A Birthday Tribute to Randal Turner

Randal Turner

We have a lot of favorite singers on Barihunks, ranging from the mega-stars like Dmitri Hvorostovsky and Mariusz Kwiecien to the upcoming singers like Matthew Morris, Hadleigh Adams and Jonathan Estabrooks. Then there is Randal Turner, who is in that middle ground with his student days behind him and stardom just a big break away.

Despite being from Indiana and attending the esteemed singing program at Indiana University, his career has been primarily in European opera houses. Perhaps it's because he's based in Zurich.

However, we still can't figure out why he's not been engaged by more American companies. We saw his sexually charged and vocally sublime Don Giovanni in Detroit, as well as his debut at New York City Opera in Rufus Wainwright's Prima Donna and were incredibly impressed. We've been selling his debut CD on the site, which was his West Coast recital debut and filled with music from America's greatest composers: Jake Heggie, Ricky Ian Gordon, Glen Roven, Clint Borzoni and his fellow Swiss-based American, Julia Schwartz.

We're at a loss why he's not on the schedules of more American opera companies. If any of them are reading this, we're eager to hear him in some early to mid-Verdi, some non-Ring Wagner and some more American or English opera (Billy Budd!). Of course, we won't complain about another Don Giovanni either.

Happy Birthday to one of our favorite singers!

Randal Turner performs "Don Juan at 40"

American composer Julia Schwartz wrote the 10-minute scene "Don Juan at 40" for barihunk Randal Turner, who debuted the piece at his West Coast recital debut in December 2010. Until now, the piece was only viewable on the commercial DVD, but it's now available on the composer's YouTube site. The text is by Ron Butlin, the great Scottish poet, novelist, short-story writer, librettist, playwright, and journalist.

The concert also includes a set of Walt Whitman songs by Clint Borzoni, which were written for Turner, as well.

We should also mention that Randal Turner is featured in the promotional video for Lucy Liu's new TV show on CBS, "Elementary." He appears around the 3:26 mark. 

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Amazing New Releases From Erwin Schrott and Randal Turner

"Hot Schrott" images from Rojotango

If you're looking for some great music you might want want to check out two new releases that we're enjoying. The first is Erwin Schrott's new CD "Rojotango," which is enjoyable from beginning to end. You can watch the sexy Uruguayan barihunk talk about this new recording in a video produced by MTV by clicking below. You can download the music at iTunes.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW VIDEO

Our other indulgence is American barihunk Randal Turner's new CD and DVD from his recent West Coast recital debut in San Francisco. Turner sings the music of "Living American Composers," including Glen Roven, Ricky Ian Gordon, Jake Heggie, Clint Borzoni and Julia Schwartz, who like Turner has settled in Switzerland. A little teaser: you won't want to miss the encore, which was arranged by his gifted accompanist Allen Perriello.

Click HERE to purchase the DVD

The CD is available at CD Baby and will be available on iTunes and Rhapsody shortly, so put it in your favorite searches or click the button below to purchase the CD now.

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NY Raves About Randal Turner; West Coast Debut on December 6th

Two amazing talents come together: Composer Clint Borzoni & Baritone Randal Turner

Here's a photo of the amazingly gifted young composer Clint Borzoni with barihunk Randal Turner at a recent preview concert in New York. Turner will be making his West Coast debut in San Francisco on December 6th singing the music of living American composers, including an incredible setting of two Walt Whitman songs by Borzoni. The songs are based on "I Dream’d in a Dream" from “Leaves of Grass” and "That Shadow, My Likeness" and are being heard for the first time on the West Coast.

The concert will also include the world premiere of Julia Schwartz's “Don Juan at Forty” from “Histories of Desire” by Ron Butlin, as well as arias by Ricky Ian Gordon and his "Four Poems by Dorothy Parker," Glen Roven's “Four Melancholy Songs” based on poems by William Butler Yeats, arias by Jake Heggie and his songs "In Praise of Songs that Die" based on poem by Vachel Lindsay and "In the Morning" based on an A.E. Housman setting.

Tickets are available at Brown Paper Tickets.

Three of the composers attended the New York preview concert, as well as Dr. Ruth Westheimer. By all accounts the program was a huge success. If you're on the West Coast, buy your tickets now for this amazing concert and a chance to hear the music by five of the most gifted composers in the world today. If you haven't seen Randal Turner perform before, you're in for a special treat.

Regular visitors to this site will recall that he was also voted by our readers as the "Sexiest Don Giovanni in the World." Rumor has it that he's been hired to sing the role again in early 2011. Details are forthcoming.

Randal Turner as Don Giovanni

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Happy Birthday, Randal Turner

Barihunk Randal Turner

The gifted singer and performer Randal Turner celebrates his birthday today and Barihunks would like to send him birthday greeting on behalf of his fans. Turner has consistently remained one of the more popular singers on this site since its inception.

The American-born, Swiss-based singer is currently working at the New York City Opera. On December 6th, he will make his West Coast recital debut in a program of songs and arias by living American composers. One of the songs by composer Clint Borzoni is dedicated to the young gay men who have recently committed suicide. We've been told that the song is absolutely beautiful. The program also includes songs by Emmy-award winning composer Glen Roven, Ricky Ian Gordon, Jake Heggie and the world premiere of "Don Juan at 40" by Julia Schwartz. Tickets are available HERE.

On December 11th, Turner can be heard in the Indianapolis Symphony's holiday concert performing selections from Bach's "Christmas Oratorio" with conductor Raymond Leppard. A week later, he will perform Handel's Messiah under the baton of Eric Stark. Click on the highlighted links for tickets.

He then returns to Switzerland and we'll be posting his schedule later this year.

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