Diego Florez (Nadir), Mariusz Kwiecien (Zurga)

Matthew Polenzani & Mariusz Kwiecien sing "Au fond du temple saint" 

from The Pearl Fishers: 

Since we've featured a tenor today, we have to admit that tenor Michael Fabiano looks pretty barihunk-ish as a sex-crazed Duke of Mantua at the Florida Grand Opera.

Nadine Sierra & Michael Fabiano

CONTACT US AT Barihunks@gmail.com