Bass-Barihunk Ildar Abdrazakov in Semiramide broadcasts

Ildar Abdrazakov and Ryan Speedo Green in Semiramide

Bass-Barihunk Ildar Abdrazakov will be performing King Assur in  Rossini’s Semiramide, which is presented being presented at the Met for the first time in 25 years. He'll be joined in the all-star car by Angela Meade in the title role, Elizabeth DeShong as Arsace, Javier Camarena as Idreno and Ryan Speedo Green as the High Priest Oroe.

The opera opens on  February 19th under the baton of Maurizio Benini and will be transmitted to 2,000 movie theaters in 73 countries as part of the Met’s Live in HD series on March 10th. The broadcast will be hosted by barihunk Christopher Maltman.

If you can't make it to The Met or to your local movie, you can catch the audio broadcast on February 19th and March 6th on Metropolitan Opera Radio on SIRIUS XM Channel 75 or on the Met website's live stream.

Samuel Ramey sings Assur's scene and aria from Semiramide:

Ildar Abdrazakov was most recently seen on stage at the Met in the title role in Le Nozze di Figaro, reprising his performance from the production premiere in 2014. The Russian bass’s other credits with the Met include Escamillo in Carmen, Henry VIII in Donizetti’s Anna Bolena, the title character in Borodin’s Prince Igor, and Dosifei in Mussorgsky’s Khovanshchina.

Additional live performances of Semiramide are on February 24, 28; March 3, 6, 10 (mat), 14, 17. Visit the Met website for additional information and tickets.

Sean Kroll's beautiful new photos

Sean Kroll (photos by Matt Madison-Clark)

We had to share these stunning new photos of Sean Kroll by photographer Matt Madison-Clark. Kroll recently wrapped up some Christmas concerts in New York after a run as Figaro earlier this year with dell'Arte Opera.

This season he'll be performing Oroe from Semiramide in Empire Opera's concert of Rossini's music inspired from Voltaire, which also includes Tancredi.

Sean Kroll (photo by Matt Madison-Clark)

Kroll is an alumnus of the Chicago Opera Theater, Opera Santa Barbara and Saint Petersburg Opera artist development programs. He received his Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from Northwestern University and trained at the International Institute of Vocal Arts in Chiari, Italy. He performed Poulenc’s rarity Le Bestiaire with the Chicago Opera Theater. He currently studies with noted vocal instructor Bill Schuman in New York City.

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Cyril Rovery, Jason Duika & John Paul Huckle

Mirco Palazzi singing Assur in Marseilles and Bordeaux

Mirco Palazzi

Italian barihunk Mirco Palazzi is reprising the role of Assur in Rossini's Semiramide with Opéra de Marseille through October 27th with Jessica Pratt in the title role. He'll take up the role again in March 2016 with the thrilling soprano Leah Crocetto in the title role.

Semiramide was Rossini's final Italian opera before moving to Paris, where he went on to write Il viaggio a Reims, Le siège de Corinthe, Moïse et Pharaon, Le comte Ory and Guillaume Tell.

By the late 1800s, Semiramide had virtually disappeared from the repertoire. However, it was chosen in 1880 to inaugurate the Teatro Costanzi, new venue of the Rome Opera House, and appeared as part of the Cincinnati Opera Festival in 1882, which was attended by Oscar Wilde. The opera virtually disappeared after 1895, until a German language revival in Rostock in 1932 and a performance under the baton of Tullio Serafin at the Maggio Musicale in 1940. 

Perhaps the most famous exponent of Assur in the last half century has been Samuel Ramey. 

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Celebrating the birthday of Gioachino Antonio Rossini with Barihunks Thomas Hampson, Nathan Gunn, Ildebrando D'Arcangelo and Randal Turner

Thomas Hampson sings "Sois immobile" from Guillaume Tell:


 Nathan Gunn & John Osborn sing "All'idea di quel metallo"

 Ildebrando D'Arcangelo sing Assur's aria "Quei Numi furenti" from Semiramide

Randal Turner performing Mosè in Egitto:

Semiramide Anniversary

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.



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