Barihunk Steven LaBrie will make his Tulsa Opera debut as the title character in Rossini’s “The Barber of Seville,” which opens the company’s 2018-2019 season on October 19th.
LaBrie is familiar with the opera, having first sung Fiorello at the Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia and then making his professional debut as Figaro with the Lyric Opera Baltimore in 2015. He has also performed the role with Opera Hong Kong.
Steven LaBrie sings "A tanto amor" from Donizetti's La favorita:
He'll be joined in the cast by hunkentenor Aaron Blake as Almaviva, Sarah Coburn as Rosina and Peter Strummer as Dr. Bartolo.
Upcoming performances for LaBrie include Donizetti's L'elisir d'amore with Opera Omaha on February 15 and 17 and Jake Heggie's Three Decembers with the San Diego Opera on March 8, 9 and 10 with Frederica von Stade.
Über-barihunk Gianluca Margheri will be making his role debut as the title character in Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro in St. Gallen. He opens on September 17, with additional performances on October 2, 5, 29 and November 1, 6, 8 and 25. Regular readers may recall that he created an internet sensation with his shirtless portrayal as Mozart's Don Giovanni, which we've covered extensively at Barihunks. You can listen to Margheri sing "Deh vieni alla finestra" here.
Director Nicole Claudia Weber has set the action in the mid-19th century with a society that still wears corsest, and where the erotic remains a means to an end. The opening night cast will include Nikolay Borchev as Count Almaviva, Cristina Pasaroiu as the Countess, Christina Landshamer as Susanna, Theresa Holzhauser as Cherubino and Kismara Pessatti as Marcellina. The alternate cast will feature Tomislav Lucic as Figaro. Tickets are available online.
Hunkentenor Enea Scala (we couldn't resist!)
In between his October performances, Margheri will head to the Teatro Lirico from October 14-23 to perform Count Asdrubale in Rossini's La Pietra del Paragone. He'll be joined in the cast by hunkentenor Enea Scala as the cavalier Giocondo. You can hear Enea Scala singing Rossini here.
Barihunk Erwin Schrott made his debut as Selim in Rossini's Il turco in Italia at the Rossini Festival in Pesaro. The production, which includes the all-star cast of Olga Peretyatko, Nicola Alaimo, Rene Barbera, Pietro Spagnoli, runs through August 18th.
Rossini and his librettist Romani based Il turco in Italia on an earlier libretto with the same title written by poet Caterino Mazzolà (the librettist for Mozart’s La clemenza di Tito). The plot owes much to the Italian tradition of commedia dell’arte, particularly character types, such as the cuckolded husband and the flirtatious young woman. The character of the poet Prosdocimo encourages us to treat the drama with a certain irony.
Olga Peretyatko and Erwin Schrott in Il turco in Italia
The opera all but disappeared from the repertory during the latter part of the 19th century, as Rossini fell out of fashion. It came back to public attention in October 1950, when Luchino Visconti staged a production for Maria Callas, who was keen to play a comic role. The production was so successful that the opera’s popularity grew rapidly.
Schrott's next stage appearances will be later this year in Munich, where he sings the title role in Boito's Mefistofele and Dulcamara in Donizetti's L'elisir d'amore. He returns to the Metropolitan Opera in April 2017 to sing Leporello alongside fellow barihunk Mariusz Kwiecien in Mozart's Don Giovanni.
The Zürich Opera's new production of Rossini's Il viaggio a Reims features a bit of skin as well as quartet of barihunks and an American hunkentenor. The low voices include Nahuel Di Pierro as Lord Sidney, Scott Conner as Don Profondo, Pavol Kubàn as Don Alvaro and Roberto Lorenzi as Don Prudenzio. They join hunkentenor Spencer Lang as Don Luigino. The show opened on December 6th, but has seven more performances through January 9th.
Pavol Kubàn in Viaggio (left)
Spencer Lang in Viaggio (left)
We featured Scott Conner after he won the Loren Zachary Competition (using a shirtless photo!), Nahuel Di Pierro was in a Don Giovanni post, and Kubàn was a reader submission two years ago. Roberto Lorenzi is the newcomer to this site.
