Robin Adams in sexually charged Quartett at Liceu

Robin Adams and Allison Cook in Quartett

Barihunk Robin Adams is singing Luca Francesconi's two-person opera Quartett along with soprano Allison Cook a the Liceu Opera Barcelona. The opera is a re-reading of Heiner Müller's play based on Les liaisons dangereuses and reflects on the decadence of certain classes of society.

The libretto revolves around two ex-lovers who get caught up in a game of seduction that can only end in death. The Marquise de Merteuil challenges the Viscomte de Valmont to seduce her niece Cécile, who is a virgin, but he opts instead to lead Madame de Tourvel, a faithful wife, astray.

Francesconi’s score calls for a massive sound design, and demands two distinct orchestras – one of which is pre-recorded and electronically treated, the sound sent flying over the heads of the audiences.

The composer once said of this piece, "Don’t dare to come if you can't accept that you need to analyse what you do and who you are. This piece is violent, it’s sex, it’s blasphemy, it’s the absence of mercy. The only two characters in the opera are the definition of cynical, they have made a pact that they don’t have to love any more. Love and sentiment are banned, the only thing that’s left and that matters is a kind of chess game with people's souls and bodies. So don’t come if you have problems in your relationship, you might discover something you might not want to! But do dare to come if you can face the reality of how dried up your heart is, how little space there is in your feelings for anything that doesn’t come from being self-defensive, from being totally scared by the world. We are prisoners of our fears. That’s the real last message of this piece, that we can no longer hide our problems – and that we shouldn’t."

The opera runs through March 3rd and tickets are available online.

Rub-a-dub-dub, a barihunk in a tub

Robin Adams shirtless as Onegin

The last time we featured English barihunk Robin Adams on the site, he was performing a shirtless Eugene Onegin in Bern, Switzerland. Adam's Onegin stalked Tatiana around the stage like a crazed sexual predator. His performance was critically acclaimed and added a thrilling element to the opera, which is usually conservatively costumed and staged.

Robin Adams shirtless as Giovanni

It appears that opergoers in the Swiss capital are in luck again, as Adams is shedding his threads for the new production of Don Giovanni at the Stadt Theatre Bern which opens on Thursday, February 24. The opera company, which sits in the large shadow that is cast by the opera in Zurich two hours down the road, always manages to put on an interesting show. They were also smart enough to use the sexy singer in their marketing materials, which caught the attention of one of our Zurich-based readers.

For additional cast and performance information, visit the Stadt Theatre Bern website.

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Robin Adams' Barechested Onegin

[Pictures of Robin Adams in Bern's "Eugene Onegin"]



A few people have recently brought English baritone Robin Adams to our attention. We can't ignore him anymore with his super-sexy performance of Tchaikovsky's "Eugene Onegin" in Bern, Switzerland. Adams spends a good deal of the opera barechested and barefoot and stalking Tatiana like a sexual predator.

Back in January 2009, we declared Mariusz Kwiecien and Dmitri Hvorostovsky as the hottest Onegin's, but Adams may give them both a run for their money. He certainly brings the same raw sexuality to the role as Kwiecien. It's also nice to see directors injecting a little heat into Onegin rather than having it performed like a Jane Austen novel. This production is also decidedly heterosexual, unlike the Brokeback Onegin that played in Munich. As wonderful as that gimmick was, it was only going to work once.

The Swiss culture site www.Art-tv.ch has a great video highlight of the opera. See the video HERE.

Here are some additional images of Robin Adams for your enjoyment:



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