# Gorgeous baritones. Ok, tenors too.



## mamascarlatti

I reckon the boys need their own thread.










Simon Keenlyside










Ruggero Raimondi










and of course the silver fox himself


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## sospiro

excellent idea!










And can I add a favourite pic of mine of SK.


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## mamascarlatti

Ok time for a couple of tenors to brighten up our day:










The one and only Placidone, the complete package: voice, looks and stage presence.










And the next best thing...


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## sospiro

I'm hoping to get tickets for Tosca at ROH next year.







Kaufmann & Terfel









In the meantime I will be at ROH next Tuesday drooling over










or as he will look.


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## Sieglinde

Weirdly beautiful Ian Bostridge...


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## mamascarlatti

sospiro said:


> I'm hoping to get tickets for Tosca at ROH next year.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Kaufmann & Terfel


Dream team! Envy Envy. Who's the Tosca?


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## sospiro

mamascarlatti said:


> Dream team! Envy Envy. Who's the Tosca?


According to ROH it's mainly Karita Mattila, with Martina Serafin for two nights & Angela Gheorghiu for two nights.

It's June/July 2011. Any rellies you can take advantage of?


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## mamascarlatti

sospiro said:


> According to ROH it's mainly Karita Mattila, with Martina Serafin for two nights & Angela Gheorghiu for two nights.
> 
> It's June/July 2011. Any rellies you can take advantage of?


Well yes but it's a 36 hour journey and I'd have to find a nanny for the kids.

I must say that even with the joys of Jonas and Bryn I wouldn't go that far for Karita. And if I booked for Angela she'd just cancel.. SO that leaves Martina Serafin who is a new name to me.


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## sospiro

mamascarlatti said:


> Well yes but it's a 36 hour journey and I'd have to find a nanny for the kids.


Between now & then you could find someone? Or bring them with you?



mamascarlatti said:


> I must say that even with the joys of Jonas and Bryn I wouldn't go that far for Karita. And if I booked for Angela she'd just cancel.. SO that leaves Martina Serafin who is a new name to me.


Apologies but I was only half awake when I posted the cast details. According to my ROH 2010/11 Season Guide:

Karita is 7th, 11th, 14th 17th 20th & 23rd June; Martina is 28th & 30th June; Angela is 14th & 17th July.

There seems to be some info missing in the Guide but I think Jonas is on 14th & 17th July with Marcello Giordani on the other days and Bryn on 14th & 17th July with Juha Uusitalo on the other days. So you'd be looking at either 14th or 17th July to scoop all three favourites.

It's easy for me to say come to London though - I'm only 1 hour 50 minutes away.


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## mamascarlatti

sospiro said:


> Between now & then you could find someone? Or bring them with you?


No seriously, there's no way I could afford the time or the money. I have enough trouble justifying tickets to the live opera in Auckland.

I'll just have to get all the details second hand from you.


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## nefigah

Ach, for the uninitiated (me), please name the unnamed! (Silver fox? He is indeed pretty good looking!)


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## sospiro

nefigah said:


> Ach, for the uninitiated (me), please name the unnamed! (Silver fox? He is indeed pretty good looking!)


http://www.hvorostovsky.com/en/


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## sospiro

mamascarlatti said:


> No seriously, there's no way I could afford the time or the money. I have enough trouble justifying tickets to the live opera in Auckland.
> 
> I'll just have to get all the details second hand from you.


If the show comes to Auckland I'll come for a visit. (Re-visit actually, many many moons ago I lived in Kohimarama)


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## mamascarlatti

sospiro said:


> If the show comes to Auckland I'll come for a visit. (Re-visit actually, many many moons ago I lived in Kohimarama)


Sounds good! I'll get out the Vegemite and the Watties tomato sauce.

Meanwhile...










Mr Netrebko before marriage expanded his waistline.










The gloriously named Ildebrando d'Acangelo










And our very own Kiwi teddy. To think, we nearly lost him to accountancy before he came to his senses.


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## Il Seraglio

Call me weird, but Fritz Wunderlich was a really good looking guy.










I like Nicolas Rivenq and he has a kind of irresistable presence on stage.










I also second Ildebrando D'Archangelo, even though I understand he is not everyone's favourite singer.


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## mamascarlatti

I'm with you on Rivenq, first noticed him in the lovely Glyndebourne Cosi fan tutte.










which also featured the handsome Luca Pisaroni:


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## mamascarlatti

Nathan Gunn









Charles Workman - just heard him in Acis and Galatea and I'm sold.










The silver fox has completely fallen out of favour with me after I saw this Youtube clip
(really hilarious if rather dodgy Hvorostovsky clip) posted on another forum. Aaaargh. What was he thinking with his whip and spray-on abs and moaning model.


