Barihunk Geoffrey Hahn will perform in Dichterliebe: POETLOVE, a 27-minute cinematic adaptation of Schumann's song cycle at the new Steinway Hall in Manhattan on Thursday, November 10th.
POETLOVE is a musical short film harnessing the power of art song, but set in modern day New York. Like Schumann's cycle, it tells the story of a young man who falls hopelessly in love, in this case it's a Bushwick-based performer, Amalia -- before spiraling into a manic-depressive state from her rejection. By confronting his demons and putting his story into songs, he's able to reemerge and move forward, older and stronger.
POETLOVE was shot largely in Williamsburg, with additional shooting throughout the city and in New Hampshire, and is told entirely through the Heine/Schumann songs from the cycle. The piece is performed in a new English translation and features Kerri Sohn as Amalia.
Since its premiere in March 2016, the film's had considerable success on the festival circuit, winning prizes at the Geneva and Hong Kong Arthouse Film Festivals, and playing at festivals around the country and in Asia.
California native Geoffrey Hahn is new to this site. He's currently pursuing his Master's degree in voice on a full
scholarship from Rice University's Shepherd School of Music, where he
recently performed the role of Demetrius in Britten's A Midsummer Night's Dream and will be singing Sam in their upcoming performance of Bernstein's Trouble in Tahiti.
Our 2017 Barihunks in Bed calendar is now on sale, which celebrated our 10th Anniversary. You can purchase your own copy by clicking on the LULU button.
Canadian barihunk
Elliot Madore, who has been singing primarily in Europe since becoming part of the ensemble at the Zurich Opera, will be returning to North America for two recitals. Madore studied at Curtis and was a Gerdine Young Artist with the Opera Theatre of St. Louis.
On March 15th, he'll appear with the Baldwin Wallace Art Song Festival outside of Cleveland before heading to his native Canada for a March 26th recital with Music Toronto. He will perform Robert Schumann’s
Balsatzar, op. 57, followed by Schumann’s Liederkreis, op. 39, a song
cycle on poems by Joseph von Eichendorff; Francis Poulenc’s Banalités,
on poems by Guillaume Apollonaire; and five Charles Ives songs - The
Circus Band, Ich grolle nicht, The Side Show, Tom Sails Away and
Memories.
After his brief North American tour, he returns to Europe to perform Debussy's Pélleas et
Mélisande with the Croatian National Opera in Zagreb and
the Bavarian State Opera in Munich.
Emerging talent Brian Mextorf, who we introduced back in February, will be performing as part of operamission's 90-minute recital series, which occurs on the last Thursday of each month. Mextorf will perform Edvard Grieg's Six Songs, Op. 48 on April 30th in a program that also includes soprano Laura Kelleher singing Claude Debussy's Ariettes Oubliées and tenor David Kellett singing Schumann's Dichterliebe. The Grieg will be performed in its original German.
Tenor Cullen Gandy and Brian Mextorf sing the Pearl Fishers duet:
Other performances include a March 26th program featuring German songs peformed by tenor Mark Duffin, baritone Grant Youngblood, soprano Elisabeth Turchi and countertenor David Stanley. On May 28th, tenor Adam Klein will sing Schubert's Schwanengesang along with mezzo-soprano Kimberly Sogioka performing Berlioz's Les Nuits d'Été.
Tickets for the first three programs
are currently on sale for $20 online. Cabaret and conventional seating include light refreshments and opportunity to meet the artists.Conductor Jennifer Peterson accompanies at the piano and curates the programs.
First of all, we want to congratulate Matt Worth on his recent wedding and wish him and his bride a lifetime of happiness.
We also wanted to share with our readers this video of him singing Robert Schumann's most famous song cycle, Dichterliebe, Op. 48, at this year's Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival. He is joined by accompanist Shai Wosner.
