Evan Hughes and Nicole Chevalier (left) and Nora Friedrichs (right)
American bass-barihunk had a breakout performance as the somnolent god Somnus in Handel's Semele at the Komische Oper in Berlin. He also elevated his status as an operatic sex symbol showing off both his luscious physique and resonant voice in his scene-stealing small role.
Fortunately, the opera is available online at OperaVision and is available for viewing HERE until November 11th. There are remaining live performances on May 26, June 3 and 15, and July 10. Tickets are available online.
Nora Friedrichs and Evan Hughes
The production got off to a rocky start when director Laura Scozzi fell ill shortly after rehearsals began, forcing the Komische Oper's intendant Barrie Kosky to take over the production. Kosky is one of opera's most original and entertaining directors, so the show went on, with the story being told in a flashback set in a burnt-out Baroque hall.
Evan Hughes and Nicole Chevalier (left) and Nora Friedrichs (right)
Semele was written in 1743 and tells the story of clashing gods and
mortals, the folly of vanity, and the fatal consequences of forbidden
passion.
The plot centers around the cautionary tale of
the delectable Semele and the god Jupiter, who tempt fate with a
dangerously imprudent love affair. The ambitious Semele craves
immortality, but also holds a secret, while Juno, plots a fiery finish
to the affair.
Jacques Imbrailo and Borja Quiza in Billy Budd at the Teatro Real
The advertisement for Benjamin Britten's Billy Budd at the Teatro Real in Madrid looks like it was written by Bariunks: "100% Masculine, 8 baritones, 1 bass-baritone and 3 basses..." [and some tenors, etc.]. The production, which is part of their bicentenary celebration, includes a veritable "who's who" of barihunks, including Jacques Imbrailo as Billy Budd, Thomas Oliemans as Mr. Redburn, Duncan Rock as Donald, Torben Jürgens as Lieutenant Ratcliffe and Borja Quiza as The Novice's Friend.
Teatro Real's sexy ad for Billy Budd
The libretto is based on the novel with the same name by Herman Melville and takes place aboard a ship of the British Royal Navy. The opera tells the story of the sailor Billy Budd: a beautiful youth who is loyal, generous, strong, naive and kind. Billy’s physical attributes and charisma disarm the ship's master-at-arms who is incapable of controlling the situation and in the end, he sacrifices the innocent lad without compunction.
The Teatro Real certainly plays up these aspects in their production, which runs through February 25. Tickets and additional cast information is available online.
Malte Roesner from his recent Barihunks photo shoot
When we first met Malte Roesner in France last year, he was singing as a baritone and wrapping up a decade long run at the Staatstheater Braunschweig (State Theater of Brunswick). Since that time, he has gone through a fach change to bass and recently came to California for a series of coachings and auditions, hoping to make his U.S. debut in the near future.
He is featured prominently in this year's calendar, "Barihunks in Bed," and it's his gorgeous face that graces the cover. We asked him a few questions about this newest stage of his career.
Malte Roesner from his recent Barihunks photo shoot
1. What prompted the fach change?
I have always had an extension in the bottom of my range that is unusual for a baritone, and I remember that when I was studying, I had to be mindful not to cover and transition into the passaggio "too early“. But, then again, at 20-something years old my timbre seemed too bright for a lower fach, and, after all, I had the top notes. So I started my career as a baritone at the Brunswick National Theater and sang 55 roles there over the course of ten and a half years.
The older I got, the harder it became to maintain the high baritone tessitura. Regardless, if you are hired for a certain repertoire in the fest-system you, of course, have to sing it. After I left Brunswick, I took some time to refocus on technique and come back to my natural voice. Because a singer's identity is often tied to his or her voice-type, it didn't even occur to me to try out bass repertoire at first. It took my voice teacher telling me to just bring absolutely anything I wanted and felt comfortable with to my lesson for me to start experimenting with lower repertoire. I started with bass-baritone arias, but as my voice started to relax into the new range, I also added in real bass repertoire.