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## sospiro

> It's funny, but Pavarotti remains a mystery to me. I mean I can see he is a super fantastic singer who can really belt it out, but it leaves me cold. Even when he was at his peak I preferred Domingo or even Carreras, because at least they were making an effort to inhabit their roles. Pavarotti always sounds and looks the same to me, whatever he is singing. But I know he brought immense pleasure to many people, and I don't want to disrespect that.


I can understand that view on Pavarotti. I've spent years not really liking him & not understanding why so many people raved over him.

Then as part of my homework for Rigoletto I wanted another version - already have the Carreras CD (JC sublime but recording quality terrible) and the Domingo CD & DVD (amazing).

Anyway bought the Pavarotti/Sutherland/Milnes CD & was blown away. His interpretation of the Duke as a totally amoral man is perfect. Have since got LP's _Il trovatore_ and _La traviata_ and have finally begun to appreciate him.

I understand that Decca are going to release the Juan Diego Flórez Rigoletto DVD later in the year. A very different role for him but I do like him & wish he'd do more Verdi.


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## mamascarlatti

sospiro said:


> I can understand that view on Pavarotti. I've spent years not really liking him & not understanding why so many people raved over him.
> 
> Then as part of my homework for Rigoletto I wanted another version - already have the Carreras CD (JC sublime but recording quality terrible) and the Domingo CD & DVD (amazing).
> 
> Anyway bought the Pavarotti/Sutherland/Milnes CD & was blown away. His interpretation of the Duke as a totally amoral man is perfect. Have since got LP's _Il trovatore_ and _La traviata_ and have finally begun to appreciate him.
> 
> I understand that Decca are going to release the Juan Diego Flórez Rigoletto DVD later in the year. A very different role for him but I do like him & wish he'd do more Verdi.


Maybe I should try more listening and less watching. I have been trying to like LP on Met Player but every time he starts to sing I can see him go inside himself and I get put off.

The JDF Rigoletto sounds interesting - who else is in it? I don't see him in many Verdi roles but the Duke should be fine.


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## sospiro

mamascarlatti said:


> Maybe I should try more listening and less watching. I have been trying to like LP on Met Player but every time he starts to sing I can see him go inside himself and I get put off.


Yes I must admit I prefer to listen to him.



mamascarlatti said:


> The JDF Rigoletto sounds interesting - who else is in it?


I got this info from the Florezidos site & don't know any more details.



mamascarlatti said:


> I don't see him in many Verdi roles but the Duke should be fine.


He's reluctant to sing the heavier roles & I don't blame him. His Bellini, Rossini, Donizetti repertoire suits his voice perfectly but I'm just greedy!

I think Falstaff is the only Verdi he's done so far.


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## mamascarlatti

sospiro said:


> Anyway bought the Pavarotti/Sutherland/Milnes CD & was blown away. His interpretation of the Duke as a totally amoral man is perfect. Have since got LP's _Il trovatore_ and _La traviata_ and have finally begun to appreciate him.


Ok so today I listened to Rigoletto with LP on Met Player and I must admit that he's pretty good in that role. The essentially sunny nature of his voice suits the Duke very well, and the character is pretty shallow so no great range of emotions is required. Will keep listening.


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## sospiro

mamascarlatti said:


> Ok so today I listened to Rigoletto with LP on Met Player and I must admit that he's pretty good in that role. The essentially sunny nature of his voice suits the Duke very well, and the character is pretty shallow so no great range of emotions is required. Will keep listening.


Some singers I love to watch on DVD & some I just like to listen to & LP & JS are in that category. With all the charity in the world I could never say either was attractive so sometimes I create the look of the singers & the settings in my mind.

(Hope you haven't wasted any money on Rigoletto )


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## mamascarlatti

sospiro said:


> (Hope you haven't wasted any money on Rigoletto )


No the joy of Met Player is that you pay a monthly sub (US$ 15) and you have access to about 50 DVDs and 200 audio recordings.

I find with a decent sound card in my PC and good headphones and a headphone amp the sound is good enough for my purposes - I'm definitely not in the audiophile/techie category and the discussions lose me after the first acronym/piece of jargon/both.


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## sospiro

mamascarlatti said:


> No the joy of Met Player is that you pay a monthly sub (US$ 15) and you have access to about 50 DVDs and 200 audio recordings.


Wow. Tempting...



mamascarlatti said:


> I find with a decent sound card in my PC and good headphones and a headphone amp the sound is good enough for my purposes - I'm definitely not in the audiophile/techie category and the discussions lose me after the first acronym/piece of jargon/both.


