Introducing Jens Søndergaard; Appearing in Carl Nielsen's Maskarade

Jens Søndergaard

Jens Søndergaard will perform in Carl Nielsen's Maskarade in Den Fynske Opera's upcoming season. The opera will be a new staging with a modern twist. Performances will run from February 24-March 9, 2017. Tickets are available online.

Maskarade is based on the 1724 comedy Mascarade by the Danish playwright Ludvig Holberg, who is considered the founder of modern Danish and Norwegian literature. The world premiere of Maskarade took place at Det Kongelige Teater in Copenhagen on November 11, 1906. It was a resounding success from the start with an exceptional run of 25 performances over its first four months. The opera had its US premiere in 1972 with the St. Paul Opera in Minnesota.

The opera is considered Denmark's national opera and it has enjoyed lasting success in the country, attributable to its many strophic songs, dances and its underlying "old Copenhagen" atmosphere. In 2006, Denmark's Ministry of Culture named it one of Denmark's twelve greatest musical works.

The popular overture to Carl Nielsen's Maskarade:

The story revolves around Leander and Leonora, two young people who meet fortuitously at a masquerade ball, swear their undying love for each other and exchange rings. The following day, Leander tells his valet Henrik of his newfound love. He becomes distraught when reminded by Henrik that his parents have betrothed him in marriage to Leonora, the daughter of Leonard from remote Slagelse. Things get complicated when Leonard himself, whose daughter Leonora is the other part of this arrangement, comes complaining to Leander’s father that Leonora is in love with someone she met at the masquerade the previous night. In the third act, all is resolved when the various parties slip off to the night's masquerade, where all is revealed to everyone's mutual satisfaction.

Jens Søndergaard started his musical career with the Herning Boys Choir in Denmark. He graduated in 2003 from the Royal Opera Academy in Copenhagen, and debuted in 2005 at the Royal Danish Academy of Music. From 2004-2007 he sang at Das Deutsche National Theater in Weimar, where he specialized in Mozart, singing Figaro in Le nozze di Figaro, Don Alfonso in Cosi fan tutte and Papageno in Die Zauberflöte. He performed Elviro in Handel's Xerxes and Aslask in Åm's The Ice Castle at the Royal Opera in Copenhagen.

In 2014, he won the Ålborg Operapris (Aalborg Opera Prize).

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Bear-a-hunk Johan Reuter buffs up for Flying Dutchman

Johan Reuter hits the gym (and a faux magazine cover from the production)

Johan Reuter, who last appeared on this site shirtless in Carl Nielsen's Saul and David, has been buffing up for his performance as the Flying Dutchman at the Finnish National Opera. The opera opened this week and continues through December 30 with two cast. Reuter has sung the Dutchman in Munich, Hamburg, Berlin, Madrid and Copenhagen

Tickets and additional cast information is available online.

Der fliegende Holländer, Richard Wagner’s first masterpiece, is the story of the Dutchman, a captain cursed to sail the seas of the world forever; he is only allowed to make landfall once every seven years. This curse can only be broken by the love of a faithful woman.

The Finnish National Opera has enlisted director Kasper Holten for their production, which sets the opera in an urban environment and the tempestuous world of the international art trade. In this production, the Dutchman is a famous Dutch artist who travels the world. The sea, storms and ships are all evoked in the production, but never present.

Johan Reuter sings Die frist ist um from Der fliegende Holländer:

Barihunk (bear-a-hunk) Johan Reuter studied at the Royal Academy of Music and the Academy of the Royal Theatre in his hometown of Copenhagen. Since 1996 he has been a soloist at the Royal Theatre in Copenhagen. Last season, in addition to Saul and David,  he performed in Oscar nominee Atom Agoyan's production of Wagner's Die Walküre in Toronto and a new co-production of Alban Berg's Lulu by artist William Kentridge in Amsterdam and the Metropolitan Opera.

In 2017, Reuter will make two role debuts. On January 21, he debuts in a new production of Jake Heggie's Dead Man Walking at the Royal Danish Opera. In May, he'll make his role debut in Hans Werner Henze's Elegy for Young Lovers at the Theater an den Wien.

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Reader Submission: Jens Søndergaard

Jens Søndergaard

Our latest "Reader Submission" is Danish barihunk Jens Søndergaard, who a reader informed us will sing Aslak in the world premiere of composer Magnar Åm's Is-slottet (The Ice Castle). The opera, which is based on author Tarjei Vesaas' award-winning novel of the same name, opens on September 16 at Den Ny Opera.

The legendary Norwegian story tells the tale of two friends who despite having spent only one evening together, finds the life of one of them shattered when the other inexplicably disappears.

In 2003, Søndergaard graduated from the Royal Opera Academy in Copenhagen, and debuted in 2005 from the Royal Danish Academy of Music. From 2004-2007 he was a member of the ensemble at Das Deutsche Nationaltheater Weimar. His operatic repertoire has ranged from the baroque to contemporary Danish music.

In addition to Is-slottet, Søndergaard's current season includes his debut as Scarpia in Puccini's Tosca at the Aalborg Opera Festivaland Guglielmo in Mozart's Così fan tutte at Jyske Opera opening February 2015.

Skovhus & Ketelson in Aix-en-Provence Giovanni

We think Bo Skovhus gets sexier and sexier every year. Shaving off those strawberry blond locks that he was famous for only made him more masculine on stage and the voice is as solid as ever. We can't imagine a better role for him at this stage of his career than Don Giovanni, nor a better sidekick than Kyle Ketelsen's Leporello.

The two barihunks will be performing together at the Aix-en-Provence Festival beginning on July 1st and running through July 20th. Here are some rehearsal pictures of the two men working together.

Also, due to the popular demand of the Barihunk t-shirt, we have opened up a store where you can purchase your very own apparel. We even have t-shirts for the women who like their men with low notes and hot bodies!

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