One of the first low bass arias I worked on was Sarastro, because I remembered a rehearsal for a Magic Flute revival – I was singing Papageno – where I jokingly sang a few of Sarastro's lines down to the low F in the first finale. Afterwards the Monostatos came up to me and told me that it sounded as if I was actually more at home down there.
Malte Roesner from his recent Barihunks photo shoot
2. What are you working on for rep?
Six months is not a long time for a fach change and my voice is still settling and my timbre still darkening. So I am trying to stay open minded about what to sing and just take the cues from my voice, but basso cantante seems to describe it best at the moment.
For my first auditions I combined some bass-baritone repertoire, like Figaro and Pizarro, with real bass repertoire, like Don Basilio and Sarastro. This seems appropriate since even some of the greatest basses of the past, e.g. Ezio Pinza or Cesare Siepi, (I am honestly just looking at rep and not comparing myself), used to straddle the fence in their youth – youth of course being a very relative term for a bass.
Recently a friend of mine and two great coaches that I had the chance to work with in California gave me a few recommendations. Some of my next projects are going to be Kaspar from Weber's Freischütz, Boito's Mephistophele and Floyd's Susanna.
I am really looking forward to continuing this journey
Malte Roesner from his recent Barihunks photo shoot
3. You recently came to California. Tell us about your visit.
Except for the the top-tier, the European and the North American opera-worlds are quite separated. I am in the rare situation that, because I was born in New York to German parents, I have dual citizenship which allows me to work in both areas without a visa. This is why ever since I started singing professionally, I had the plan to one day also sing in the US.
When a patron and Barihunks invited me to California for an audition tour, I of course jumped at the chance. In September, I had the opportunity to prepare my very first auditions in San Francisco and Los Angeles as a bass. with some of the best coaches I have ever worked with, and then audition for a couple of great companies in the Bay Area.
Leaving the practice room for the first time after such a transition can be daunting, so I am really happy about the very positive feedback that supports my decision for the fach change.
But of course my month in California was not just all work. I fell in love with the Bay Area; exploring San Francisco, Oakland and Berkeley, and spent more time wine-tasting with a former sommelier as my guide in the wine country than I would like to admit (note to self: it's good to be a bass). I tasted amazing food from all over the world. Most notably, I had the chance to eat at one of the restaurants of Dominique Crenn, the highest rated female chef in the world. I got to hear great opera and a concert that merged Jazz with classical and northern African influences. I spend time in museums, thrift stores and spas, in nature, on a ferry and on a roller-coaster. I went to a baseball game and a drag show with Latrice Royale. I even got to have lunch with Jake Heggie and talk to him about my translation of one of his operas (For a Look or a Touch) and he turned out to be an extremely nice guy.
But most importantly I met kind, generous and wonderful people and made new friends. As one can tell I just had the worst time ...
Malte Roesner from his recent Barihunks photo shoot
4. What is your workout routine?
After an injury a few years ago, I unfortunately had to stop training martial arts for a while. I started doing a work out method called EMS (Electro Myo Stimulation) instead that is unfortunately not FDA approved in the States yet. I used the fitness-level I got there to start testing my limits and tried all kinds of things. I built some muscle-mass with squats and barbell complexes and then I got really lean with HIIT (high intensity interval training).
At the moment I am more interested in functional fitness. I do heavy multi-joint barbell lifts for strength, kettlebell and bodyweight HIIT workouts for conditioning, and some yoga; because yoga is just good for you. For me, the combination of these methods covers all aspects of fitness I need for my well-being. The dynamic full body workout with kettlebells and the gentle strength and flexibility gained through yoga seem to me especially ideal for singers, seeing as both work with the breath.
Malte Roesner demonstrating the "baritone claw" in San Francisco
5. Is it really "All about the bass"?
Is there any question about that?
