Marco Vassalli's upcoming gala at the Eutiner Festspiele

Marco Vassalli

The Eutiner Festspiele has been presenting outdoor concerts on the old ducal palace gardens of East Holstein town of Eutin since 1951.  Each year about 40,000 spectators come to listen to complete operas and concerts, which concludes with a gala concert that includes fireworks.

Eutin is the birthplace of composer Carl Maria von Weber. To honor him, the open-air theater (Freilichtbühne) was built in the park of Eutin Castle and operas are performed there. This year's operas are Verdi's Aida and Carl Zeller's Der Vogelhändler.

Included in this year's lineup is German barihunk Marco Vassalli, who just wrapped up his calendar photo shoot for us in France. We thought that we'd use this as an opportunity to share some of the pictures that won't be in the Barihunks calendar, but worthy of sharing. Despite his Italian surname, Vassalli was born and raised in Lake Constance (Bodensee) in Germany and studied at the Hochschule für Musik in Cologne.

This year's Eutiner Festspiele gala will include music by Johann Strauß and Franz Léhar. Vassali will be joined mezzo Milana Butaeva, tenor Vincent Schirrmacher and fellow baritone Uwe Schenker-Primus. The concert is on August 21 and 22 and tickets are available online. This Fall, he heads to the Staatsoper Hannover to peform four roles in Bernstain's Candide.

More Sexy Photos from LA Opera's "A Streetcar Named Desire"

LA Opera Production of Andre Previn’s A Streetcar Named Desire. Stacey Tappan as Stella. Photo by Robert Milliard

Ryan McKinny

Ryan McKinny

Ryan McKinny and Stacey Tappen

Renée Fleming and Ryan McKinny

As a follow-up to our previous post about the Los Angeles Opera's beautifully sung and sexy performance of André Previn's A Streetcar Named Desire, here are some stunning photos from the production.

The opera featured bass-barithunk Ryan McKinny as the hotheaded Stanley Kowalski, soprano Renée Fleming as Blanche, Stacey Tappan as Stella, tenor Anthony Dean Griffey as Mitch.

Sometimes words aren't needed, so enjoy the pictures.

Martin Achrainer (shirtless) in another Philip Glass premiere

Martin Achrainer in Spuren der Verirrten

Tyrolian barihunk Martin Achrainer is making quite a name for himself as an exponent of new works by American minimalist composer Philip Glass. An alert reader spotted these pictures from Glass' new German language opera Spuren der Verirrten (“Footprints of the Lost”)," which is based on the play by Peter Handke. We've previously seen Achrainer in Glass' Orphée and in the world premiere of Kepler.

Much of this is attributable to the fact that Achrainer is in the ensemble at the Landestheater Linz, where the music director and principal conductor is long-time Philip Glass collaborator and champion Dennis Russell Davies.  Glass wrote “Spuren der Verirrten” for the opening of the new Musiktheater am Volksgarten, a state-of-the-art opera house that Davies was instrumental in getting built.

Martin Achrainer in Spuren der Verirrten

Although the world premiere of Spuren der Verirrten was in April of this year, the opera is being perfromed again beginning on November 9 and running into January 2014. Tickets are available online. 

Achrainer's character is called "F' and the rest of the cast includes A, B, C, D...you get the picture. Although the opera has many of the typical characteristics of the composer's works, including repetitiveness and minimalism, he has added alphorns and zithers to give it an Austrian flavor. The text is typical Glass, as well, with singers often repeating the question “Where are we?”

The joke at the opera house has been that this work is “Two Notes, One Opera.”

Introducing sexy Belgian barihunk Romain Dayez

Romain Dayez as Leporello (Photo by Pierre Yellal)

Belgian barihunk Romain Dayez has been on our list of singers to post for over a year. In fact, we tried to get him into this year's Barihunks calendar, but couldn't get a high resolution photo in time. When we saw this photo of him as Leporello from the Festival du Haut Limousin in France we decided that we just couldn't keep him from our readers any longer.

The photo that didn't make the Barihunks calendar

The 22-year-old, who hails from a family of artists, entered the Conservatoire Royal de Bruxelles in Belgium in 2007 before continuing his music studies at the Conservatoire Supérieur National de Musique in Paris three years later. Much of his early career has been focused on oratorios and baroque repertoire. He seems to have a particular affinity for Mozart, having had success as Nardo in La Finta Giardiniera and Leporello in Don Giovanni. He has a particular passion for French chansons, which he has included in recitals at numerous festivals.

