Watch Erwin Schrott & Stéphane Degout on the big screenErwin

Erwin Schrott

You'll be able to watch two of the most acclaimed barihunks in the world, when they appear together on the big screen in Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro from the Royal Opera House in London. The worldwide broadcast to theaters on October 5th stars Stéphane Degout as Count Almaviva and Erwin Schrott as Figaro. The cast also includes Ellie Dehn as the Countess, Kate Lindsey as Cherubino and Anita Hartig as Susanna. You can find a theater near you HERE.

David McVicar directs the live performance under the baton of conductor Ivor Bolton. 

 

The acclaimed production sets the action in a French château in 1830 on the eve of revolution, amplifying the opera’s undercurrents of class tension. The entire household is drawn into the notoriously complex plot, which covers all shades of human emotion: from spirited playfulness to deep despair but affection and fidelity prevail in this most warm-hearted of operas.

Also, make sure to check out the feature on barihunks in Classic FM, which includes some of the top singers in the world, including Erwin Schrott.  

The 2016 Barihunks Charity Calendar is now on sale and available online. For the past four years, the calendar has raised money for young artist programs and young artist projects. Proceeds from this year's calendar will fund the creation of the Foundation for the Advancement of Baritones (FAB), which will fund baritone and bass cash prizes at song competitions, commission music for baritones and basses, and be used to fund other projects featuring low male voices.

 ORDER YOUR 2016 BARIHUNKS CHARITY CALENDAR TODAY!

 

Andrew Garland to appear in Ned Rorem tribute

Andrew Garland

We recently featured Andrew Garland in the Cincinnati Opera's announcement of their new season. We've now learned that he's appearing in the new season of the New York Festival of Song under the auspices of the beloved Steven Blier.

He will be joined by the amazing mezzo-soprano Kate Lindsey in a musical birthday tribute to the great American composer Ned Rorem. Although Rorem wrote opera, the concert will present highlights from his successful career as a songwriter. Rorem has been dubbed "America's Schubert" because of the 500 songs that he has written in his 90 years, many of which regularly appear on recital programs. Lindsey and Garland will also perform works by Rorem's friends and inspirations, Samuel Barber, Leonard Bernstein, Paul Bowles, Benjamin Britten, Theodore Chanler, Aaron Copland, Noël Coward, Francis Poulenc, and Virgil Thomson. 

Ned Rorem

Ned Rorem, who was born on October 23, 1923 in Richmond, Indiana, is expected to be in attendance. Steven Blier and Michael Barrett will perform on the piano. The concert is November 5th at 8 PM. You can purchase tickets online or by calling 212-501-3330.

The remainder of the NY Festival of Song season includes "Cubans in Paris, Cubans at Home" on December 5 featuring soprano Corinne Winters, tenor Jeffrey Picón and baritone Ricardo Herrera, as well as "Warsaw Serenade" on February 18 with the talented tenor Joseph Kaiser, who will be joined by soprano  Dina Kuznetsova.

"Hot Schrott" and Alex Esposito Heat Up London

Erwin Schrott heating up Covent Garden as the Don

We blogged about the current Don Giovanni at Covent Garden awhile back, because it features an amazing cast. Erwin Schrott as Don Giovanni and Alex Esposito are about as close to dream casting as possible today. We've always maintained that Esposito practically owns the role of Leporello on the world stage today and his performances at Covent Garden have done nothing to alter that assessment. 

Here's what George Hall worte in The Stage:

"...in Barbara Lluch’s spry revival of Francesca Zambello’s production, the staging comes over with more vitality and point than it has on previous occasions. Partly this is the result of Alex Esposito’s flawless byplay with Schrott as Leporello, in what is opera’s greatest double act. His rough-edged singing and plebeian manner provide the perfect foil to Schrott’s super-confident aristocrat.

The stunning Kate Lindsey as Zerlina with Schrott

Mark Ronan wrote in his theatre review:

Erwin Schrott was a remarkable Don, good looking, devilishly charming, but with a nasty streak hidden by an insouciant devil-may-care attitude. And his singing was equally remarkable, with an easy casualness as if he were simply talking. As his counterpoint and servant, Alex Esposito as Leporello sang and acted the part with utter conviction. His Madamina aria, where he recounts to the lovesick Elvira all Giovanni’s conquests had a wonderful leering quality, and his stage actions were always expressive but never over the top.

Erwin Schrott: Sexy and sensuous

We highly recommend reading Rupert Christiansen's profile on Erwin Schrott in the Telegraph. Performance with the current cast run through February 29th and their are still some seats available at the Royal Opera House website.

Alex Esposito sings "Madamina":

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San Francisco Opera Delivers Another Great "Don Giovanni"

Ryan Kuster: What was Zerlina thinking?

There has been so much attention paid to the Met's "Don Giovanni" with the last minute cancellation and then probable return of Mariusz Kwiecien, that the opera world has almost forgotten about the Mozart classic opening on the Left Coast.

Regular readers of this site will know that Mariusz Kwiecien's performance of Don Giovanni at the San Francisco Opera was one of the inspirations for this website. In a world of competitive Don Giovanni's, including Teddy Tahu Rhodes' return to the role at Opera Australia, it's nice to see that the San Francisco Opera continues to deliver solid, well-cast performances of the opera.  To top it off, the performances are being led by their extremely popular music director Nicola Luisotti.

Lucas Meachem

The San Francisco Opera's "Don Giovanni" opened on Saturday night with a trio of men that would be the envy of any opera company: The vocally thrilling Lucas Meachem as the Don, Marco Vinco in his U.S. debut at Leporello and future superstar and certified barihunk Ryan Kuster as Masetto. In a bit of fantasy casting, the amazingly talented Kate Lindsey is Zerlina.

Ryan Kuster is a first-year Adler Fellow, recent graduate of the 2010 Merola Opera Program and a former participant in Philadelphia’s Academy of Vocal Arts. He is performing a number of roles at the San Francisco Opera this season, including a Mandarin (Turandot), Astolfo (Lucrezia Borgia), Masetto (Don Giovanni), and Escamillo (Carmen).



Performances run through November 10th and tickets and additional cast information are available at the San Francisco Opera website.

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Amelia Premieres in Seattle With Two Barihunks

[Kate Lindsey & David McFerrin; Photo by Rosarii Lynch]


We've given a lot of coverage to the two world premieres in Texas, Jake Heggie's "Moby Dick" in Dallas and Jorge Martín's "Before Night Falls" in Ft. Worth. With all of the excitement surrounding those two premieres, we almost forgot about Barihunks favorite Nathan Gunn who is starring in the world premiere of Daron Aric Hagen's "Amelia" at the Seattle Opera. The opera also features David McFerrin as Paul. We featured the young baritone on this site about a year ago as an emerging barihunk who we were watching. We're thrilled that the Seattle Opera gave him this opportunity and wish him luck with his career.

One of our favorite reviewers, Anthony Tommasini of the New York Times, wrote a thoughtful review that covers the music and story of Amelia in great detail.

[Nicholas Coppolo as Icarus, Kate Lindsey as Amelia, and Nathan Gunn as Paul; Photo by Rosarii Lynch]


The opera runs through May 22 and you can click HERE for ticket and performance information. Here is a preview video of the opera.



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