Well, I guess in opera it often seems as if it were all about the soprano and the tenor, but that is OK. I love the roles that might be coming my way and I love how the new fach feels in my body. Maybe it has to do with the fact that while I was singing as a baritone, the tessitura was high relative to my passaggio and my range. I had this whole lower part of my voice that I never got to use. Now I am just discovering the relaxation and opening needed for the extreme low notes. Most other voice-types have their money-notes in the top. Only a bass is truly measured by his low notes. Especially as a recovering baritone, the top is not an issue for me.
So in this sense, being a bass really is “all about the bass.”
You can enjoy more pictures of Malte Roesner in our new "Barihunks in Bed 2017" calendar, which is available now. Simply click on the LULU button below.
Our latest Reader Submission is the second one by a very fortunate soprano, who seems to get cast opposite some of the hottest men in opera. She was as surprised as us that no one had ever submitted Christiaan Smith Kotlarek.
Christiaan Smith-Kotlarek studied at the Boston University Opera Institute where he was a Phyllis Curtin Artist. His professional credits include roles with the Madison Opera, Indianapolis Opera, Ash Lawn Opera, and Des Moines Metro Opera, where he was also an apprentice artist. In 2007, Christiaan toured the Marche region of Italy singing the role of Marco in Puccini's Gianni Schicchi.
Christiaan Smith Kotlarek
On January 31st he performed in Opera Louisiane's “The Best of Opera and Broadway” hosted by Louisiana Lieutenant Governor Jay Dardenne at the Old State Capitol. In October, he was Christiano in Madison Opera's production of Verdi's Un ballo in maschera which included fellow barihunk Thomas Forde as Count Ribbing. He is currently at the Music Academy of the West where he is covering the role of Papageno in Mozart's The Magic Flute.
Christiann Smith Kotlarek sings "That Moment On" from the song cycle
Pieces of 9/11 by Jake Heggie:
While at Boston University, he met composer Jake Heggie, who invited him to sing his song cycle Pieces of 9/11. The composer must have been impressed, as he'll be singing the barihunk role of Joseph DeRocher in Dead Man Walking with the Modern American Music Project in Asheville, North Carolina on April 26 and 27.
His great body is the result of his penchant for snowboarding and extreme sports in his spare time. In fact, he has been a snowboard instructor for about a decade at Norway Mountain in Michigan.
You can read an extensive interview with him on the Madison Opera blog. He also has a blog called OutsideTheOperaBox where he discusses music and fitness.
We want to thank all of our readers for a successful year and to all of you who bought our 2012 Barihunks Charity Calendar. Our goal on this site is to support young artists and to support the art form of opera. We sell tee shirts, CDs and calendars on this site and give every penny of profit to support baritones, who we feel have wrongfully lived in the shadow of tenors and sopranos for too long. We love that this site has brought baritones to the forefront of numerous discussions about opera. Our favorite comment of the year came from a composer who told us, "Thanks to your site, I'm now writing leading roles for baritones."
It's time to celebrate our our "Top 25 of 2012."
1. HOTTEST PHOTO: DOUGLAS WILLIAMS - DELETED AT ARTIST REQUEST
2. MOST POPULAR: DUNCAN ROCK
When we asked readers to email us with suggestions for our "Top 25" feature our inbox was filled with messages titled "Duncan Rock." The star of "Don Giovanni: The Opera" at London's Heaven nightclub, proved that he's not just a hot body by winning the £10,000 Chilcott Award given to a “major young artist with the potential to make an international impact.” He gets an outrageous number of hits on our site and we look forward to following his career in years to come.
3. HOTTEST NEWCOMER(S): VASIL GARVANLIEV, GORDON BINTNER & AUBREY ALLICOCK
Vasil Garvanliev
There are few singers who photograph better than Canadian Vasil Garvanliev, who
we discovered while he was singing at Opera Atelier. Of course, Opera
Atelier has become famous for their sexy, provocative marketing
campaigns that often features models in various states of undress. We've always maintained that with Garvanliev on the roster, they don't need to hire models. He made the role of Caspar in Weber's Der Freischütz sexy, which is an accomplishment in itself.