Long-term, he may have a future as an artistic administrator, as he's promoted music from the baroque, as founder of L'Olimpiade, to new music collaborations with groups like the Parisian rappers Milk Coffee & Sugar.

Romain Dayez with Milk Coffee & Sugar performing "Chanter Déchanter" 

(at the 1:32, 2:45 & 4:03 marks):

He is currently performing the Phillippe Boesmans/Luc Bondy opera Reigen at the Salle d'art Lyrique at the Paris Conservatoire. On March 17th, he'll sing the role of Christ in Bach's St. Matthew's Passion at the Basiliek van Hulst in Holland. On March 30th, his group L'Olimpiade will perform music by Charpentier and Couperin at the Hôtel de Soubise.

Further down the road he will sing and direct a project about composers Arvo Pärt and Philip Glass with his Alliage Art Project. We will post more about that in the Fall.

Dayez sings Schubert's Der Wegweiser:

Ben Connor in skivvies for updated La boheme

Andrew Owens (left) and Ben Connor (right)

Australian baritone Ben Connor stripped down to his skivvies for the Kammeroper of Vienna's production of La boheme. This isn't the usual La boheme, as it's the chamber version of the opera by composer Jonathan Dove, with electronic interludes by Sinem Altan. Dove's version reduces the the big Puccini orchestra to just fourteen musicians.

The characters are a cast of bored pseudo-artists set in a penthouse, department store and hospital death chamber. Purists may be shocked by Mimi dying bald behind the glass wall of a hospital. Critics have praised the work for its originality and humor.

Remaining performances are on January 23, 26. and 30, as well as February 1, 10, 15, 17, 21. and 24.

The Australian baritone Ben Connor graduated with a Masters of Music in voice from the Australian National University where he was the recipient of the Harmony Endowment scholarship. After furthering his studies at the Universität für Musik und darstellende kunst in Vienna, he is now a member of the inaugural “Junges Ensemble” at the Theater an der Wien. Ben won the 2010 Aria Competition at the “National Eisteddfod”(Canberra, Australia) and in 2011 was the recipient of the Richard Wagner Stipendium Bayreuth prize from “Klassik Mania”(Vienna).

Zachary Gordin named Operagasm's hottest male singer

Congratulations to Zachary Gordin, who won Operagasm's "Hottest Male Singer" award. We ran a post about the contest on Monday.

He can next be seen on January 18th in a "Seasons of Love" concert with the Old First Church concert series in San Francisco. He'll be joined by mezzo Cathleen Candia and accompanist Charles Worth.

Gordin is also the coverboy on our 2013 Barihunks Charity Calendar, which you can purchase by clicking on the Lulu button.

David Adam Moore to star in Oklahoma! in Chicago

One of David Adam Moore's pictures from the 2013 Barihunks Calendar

The Lyric Opera of Chicago has announced that 2013 Barihunks Calendar model will be starring as the farmhand Jud Fry in their upcoming performances of the musical Oklahoma! Last year, the company scored a huge success with another musical, Show Boat, starring barihunk Nathan Gunn.

The performances mark the 70th anniversary of the Rodgers & Hammerstein classic that remains one of the greatest musicals ever written. Thirty-seven members of the Lyric Opera Orchestra will perform the original orchestration. The production will feature a 24-person singer-dancer ensemble (including 12 members of the Lyric Opera Chorus) plus three solo dancers. The cast also includes Broadway stars John Cudia as Curly and Ashley Brown as Laurey.

Oklahoma! premiered on Broadway in 1943 and was the first musical written by the team of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II. It ran for 2,243 performances with many songs becoming American classics, including “Oh, What A Beautiful Morning,” “People Will Say We’re In Love,” and “Surrey With The Fringe On Top.” Based on Lynn Riggs‘ 1931 play, Green Grow the Lilacs, the story is set in the Oklahoma Territory of 1906 near Claremore and tells the story of two pairs of young lovers.

The production of Oklahoma!, which includes the original choreography by Agnes de Mille, will have sixteen performances (including seven matinees) between May 4-19 at the Civic Opera House. Lyric subscribers will receive a 10% discount through December 15. Visit the Lyric Opera of Chicago's website for additional information and tickets.

Teddy Tahu Rhodes as Stanley Kowalski

Moore will also be starring as Stanley Kowalski in the April 2013 performances of Lyric’s “Student Night at the Opera” performance of Andre Previn’s A Streetcar Named Desire. The regular cast will feature fellow barihunk Teddy Tahu Rhodes as Stanley and Renee Fleming as Blanche.