I'm not very techie minded either. I mostly listen to stuff on a basic mp3 player on my walk to work & back. Juan Diego very often has to compete with traffic sounds for my attention but I do get 80 minutes' fix per day this way.


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## sospiro

mamascarlatti said:


> The JDF Rigoletto sounds interesting - who else is in it? I don't see him in many Verdi roles but the Duke should be fine.


I think it might be this one.


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## mamascarlatti

sospiro said:


> I think it might be this one.


The mullet and grimacing boob-squeezing are hilarious. But Damrau is lovely in this, and I don't mind the direction where Gilda seems to be imagining that the Duke is singing to her.


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## sospiro

A still gorgeous tenor/baritone. Let's hear it for the old guys.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/opera/7833247/Placido-Domingo-one-of-historys-greatest.html

Pappano's voice is er .. unique but he can be included because he's gorgeous as well

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/a16b690e-74e9-11df-aed7-00144feabdc0.html


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## Il Seraglio

sospiro said:


> A still gorgeous tenor/baritone. Let's hear it for the old guys.
> 
> http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/opera/7833247/Placido-Domingo-one-of-historys-greatest.html
> 
> Pappano's voice is er .. unique but he can be included because he's gorgeous as well
> 
> http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/a16b690e-74e9-11df-aed7-00144feabdc0.html


Pappano is a good looking man, but there don't seem to be any flattering pictures of him on google.


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## mamascarlatti

sospiro said:


> A still gorgeous tenor/baritone. Let's hear it for the old guys.


Here's a nice picture of the old guy still looking pretty hot:










I also forgot the lovely Christopher Maltman.










I get a bit hot under the collar about this

Maltman - Britten

and I believe that there is a rather Regie Don Giovanni coming out with him as the Don.


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## karenpat

how about this guy? (if we're still including tenors and not just baritones)









Emiliano Gonzalez Toro  I like his voice a lot, I saw him as Arnalta in L'incoronazione di Poppea earlier this month. He also sings the title role as Platée in a production that's available on youtube.


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## mamascarlatti

That looks like a great production Karen. Thanks for the pointer.

Counter-tenors are welcome on this thread too, if you've got some gorgeous ones.


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## karenpat

mamascarlatti said:


> That looks like a great production Karen. Thanks for the pointer.
> 
> Counter-tenors are welcome on this thread too, if you've got some gorgeous ones.


you're welcome!

Now, where do I start...

there's Damien Guillon:









and Iestyn Davies:









and of course Andreas Scholl:









the gorgeous Christophe Dumaux:









and Max Emanuel Cencic - although he changes looks all the time and sometimes has a very camp style








I think he has a very advanced hairpiece or a hair transplant....

and of course my "dear" Philippe Jaroussky although I wouldn't classify him as hot in the traditional sense, he's too babyfaced for that...
http://a21.idata.over-blog.com/3/24/72/07/MELO-MAN/Philippe-jaroussky--c--Simon-Fowler.jpg


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## sospiro

Plácido Domingo leaves ROH for Ioan Holender's farewell concert.

http://www.maximilianvanlondon.com/2010/06/placido-domingos-busy-days.html

I'm sure that's Joseph Calleja on the left in a brown leather jacket & black shirt. Everyone's looking at Domingo & nobody takes much notice of Joseph until a couple of women approach him for autographs. He seems very friendly & rather scrumptious...


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## mamascarlatti

Lawrence Brownlee is cute in a fresh-faced sort of way. Here he is jumping though the high Cs hoops ,with inevitable comparsions to JDF. I say, there's room for both of them, the more tenors the better. And I enjoyed his performances in the HD Met transmissions of Armida and Cenerentola.


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## sospiro

mamascarlatti said:


> Lawrence Brownlee is cute in a fresh-faced sort of way. Here he is jumping though the high Cs hoops ,with inevitable comparisons to JDF. I say, there's room for both of them, the more tenors the better. And I enjoyed his performances in the HD Met transmissions of Armida and Cenerentola.


Wow - I like him a lot! There aren't that many true belcanto tenors so there's definitely room for him.

I preferred his _Pour mon âme, Quel destin!_ to JDF's.


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## matsoljare

Noone mention Thomas Quasthoff yet?


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## mamascarlatti

Tenor Pavol Breslik singing Panis Angelicus. I'd like to hear more of him but there's not much on YouTube yet.


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## mamascarlatti

Just saw Yann Beuron as Paris in La Belle Helene. He can yodel.


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## sospiro

Reading that Thomas Hampson stepped in for Simon Keenlyside as Rodrigo in Munich, I thought I'd taker a closer look at young Tom.