Aubrey Allicock
There are few premieres in 2013 that we're anticipating more than the world premiere of Champion
at Opera Theatre of St. Louis. Aubrey Allicock
will star as bisexual boxer Emile Griffith in an opera written by jazz great Tereence Blanchard
with a libretto by playwright Michael Cristofer and co-starring mezzo
Denyce Graves. Allicock became an instant fan favorite at the Opera Theatre where he played Mamoud in The Death of Klinghoffer in 2011 and the Mad Hatter in Alice in Wonderland
in 2012. We're pretty sure that Allicock is going to look pretty hot in any shirtless scenes playing Griffith.
Gordon Bintner
Canada seems to churn out hot, young talent at an almost incomprehensible rate. Gordon Bintner just finished his first year at the esteemed Merola Opera Program in San Francisco and charmed audiences with his Golden Voice and Golden Boy looks. He recently won $5,000 as the winner of the Canadian Opera Company’s Ensemble
Studio Competition and another $1,500 for taking home the coveted People’s Choice Award. Bintner performed Non più andrai from Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro and Sibilar gli angui d’Aletto from Handel's Rinaldo.
4. BEST OPERA(S): DER FREISCHÜTZ AT OPERA ATELIER AND L'ELISIR D'AMORE IN GRAZ
Graz's Elixir was co-produced with Valencia and Madrid and the sets look
like a beach party on a Mediterranean beach resort, with giant cans of
beer, bars, beach balls, lifeguards, cheerleaders, shirtless boys,
women in bikinis and a foam party. Best of all, it featured the Tyrolean barihunk Andrè Schuen who frolicked around shirtless much of the time. The innovative Graz production featured sets by Paolo Fantin and costumes by Silvia Aymonino, with energetic directing from Damiano Michieletto.
Vasil Garvanliev backstage
As with any Opera Atelier production, they managed to create a
sensuous production that brought Weber's often stodgily
performed piece to life. Robert Harris of the Toronto Globe & Mail wrote, "The point of the
Wolf’s Glen scene is to shock and amaze, and the sight of a dozen
seemingly naked bodies, rushing across the stage, waving banners,
writhing in torment, haunting Max (and us) certainly did the trick. But
did so in a way that never overwhelmed the production, instead
heightening its spooky, frightening ambiance."
5. BARIHUNK FEAST: ERWIN SCHROTT, DMITRI HVOROSTOVSKY & ILDAR ABDRAZAKOV AT TENOR CHARLES CASTRONOVO'S CD RELEASE PARTY
Schrott, Hvorostovsky, Castronovo and Abdrazakov (Photo Credit: Charles Martin)
This year's barihunk feast occurred offstage when Erwin Schrott, Dmitry Hvorostovsky and a newly toned and buff Ildar Abdrazakov showed up to tenor Charles Castronovo's CD release party at 54 Below. Castronovo's CD "Dolci Napoli" is availableonline.
6. BEST READER SUBMISSION: BELTRAN IRABURU
Beltran Iraburu
We keep saying that our best posts come from readers and 2012 was a record year for submissions, but few could top the smoking hot 37-year-old
Spanish baritone Beltrán Iraburu. He earned his Master's degree in Musicology from the University of
Valladolid in Spain before studyng in Milan. He's performed throughout Spain with a number of opera companies, as
well as singing the complete set of Monteverdi's madrigals with La
Capilla Real de Madrid. He is currently living and working in Paris.
7. HOTTEST TEE SHIRT MODEL(S): ZACHARY GORDIN & DAN KEMPSON
Zachary Gordin
Few singers caused quite the sensation that Californian Zachary Gordin created sporting his BARIHUNK tee shirt. In fact, the photo landed him an offer to sing in Australia next year. The gym buff was probably the hottest Monterone in Rigoletto and Silvio in Pagliacci ever when he took on those roles at the Sacramento Opera this year. He'll be singing at San Francisco's Old First Church Concert Series in "Season of Love" on January 19th along with soprano Cathleen Candia.