Buy the calendar featuring David Adam Moore and 13 additional barihunks by clinking on the button below. All proceeds go to benefit young artists:

Sexy Der Freischutz at Opera Atelier (yes, Der Freischutz!)

Vasil Garvanliev backstage

We've been touting Vasil Garvanliev as one of opera's sexiest up and coming stars for a few years now. He has landed the plum role of Kaspar in Opera Atelier's Der Freischutz, which is an underperformed work in North America. Make sure to check out our previous posts about this Garvanliev.

As with any Opera Atelier production, they have managed to create a sensuous production that manages to bring Weber's often stodgily performed piece to life. Robert Harris in the Toronto Globe & Mail wrote:

The most famous scene in Freischutz is the Wolf’s Glen scene, where Max receives his doomed, magic bullets, and it’s here that Atelier’s command of staging worked to full effect. 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.

Curtis Sullivan as Samiel

We received an email a month ago from a singer that said, "Wait until you see Curtis Sullivan's outfit in Freischutz. You and your readers will be quite pleased." Well, we just got the photos and we are indeed quite pleased. Robert Harris wrote:

Curtis Sullivan was a truly malevolent and frightening Samiel, the Devil figure in the piece, even though he performed his entire role seemingly in the nude.

Der Freischutz dancers

There are two performances of Der Freischutz left on November 2nd and 3rd. Visit their website for additional performance information or to purchase tickets. On April 6th, the company will reprise their much heralded production of The Magic Flute with two barihunks, Olivier Laquerre and João Fernandes, as well as one of the sexiest tenors that we've ever seen, Aaron Ferguson.

Hot tenor Aaron Ferguson

Don't forget to click on the link in our sidebar to the right and purchase your 2013 Barihunks Charity Calendar. Once again, all proceeds will go to benefit young artists and young artist training programs. Last year, we donated to the Portland Opera Studio, Seagle Music Colony and bought music for six aspiring singers.

Tattoo Parlor Features Teddy Tahu Rhodes Pictures

We've been covering Teddy Tahu Rhodes' tattoos since 2008 and the three posts have all been very popular with our readers. So we were thrilled when we learned that Shane Tattoos in Melbourne is now featuring these amazing photos of the New Zealand barihunk on their homepage.

According to their website, they specialize in Maori, Ta Moko, Kirituhi, Polynesian and Japanese tattoo designs, as well as graphic body designs. They can be reached at shanetattos@gmail.com.

By the way, if you're in to opera singers with tattoos, make sure to check out our post about the extremely sexy Vasil Garvanliev. He's currently performing Kaspar in Opera Atelier's Der Freischutz.

Of course, we've been covering "Teddy Bare" a lot lately for his sizzling performance in South Pacific and his torrid and very public romance with co-star Lisa McCune. The production is currently in Melbourne and will open in Brisbane on December 27th. Tickets are available online.

Shirtless Italians: Stefano de Peppo and Andrea Concetti

Stefano de Peppo and Andrea Concetti

Bring your opera glasses if Andrea Concetti is performing one of his many roles where he's shirtless or in a various state being undressed. The 47-year-old Italian keeps getting better and sexier with age, much like his counterparts Nathan Gunn and Simon Keenlyside. His performances exude sensuality and sexuality that only enhance the stereotype of Italian men. His shirtless romp with fellow barihunk in Pier Luigi Pizzi's "Don Giovanni" has become legendary in opera circles and on the internet.

Interview with Andrea Concetti:

Concetti is returning to the Macerata Opera Festival in Sferisterio this year to perform Colline in Puccini's La boheme. Performance will run from July 21-August 10. The festival, which always has entertaining productions, will also be performing Bizet's Carmen and Verdi's La Traviata. Visit their website for additional cast and performance information.

Andrea Concetti as Leporello

We're amazed that Stefano de Peppo hasn't made it onto our site before. It's often difficult to gauge the sexiness of singers who are known for character roles.  He's established an international career singing regularly in Europe, the United States and Latin America. He recently wrapped up a run as Bartolo with the New Jersey State Opera. He will also sing Bartolo with the Miami Lyric Opera opening on August 18 and in Mexico City in October.

 Stefano de Peppo  sings Handel's "Ombra mai fu"

A native Italian, de Peppo began his musical career as a member of the Children's Chorus of Teatro alla Scala of Milan for seven years before taking up voice at the Civic School of Music in Milan. He has become associated with the character roles of Donizetti, Rossini, and Mozart, including Don Pasquale, Dulcamara in L’Elisir d’Amore, Magnifico in La Cenerentola, Mustafa in L’Italiana in Algeri, Bartolo in Il Barbiere di Siviglia and Alphonso in Cosi fan tutte. 

