Low voices dominate Icelandic opera Ragnheiður

August Ólafsson

If you love low voices as much as the Barihunks team, you may went to head north to the Icelandic Opera for Gunnar Þórðarson's Ragnheiður, which includes two basses and two baritones.

The opera is based on true historical events that took place in Iceland in the mid 17th century. The title role, Ragnheiður, is the 18-year-old daughter of the Bishop of Skálholt, the most powerful man of the church in the country. She and her young teacher, Daði, fell in love, but had to conceal their affections since the bishop had other plans for his daughter's future. In 1661 the bishop demanded that his daughter, Ragnheiður, would take an oath in front of the whole congregation to swear her virginity. Nine months later she gave birth to a child. For centuries people have discussed if she took a false oath or not.

The case includes barihunk August Ólafsson in the role of Reverend Torfi Jónsson, who explains to the title character that the consequences of perjury will be the eternal flames of hell.  He studied music at the Sibelius Academy with the great baritone Jorma Hynninen. He made his debut with the Icelandic Opera in the title role of Sondheim's Sweeney Todd, and has subsequently performed Papageno in Mozart's The Magic Flute, Marcello in Puccini's La Bohème, Nick Shadow in Stravinsky's The Rake's Progress, Harlekin in Richard Strauss' Ariadne on Naxos, Baron Douphol in Verdi's La traviata, and Marullo in Verdi's Rigoletto.

He has been nominated three times for the Icelandic Music Awards and received the 2011 Icelandic Music Performer of the Year.

Performances of Ragnheiður are on December 27th and 28th. Tickets are available online.

Don't forget to order you Barihunks Charity Calendar today. We've already given away $1,600 to support young singers. 

 

Two Red-Headed Barihunks: Ágúst Ólafsson and Gregory Gerbrandt

[Top photo of Ágúst Ólafsson; Bottom photo of Gregory Gerbrandt]

Perhaps the memory of opera’s most famous redhead, Beverly Sills, is going to live on in the world of barihunks. Gregory Gerbrandt and Ágúst Ólafsson are two thrilling young redheads who Ms. Sills would have loved.

Gerbrandt voice is probably too low to land a bunch of traditional barihunks roles, but he’s been acclaimed as a Marcello (see video), Silvio, Almaviva in Nozze and as a concert artist. He also is a volunteer firefighter, which makes it all the more likely that Bubbles would have loved him. Sills released an album called “Up in Central Park” with a Sigmund Romberg song entitled “The Fireman’s Bride.” The song was full of sexual innuendo: she “clings to the hose” and “lies flat on her hide,” because she is the “naughty Fireman’s bride.”

Our other carrot top is Ágúst Ólafsson, who is a regular with the Icelandic Opera. He studied with the great Jorma Hynninen and Sauli Tiilikainen at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, Finland. He went on to win second prize in the international Hugo Wolf Academy Lied competition. Ólafsson, like Gerbrandt has also scored a huge success in the crossover title role of Sweeney Todd (Does anyone else think these two look like brothers?). On the opera stage Ólafsson is becoming a bit of a Mozart specialist, so we expect to see more of him on this site.

For some reason, we've had a run on redheads lately. If you're a fan, you might want to check out our recent post of Ryan de Ryke, as well, at: http://barihunks.blogspot.com/2009/02/red-headed-ryan-de-ryke.html.

This site can be contacted at barihunks@gmail.com

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