Lorenzi studied at the Luigi Boccherini Institute of Musical Studies.He has been a prize winner at the Titta Ruffo and Riccardo Zandonai competitions, and took first prize in 2011 at AsLiCo’s 62nd annual competition, where he was awarded the role of Don Basilio Rossini's Il barbiere di Siviglia in Lombardy. He is a member of the Zurich International Opera Studio and debuted on the main stage as Priore in Bellini's La straniera alongside Edita Gruberova. In Zürich, he's appeared in Il barbiere di Siviglia, Il matrimonio segreto, La fanciulla del West and Rigoletto.
ONLY 11 DAYS UNTIL THE NEW YEAR! Time is running out to order your 2016 Barihunks Charity Calendar,
featuring 18 of the sexiest men in opera. ORDER TODAY by clicking HERE
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For the next four weeks you can listen to Andrew Foster-Williams in Rossini's rarely performed opera Moses in Egypt. The British baritone sang the role of the Pharaoh in this production from the Welsh National Opera.
Although not as well known as the Barber of Seville, La Cenerentola, or William Tell, Moses in Egypt is among Rossini's greatest musical achievements. First heard in Naples in 1818, Rossini's telling of the Old Testament story pulls focus between the epic and the intimate, as the story of an entire people persecuted by a cruel tyrant is juxtaposed with the forbidden love of two young people on either side of a religious divide.
The Pharaoh refuses to free the Hebrews from slavery and allow them to leave for the Promised Land. Moses, with God's help, brings down plagues on the Egyptians until eventually he and his people are freed. But Pharaoh's son, Osiris, is in love with a Hebrew girl, Elcia, and he is punished when he attempts to have Moses killed.
The Hebrews reach the Red Sea and are rescued from the pursuing Egyptians by divine intervention.
During the holiday season, you can catch Foster-Williams singing Handel's Messiah under the baton of the great contralto Nathalie Stutzmann at the Théâtre des Champs Elysées.
Don't forget that our 2015 Barihunks Charity Calendar is now on sale. You can purchase a copy by clicking the image of Donovan Singletary.
Two of the sexiest men in opera are collaborating for "D'amor sospiro" (I breathe for love) on November 27th, at the Grand Hall in St.Petersburg. Hunkentenor Maxim Mironov and barihunk Vittorio Prato will be joined by soprano Eleanor Lyons for an evening of arias and duets accompanied by the St. Petersburg State Academic Symphony Orchestra.
Prato's solo pieces will include "Hai già vinta la causa" from Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro, "Largo al factotum" from Rossini's Il barbiere di Siviglia, Belcore's aria "Come Paride vezzoso" from Donizetti's L'elisir d’amore, and Enrico's aria "Cruda, funesta smania" from Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor. The two men will join forces to sing Figaro and Count Almaviva's duet "All'idea di quel metallo" from the opera Il barbiere di Siviglia, as well as Nemorino and Belcore's duet "La donna è un animale" from the opera L'elisir d’amore. Prato will team up with Lyons to perform Norina and Malatesta's duet "Pronta io son" from Donizetti's Don Pasquale.
Tickets are available online. Vittorio Prato will be featured in this year's 2015 Viva, Italia! Barihunks Charity Calendar, which will be on sale shortly.
Ildebrando D’Arcangelo as Escamillo with Anna Netrebko
The Los Angeles Opera has announced that bass-barihunk Ildebrando D’Arcangelo is joining the cast for their performances of Bizet's Carmen, which opens their 2013/14. Performances run from September 21-October 6 and tickets are available online.
Also joining the cast as the whiny
Micaëla is South African soprano Pretty Yende, who won
first prize at 2011 Operalia competition. She is replacing Nino Machaidze, who is having her first child with barihunk Guido Loconsolo.
Ildebrando D’Arcangelo sings "Votre toast" from Carmen:
Ildebrando D’Arcangelo is currently singing the title role in Mozart's Don Giovanni at the Theater Bonn. There are two performances remaining on June June 29 and July 14. After that, much of his attention will turn to the comic roles of Rossini, with performances as Alidoro in La Cenerentola at the Vienna State Opera, Selim in Il Turco in Italia at the Bavarian State Opera and Mustafa in L'Italiana in Algeri at the Opéra national de Paris.
