BARIHUNKS ®

Sunday, August 7, 2011

Zachary Gordin to perform at iCadenza Future of Music Festival!

Zachary Gordin

On August 19th, American barihunk Zachary Gordin will be performing at the first annual iCadenza Future of Music Festival! in Los Angeles. The four-day festival consists of three concerts by groundbreaking young artists alongside other events and lectures featuring discourse on the new directions of the classical music industry and centered on the question, “On Our Own Terms: Where do artists want to take the future of classical music?”

The festival will take place at The Colburn School, known as an innovative institution shaping the next generation of artists. The three concerts will be featuring dynamic pianists, opera singers, and members of the Israeli Chamber Project – an ensemble comprised of top Israeli-born soloists.

Additional information is available at www.icadenzafestival.com.

Gordin will also be giving one of his popular masterclasses on August 20th from 3-5 PM, also at the Colburn School in downtown LA. This event is free and open to the public.

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Saturday, August 6, 2011

Michael Nagy sings Wolfram's Lied

Michael Nagy

Here is Germanbarihunk Michael Nagy singing Wolfram's Lied from Wagner's romantic opera 'Tannhäuser' at this year's Bayreuth Festival. Nagy is performing the role through August 25. Barihunk Günther Groissböck is also in the cast as Landgraf Herrmann. Click HERE for additional cast and ticket information.

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Thursday, August 4, 2011

Seth Carico: Lean and Clean-shaven

Seth Carico: Fear the Beard

The last time that we featured Seth Carico he had created the Fidel Castro-esque character in Jorge Martin's "Before Night Falls" at the Ft. Worth Opera Festival. Carico brilliantly captured the vile character and completely embodied the part.

So we barely recognized him when we saw these pictures from the Ash Lawn Opera's production of the "King & I." Carico reminds us of William Shatner's commercial where he claims to be the "Master of Disguises," as his transformation is truly stunning. He even lost considerable weight a la Tom Hanks in "Cast Away."

Seth Carico in The King & I

Carico received critical praise for his role in "Before Night Falls" and the plaudits have continued with his new appearance.

Clare Aukofer in The Daily Press wrote:

There is a nuanced chemistry between Elizabeth Andrews Roberts as Anna and Seth Mease Carico as the king. Both are undeniably talented; Roberts’ pure, rich soprano and solid acting bring to light all the shades of the character and do full justice to the well-loved songs.

Carico sneaks up on you; if you saw last year’s shows, you might not reconcile his regal presence to the clever servant he played in last year’s production of Don Giovanni or to the funny sidekick in Brigadoon. He is masterful as the king, with a voice so rich you could sink into it, complemented by superb acting. The two together are electric.

Two performances of the "King & I" remain on August 6th and 7th. For ticket and additional production information click HERE.

Since his success in Ft. Worth, Carico has been part of the ensemble at the Deutsche Oper Berlin where he as performed Zuniga in Carmen, Sacristan in Tosca, and Panthée in Les Troyens. This Fall he returns to the famed German theater to perform in Verdi's "Don Carlo" and Puccini's "Tosca."

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Wednesday, August 3, 2011

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SIMON KEENLYSIDE!

THE SEEMINGLY AGELESS SIMON KEENLYSIDE

Amazingly, Simon Keenlyside is celebrating his 52nd birthday today, which should give hope to all middle-aged men. He remains as sexy as ever and continues to deliver dramatically intense performances with stunning vocalism.

He is currently singing opposite fellow barihunk Erwin Schrott in Salzburg's "Le nozze di Figaro." He then heads to the Edinburgh International Festival for a concert with pianist Malcolm Martineau. They will be performing works by Mahler, Strauss and Schubert alongside more intimate songs by Duparc and Debussy. For those who can't attend, the concert will be broadcast on August 31st as BBC Radio 3's Lunchtime Concert.

Simon Keenlyside sings Gabriel Fauré's "En sourdine":

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Barihunks Mattei & Hvorostovsky: 2011 Opera News Honorees

Two barihunks are among the honorees for the seventh annual Opera News Awards, which will be presented on Sunday, April 29 at The Plaza in New York City. The awards, pay tribute to artists who have made an invaluable contribution to the art form. Dmitri Hvorostovsky and Peter Mattei will join sopranos Karita Mattila and Anja Silja, as well as director Peter Sellars as honorees.

The official announcement will appear in the September 2011 issue of Opera News, which is available on August 4 and features barihunk Mariusz Kwiecien on the cover. [We will post the cover tomorrow].

The Opera News Awards were created in 2005. They recognize five individuals each year for distinguished achievement in the field of opera.

Here is Peter Mattei with Juan Diego Florez singing the Act 2 duet from The Barber of Seville:

Here is what Opera News wrote about Mattei and Hvorostovsky in announcing the awards.

Pater Mattei as Billy Budd

From Managing Editor Oussama Zahr regardig Peter Mattei:

"Peter Mattei's lustrous baritone - firm and generously produced, with an appealing softness around the edges - sets him apart today as a marvelous singer. But it's his astonishing ability to inhabit a range of characters - from the frothiest comedy to the bleakest tragedy - that makes him an artist of the highest caliber."

Senior Editor Louise T. Guinther said of Dmitri Hvorostovsky:

"Dmitri Hvorostovsky's charisma, glamour, and vocal prowess are without peer. Equally persuasive on recordings, on the recital stage, and in the opera house, Hvorostovsky is a singer whose artistry speaks to everyone."

Here are winners Karita Mattila and Dmitri Hvorostovsky singing "Là ci darem la mano" from Mozart's Don Giovanni.

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Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Listen to Jonathan Beyer Live This Wednesday

Jonathan Beyer with Soprano Audrey Luna

Regular readers of this site will know that we've given barihunk Jonathan Beyer a lot of coverage for his uncanny ability to win singing competitions. Now you can hear this talented performer live on Wednesday, August 3rd no matter where you live. Beyer will be performing a recital that is being streamed worldwide.

The recital is part of the Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concert series. Since their inception in 1977, the concerts have been presented free of charge each week before live audiences of 500. More than 1,600 free weekly concerts have been presented in the series over the course of the past 34 years. The series is modeled after chamber music concerts presented by British Myra Hess in London's National Gallery during the German blitz on that city during the Second World War.

The concert will be broadcast live on WFMT 98.7 FM in Chicago at 12:15pm CST (6:15 PM London).

Beyer's program includes music of Tchaikovsky, Reynaldo Hahn, Ernesto Lecuona, and selections from Copland's Old American Songs. For more information click HERE.

If you're in the Chicago area, you can attend the concert for free at the Chicago Cultural Center (78 E. Washington St. at Michigan Avenue).

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Monday, August 1, 2011

10% Discount for Barihunks readers on Okulitch CD

GPR Records is offerings a 10% discount to Barihunks readers who order Daniel Okulitch's new CD of American composers. If you have a PayPal account, you can click HERE to directly to the discounted site.

Okulitch sings music by Ricky Ian Gordon, Jake Heggie, Lowell Lieberman, and Glen Roven on this recording of twenty-nine songs. As we've reported, Okulitch is currently in Santa Fe performing music by one of the masters of the mid-20th century, Gian Carlo Menotti. Tickets for Menotti's "The Last Savage" are available HERE.

Copies of fellow barihunk Randal Turner's recording of Living American Composers are still available, but are almost completely sold out. You can click HERE or on the button to the right to order. We encourage readers to order both CDs, as they are some of the best recordings of this music ever recorded. Both projects had the direct involvement of many of the composers.

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