Dan Kempson's chose to model his BARIHUNK tee shirt with his chest showing and he ended up making men and women swoon across the globe. Other than Duncan Rock, Kempson received the most gushing praise from readers for our "Top 25" feature. Kempson, another former Merola graduate, has the brains to match his voice and is destined for a long, successful career in this business. [Pictured at top of this post].
8. BEST FEATURE ON BARIHUNKS: MÄNNER MAGAZINE
"SHOW ME YOUR SIXPACK"
We continue to receive a generous amount of press, but nothing outdid the photo-filled spread in Germany's largest gay periodical, MÄNNER magazine. We weren't nuts about being called a fetish site, but who could argue with the intelligent article about sex and opera, as well as all those delicious photos? By the way, every photo is also featured in our calendar.
9. BEST "BARI-CHUNK TO BARI-HUNK" TRANSFORMATION: CHRIS CARR
Chris Carr: before and after Sparticus
Any singer who has ever encountered barichunk to barihunk Michael Mayes has probably been dragged into a gym against their will and came out a few weeks later ripped to the nines. Chris Carr shared his before and after photos and became an inspiration to other singers. We received this email from a soprano,"Just saw the Chris Carr photos. I'm skipping the bagel shop, hitting the gym and committing to losing 35 pounds." Chris also performed in a master class this year with our favorite diva Joyce DiDonato.
10. BEST BARIHUNK DRAG QUEENS: SETH CARICO & MICHAEL MAYES
Michael Mayes (L) and Seth Carico (R)
Michael Mayes doesn't just look good in muscle shirt and gym shorts, he wears a dress well, too. We couldn't stop laughing when we saw barihunks Michael
Mayes and Seth Mease Carico show up to a promotional event for Mark
Adamo's "Lysistrata" at the Fort Worth Opera Festival looking like a cross between a Ukranian
mezzo-soprano and a Wal-Mart shopper from Nacogdoches, Texas. Mayes and Carico are two of the greatest guys in the business and stunts like this is why they are beloved by their colleagues.
11. BEST SOLO CD: SIMON KEENLYSIDE'S "SONGS OF WAR"
Simon Keenlyside in The Tempest and his new CD "Songs of War"
We can't say it better than review Stephen Pritchard from The Observer, "Despite the title, most of the songs in this admirable collection are
anything but warlike. There is no place for patriotic bombast here;
instead, these polished miniatures yearn for a vanished pastoral England
and express nobly romantic notions of love, fidelity and the human
spirit. Vaughan Williams, Butterworth, Gurney, Ireland, Warlock and
Somervell are all represented, but Simon Keenlyside and Malcolm
Martineau do not limit themselves to England's whimsical finest, finding
room for astringent examples from Ned Rorem and Kurt Weill as well.
It's a beautifully judged recording, exquisitely sung; poignant but
never sentimental."
12. BEST COMPLETE OPERA: DON GIOVANNI
Let's face it, without Mozart's Don Giovanni, we would have a lot more spare time on our hands at Barihunks. How often do we find three gorgeous barihunks cast together in this opera as Don Giovanni, Leporello and Masetto? This recording featured the rich bass-baritone of Luca Pisaroni as Leporello, with his crystal clear diction, warm tone and perfect comic timing. Ildebrando D’Arcangelo brings a darker sound that we often hear as Don Giovanni along with rhythmic precision and an Italianate sensuality AND sexuality that is lacking in many performances. The addition of Konstantin Wolff as Masetto is luxury casting in an already delightful recording that belong in any music collection.
13. BEST MOVIE RELEASE: KASPER HOLTEN'S "JUAN"
Christopher Maltman in JUAN
If you live in the U.K., you're in luck because Kasper Holten's truncated and updated version of Don Giovanni, Juan, was FINALLY released on DVD. Unfortunately, if you live in the U.S. the DVD has Region 2 encoding and won't play on most equipment. However, we figured out how to make it play on a Mac and we can now enjoy Christopher Maltman's bum along with everyone across The Pond.