The whole closely integrated song cycle traces an inner narrative, from the
initial awakening of love, through rapture, disillusion and despair to
tender regret and a final bittersweet, ironic acceptance. Heinrich Heine’s verses
are a distillation of the poet’s ultimately doomed love for two of his
cousins in Hamburg. For Schumann real life was to provide a happier
outcome. Dichterliebe can be heard as his most piercing
recreation of the fluctuating, often anguished, emotions he had
experienced during his long courtship of Clara Wieck (Schumann).
If you want to see Matt Worth live, make sure to make travel plans to Washington D.C. Worth will star as Starbuck in the highly anticipated East Coast premiere of Jake Heggie's epic Moby-Dick
at the Kennedy Center with the Washington National Opera from February
22 - March 8, 2014. Queequeg by fellow barihunk Eric Greene. Tickets go on sale
December 4, 2013 to the public and on November 25, 2013 to Kennedy
Center members.
Who gets the money for the 2014 Charity Calendar?
This year we're looking for originality on Facebook and Twitter. We'll consider any idea that involves young artists, not just young artist programs...video projects...recital ideas...you name it.
Most LIKES on Facebook and most retweets on Twitter will increase your odds of winning. (Use #Barihunks2014). Post your comments to our Facebook feed with who you should think is deserving of the a charitable contribution and why.
Christian Johann Heinrich Heine was one of the most significant German poets of the 19th century. He was also a journalist, essayist, and literary critic. He is best known outside Germany for his early lyric poetry, which was set to music in the form of Lieder by composers such as Robert Schumann and Franz Schubert. Heine's later verse and prose is distinguished by its satirical wit and irony. His radical political views led to many of his works being banned by German authorities. Heine spent the last 25 years of his life as an expatriate in Paris. [Excerpted from Wikipedia]
The first seven lieder from Robert Schumann's "Dichterliebe," set to poetry by Heinrich Heine Performed by Sanaz Sotoudeh and Philippe Sly in Pollack Hall at McGill University in 2009.
Schubert's haunting "Der Doppelgänger" from Schwanengesang sung by Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau:
Der Doppelgänger by Heinrich Heine
Still ist die Nacht, es ruhen die Gassen,
In diesem Hause wohnte mein Schatz;
Sie hat schon längst die Stadt verlassen,
Doch steht noch das Haus auf dem selben Platz.
Da steht auch ein Mensch und starrt in die Höhe,
Und ringt die Hände, vor Schmerzensgewalt;
Mir graust es, wenn ich sein Antlitz sehe -
Der Mond zeigt mir meine eigne Gestalt.
Du Doppelgänger! du bleicher Geselle!
Was äffst du nach mein Liebesleid,
Das mich gequält auf dieser Stelle,
So manche Nacht, in alter Zeit?
English Translation
The night is quiet, the streets are calm,
In this house my beloved once lived:
She has long since left the town,
But the house still stands, here in the same place.
A man stands there also and looks to the sky,
And wrings his hands overwhelmed by pain:
Upon seeing his face, I am terrified--
The moon shows me my own form!
O you Doppelgänger! you pale comrade!
Why do you ape the pain of my love
Which tormented me upon this spot
So many a night, so long ago?
Contact us at Barihunks@gmail.com
Only two weeks left to purchase our 2012 Barihunks Charity Calendar. Get in the holiday spirit and buy your copy today. All proceeds go to young artist programs. We named our first recipient yesterday, which is the Portland Opera Studio. Scroll down and read about this amazing program.
Dmitri Hvorostovsky: The perfect barihunk package?
The wonderful Dutch opera site Place de l'Opera recently wondered if barihunks were just sexy guys who were getting jobs because of their looks and couldn't really sing. Basia Jaworski rated seven singers that have appeared on the site and ranked them for looks and singing ability.
In her article, Jaworski also points out that many roles in opera actually require a lot of charisma and sexuality to make the role work. She also points out that the site appeals to more than gay men, which if our email is any indication is more than accurate. About half our mail and photo submissions come from women. What is interesting is how some singers seem to appeal to women and others to men, while others seem to have a more universal appeal.