Chris Carr is Opera's Latest Spartacus Transformation

Chris Carr (far left) in Oklahoma and a "Before and After" photo

The last time we featured Chris Carr, he was doing a free masterclass with mezzo Joyce Di Donato in Kansas City. The emerging singer has been working hard on perfecting his voice, but it appears he's also working hard on his physique. 

The amazing transformation of Michael Mayes

Carr is the latest opera singer to take up the Spartacus workout routine and it appears to paying off. Barihunk Michael Mayes is perhaps the biggest proponent of the workout and his transformation prompted us to feature him in our "BariChunk to BariHunk" post. Mayes has even created a Facebook site called Operaticus for singers who doing the workout. Mayes has become one of our ten most popular singers on Barihunks since his transformation. Mayes is well-known in opera circles for rounding up singers and marching them to the gym like an over-caffeinated Marine drill sergeant. 

Michael Mayes and tenor Gabriel Nochlin-Gargari after a Spartacus workout

The Spartacus workout is a series of ten exercises that work every part of your body, including your heart, lungs and muscles. The high-intensity circuit is designed to burn away fat, while defining your chest, abs, and arms.

Our favorite fitness guru Scott Herman explains the Spartacus workout:

Since we mentioned Joyce Di Donato earlier in the post, we should let you know that her homecoming concert in Kansas City will be broadcast on PBS beginning on Friday, July 20 and rebroadcast all week. Check your local listings. 

Florida Grand Opera's "Opera's Sexiest Men"

The Florida Grand Opera has been having a great time on Facebook and Twitter with the recent Marie Claire feature about the sexiest men in opera. They've now created they're own meme of "Opera's Sexiest Men."

We certainly won't take issue with ANY of the barihunks on their list, which includes Seth Carico, Mariusz Kwiecien, Nathan Gunn, Randal Turner, Gabriel Bermudez, Dmitri Hvorostovsky, Michael Mayes, Ildebrando D'Arcangelo and Keith Miller, all of whom have appeared on this site. They've even included some of our favorite tenors, like Jonathan Blalock, Alek Shrader Michael Fabiano and Eric Margiore.

Make sure to check out Florida Grand Opera's upcoming season, which includes Puccini's La boheme, Mozart's Magic Flute, Verdi's La traviata and Bellini's La sonnambula. Visit their website for additional information.

CONTACT US AT Barihunks@gmail.com

Vasil Garvanliev gets a new tattoo

Vasil Garvanliev (© Shalan & Paul)

There are few singers who photograph better than 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. Even though they use models, they seem to hire singers who could double as models in their ad campaigns. In addition to Garvanliev, we've featured Olivier Laquerre, Curtis Sullivan, Phillip Addis and João Fernandes from the company roster. 

Although most of our news is about singing, we couldn't resist telling readers about Garvanliev's new tattoo which he had placed on his arm above the LOVE tattoo that appears on the back of his wrist. The photo below shows the design, the procedure and the final tattoo. We think it's pretty HOT. 

The Macedonian barihunk is a young artist at the Glimmerglass Festival this summer, which of course is run by the "Mother of Barihunks," director Francesca Zambello. Future appearances include Caspar in Weber's Der Freischütz with Opera Atelier and Pistola in Verdi's Falstaff with Calgary Opera.

CONTACT US AT Barihunks@gmail.com

Zachary Gordin to premiere Clint Borzoni work at Sacramento Gay Pride

Zachary Gordin as he appears in the 2012 Barihunks calendar

On June 1 at 7 PM PST, the Sacramento Gay & Lesbian Center is presenting "Courage to Stand," which showcases the stories of LGBT service members who served before, during, and after the "Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell"  era. The event is the official kickoff of the 2012 Sacramento Gay Pride Weekend and it will include barihunk Zachary Gordin premiering New York composer Clint Borzoni's "A Nation Announcing Itself" taken from Walt Whitman's "Leaves of Grass."

We asked Borzoni about his selection of "A Nation Announcing Itself."

I scoured my go-to source material, Walt Whitman's "Leaves of Grass" for a poem that might set well for the commission. I came upon the first poem in the "Chants Democratic" section which I thought perfectly captured the emotions of the LGBT troops. Lines like, "What we are, we are...", "I swear I dare not shirk any part of myself, not any part of America, good or bad", and "O I see now flashing, that this America is only you and me, its power, weapons, testimony, are you and me...". The song isn't only about an individual group standing up for their rights, but about a section of that group fighting for the rights of every person, even those that condemn them. The song is titled, "A Nation Announcing Itself".