14. BEST HOMEMADE VIDEO: "THE MOST WONDERFUL MEMES"
Another Canadian who we're unabashedly crazy about is our calendar's Mr. July Jonathan Estabrooks. He's one of the most creative and interesting performers around. He travels with his video camera and hosts "A Singer's Life" on YouTube (you really should subscribe). His video of "The Most Wonderful Memes" went quasi-viral, garnering over 14,000 views in its first eight days. We tried to start an online movement to get him on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, which was one of his goals. It hasn't happened yet, but we're not giving up. If anyone can make opera appealing to the next generation, it's Estabrooks. ELLEN, IF YOU'RE READING THIS, PLEASE BOOK HIM!
15. OUR FAVORITE HUMANITARIAN HUNK: CHRISTOPHER HERBERT
Christopher Herbert: all-around good guy
Christopher Herbert just can't seem to pass up helping out a noble cause. He played a huge role with "Sing for Hope," whichwas "founded by opera singers with a desire to lift their voices for
social change, Sing for Hope mobilizes world-class artists – from
classical musicians to photographers to Broadway performers – who donate
time and talent in volunteer service programs that benefit schools,
hospitals and communities."
On November 10th, he pitched in again singing "Quoniam" from Bach's B Minor Mass with the "Music at Trinity Wall Street" series.The Hurricane Sandy relief concert benefited the
Mayor’s Fund to
Advance New York City, which is gathering donations to provide essential
living supplies to New Yorkers in need – including food, water,
blankets, baby supplies and other emergency items. You can still donate by visiting www.nyc.gov/fund.
16. BEST BARIHUNK DOCUMENTARY: PHILIPPE SLY "IN DREAMS, EN RÊVES, IN TRÄUMEN"
We were mesmerized by this 15-minute documentary about the making of Philippe Sly's first studio
album with renowned pianist Michael McMahon. The film was lovingly produced by his brother Mathieu Sly, who appears to be as gifted a filmmaker as his brother is a singer.
Another Canadian and another singer from the Merola Opera Program, Sly becomes a member of the prestigious Adler Fellowship Program at the San Francisco Opera where he will make his mainstage debut as Guglielmo in 'Così fan tutte' under music director Nicola Luisotti. He also will tour Canada in recital with the Debut Atlantic Series.
17. OUR FAVORITE WAGNERIAN: GREER GRIMSLEY
Greer Grimsley as Wotan
Fans of the late, great Wagnerian soprano Birgit Nilsson used to say, "You just HAD to hear her live to believe that voice!" Well, the same can be said of the world's reigning Wotan, Greer Grimsley. An imposing man with an imposing voice, he will undoubtedly leave a lasting impression on your eyes and your ears. People on both coasts are excited about
Grimsley's 2013 schedule as he showcases his heralded portrayal of
Wotan in Richard Wagner's Ring Cycle. On May 4th, he'll open in the Ring Cycle at the Metropolitan Opera before returning to Seattle on August 4th to reprise the role. Seattle Opera's award-winning production is inspired by the natural
beauty of the Pacific Northwest and has been a sold-out success in 2001,
2005 and 2009. Order you tickets online. By the way, we're going to be there!
18. BEST HUNK OVER 60 (MAKE THAT 70!): SAMUEL RAMEY
Samuel Ramey as Attila
In March 2012, Samuel Ramey turned 70 and he's still singing! One of the most beloved singers in the business, he shows no sign of letting up. Although he's traded in barihunk roles like Attila and Don Giovanni for age appropriate roles like Pope Leo I in Attila, Basilio, Sarastro and Timur, he's still a hot ticket for opera lovers. He'll be singing Timur in Puccini's Turandotat the Met in January and the title character in Bartok's Bluebeard's Castle in Omaha in April. Many of our readers consider him the original barihunk for his portrayal of Mefistofeles in Boito's opera, as well as his Attila.