Last month we posted about Alex Esposito's recital at Wigmore Hall, which happened on February 5th. We now have some video, which was part of the Rosenblatt Recital series.
Alex Esposito sings Tosti's "Non t'amo più":
Alex Esposito - ROSSINI Cade dal ciglio (Mosè in Egitto)
Alex Esposito - ROSSINI Accusata di furto (La Gazza Ladra)
Esposito can next be seen performing his signature role of Leporello in Mozart's Don Giovanni a the Théâtre du capitole in Toulouse, France. The title role will be shared by barihunks Christopher Maltman and Kostas Smoriginas. Performances run from March 15-28 and tickets are available online.
Luca Pisaroni just wrapped up a critically acclaimed performance of Rossini's Maometto II in Santa Fe, adding another major success to his burgeoning career. He now heads to the Edinburgh International Festival where he will be performing a song recital.
Pisaroni will continue performing Rossini with selections from Péchés de vieillesse. The rest of the program includes Schubert’s Three Songs D902, lieder by Meyerbeer and Liszt's Petrarch Sonnets.
The entire recital can be heard live on BBC3 on August 23 at 11 AMDST/6 AM EST/3 AM PST.
A young Luca Pisaroni and getting fit for Maometto
One of the greatest opera festivals in the world is getting into full swing with the upcoming world premiere of the new critical performing edition of Rossini's foot-tapping Maometto II. The Venetian love story contains some of the Italian composers greatest music, but has somehow never entered the standard repertory, even in its reworked version Le siège de Corinthe. The last U.S. performance was the 1988 production in San Francisco, which was produced as a showcase for Simone Alaimo and June Anderson.
Pisaroni as Radamisto (Photo by Ken Howard)
Although the two best known arias are sung by the mezzo Calbo (Non temer: d'un basso affetto) and the soprano Anna (Giusto Cielo, in tal periglio), the title role is sung by a bass-baritone and contains some of Rossini's best music for low voice. Perhaps the most touching is the duet between Maometto and Anna, "Anna... tu piangi," which you can hear below.
Santa Fe has brought in one of our favorite singers, Luca Pisaroni, to sing the title role. Pisaroni has been a fan favorite at the Santa Fe Opera since his stunning debut in Handel's Radamisto in 2008.
Pisaroni discusses Maometto II:
Performances of Maometto II will run from July 14-August 16 with the new starting times of 8:00 and 8:30 PM, dropping the later 9 PM start time (for which we are grateful). Pisaroni's Anna will be the hottest new Verdi soprano on the scene, Leah Crocetto. Tickets are available on the company's website.
Samuel Ramey & Cecilia Gasdia from Pesaro in 1985:
On July 21, Pisaroni will also be performing a recital with the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival. He'll be performing Bach's Cantata No. 82, “Ich Habe Genug," BWV 82. Tickets are available online.
Rossini's comic masterpiece "La Cenerentola" and "Elektra," Richard Strauss' bloody story of revenge couldn't be more different in mood or music. However, both debuted on this day in history almost 100 years apart. La Cenerentola debuted at the Teatro Valle in Rome in 1817 and Elektra in Dresden in 1909. We thought it would be fun highlight these two great works, despite neither being known as vehicles for barihunks.
The role of Don Magnifico is usually performed by older compramario singers, but here is barihunk Jason Hardy singing "Miei rampolli femminini"
La Cenerentola actually rivaled Rossini's "The Barber of Seville" in popularity for decades before mysteriously following out of favor. It found new life during the 1960s, as a series of great mezzos began taking on the title role. In 1899, Jules Massenet had success with his opera "Cendrillon," which is also based on the Cinderella story.
Rossini's libretto actually varies substantially from the actual story, which may have contributed to its decline in popularity. In Rossini's version, the wicked stepmother is replaced by a stepfather, Don Magnifico and the Fairy Godmother is replaced by Alidoro, a philosopher, and the Prince's tutor. Cinderella is identified not by her glass slipper but by her bracelet.
