"Teddy Bare" Discusses HIs ACO Tour

In this preview video, Teddy Tahu Rhodes talks with great excitement about his upcoming tour with the Australian Chamber Orchestra. He goes so far as to say that "excitement" wells up inside of him when he thinks about it. He can rest assured that his fans down under had the same reaction when he appeared on the schedule, which encompasses seven cities over the course of seventeen days.

He also goes into wonderful detail about the two song cycles that he's performing. The first being Beethoven's magnificent "An die ferne Geliebte," known in English as "To the Distant Beloved." Their has been much speculation over the years about who Beethoven's "distant beloved" was, with most scholars agreeing that it was Antonia Brentano, a married woman who he met in 1812, but never pursued.

Some scholars also believe that it was written as a secret message to his nephew Karl, who Beethoven obsessed over for years.

Rhodes' other set of songs is Richard Rodney Bennett's "Songs Before Sleep," known as Roald Dahl-esque settings of children's songs.



Here is the entire program for Rhode's appearance with the ACO:

MAHLER: Adagietto
BEETHOVEN: An die ferne Geliebte
BENNETT: Songs Before Sleep
SAXTON: Birthday piece for RRB
PROKOFIEV: Five Melodies
MENDELSSOHN: String Quartet No.3

Also, don't forget to vote in our greatest Hamlet poll. You can watch the videos in the following post.

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CONTEST: Hamlet's Drinking Song

If there is an opera that seems to be experiencing a major revival, it's Ambroise Thomas' "Hamlet,' Of course this is great news for lovers of the baritone voice, as it is an absolute showcase for baritones. Here are five very different renditions spanning 100 years of singing. Use the poll at the right and let us know which is your favorite version. 

Here is Bo Skovhus:



Here is Dmitri Hvorostovsky:



Here is Simon Keenlyside:



Here is Nelson Eddy:



Here is Titta Ruffo:



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New Opera Baby Arrives

When Anna Netrebko and barihunk Erwin Schrott welcomed their baby Tiago Arua into the world it created international headlines. It seemed like only Madonna's baby created more buzz in the tabloids.

So Barihunks would like to congratulate Lindsey and Andrew Ashwin on the birth of their baby, Rosie. Rosie may not be getting the same headlines as Tiago Arua, but she's a beautiful new addition to the opera world.

Daddy Ashwin can next be seen as Sharpless at the Grange Park Opera on September 17 & 19. Both performances are already sold out, but you can get on a waiting list for tickets by emailing info@grangeparkopera.co.uk.

 

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Readers Weigh In On "Tallest Barihunk"

Our post about the tallest barihunk generated a lot of mail with people speculating about someone who might be taller than Olivier Laquerre. Some of the names sent to us were Thomas Hampson, Paul Whelan, Luca Dall'Amico, Kevin Thompson, Jérôme Varnier, Gregory Gerbrandt and Greer Grimsley. We're pretty confident that none of these singers are taller than Laquerre.

However, the most credible email we received asked about Dutch baritone Wiart Witholt. His website includes the following press tidbit:

Wiard Witholt from the Netherlands has the dubious honour of being the tallest competitor ever in Cardiff Singer. I have no idea how this is known, perhaps somewhere there is the equivalent of a police file kept on everyone, with a photo of each one holding up a number. Anyway Wiard is the tallest at 6' 7½" which I think is 2m, though it is late at night as I type this. 

 [Gregory Gerbrandt, Greer Grimsley & Kevin Thompson]

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Opera "Dream Couple" Aids Pakistani Relief Effort

We love when opera singers involve themselves in good cause, like barihunk Chris Herbert's "Sing for Hope" organization.

So we were thrilled to hear that soprano Anna Netrebko headlined an event with her husband Erwin Schrott to benefit the Pakistani flood relief effort. Also performing was barihunk Christopher Maltman.

The Viennese gala raised 300,000 Euros ($381,000) to aid flood victims. Over 20 million people have been affected by the flooding spanning an area the size of England.

Schrott thrilled the audience by ending the night by dancing a tango (yes, dancing, not singing).

The Austrian government also contributed 7 million Euros ($8.9 million) towards the disaster relief effort.

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Tallest Barihunk?

After our latest post about Teddy Tahu Rhodes appeared, a reader wrote to ask if he's the tallest barihunk. From what we know, "Teddy Bare" is tied for being the second tallest barihunk along with Michael Todd Simpson. Both are about 6'5" according to our theater sources. The tallest barihunk appears to be Canadian Olivier Laquerre who stands at 6'8" according to our sources.



All of Laquerre's upcoming performances are in Canada. On November 5th and 6th, he appears with the Orchestre Symphonique de Trois-Rivieres in a performance of Handel's "Messiah." Then he's with the Symphony Nova Scotia performing Mozart's Requiem on November 11th and 14th. Then it's off for another "Messiah" with the Guelph Chamber Choir on December 18th.

If you know of a taller barihunk, please let us know at barihunks@gmail.com.

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"Teddy Bare" Down Under

Teddy Tahu Rhodes - Baritone Bad Boy - Streeetcar,Don Giovanni etc from EXERO HDTV on Vimeo.

Opera Australia has just announced that "Teddy Bare," aka Teddy Tahu Rhodes, will be returning to the company as Escamillo in their production of Carmen. Rhodes will perform on January 15, 18,24 and February 1 and then turn over his Torreador's outfit to Shane Lowrencev.

The video is an extended interview with Rhodes, who talks about his singing career, his admiration for Dame Kiri te Kanawa, his worst experience on stage (which involved a horse), American vs. European audiences, and why he's glad that composers like Jake Heggie are writing new operas.

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