Not bad looking ...










Can't find anything brilliant on YouTube though


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## Artaserse

*karenpat*



> and of course my "dear" Philippe Jaroussky although I wouldn't classify him as hot in the traditional sense, he's too babyfaced for that...


Oh.....I´m so sorry to read it....


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## karenpat

Artaserse said:


> *karenpat*
> 
> Oh.....I´m so sorry to read it....


Why? We all have different tastes...


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## Artaserse

*karenpat*

Yes, you´re right, we have.

Then, allow me to be frank....why did you write _my "dear"_ ? I guess, he isn´t "your dear" at all....so, you should be honest also everywhere, then.

Addio.


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## mamascarlatti

Artaserse said:


> *karenpat*
> 
> Yes, you´re right, we have.
> 
> Then, allow me to be frank....why did you write _my "dear"_ ? I guess, he isn´t "your dear" at all....so, you should be honest also everywhere, then.
> 
> Addio.


Deliberate unpleasant provocation.....
Spoiling everyone's fun....
First two posts....

hmmmm...


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## Artaserse

*mamascarlatti*

May I beg your pardon , if my words disturb you anyway? I ´m very sorry, it was just a honest reaction.

Thanks a lot for your "welcome" here.


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## karenpat

I did write "dear"to imply that he was my favourite musically and I've known about him and listened to him longer than the others. I don't feel I've been dishonest at all. Since when do you have to think a singer is hot to like him otherwise?


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## mamascarlatti

karenpat said:


> I did write "dear"to imply that he was my favourite musically and I've known about him and listened to him longer than the others. I don't feel I've been dishonest at all. Since when do you have to think a singer is hot to like him otherwise?


Hey Karen
Don't you think that the poster was just having a big deliberate dig to get some reaction? You have the right to say "dear" if you feel that this singer is special to you.
After all, one of the joys of the human voice is that it can rouse such emotions when you listen, and different singers resonate with different people.


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## mamascarlatti

I was not familiar with Tim Mead until I saw him as Trasimede in Handel's Admeto, where he completely outshone, outsang and out-acted the rather hooty countertenor playing the title role.

I see he is now playing Admeto in the new "samurai" Admeto, which I wasn't going to get. But....


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## karenpat

I was about to buy the "samurai Admeto" in Milan a few months ago but settled for La Cenerentola. Now I regret I didn't buy both, but they were expensive. I think Admeto was €40 or something...

I will say that Tim Mead looks even better in person  although I've only seen him from about 7th row on a rather small stage. He did outsing the other countertenor (or in this case sopranist) at that occasion too.

Looks aside, he will be in a CD recording of Flavio with Iestyn Davies in October.


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## Artaserse

*mamascarlatti*

I guess, we didn´t understand each other well enough. Sorry for my poor English, but I already asked your pardon for my possibly mistake, no ? Now, you mention me again - and very unfriendly. Why?

*karenpat*

"Dear" and dear are two quite different meanings. And I don´t understand your words about "hot" etc. Sorry again.

By the way - I ´ll wait patiently for the DVD "L´Incoronazione die Poppea" with your "dear" Jaroussky - the performances were so marvelous, I just hope, that they have got an sufficient video - recording as well.


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## mamascarlatti

Artaserse said:


> *mamascarlatti*
> 
> I guess, we didn´t understand each other well enough. Sorry for my poor English, but I already asked your pardon for my possibly mistake, no ? Now, you mention me again - and very unfriendly. Why?


If your first post on the forum was meant to be in any way friendly, it didn't sound it. It sounded like a deliberate attack on someone's wording. That's the problem with "honest reactions", they can sound hostile. It seems to me that if you want a warm welcome on a new forum, it's best to start with an introduction on the new member sub-forum and then some friendly comments on other threads. Then people can see that you are well-intentioned and will not react badly to your honest opinions.



Artaserse said:


> By the way - I ´ll wait patiently for the DVD "L´Incoronazione die Poppea" with your "dear" Jaroussky - the performances were so marvelous, I just hope, that they have got an sufficient video - recording as well.


Unfortunately your putting "dear" in quote marks again still seems sarcastic to me. Maybe it's because you are writing in English, it's certainly a hard language to express yourself clearly in even when you are a native speaker. "Hot" is colloquial English for attractive and sexy.

That said, do you know for sure if this is going to be issued on DVD? It sounds interesting although I'm pretty happy with my production with Alice Cooote in the title role. But it's always fun to see a man playing a man.


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## mamascarlatti

karenpat said:


> I was about to buy the "samurai Admeto" in Milan a few months ago but settled for La Cenerentola. Now I regret I didn't buy both, but they were expensive. I think Admeto was €40 or something...


