Erwin Schrott sings Scarpia tonight for only second time

Erwin Schrott as Scarpia in Berlin

Bass-barihunk Erwin Schrott waited until February of last year before he felt comfortable enough to debut the role of the evil police chief Scarpia in Puccini's Tosca. That debut happened in Berlin and now he's slated for a series of performances of the plum role, beginning tonight at the Vienna State Opera in an all-star cast that includes Angela Gheorghiu  as Tosca and Massimo Giordano as Mario Cavaradossi.

Future performances of the role will be in Munich, the Royal Opera House in London and Madrid. Additional performances in Vienna will be on January 12, 13 and 16 and tickets are available online.

After his run as Scarpia, the Uruguayan singer remains in Vienna for three performances of Méphistophélès in Gounod's Faust, running from January 25-February 2. He'll reprise that role in Munich beginning on April 29. In between those performances, he will sing Procida in Verdi's Les Vêpres siciliennes, also in Munich. 

Reader Submission: Alfonso Mujica

Alfonso Mujica

A reader submitted Uruguayan barihunk Alfonso Mujica to the site after finding a video of him singing Mahler’s Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen on YouTube. We knew that there had to be another sexy Uruguayan barihunk other than Erwin Schrott.

Mujica began his career after receiving a grant from the National Fund for Music in Uruguay and getting the top ranking at the Juventudes Musicales. He made his debut singing in Galuppi's chamber opera Il Filosofo di Campagna with the Official Service of Broadcasting, Television and Entertainment of Uruguay (SODRE).

He went on to perform Manuel in de Falla's La Vida Breve, Aeneas in Purcell's Dido and Aeneas, Ping in Puccini's Turandot and Pablo Sorozábal's zarzuela La del Manojo de Rosas. He's also performed numerous oratorios and masses, as well as recitals, often accompanied by a guitar.

Tango with Erwin Schrott at 54 Below

Erwin Schrott

If you're going to be in New York on Sunday, February 3rd, you might want to head over to 54 Below where will be performing an intimate night of tango. Readers will recall that his photo with fellow barihunks Dmitri Hvorstovsky and Ildar Abdrazakov at tenor Charles Castronovo's event at 54 Below made our Top 25 of 2012 list under "Barihunk Feast." If you missed him that night, here's your chance to get up close and personal.

Schrott will fore-go the cavernous Metropolitan Opera for one night only and share his artistry in the 150-seat nightclub. The show will be centered around his award-winning CD Rojotango, which recently won the Echo Award, the European equivalent of the Grammy.

Barihunk Feast: Schrott, Hvorostovsky, Castronovo and Abdrazakov (Photo Credit: Charles Martin)

After winning Placido Domingo's international voice competition Operalia in 1998, Erwin Schrott has been an operatic superstar, burning up the stages of all the important opera houses of the world in Milan, London, Vienna, Berlin, and Paris with his acclaimed portrayals of all the great Mozart roles such as Don Giovanni, Leporello, and Figaro.

He's also become one of the most popular singers on this site.

Cover charges range from $30 to $40 and doors open at 8:45 PM for the 9:30 PM performance. Tickets are available online.

Erwin Schrott & Anna Netrebko Create Children's Foundation

Anna Netrebko, son Tiago and Erwin Schrott

We have a particular fondness for singers who use their celebrity for good causes. Few singers do more for humanitarian causes than barihunk  Erwin Schrot and his soprano wife Anna Netrebko. They stepped it up a notch this week when they announced the formation of the  "Anna and Erwin Foundation - Anna Netrebko and Erwin Schrott for Kids."

Schrott & Netrebko sing "Bess, you is my woman now..." from Porgy & Bess:

The two singers said that they want to use their popularity "to help children in need" and called it "a dream come true." The first projects to benefit from the foundation's support will be SOS Children's Village, a children's hospital in St. Petersburg, the Austrian charity "Unser Kind," and the Spanish foundation A.Va.Pa.Ce.


You can follow them on Twitter  @AnnaErwin4Kids

CONTACT US AT Barihunks@gmail.com

Erwin Scrott: Figaro on BBC4 Today

Erwin Schrott's Figaro in Mozart's "Le Nozze di Figaro" can be heard today on BBC4 at 7:30 PM GST (2:30 PM EST and 11:30 AM PST). Schrott has become famous for his portrayal of Mozart's Figaro and Don Giovanni and he will be joined by and all-star cast. Gerald Finley will star as Count Almaviva, Miah Persson as Susannah and Dorothea Roschmann as the Countess.



Schrott has also announced that his next album will be dedicated to tango music. Schrott started performing them as encores in his recitals and they have become something of a sensation. No release date has been set.

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Spanish Interview With Erwin Schrott

Opera Vilag is featuring an interview with barihunk Erwin Schrott in Spanish.

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