Sexy, sexy pictures of Damian Pass and the Men of Agrippina

Damian Pass and the Men of Agrippina

Last week, we posted about the sexy production of Handel’s Agrippina from the Theater an der Wien featuring barihunk Damian Pass as Pallante and hunken-countertenor Jake Arditti as Nerone.

The production was live streamed on Sonostream, but is now available on YouTube or right here on Barihunks.

The new production from director Robert Carsen casts a satirical eye on Ancient Rome, with political and sexual machination as Agrippina schemes to place her son, Nerone (Nero), on the throne and the seductive Poppea juggles with three lovers.  Handel, who many musicologists presume was gay, would undoubtedly have LOVED this production.

Damian Pass strips down in Agrippina

In addition to enough supernumerary beefcake to fill an issue of Men's Fitness, the cast also includes the stunning Danielle de Niese as Poppea, Patricia Bardon in the title role, Fillippo Mineccia as Ottone, Mika Kares as Claudio, Tom Verney as Narciso and Christoph Seidl as Lesbo.

We figured that it was worthwhile to share some of the pictures from the production. 

Damian Pass, Patricia Bardon and the Men of Agrippina

In 1707-1708, Agrippina gave the young Handel his big chance to establish his reputation as an opera composer in Italy. The commission came from the famous Teatro San Giovanni Crisostomo in Venice, which was funded by the influential Grimani family. The Venetians were extremely demanding when it came to music, but Handel succeeded in creating a wise, gripping and entertaining opera on the basis of the humorous libretto about lust for power and sexual desires in Ancient Rome. The success was overwhelming.

Sexy Agrippina with Damian Pass to be live streamed from Vienna

Damian Pass as Pallante in Agrippina

If you love sexy men (and women), then add the live stream of Handel’s Agrippina from the Theater an der Wien to your list of "must see" performances.  The new production from director Robert Carsen casts a satirical eye on Ancient Rome, with political and sexual machination as Agrippina schemes to place her son, Nerone (Nero), on the throne and the seductive Poppea juggles with three lovers.

The cast includes barihunk Damian Pass as Pallante, hunken-countertenor Jake Arditti as Nerone, the stunning Danielle de Niese as Poppea, Patricia Bardon in the title role, Fillippo Mineccia as Ottone, Mika Kares as Claudio, Tom Verney as Narciso and Christoph Seidl as Lesbo. Thomas Hengelbrock conducts his Balthasar Neumann Ensemble.

Jake Arditti in Agrippina

The performance will live streamed on Sonostream.tv on March 29th at 7 PM CEST (2 PM EST, 11 AM PST). There is an additional performance remaining on March 31 and tickets are available online.

In 1707-1708, Agrippina gave the young Handel his big chance to establish his reputation as an opera composer in Italy. The commission came from the famous Teatro San Giovanni Crisostomo in Venice, which was funded by the influential Grimani family. The Venetians were extremely demanding when it came to music, but Handel succeeded in creating a wise, gripping and entertaining opera on the basis of the humorous libretto about lust for power and sexual desires in Ancient Rome. The success was overwhelming.

A scene from Robert Carsen's Agrippina in Vienna

The story takes place in Rome, 54 A.D. where Agrippina is married to the Roman Emperor Claudio, who is currently away on a crusade. When the rumor surfaces that he has been killed in battle, she tries to make her son Nerone, the result of an earlier liaison with another man, emperor. It turns out, however, that Claudio is not dead, but was saved by Ottone, one of his generals. Out of gratitude, Claudio has made him his heir. Consequently, there are now two heirs. The situation is made even more complicated by the fact that Claudio, Nerone and Ottone are all in love with the same woman: Poppea. Who will win the woman and the throne? Agrippina schemes, sometimes successfully, sometimes less so. In the end, Ottone wins Poppea – for the time being – and Nerone is heir to the throne. But as we know from history and Monteverdi’s L’incoronazione di Poppea things are not going to remain this way for long.

Damian Pass & Pietro De Bianco in Don Giovanni

Pietro Di Bianco as Leporello

Damian Pass as Masetto

We recently introduced Italian barihunk Pietro Di Bianco to readers and mentioned that he's performing Leporello in Mozart's Don Giovanni at the Atelier Lyrique with fellow barihunk Damian Pass, who is singing Masetto. Performances run from March 22-29, but we just received photos from the dress rehearsals, which we wanted to share. Additional information is available online.

Di Bianco will reprise the role of Leporello on July 5 and 7 at the Anthéa Antipolis Théâtre d'Antibes. Pass will be is singing Masetto in Don Giovanni at the Opera of Toulon from May 20-27.

Introducing Pietro di Bianco: Leporello in Paris

Pietro Di Bianco

We're not sure how Italian bass-barihunk Pietro di Bianco escaped our eagle eyes or slipped by our readers in Europe, but we're thrilled to add him to our site. With his runway model looks and voice to match, we have a feeling that he'll be a regular on this site. 

He's currently getting ready to open as Leporello in Mozart's Don Giovanni at the Atelier Lyrique de l’Opéra National de Paris in a cast that features fellow barihunk Damian Pass as Masetto. Performance run from March 22-29 and additional information is available online. He will reprise the role of Leporello on July 5 and 7 at the Anthéa Antipolis Théâtre d'Antibes.

 

Born in 1983, Pietro Di Bianco studied piano at the Conservatoire Giuseppe Martucci of Salerno, where he graduated in 2004. He studied chamber music at the Accademia nazionale de Santa Cecilia and won several national competitions. He was hired as a piano accompanist at the music conservatories in Salerno and Potenza.

He then took up singing at the conservatory in Aquila and graduated in 2009. He worked with the great soprano Renata Scotto at the opera in Santa Cecilia and with the legendary baritone Renato Bruson in Sienna. He was a finalist at the 62nd Concours européen Associazione lirica concertistica Italiana at the Teatro de Como. He is currently honing his skills with the Bulgarian soprano Raina Kabaiwanska.

Pietro Di Bianco

Di Bianco performed concerts throughout Rome, while also appearing at the Palau de la Música di Valencia as Leporello in Mozart’s Don Giovanni, Collatinus in Benjamin Britten’s The Rape of Lucretia at the Théâtre de l'Athénée, Fauré's Requiem with the Orchestra Sinfonica Abruzzese, Don Alfonso in Mozart’s Così fan tutte in Rome, Don Alvaro in Rossini’s Il Viaggo in Reims at the Teatro Rossini and the Pharaoh in Rossini’s Mose in Egitto at the Teatro Municipal Giuseppe Verdi.

In October 2012, he joined the roster of the Atelier Lyrique. Upcoming performances include Alidoro in Rossini’s La Cenerentola at the Sofia Opera and Beaupertuis in Nino Rota’s Il cappello di paglia di Firenze in Bari,Italy.

Damian Pass on Radio France podcast

Damian Pass

You can catch Aussie barihunk Damian Pass on the newest podcast on Radio France. He is performing Schumann's Belsazar Balthazar, Duparc's La vie antérieure and Handel's "O voi dell errebo" from La Resurrezione. Click here to play (you'll need to scroll down to find him).

If you want to catch him live, he'll be performing Junius in Britten’s The Rape of Lucretia at the Athénée Theatre in Paris with the emsemble Le Balcon from January 14 – 19. He then appears as Masetto in two productions of Mozart's Don Giovanni. First at the MC93 Theatre in Bobigny from March 22 – 31 and then from May 20 – 27 at the Opera of Toulon.