Jacques Imbrailo has told The Times of London that Barihunks readers will be disappointed with his portrayal of Billy Budd at Glyndebourne. Click HERE to find out why.
[Bo Skovhus: Not afraid to look sexy!]
For those of you who still like a sexy Billy Budd, there are performances of the Benjamin Britten masterpiece coming up at Vienna with Adrian Eröd, Paris with Lucas Meachem, and Frankfurt with Peter Mattei. The Netherlands Opera, which is far more provocative than the somewhat stuffy Glyndebourne, has also booked Imbrailo to sing Billy Budd. Of course, the Netherlands Opera always has other barihunk options. They have Bo Skovhus singing in Eugene Onegin and Henk Neven in Romeo et Juliette.
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What a turd. He's off my list of singers who I want to see.
ReplyDeleteJacques Imbrailo is a barihunk? Shame on GLyndebourne and Netherlands Opera for casting him. He doesn't come close to looking like a Billy Budd. Maybe he should be singing Messiaen's St. Francis of Assisi where he can wear "appropriate" costumes and bask in his faith.
ReplyDeleteHas Jacques Imbrailo read Billy Budd? The narrator in the book describes him as handsome and blue-eyed, and compares him to Hercules. The last time I checked, Hercules was pretty barihunky.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous is correct this not a role for someone as uptight as Jacques. He should read the text of the story and probably reconsider this a a suitable role for him. Certainly, the Netherlands Opera wouldn't want someone who removes the sexuality from this role. Luckily, the Dutch are not uptight about these sorts of things.
ReplyDeleteHere is Herman Melville describing Billy Budd in the book: "But where's my beauty? Ah," looking through the cabin's open door, "Here he comes; and, by Jove- lugging along his chest- Apollo with his portmanteau!
Not only is he described as beautiful, but he is compared to Apollo. The element of Billy's beauty is key to the story and to the undercurrent of sexual tension in the story.
Uh, how about replacing him with Bo Skovhus? He fits the description perfectly.
ReplyDeleteJust rename the opera Billy Studd and maybe Imbrailo will get it.
ReplyDeleteP.S. Imbrailo is about as sexy as ice-cold lasagna.
He won't perform shirtless because his wife might be offended??? They need a marriage counselor. My husband is a barihunk on this site and I love seeing him shirtless (and sharing him with others).
ReplyDeleteHehe... well, if he doesn't strip, we still have Philip Ens who's sexy even all buttoned up. (I'm generally a Claggart fangirl... I like when he's a hot bass and not a bear.)
ReplyDeleteI already booked tickets for Vienna, at least that's close to me. And it will have Neil Shicoff, who's easily the best living Vere right now.
I'm a Christian and I don't find a shirtless Billy Budd offensive. Should I cover up my shirtless Jesus on the cross that's hanging on my wall?
ReplyDeleteGive Imbrailo some credit. He has the characterization half right by wanting to put emphasis on Budd's goodness. I agree with the other comments that you can't deny his beauty and physicality. What makes the story so powerful is that he's almost perfect except for his stutter, which contributes to his downfall. This singer should consider infusing some sense of sexuality into his characterization, as it will make the performance more fully realized.
ReplyDeleteHe comes across a bit self-righteous and overly pious in that interview. I'm not sure what's attracting him to the role of Billy Budd. The previous comment seems to nail it. Billy's downfall is tragic because he is what so many of us desire to be good, beautiful, loyal and honest. I hope that he gets a good director to bring out the entire character, not just what he's comfortable with.
ReplyDeleteHe said "all my kit". That means nude, not shirtless. He's done shirtless roles before according to you picture so clearly he
ReplyDeletemeans he won't be nude on stage and he's not fussed about shirtless. Sounds like you guys are a bit obsessed by bare chests. Melville's description of beauty, handsomeness, strength etc... doesn't seem to have bare chest in there.
I've just come home from the first night of Jacques Imbrailo's turn as Billy Budd, and found the interpretation very moving, and I think the sexing up of Billy in many productions actually is a distraction from the point of the opera, which is pure evil (Claggert) versus pure good (Billy) and the fact that Vere has to live with his decision not to save Billy - as we all have to live with things we know we did wrong. Here, the morality of fateful decisions is much more pointed and painful than the hunkiness and undercurrent sexual attraction that Claggert MAY feel for Billy (Truth can be Beauty, witness John Keats). In 1951 the dubbing of Billy as Beauty was assuredly seen as a metaphor for gay attraction (though it is never reciprocated by Billy), but then most of the crew refer to him as a Beauty too, and that's nothing to do with hunkiness. And are we not limiting a talented baritone - who may or may not have Christian worries about going naked - from singing a role which he has the talent to play, and bringing something fresh to it, which, I thought, Imbrailo certainly did with Grandage and Elder's directions.
ReplyDelete