Also, we pride ourselves in posting singers who not only look good, but who can sing. This is why we tend to highlight singers who are winning vocal competitions and are being hand-selected by composers to premiere their works. After all, we like our barihunks to be the complete package.
Here are her rankings. Feel free to share your thoughts in the COMMENTS section:
Erwin Schrott: Looks 9, Singing 6
Bo Skovhus: Looks 9, Singing 9
Rod Gilfry: Looks 9, Singing 9
Simon Keenlyside: Looks 9, Singing 10
Dmitry Hvorostovsky: Looks 10, Singing 10
Mariusz Kwiecien: Looks 8, Singing 7
Nathan Gunn: Looks 8, Singing 8
You can read Basia Jaworski's complete article on the Place de l'Opera website.
Bo Skovhus sings Robert Schumann's "Stille Tränen"
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.
24-year-old Ukrainian baritone Andrei Bondarenko has has won the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World Song Prize. Bondarenko bested four other young singers in the competition. Bondarenko, has been a member of the Mariinsky Academy of Young Singers since 2007.
Bondarenko sang a diverse program that included Robert Schumann and Georgi Sviridov. The Song Prize jury was chaired by John Fisher, former chief executive and artistic director of Welsh National Opera, and included Marilyn Horne, baritone Håkan Hagegård, Swedish pianist Bengt Forsberg and BBC Radio 3's Adam Gatehouse. This wasn't his first win at a major competition, he previously won the 2006 International Rimsky-Korsakov competition and took first prize at the international vocal competition "Art in the 21st Century" in Vorzel (Ukraine).
Future highlights will include his debut with the Glyndebourne Festival & Touring Opera.
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.
Gérard Souzay is one of our favorite historical hunks, so it seemed fitting that we celebrate the 201st birthday of Robert Schumann with his Dichterliebe. The song cycle, which roughly translates as "The Poet's Love," was written in 1840 and is based on the great poetry of Heinrich Heine. The very natural, almost hyper-sensitive poetical affections of the poems are beautifully mirrored in Schumann's settings, with their miniaturist chromaticism and suspensions. The poet's love is a hothouse of nuanced responses to the delicate language of flowers, dreams and fairy-tales. Schumann adapts the words of the poems to his needs for the songs, sometimes repeating phrases and often rewording a line to supply the desired cadence.
1. Im wunderschönen Monat Mai (Heine, Lyrical Intermezzo no 1). (In beautiful May, when the buds sprang, love sprang up in my heart: in beautiful May, when the birds all sang, I told you my suffering and longing.)
2. Aus meinen Tränen sprießen (Heine no 2). (Many flowers spring up from my tears, and a nightingale choir from my sighs: If you love me, I'll pick them all for you, and the nightingale will sing at your window.)
3. Die Rose, die Lilie, die Taube, die Sonne (Heine no 3). (I used to love the rose, lily, dove and sun, joyfully: now I love only the little, the fine, the pure, the One: you yourself are the source of them all.)
4. Wenn ich in deine Augen seh (Heine no 4). (When I look in your eyes all my pain and woe fades: when I kiss your mouth I become whole: when I recline on your breast I am filled with heavenly joy: and when you say, 'I love you', I weep bitterly.)
5. Ich will meine Seele tauchen (Heine no 7). (I want to bathe my soul in the chalice of the lily, and the lily, ringing, will breathe a song of my beloved. The song will tremble and quiver, like the kiss of her mouth which in a wondrous moment she gave me.)
6. Im Rhein, im heiligen Strome (Heine no 11). (In the Rhine, in the sacred stream, great holy Cologne with its great cathedral is reflected. In it there is a face painted on golden leather, which has shone into the confusion of my life. Flowers and cherubs float about Our Lady: the eyes, lips and cheeks are just like those of my beloved.)
7. Ich grolle nicht (Heine no 18). (I do not chide you, though my heart breaks, love ever lost to me! Though you shine in a field of diamonds, no ray falls into your heart's darkness. I have long known it: I saw the night in your heart, I saw the serpent that devours it: I saw, my love, how empty you are.)
