Mirco Palazzi singing Assur in Marseilles and Bordeaux

Mirco Palazzi

Italian barihunk Mirco Palazzi is reprising the role of Assur in Rossini's Semiramide with Opéra de Marseille through October 27th with Jessica Pratt in the title role. He'll take up the role again in March 2016 with the thrilling soprano Leah Crocetto in the title role.

Semiramide was Rossini's final Italian opera before moving to Paris, where he went on to write Il viaggio a Reims, Le siège de Corinthe, Moïse et Pharaon, Le comte Ory and Guillaume Tell.

By the late 1800s, Semiramide had virtually disappeared from the repertoire. However, it was chosen in 1880 to inaugurate the Teatro Costanzi, new venue of the Rome Opera House, and appeared as part of the Cincinnati Opera Festival in 1882, which was attended by Oscar Wilde. The opera virtually disappeared after 1895, until a German language revival in Rostock in 1932 and a performance under the baton of Tullio Serafin at the Maggio Musicale in 1940. 

Perhaps the most famous exponent of Assur in the last half century has been Samuel Ramey. 

MAKE SURE TO ORDER YOUR 2016 BARIHUNKS CALENDAR BEFORE THE HOLIDAY RUSH; 18 OF THE WORLD'S HOTTEST SINGER FROM 9 COUNTRIES.

 

Introducing French Barihunk Boris Grappe

Boris Grappe as Robert in "Wasser" (photo: Regine Koerner)

We recently discovered this photo of French barihunk Boris Grappe performing in the 2012 world premiere of Wasser by Arnulf Hermann at the Oper Frankfurt.  The story is about a man who upon waking up finds himself in a hotel room with no idea how he got there. He thinks he recognizes people in the lobby, but his memory fails him. Everything is strangely shifted and displaced, including the music.

Grappe had previously performed Barabbas in Aulis Sallinen’s Barabbas Dialogues with the company.

We decided to find up what he's up to and found him singing Franz in Christian Lauba's La Lettre des sable at the Opéra National de Bordeaux from April 24-30. The opera evokes the great classics of science fiction to imagine the mysteries between the past and the future. The characters pass through the hourglass of time without really knowing where they are and who they are. 

Boris Grappe (photo by Patrick Vogel)

Born in Besançon, France, Boris Grappe studied voice at the Conservatoire de Lyon and at the Hochschule für Musik of Vienna. From 2007 to 2011, Boris Grappe was engaged at the Nationaltheater Mannheim where he performed Don Giovanni, Conte Almaviva, Guglielmo, Papageno, Figaro (Barbiere di Siviglia), Schaunard, Ping, Silvio, Harlekin, Donner, Melot, Falke, Albert. Graf Eberbach (Der Wildschütz).

From Decemeber 15-31, he'll perform Puck in Offenbach's La Grande-Duchesse de Gerolstein at the Grand Théâtre de Genève opposite Ruxandra Donose.

Nmon Ford about to get his head served on a platter

Nmon Ford

It looks like Nmon Ford will be able to show off his amazing body next month when he debuts the role of Jochanaan (John the Baptist) in Richard Strauss’ Salome at the Opéra National de Bordeaux.

The new production by Dominic Pitoiset will be the first fully opera staged in the Palais des Sports (Auditorium de Bordeaux). The opera was impossible to present in the Grand Théâtre because of the size of the orchestra pit. 

This production reunites Nmon with the celebrated French soprano Mireille Delunsch, who is singing Salome for the first time, and with whom he performed in Hamburg Opera’s new production of Gluck’s Iphigénie en Tauride. This will also be Ford's debut with the company.  

“Jochanaan is one of those roles that can surely be counted among the ‘Dream List’ of characters for a baritone,” explained Nmon during a recent interview.  “First of all, it’s beautifully written.  So many dramatic baritone roles don’t offer solid opportunities to show the beauty and colors of a voice, but Jochanaan isn’t like that.  The vocal writing is powerful yet lovely, and it allows the voice to demonstrate fully those two qualities as well.  Second, Strauss’ sense of dramatic timing is as well developed as Puccini’s, or Verdi’s, or Mozart’s.  Not a single note is wasted, and Jochanaan gets one of the best stage entrances in opera, on par with Scarpia’s or Dutchman’s.  Seriously, what more could one want?”

Performances are March 21, 24, 27 and 29 and tickets are available online.

Ryan McKinny

If France is too far to travel, barihunk Ryan McKinny will be reprising his sexy Jochanaan at West Palm Beach Opera on March 15, 16 and 17 with Erika Sunnegardh as Salome and the riveting Denyce Graves-Montgomery as Herodias. Tickets are available online.