Yes, it's really expensive, even on Amazon marketplace, and when you add in the postage to NZ it really blows the budget. Also I'm a bit sick of taking my chances on daring Handel productions and being severely disappointed more often than not (Alcina, Rinaldo, Agrippina). But this one does sound intriguing...


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## karenpat

Artaserse said:


> *karenpat*
> 
> "Dear" and dear are two quite different meanings. And I don´t understand your words about "hot" etc. Sorry again.


Forgive me but I still don't understand what I've done wrong..Are you offended that I didn't write that Philippe is the hottest, sexiest, best looking, greatest countertenor ever and no one can surpass him? About the quotation marks, I also used them because I felt that if I left them out I would imply that he had a personal connection to me or that he belongs to me in a way (which he of course doesn't) and that _that_ would upset people.

.............Jana, is that you?


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## Artaserse

mamascarlatti said:


> That said, do you know for sure if this is going to be issued on DVD? It sounds interesting although I'm pretty happy with my production with Alice Cooote in the title role. But it's always fun to see a man playing a man.


*
mamascarlatti*
I very hope it will be true and the DVD would be issued 2012, I took the information from Jaroussky- Forum .

http://philippe-jaroussky.forumy.eu/forum.htm

I like Alice Coote in this role, too ( also with M-me De Niese and Maestro Christie) , but her Nerone is quite different from Jaroussky´s. But I´d prefer the young man ( THIS young man, he he) as a young Emperor. 
Thank you for your answer . I´ll try to improve my manners. I´m sometimes just too impulsive.

*karenpat*

I´m sorry to disappoint you, but my name is Max.


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## mamascarlatti

Fabio Armiliato, very dashing as Johnson in la Fanciulla del West.


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## mamascarlatti

Artaserse said:


> I like Alice Coote in this role, too ( also with M-me De Niese and Maestro Christie) , but her Nerone is quite different from Jaroussky´s. But I´d prefer the young man ( THIS young man, he he) as a young Emperor.


The only problem is that I keep remembering him as Nerone in this production of Agrippina where he had to wear a really strange bushy Afro wig, and be a bit goofy.










I'm not sure if I could now take him seriously as scary Nerone in L'incoronazione.


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## karenpat

mamascarlatti said:


> I'm not sure if I could now take him seriously as scary Nerone in L'incoronazione.


Well that photo IS kind of scary....


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## Bix

mamascarlatti said:


> I reckon the boys need their own thread.


I've enjoyed this one - thanks for starting it.


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## Artaserse

mamascarlatti said:


> I'm not sure if I could now take him seriously as scary Nerone in L'incoronazione.


I love his teenager Nerone there, even with a wig and a bit "goofy"! 
The mature Emperor is as scary as well. Very male . Very convincing. Terrific.

Here is an good article with some words about this role.

http://www.lemonde.fr/culture/artic...oiser-sa-voix_1398296_3246.html#xtor=RSS-3208

P.S. Maybe, you could start an new topic for counter?


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## mamascarlatti

Keith Miller is always noticeable in whatever role he takes, however small (usually at the Met). I've now seen him as the jailer in Tosca, a bewildered and infatuated Zuniga in Carmen (I think I'd have gone for him rather than the rather goofy Don Jose of Roberto Alagna), and astonishingly athletic as demon king Astarote in Armida - singing beautifully while leaping around on his minions' shoulders.


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## mamascarlatti

Mariusz Kwiecien nearly steals the show in the Met Lucia as a forceful and domineering Enrico. Love those evil baritones.


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## karenpat

I have some more contributions:








Cyril Auvity - Not just a pretty face of course!









Paul Agnew... Maybe he hasn't got the movie star quality but certainly a sort of British handsomeness.. a bit like John Hannah.









Then there's Ruben Drole, you could just eat him up... I have Die Zauberflöte on DVD with him as Papageno, he makes a great character.

Then the kind of obvious choice - Erwyn Schrott








I think he maybe is a little TOO aware of his luck in the looks department, but there's nothing sleazy or false about his voice - I'm picky when it comes to bass voices and he's certainly in my top 5 list.


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## sospiro

http://barihunks.blogspot.com/2010/08/contest-hamlets-drinking-song.html

For me it has to be the delectable







Simon Keenlyside


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## mamascarlatti

Topi Lehtipuu


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## Almaviva

karenpat said:


> Then the kind of obvious choice - Erwyn Schrott
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I think he maybe is a little TOO aware of his luck in the looks department, but there's nothing sleazy or false about his voice - I'm picky when it comes to bass voices and he's certainly in my top 5 list.