19. HOTTEST UNDERWEAR MODEL: TIMOTHY MCDEVITT
Timothy McDevitt: Will Calvin Klein be calling?
Timothy McDevitt recently took some gorgeous photos with professional photographer Charles Quiles whose work is definitely worth checking out. We love it when professional photographers see opera singers as underwear models, because if THAT doesn't change the image of opera being a bunch of fat ladies with horns, nothing will. The increasingly buff singer has had a busy year since graduating.
He just wrapped up performing in Jonathan Dawe’s COSÌ FARAN TUTTI (They’ll All Do It!) a prequel to Mozart's Cosi fan tutte. Highlights for McDevitt from earlier this year include Philip Glass' Les Enfants Terribles with the North Carolina Opera, Virgil Thomson's Four Saints in Three Acts
with the Mark Morris Dance Group at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, and
appearances at the Swiss Ball and Lotus Club in New York. 20. OUR FAVORITE DIVAS: JOYCE DIDONATO, SUSAN GRAHAM & ANNA CATERINA ANTONACCI
Joyce DiDonato
We get asked all to often if we only like baritones. The short answer is "NO." However, we do feel that baritones have been historically overlooked and under-appreciated. After decades of attending the opera, it dawned on us that the best eye candy on stage was almost always the baritone. With that said, there are three female singers who we practically worship for both their amazing voices and incredible presence on stage.
Joyce DiDonato is our "Honorary Barihunk" and her quote from Twitter graces our homepage. Nothing she does is anything short of spectacular. On her latest disc "Drama Queens," she sings Semiramide who conquers Asia and parts of Africa after her husbanddies, Mary Stuart who in a Catholic fervor plots to kill the English monarch, Fredegund who strangled her rival and succeeded her as queen and Cleopatra who reigned over Egypt for 21 years. She imbues every character with her luscious mezzo and great dramatic purpose. What's not to love?
Gorgeous, statuesque and blessed with unbelievable dramatic instincts, Susan Graham can dominate a stage regardless of who is singing opposite to her. Her Dido's in both the Berlioz and Purcell operas are unmatched in our time and arguably of any other time. One could also make a claim that her Iphigéniein Gluck's Iphigénie en Tauride is probably unsurpassed in the history of opera. For an American, her French lieder has more luster and shine than any French singer we can think of.
Anna Catarina Antonacci
You only have to see her once on stage and you'll never forget Anna Catarina Antonacci. Undefinable as a mezzo or a soprano, she inhabits roles the way Maria Callas and Leonie Rysanek did a generation or two before her. Remarkably, she's earned this reputation while singing a heavy dose of baroque and bel canto operas, which are often not known for featuring great singing actresses.
21. OUR FAVORITE TENORS: NOAH STEWART, ED LYON & GLENN SEVEN ALLEN
Noah Stewart
If there's one question that we admittedly get tired of it's, "Why don't you feature tenors." Somehow the whole "bari" part of barihunks gets lost on some people. We also frequently get emails from tenors who say, "Somehow I'm going to get on your site." And occasionally we sneak one onto the site.
So who are our favorites?
Let's start with Noah Stewart, one of the nicest guys in the business and a MAJOR talent to be reckoned with. His debut recording NOAH made him the first black musician to top the U.K. classical charts. Another Merola graduate, he's gone on to become a fan favorite at the Michigan Opera Theater. He's prompted a few opera glasses to be raised with shirtless portrayals of Nadir in Bizet's Les Pecheurs de Perles and Radames in Verdi's Aida.
English tenor Ed Lyon
Let's face it Ed Lyon almost single-handedly tempted us to start blogging about Hunkentenors. We love him for being an out gay man and unafraid to pose without his shirt on. The British singer got his first big break when baroque specialist William Christie cast him in Handel's 'Hercules' at the Barbican. We particularly love him because he shares our view about where opera needs to go. He told Time Out magazine, "Telly and cinema have made a big impact on the way we view other forms.