Gino Quilico sings "Come un'ape ne' giorni d'aprile" from Rossini's La Cenerentola:
In the opera, the Prince of Salerno, Don Ramiro, changes places with his valet, Dandini, and then meets the girl of his dreams - Cenerentola (Cinderella). Meanwhile, Cenerentola's stepsisters, Clorinda and Tisbe, fawn over the fake prince (Dandini). When Cenerentola is left alone, weeping, the Philosopher, Alidoro, takes her (dressed in beautiful clothing) to the palace, where she is an immediate hit with everyone - including Dandini. Confusion reigns when the identity of the real Prince is revealed.
The great ensemble "Questo è un nodo avviluppato"
Richard Strauss' "Elektra" is a one-act opera set to a German-language libretto by Hugo von Hofmannsthal, which he adapted from his 1903 drama Elektra. The opera was the first of many collaborations between Strauss and Hofmannsthal. Elektra is musically complex and requires great stamina from the singers and orchestra. The role of Elektra is one of the most demanding in the dramatic soprano repertoire. Nevertheless, it solidly entrenched in the standard repertory and is certainly one of the most popular operas based on classical Greek mythology.
Nelson Eddy: The first Orest in the U.S.
The first United States performance of the opera in the original German was given by the Philadelphia Grand Opera Company at the Academy of Music in Philadelphia on October 29, 1931 with Nelson Eddy as Orest. Eddy, of course, would become one of Hollywood's biggest movie stars. However, he had a succesful career in opera before being forever remembered as Jeanette McDonald's singing partner in a series of musicals.
Nelson Eddy sings "Largo al factotum" from Rossini's Barber of Seville":
In 1924, Eddy won the top prize in a competition that included a chance to appear with the Philadelphia Opera Society. By the late 1920s, Eddy was appearing with the Philadelphia Civic Opera Company and had a repertoire of 28 operas, including Amonasro in Aida, Marcello in La bohème, Papageno in The Magic Flute, Almaviva in The Marriage of Figaro, both Tonio and Silvio in Pagliacci, and Wolfram in Tannhäuser. Eddy also performed in Gilbert & Sullivan operettas with The Savoy Company.
Leonie Rysanek as Elektra and Dietrich Fisher-Dieskau as Orest.
The plot of Elektra is based upon the great Greek tragedy of the same name by the tragedian Sophocles. The unrelenting gloom and horror that permeate the original play produce, in the hands of Hofmannsthal and Strauss, a drama whose sole theme is revenge. Klytaemnestra (Clytemnestra), helped by her paramour Aegisth (Aegisthus), has secured the murder of her husband, Agamemnon, and now is afraid that her crime will be avenged by her children, Elektra (Electra), Chrysothemis, and their banished brother Orest (Orestes).
Eberhard Wächter was a great Oreste
Elektra, who is the personification of the passionate lust for vengeance, tries to persuade her timid sister to kill Klytaemnestra and Aegisth. Before the plan is carried out, Orest, who had been reported as dead, arrives, determined upon revenge for his father's death. He kills Klytaemnestra and Aegisth; Elektra, in an ecstatic dance of triumph, falls dead in front of her horror-stricken attendants.
There is a noticeable gap in Erwin Schrott's official schedule from the time that he wraps up Mefistofele in Monte Carlo in November until his January concert in Hannover, Germany with his wife Anna Netrebko.
We've learned that the favorite opera couple of the paparazzi are headed to Netrebko's native Russia for two concerts together. They will begin at the Grand Hall of Moscow Conservatory on December 24. They will Rossini’s Stabat Mater with the State Symphony Orchestra "New Russia" under the baton of Claudio Vandelli. On December 28th they will head over to the Svetlanov Hall at the Moscow International Music House and perform with the National Philarmonic of Russia under Vladimir Spivakov.
Since we just celebrated the anniversary of the first performance of "Porgy & Bess" here is Schrottko as an unlikey couple from the opera:
The couple then heads off for their concert in Hannover, with additional stops in Mannheim, Lucerne and Stuttgart. Schrott's next stage appearance will be as "Don Giovanni" at Covent Garden from February 16-29 with our favorite Leporello, Alex Esposito.