Isn't he the lucky ******* who married Anna Netrebko! I hate this guy! He removed her from the roll of single/available women! Now I can't dream of marrying her anymore, LOL! (Not that I think I'd have any chance, but hey, dreaming is free).


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## mamascarlatti

Kenneth Tarver. He's got a lovely smile and he sings like an angel.










Jose Cura does not sing like an angel but hell is he sexy.


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## Almaviva

karenpat said:


> Forgive me but I still don't understand what I've done wrong..Are you offended that I didn't write that Philippe is the hottest, sexiest, best looking, greatest countertenor ever and no one can surpass him? About the quotation marks, I also used them because I felt that if I left them out I would imply that he had a personal connection to me or that he belongs to me in a way (which he of course doesn't) and that _that_ would upset people.
> 
> .............Jana, is that you?


Ladie, ladies, calm down.
There are enough tenors for everybody.
:lol:


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## Aramis




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## Artaserse

Almaviva said:


> Ladie, ladies, calm down.
> There are enough tenors for everybody.
> :lol:


I´m very sorry again, if I look like a lady, but I´m not. :tiphat:
I guess, not only ladies does like the ( counter) tenors.

Thank you for your understanding.


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## Almaviva

Artaserse said:


> I´m very sorry again, if I look like a lady, but I´m not. :tiphat:
> I guess, not only ladies does like the ( counter) tenors.
> 
> Thank you for your understanding.


Fine with me, I was just poking some innocent fun, no offense intended.


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## sospiro

Link to Simon Keenlyside's "Estuans Interius" promo for Carmina Burana.

Thankfully he sings a lot better than he mimes.


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## mamascarlatti

Andrew Richards


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## Almaviva

mamascarlatti said:


> Andrew Richards


Eeeewwwww.......:lol:


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## mamascarlatti

Almaviva said:


> Eeeewwwww.......:lol:


You horror. I wouldn't say that about your Anna.


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## Almaviva

mamascarlatti said:


> You horror. I wouldn't say that about your Anna.


That's because you do recognize that my Anna is gorgeous!!!


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## mamascarlatti

Almaviva said:


> That's because you do recognize that my Anna is gorgeous!!!


She is. So is young Andrew. I first came across him when following his behind-the-scenes accounts of appearing in the title role in Calixto Bieito's Parsifal .


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## Almaviva

mamascarlatti said:


> She is. So is young Andrew. I first came across him when following his behind-the-scenes accounts of appearing in the title role in Calixto Bieito's Parsifal .


I see what kind of behind you're talking about.


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## mamascarlatti

Opera Chic has unearthed this shining example of male pulchritude, currently in a raunchy Clemenza di Tito in Berlin










Wonder if he can sing?


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## Almaviva

mamascarlatti said:


> Opera Chic has unearthed this shining example of male pulchritude, currently in a raunchy Clemenza di Tito in Berlin
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Wonder if he can sing?


Eeeeewwwwwwww...........:lol:


----------



## sospiro

Some great videos of Hvorostovsky & Kaufmann in concert in Moscow.


----------



## mamascarlatti

An oldie but a goodie:










Carlo Siepi.


----------



## Herkku

In the Mireille DVD review I mentioned Charles Castronovo, whom I hadn't seen before. He may already exist on this thread, but since I don't visit here often, here goes:


----------



## sospiro

Herkku said:


> In the Mireille DVD review I mentioned Charles Castronovo, whom I hadn't seen before. He may already exist on this thread, but since I don't visit here often, here goes:










I may have missed him but I don't think so!


----------



## sospiro

Interview with Simon Keenlyside on CBC Radio 2.


----------



## karenpat

Herkku said:


> In the Mireille DVD review I mentioned Charles Castronovo, whom I hadn't seen before. He may already exist on this thread, but since I don't visit here often, here goes:


*fans self* He's got killer looks but I haven't heard him sing. Yet.


----------



## Il Seraglio

mamascarlatti said:


> Topi Lehtipuu


I recognise him from the Théâtre du Châtelet's production of Rameau's Les Paladins. Not exactly my 'type', but he has an incredibly striking appearance and I love the radiant seriousness of his stage persona.


----------



## mamascarlatti

David Kuebler, Matteo in the Te Kanawa Arabella.

More my type than the angelic Mr Lehtipuu above.


----------



## mamascarlatti

Jonas eating gummi bears and goofing off in near-perfect French.


----------



## sospiro

Simon recently sang "Soliloquy" (my boy Bill) from Carousel at a charity event (World Hunger Day)


----------



## sospiro

Crappy day at work so what better way to lift the gloom.


----------



## myaskovsky2002

Barbiere?






Not very handsome but what a voice!