8. Und wüßten's die Blumen, die kleinen (Heine no 22). (If the little flowers only knew how deeply my heart is wounded, they would weep with me to heal my suffering, and the nightingales would sing to cheer me, and even the starlets would drop from the sky to speak consolation to me: but they can't know, for only One knows, and it is she that has torn my heart asunder.) 9. Das ist ein Flöten und Geigen (Heine no 20). (There is a playing of flutes and violins and trumpets, for they are dancing the wedding-dance of my best-beloved. There is a thunder and booming of kettle-drums and shawms. In between, you can hear the good cupids sobbing and moaning.) 10. Hör' ich das Liedchen klingen (Heine no 40). (When I hear that song which my love once sang, my breast bursts with wild affliction. Dark longing drives me to the forest hills, where my too-great woe pours out in tears.) 11. Ein Jüngling liebt ein Mädchen (Heine no 39). (A youth loved a maiden who chose another: the other loved another girl, and married her. The maiden married, from spite, the first and best man that she met with: the youth was sickened at it. It's the old story, and it's always new: and the one whom she turns aside, she breaks his heart in two.) 12. Am leuchtenden Sommermorgen (Heine no 45). (On a sunny summer morning I went out into the garden: the flowers were talking and whispering, but I was silent. They looked at me with pity, and said, 'Don't be cruel to our sister, you sad, death-pale man.')13. 13. Ich hab' im Traum geweinet (Heine no 55). (I wept in my dream, for I dreamt you were in your grave: I woke, and tears ran down my cheeks. I wept in my dreams, thinking you had abandoned me: I woke, and cried long and bitterly. I wept in my dream, dreaming you were still good to me: I woke, and even then my floods of tears poured forth.)
14. Allnächtlich im Traume (Heine no 56). (I see you every night in dreams, and see you greet me friendly, and crying out loudly I throw myself at your sweet feet. You look at me sorrowfully and shake your fair head: from your eyes trickle the pearly tear-drops. You say a gentle word to me and give me a sprig of cypress: I awake, and there is no sprig, and I have forgotten what the word was.)
15. Aus alten Märchen winkt es (Heine no 43). (The old fairy tales tell of a magic land where great flowers shine in the golden evening light, where trees speak and sing like a choir, and springs make music to dance to, and songs of love are sung such as you have never heard, till wondrous sweet longing infatuates you! Oh, could I only go there, and free my heart, and let go of all pain, and be blessed! Ah! I often see that land of joys in dreams: then comes the morning sun, and it vanishes like smoke.)
16. Die alten, bösen Lieder (Heine no 65). (The old bad songs, and the angry, bitter dreams, let us now bury them, bring a large coffin. I shall put very much therein, I shall not yet say what: the coffin must be bigger than the 'Tun' at Heidelberg. And bring a bier of stout, thick planks, they must be longer than the Bridge at Mainz. And bring me too twelve giants, who must be mightier than the Saint Christopher in the cathedral at Cologne. They must carry the coffin and throw it in the sea, because a coffin that large needs a large grave to put it in. Do you know why the coffin must be so big and heavy? I will also put my love and my suffering into it).
As a bonus, here is Souzay singing Widmung. In "Widmung," Schumann confessed all of the things his beloved Clara Wieck (Schumann) was to him; his peace, angel, repose, rapture, heart, soul, grave for sorrows, better self and his heaven. In this carefully balanced arrangement of text and music, he revealed the depth of his engagement as a poet-musician. This spirited song contains a few devices which reappeared in his later works, including sweeping keyboard passages and the haunting enharmonic progression (A flat major to E flat major) to the central section. He altered the text by repeating the final verse, and these last measures contain a thoughtful instrumental effect, which eclipses the text and introduces a new motif.
Also, make sure that you check out our recent post of Austrian barihunk Markus Werba singing Schumann's "Faust."