-->Italian baritone Omar was born in Riccione, Italy and studied at the Rossini Conservatory in Pesaro. He was the winner of the 59th Concorso Europeo per Giovani Cantanti Lirici “A. Belli” in Spoleto and made his professional debut as Aeneas in Purcell's Dido and Aeneasin Pesaro in 2000.
He has performed numerous role in Rossini operas including Trombonok and Don Alvaro in Il Viaggio a Reims, Don Bartolo in Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Dandini in La Cenerentola and Haly and Taddeo in Italiana in Algeri, Don Pomponio in La Gazzetta and Raimbaud in Le Comte Ory.
He is currently performing in Mercadante's I due Figaro at the Ravenna Festival directed by Emilio Sagi. In September, he returns to Rossini in Fenice where he takes on Bartolo inIl barbiere di Siviglia.
When we saw this new photo of Italian barihunk Luca Dall'Amico we had to share it with our readers. It's too bad that his voice is suited for roles that rarely show off his physique. Luckily, we previously had the opportunity to show readers his sexy, shirtless Mustafa in Rossini's "L'italiani in algeri." His upcoming schedule is no exception.
He can next be seen this Fall at the Teatro la Fenice as Dr. Grenvil in Verdi's "La Traviata" opposite the Violetta of Patrizia Ciofi and as Don Basilio in Rossini's "Il barbiere di Siviglia," which he has recorded on DVD. Here is the trailer:
Contact us at Barihunks@gmail.com. If you haven't bought Randal Turner's new CD of American music, here is an easy way to purchase a copy or download your favorite tracks.
Juan Diego Florez & Barihunk Ildebrando d'Arcangelo
Here is a video tribute in celebration of Rossini's underperformed and underappreciated Semiramide, which premiered on February 3, 1823. Here is barihunk Ildebrando d'Arcangelo joined by Juan Diego Florez and bass Julian Konstantinov.
We can't think of a better way to start the New Year than with Luca Pisaroni singing Rossini's "La calunnia" from "Il barbiere di Siviglia."
Once again, Mozart will figure prominently on the Italian barihunk's schedule in 2011. He performs "Le nozze di Figaro" in Vienna in February and Houston in April. In July, he plays Leporello opposite fellow barihunk Ildebrando d'Arcangelo in Baden Baden.
Here are a few fun facts that you may not know about this gifted singer:
The Italian singer was actually born in Venezuela
He studied with the great Italian Verdi specialist Carlo Bergonzi
Pisaroni grew up in Verdi's hometown of Busseto, yet is known as a Mozart specialist
Doesn't plan on tackling Verdi until he's 40 (he's 35 now)
He admits to being scared of singing the title role in Don Giovanni
He has a dachshund named Tristan
He was inspired to become a singer after hearing Luciano Pavarotti sing "Nessun dorma."
Send us your hot tips, barihunk schedules or photos to Barihunks@gmail.com
When we get an email saying that someone found another video of Giorgio Caoduro shaking his booty, you know that we're going to be all over it. The word "another" is deliberate, as almost a year ago to the day, someone sent us this video of Caoduro shaking his stuff in Rossini's "Il signor Bruschino."
Here he is working his greatest asset again in another Rossini opera, "La Cenerentola."
For those of you who are more serious minded, here is a performance of the Italian barihunk singing "Sorge infausta una procella" from Handel's "Orlando."
Rossini continues to dominate his schedule next year with performances of "Il barbiere di Siviglia" scheduled in both Toulouse and Sydney.
Mariusz "the Hot Pole" Kwiecien is teaming up with the equally hunky conductor Lukasz Borowitz for a concert of Rossini, Mozart, Verdi, Borodin, Tchaikovsky and Mussorgsky. The concert is slated for November 25 at Smetana Hall in Prague
The 34-year-old conductor studied with Ivan Fischer and has led the Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra since 2007. He has not made his U.S. or U.K. debut as of this date. Click HERE to read an interview with Borowitz discussing his collaboration with the internationally acclaimed baritone.
Enjoy the latest video of Mirco Palazzi singing Rossini's "Demetrio e Polibio" in Pesaro. This was recorded in August 2010 with Corrado Rovaris conducting.
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