We asked Zachary Gordin about the piece and here's what he had to say:

Clint treats the subject matter directly, and takes great care in setting the text. There are bugle-like intervals in the vocal line at the beginning of the song, setting a military theme which develops into a melody that flows from powerful exclamation, to floating pianissimi, and back. The accompaniment is virtuosic and exciting, reinforcing the emotional "buzz" of the text, and there's a big finish! I am amazed by how well Clint wrote for my specific voice, exploiting a full tonal palette in a way that seems like we collaborated endlessly on each phrase. All this, after one conversation about basic technical aspects of the vocal line. I'm thrilled to premiere this song with pianist Jim Jordan, who is an incredibly gifted artist and an absolute joy to make music with!

Tickets to this event are $75 per person and includes an open bar, hors d'oeuvres and a selection fo wine from Bogle Vineyards. The event is at the Citizen Hotel in Sacramento. Tickets are available HERE.

Regular readers of this site will recall that Borzoni also set another Whitman poem, "I Dream'd in a Dream" for barihunk Randal Turner's West Coast recital debut in 2010. That recording is available at CDBaby. or at Amazon (click on the box in the sidebar to order).

Contact us at Barihunks@gmail.com

Nathan Gunn Names His "Top 5" Operas Where He Disrobed

Nathan Gunn as Billy Budd, at the Met on left (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer) & in San Francisco (Darryl Bush SF Chronicle)

Nathan Gunn has become the über-barihunks of barihunks. Not only is he the reason that the phrase was first coined 15 years ago by director Francesca Zambeloo, but he has shown amazing staying power as one of opera's most popular sex symbols. After all, how many opera singers have had their workout routines featured in the Wall Street Journal?

WQXR 105 in New York City recently asked Nathan Gunn to name the "Top 5" operas in which he was asked to disrobe. Not only did he manage to come up with a great list and descriptions of each role, but he showed a great grasp of the history of the term "barihunk." Here is the list, followed by the video:

5. Daniel Catán - Florencia en el Amazonas (Riolobo)
4. Tobias Picker - An American Tragedy (Clive)
3. Péter Eötvös - Love and Other Demons (Father Delaura)
2. Benjamin Britten - Billy Budd (Billy Budd)
1. Gluck - Iphigénie en Tauride (Oreste)

CONTACT US AT Barihunks@gmail.com

Tom Corbeil Lurches Onto Broadway Tour

Tom Corbeil

We've posted some pretty hot pictures of barihunk Tom Corbeil over the years, especially the shirtless ones from Joseph Haydn’s "L’isola disabitata." He's currently put his opera career on hold to join the traveling cast of the Addams Family musical touring the country. Anyone who saw him shirtless in L'Isola disabitata would barely recognize him as the morticianly looking Lurch.

The Addams Family was created by Jersey Boys authors Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice, Drama Desk Award winner Andrew Lippa (The Wild Party), choreographer Sergio Trujillo (Jersey Boys), and Olivier Award-winning director/designers Phelim McDermott and Julian Crouch (Shockheaded Peter) with production supervision by four-time Tony Award® winner Jerry Zaks.

The Road Cast of the Addams Family

The show is currently in Cleveland through April 22nd. It then travels to Memphis, Madison, St. Paul, Grand Rapids, San Diego, Los Angeles, Denver, Kansas City and Washington D.C. Check HERE to see if the show is coming to your town. 

CONTACT US AT Barihunks@gmail.com

Shirtless Samuel Dundas Heats Up Cosi with Oz Opera

Samuel Dundas in Opera Australia's 'Cosi Fan Tutte' (©Branco Gaica)

Australian barihunk is singing Guglielmo in Opera Australia's visually stunning run of Mozart's Così fan tutte. Dundas who has played Masetto opposite the famously shirtless and ripped "Teddy Bare" a.k.a. Teddy Tahu Rhodes, appears to be the next generation of sexy barihunk from Down Under.

Dundas has been performing throughout Australia and New Zealand since 2005.  Since 2010, he has been a member of the Moffatt Oxenbould Young Artist program at Opera Australia.  In 2010 his roles included Doctor/Inquisitor/Judge/Stanislaus in Candide, the appropriately named character Handsome in La Fanciulla del West, Starveling in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Ceprano in Rigoletto.  In 2011 his roles include Yamadori in Madama Butterfly, Pish Tush in The Mikado, Cascada in Merry Widow and Masetto in Don Giovanni. 