Martin


----------



## sospiro

Looky here 

I feel like I *know* Andrew Richards through his blog & would love to see him live & Christopher Maltman well he's just 

Only thing is - it looks like a 4-Act


----------



## mamascarlatti

sospiro said:


> Looky here
> 
> I feel like I *know* Andrew Richards through his blog & would love to see him live & Christopher Maltman well he's just
> 
> Only thing is - it looks like a 4-Act


You've got to go Annie. It just looks like a fantastic line up.

Just listen to the first act on your MP3 player before you go in.


----------



## mamascarlatti

Cripes .

Don Giovanni in English with Christopher Maltman in his birthday suit and lots of sex. Don't know whether to giggle hysterically or take a cold shower.


----------



## Almaviva

mamascarlatti said:


> Cripes .
> 
> Don Giovanni in English with Christopher Maltman in his birthday suit and lots of sex. Don't know whether to giggle hysterically or take a cold shower.


In spite of the gorgeous women, this looks like a completely ridiculous aberration.:lol:

I hope this kind of adaptation doesn't become common... Suddenly, I'm worried. Will Hollywood rediscover opera?


----------



## mamascarlatti

Almaviva said:


> In spite of the gorgeous women, this looks like a completely ridiculous aberration.:lol:
> 
> I hope this kind of adaptation doesn't become common... Suddenly, I'm worried. Will Hollywood rediscover opera?


Yes, it looks like one of those "so bad it's good" ones. I won't be able to resist.

What's funny is that Don G is shown humping furiously all throughout the trailer when we all know that in the real opera he's frustrated at every turn.


----------



## Almaviva

mamascarlatti said:


> Yes, it looks like one of those "so bad it's good" ones. I won't be able to resist.
> 
> What's funny is that Don G is shown humping furiously all throughout the trailer when we all know that in the real opera he's frustrated at every turn.


Oh well, it wouldn't sell tickets without some hot sex so I guess the Don gets luckier in the movie than in the opera.:lol:


----------



## sospiro

mamascarlatti said:


> Cripes .
> 
> Don Giovanni in English with Christopher Maltman in his birthday suit and lots of sex. Don't know whether to giggle hysterically or take a cold shower.


Well I'd do neither - I'd join him *in* the shower.


----------



## Almaviva

sospiro said:


> Well I'd do neither - I'd join him *in* the shower.


So you'll be in his catalog, Annie? In Spain, 1,003. How many in England?:lol:


----------



## MAuer

Originally Posted by sospiro 
"I'm hoping to get tickets for Tosca at ROH next year. Kaufmann & Terfel"

Enjoy!! I saw/heard both of them at the Met in these roles last spring, and they were incredible.

Originally Posted by mamascarlatti 
"According to ROH it's mainly Karita Mattila, with Martina Serafin for two nights & Angela Gheorghiu for two nights."

I thought I'd read somewhere that Mattila had decided to discontinue singing this role. Apparently not true. Don't know about Draculette. If my memory is correct (always questionable at my age!), she previously sang this role at the Royal Opera and got shredded by the reviewers.


----------



## sospiro

Almaviva said:


> So you'll be in his catalog, Annie? In Spain, 1,003. How many in England?:lol:


It's actually Christopher Maltman I'm having the *fantasy shower* with not the Don


----------



## sospiro

John Relyea having the 'first fitting' of his make-up for Don Quichotte.

That voice is like 70% dark chocolate.


----------



## mamascarlatti

sospiro said:


> John Relyea having the 'first fitting' of his make-up for Don Quichotte.
> 
> That voice is like 70% dark chocolate.


1. He sounds great and the production looks enticing.

2. I now know how to pronounce his name.

3. Seattle Opera are doing a great job of marketing this opera and themselves.

4. Seattle is a long way from New Zealand.


----------



## myaskovsky2002

*No title*






Enjoy!

Martin


----------



## Almaviva

mamascarlatti said:


> 1. He sounds great and the production looks enticing.


He is spectacular. I love this singer.


----------



## sospiro

Almaviva said:


> He is spectacular. I love this singer.


Yay! You can always vote for him in the "sexiest bass, baritone, tenor builder"


----------



## Almaviva

sospiro said:


> Yay! You can always vote for him in the "sexiest bass, baritone, tenor builder"


I mean, I love his voice and acting ability, not his looks.


----------



## Sieglinde

Can it be Rod Gilfry isn't in this thread yet?










My favourite pic of him, the look on his partners' faces is priceless. I should make a few motivationals with this one.

Also, Rod in the Zürich Don Giovanni, that flowing, silky long hair and predatory presence!


----------



## sospiro

"Il Cioccolatissimo" interview starts at 5:36.

