Barihunk Benjamin Appl nominated for Gramophone Best Solo Vocalist award

Benjamin Appl's Heimat

The brilliant young recitalist Benjamin Appl has been nominated for a 2017 Gramophone Award as best Solo Vocalist for his album Heimat with accompanist James Bailieu. The recording features music by Brahms, Britten, Grieg, Ireland, Poulenc, Reger, Schubert, Adolf and Richard Strauss, Vaughan Williams, Warlock and Wolf.

Other nominees in the category include Florian Boesch and Roger Vignoles for Krenek's Reisebuch aus den österrichischen Alpen and Matthias Goerne and Christoph Eschenbach for Brahms' Vier ernste Gesänge.

The German barihunk was a BBC New Generation Artist and an ECHO Rising Star artist for the 2015/16 season, appearing in recital at major European venues. He became an exclusive SONY Classical recording artist in May 2016 and won the Gramophone Young Artist of the Year Award in 2016.

Benjamin Appl sings Schubert's Der Lindenbaum:

He is currently performing Schubert recitals in the U.K., including on August 17th at the Edinburgh International Festival's Queen’s Hall with Schumann and Grieg, and at Ireland's Kilkenny Festival where he'll perform Winterreise on August 19th and a program with soprano Ailish Tynan and tenor Robin Tritschler on August 20th.

Grant Doyle Nominated for Helpmann Award

Grant Doyle as Starbuck (left)

Australian barihunk Grant Doyle has been nominated for a Helpmann Award in the category "Best Male Performer in a Supporting Role in an Opera." Doyle's nomination is for his portrayal of Starbuck in Jake Heggie's "Moby-Dick" at the State Opera of South Australia.

The Helpmann awards are Australia's equivalent of the Tony Awards, with awards given out for musicals, theater, opera, classical music, cabaret, dance and comedy. 

Other nominees in the category include baritone James Clayton for The Tales of Hoffmann at West Australian Opera, bass Conal Coad for The Marriage of Figaro at Opera Australia and baritone Douglas McNicol in La Fanciulla del West at Opera Queensland. We should also mention that Matthias Goerne was nominated for "Best Individual Classical Performance" for his performance of Die Winterreise at the Melbourne Recital Centre. The "Honorable Godmother of Barihunks" Francesca Zambello was also nominated for "Best Direction of an Opera" for her La Traviata at Sydney Harbor with Opera Australia. You can get a complete list of nominees at the Helpmann Awards website.

Doyle sings "O Nadir, tendre ami de mon jeune âge" from Bizet's Les pêcheurs de Perles:

The 2012 Helpmann Awards Ceremony will be held on Monday, September 24th at 8pm at the Opera Theatre in the Sydney Opera House. The Helpmann Awards will be broadcast exclusively the following night on Australia’s arts and entertainment channel STUDIO – channel 132 on Foxtel.

Tickets go on sale to the general public on Tuesday, August 7th and can be purchased from the Sydney Opera House Box Office at 02 9250 7777 or online.

Franz Schubert (Died Nov 19, 1828)

Andrew Ashwin sings Franz Schubert's "Du bist die Ruh" 



Matthias Goerne sings Schubet's "Nachtstück"



Simon Keenlyside sings Schubert's "Die Sterne"



Thomas Hampson singing Schubert's Ständchen:



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A Cute Magic Flute

[Photos of Nathan Gunn]

Mozart's the Magic Flute is a Barihunks favorite because it frequently features in the role of Papageno a young, attractive, lyric barihunk who can wear a pair of tights or some other adorably revealing outfit. One rarely finds the role of Sarastro cast with a barihunk, but the Los Angeles Opera has cast Günther Groissböck in the role. The Los Angeles Opera will alternate two Papageno's, one a Barihunks legend and the other one rapidly becoming a site favorite: Nathan Gunn and Markus Werba.

To top it off, they have cast two of the most gifted young tenors in the world today in the role of Tamino: Matthew Polenzani and Joseph Kaiser. The latter appears in Kenneth Branagh's new film version of the Magic Flute.

But if that's not enough, the role of the Speaker is played by the brilliant lieder singer Matthias Goerne, who some people feel should be featured on this site.

This is definitely a production worth seeing. For more information visit the Los Angeles Opera at www.losangelesopera.com.

This site can be reached at barihunks@gmail.com