Samuel Dundas in Opera Australia's 'Cosi Fan Tutte' (©Branco Gaica)

Other recent engagements have included Papageno The Magic Flute for Victorian Opera, the bass solos in Brahms Requiem with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra Chorus and his debut with Sydney Sinfonia in a Discovery series concert at the City Recital Hall in Sydney.

Dundas's 2012 roles include Fiorello in The Barber of Seville and Yamadori in Madama Butterfly for Opera Australia and the Title role in Opera Australia's tour of Don Giovanni. 

Watch a trailer of the production:

Performances of Così fan tutte are running through March 26. Get additional performance information or ticket on the Opera Australia website. In July 2012, Dundas will be reprising another Mozart role when he performs Don Giovanni in Michael Gow’s new production for Opera Australia.

CONTACT US AT Barihunks@gmail.com

Teddy Tahu Rhodes' Tattoo Becomes a Popular Search

A tattooed Teddy Tahu Rhodes in Così fan tutte

We recently noticed that we were getting a lot of hits for a 2008 post about Teddy Tahu Rhodes showing off his tattoo to female reporter. When we explored why there was a sudden interest in his tattoo, we realized that he's been heavily tattooed for the current production of Mozart's "Così fan tutte" at the Washington National Opera.

Teddy Tahu Rhodes' actual tattoo

The Jonathan Miller production runs through March 15th with a cast that also includes Elizabeth Futral, Renata Pokupic, Joel Prieto, William Shimell, and Christine Brandes. Visit the opera company's website to purchase tickets. The 6' 5" New Zealand barihunk received a nice mention from Tim Smith in the Baltimore Sun:

As Guglielmo, Teddy Tahu Rhodes towers over his colleagues physically and reveals a beefy sound to match his animated delivery.

 CONTACT US AT Barihunks@gmail.com

Hot New Promo Pictures of Duncan Rock as Don Giovanni

Duncan Rock: A Don Giovanni that makes the Catalogue aria believable

We recently posted about barihunk Duncan Rock being cast in "Don Giovanni: The Opera" at Heaven in London, England.

The opera opens on April 15 and has created a lot of buzz, which you can read about in our previous post. Part of the chatter was that Google Ads had declined the company's advertising because it was too provocative. The production has created lively debates about whether performances like this are good for opera, or not. The opera is not for "purists," but for those who want a fun, frolicking, sexy night of entertainment with the music of Mozart, then you may want to jump online and get tickets.

Behind the scenes rehearsal shot

When we saw the promotional photos for the performance with Duncan Rock, we had to share them with readers. In this production, there is some role switching and the Don pursues men as well as women. One thing is certain, after seeing these pictures, Leporello's "Catalogue Aria" where he sings of his master's conquests will suddenly become quite believable.

Here's the original text in English translation. We suspect that there will some adjustments.

My dear lady, this is a list
Of the beauties my master has loved,
A list which I have compiled.
Observe, read along with me.

In Italy, six hundred and forty;
In Germany, two hundred and thirty-one;
A hundred in France; in Turkey, ninety-one;
But in Spain already one thousand and three.

Among these are peasant girls,
Maidservants, city girls,
Countesses, baronesses,
Marchionesses, princesses,
Women of every rank,
Every shape, every age.

With blondes it is his habit
To praise their kindness;
In brunettes, their faithfulness;
In the white-haired, their sweetness.

In winter he likes fat ones.
In summer he likes thin ones.
He calls the tall ones majestic.
The little ones are always charming.

He seduces the old ones
For the pleasure of adding to the list.
His greatest favourite
Is the young beginner.

It doesn't matter if she's rich,
Ugly or beautiful;
If she wears a skirt,
You know what he does.

CONTACT US AT Barihunks@gmail.com

Lee Poulis as Enrico (Photo by Rod Millington/Sarasota Opera)

Sometimes the sexiest pictures don't show any skin at all. This photo of Lee Poulis as Enrico in Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor at Sarasota is a great example of someone cutting a sexy figure in a period costume with lots of fabric.

The production opened on February 18th, but there are additional performances on February 23, 26 and March 2, 7, 9, 17 and 23. Visit the Sarasota Opera website for ticket information.

The sextet from Lucia at the Met with barihunk Mariusz Kwiecien and Anna Netrebko:

CONTACT US AT Barihunks@gmail.com