The idea that opera is just fat people getting up to sing is a complete
fallacy. The days of park and bark are over - we don't just waddle up
and sing from where we're standing, we also have to act convincingly."
Glenn Seven Allen
OK, we confess! Glenn Seven Allen is one of those tenors who we were dying to find an excuse to post. We snuck him in our post about the aforementioned Tim McDevitt's performance in COSÌ FARAN TUTTI. Equally at home in opera or a Broadway stage, Allen originated the role of Giuseppe in Adam
Guettel's The Light in the Piazza, a role for which he was
responsible during the initial year of the show's Tony-winning
Broadway run.
22. & 23. WORST OPERA AND WORST DIRECTOR: DON GIOVANNI/MICHAEL GRANDAGE
Michael Grandage and his dull Don Giovanni
One of our tenets at Barihunks is to keep everything positive. We feel that singers work too hard and spend too much money and time training only to get torn apart on blogs. However, we admit that every so often we want to be bitchy and pithy like our respected counterparts at Parterre Box. We've decided to hold our tongues until our year end list, but we have some doozies to get off of our chests.
Our first gripe is so bad that we're not only combining two into one, but we're repeating a criticism from last year. Our biggest disappointment in 2011 was director Michael Grandage sucking the life and sexual tension out of Billy Budd at Glyndebourne. We respect his work as a director of straight theater like his work on Frost/Nixon, but we were hoping that he would stay away from opera.
Fear struck us when we learned that he was directing Don Giovanni at the Met this year. We hoped that Billy Budd was an anomaly, but the reviews quickly confirmed our worst fears. NY Times critic Anthony Tommasini wrote, "There is nothing particularly gripping about Mr Grandage's work here." The New York Observer called it "disastrously dull, a non-event," The Financial Times panned it as "essentially unimaginative," and the Associated Press summed it up as "disappointing, dull." With bright young talents like John De Los Santos and Damiano Michieletto, we're baffled why opera companies seem so tempted by Grandage and his habit of making opera an interminable experience.
24. OUR BIGGEST GRIPE: PLACIDO, LEAVE BARITONE ROLES TO BARITONES!!!
Placido Domingo as Rigoletto
We know that we're treading on sacred ground here, but we have a message for Placido Domingo. Can you PLEASE leave the baritone roles to baritones? Mr. Domingo, you will go down in history as one of the ten greatest tenors of all time. And that's the point, you'll you down in history as a tenor. We're sure it's a bit of ego, as you're already the most recorded singer in history and we're sure that you'd like to have the largest list of roles when you retire. However, other than I Due Foscariin Los Angeles, your baritone portrayals have brought nothing revelatory to any role. Singers have a tough enough time getting work without you poaching the baritone repertory. Admittedly, we're a bit bitter because we cancelled a trip to the Washington Opera because it is heresy to us to hear a tenor sing Orest in Gluck's Iphigénie en Tauride. We love you, but stick to what you do best.
25. OUR FAVORITE THING: YOU
Opera obviously wouldn't exist without devoted fans like you. We encourage you to keep attending the opera and to give to the arts, even if it's only a few dollars or euros. We love our readers more than you can imagine. Your clever emails and "Reader Submissions" make it a pleasure to keep this blog going. We've thought about retiring this site more than once, but inevitably a new singer or a great performance comes along that inspires us to keep posting. (Sometimes it's a really hot photo!).
A special THANK YOU to all of you who bought a Barihunks calendar. This is a fun way for us to raise money, engage singers, show off some skin and support the arts. Many of you have begged us to do a "full monty" calendar. Although we easily know of a dozen singers who would participate, the calendar is bought by everyone from grandmothers and mothers, brothers and sisters, husbands and wives, artistic administrators, music schools and fans of sexy men. We can't tell you how many times we've seen one hanging up in an office and even the elderly saleslady at the Santa Fe Opera gift shop mentioned it to us.
You can show your appreciation to us by buying a calendar today and we'll keep the site alive AND continue to support your favorite singers!