Not the best of interviews but a good excuse to listen to 70%. I adore that voice - could listen to him just reciting the alphabet.


----------



## Sieglinde

Oh, Relyea is such a beautiful man! And I love his voice too.


----------



## sospiro

Some suggestions please

John Relyea is *Il Cioccolatissimo*, His Kaufmann-ness is *El Guapo*,

what can we call Simon?


----------



## sospiro

Men with deep voices more likely to cheat?  So this report says.

I don't understand why the participants of the survey would think this way.


----------



## Almaviva

sospiro said:


> Men with deep voices more likely to cheat?  So this report says.
> 
> I don't understand why the participants of the survey would think this way.


Opera has known this for a fact for 400 years - the baritone and the bass are always the bad guys while the tenor is pure and faithful.

But hey, if the article says that *women* think so, with no objective proof, then it may be because unlike the opera convention goes, they are more attracted to men with deep voices, therefore they think that other women will be too, and will tempt them into straying. [Alma ducks to avoid the wet fish]


----------



## sospiro

Almaviva said:


> But hey, if the article says that *women* think so, with no objective proof, then it may be because unlike the opera convention goes, they are more attracted to men with deep voices, therefore they think that other women will be too, and will tempt them into straying. [Alma ducks to avoid the wet fish]


I follow your drift. But be careful ... you're on thin ice ...


----------



## mamascarlatti

I'm convinced that the fact that Annie and I like Simon and Il Cioccolatissimo and The Chest and El Guapo, while you straight guys like all those squeaky sopranos, has got biological causes. We like 'em because they embody masculinity as well as sounding damn good.


----------



## Sieglinde

There must be a reason why I find basses hot even if they're on the big side.  (Who agrees that shirtless!Tomlinson I posted actually looks better than one would expect? He surely can't rival those catlike barihunks but he's such a manly man.)

Tenors gotta be slim and pretty (and English  *Britten addict*) to get my attention... and even when they get it, I usually have motherly feelings, like "OMG poor thing, I want to bring him home and hug him and make him tea!"


----------



## Almaviva

mamascarlatti said:


> I'm convinced that the fact that Annie and I like Simon and Il Cioccolatissimo and The Chest and El Guapo, while you straight guys like all those squeaky sopranos, has got biological causes. We like 'em because they embody masculinity as well as sounding damn good.


Who are you calling squeaky?
[Alma oils his machine gun for the second time, this time he means it, and gets the ammunition as well]


----------



## Almaviva

Sieglinde said:


> There must be a reason why I find basses hot even if they're on the big side.  (Who agrees that shirtless!Tomlinson I posted actually looks better than one would expect? He surely can't rival those catlike barihunks but he's such a manly man.)
> 
> Tenors gotta be slim and pretty (and English  *Britten addict*) to get my attention... and even when they get it, I usually have motherly feelings, like "OMG poor thing, I want to bring him home and hug him and make him tea!"


Hehehe, Sieglinde, I know, got an earful of this when I asked you for Billy Budd advice... you told me that this version is good because this and that guy are hunks, etc. And I didn't want to be unfriendly, so I didn't say anything, but I was thinking..." huh... does she know that I'm a straight guy? I don't really buy these DVDs for the hunks..." :lol:


----------



## mamascarlatti

Almaviva said:


> Hehehe, Sieglinde, I know, got an earful of this when I asked you for Billy Budd advice... you told me that this version is good because this and that guy are hunks, etc. And I didn't want to be unfriendly, so I didn't say anything, but I was thinking..." huh... does she know that I'm a straight guy? I don't really buy these DVDs for the hunks..." :lol:


Alma, that's hilarious, your reviews are full of paeans to sexy ladies, naked ladies, lovely boobs etc etc. What's sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander!


----------



## Almaviva

mamascarlatti said:


> Alma, that's hilarious, your reviews are full of paeans to sexy ladies, naked ladies, lovely boobs etc etc. What's sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander!


Oh, no, that's totally different, I mean, it's boobs, man, you know, they're squeezable!!! One can't help!


----------



## Sieglinde

Perhaps that's why you don't like BB then. I have yet to find any straight man who likes it.


----------



## mamascarlatti

Actually Sieglinde, I thought your BB review was spot-on, answering the main questions:

1. Are there any hot baritones (preferably who can sing)
2. Are there any hot basses (preferably who can sing
3. Are there any hot tenors (preferably who can sing)

4. What was the production, acting, directing, conducting, etc like.

:tiphat:


----------



## sospiro

Dima has started to become a parody of himself. This review isn't very complimentary.



> Mr. Hvorostovsky wore a black single-breasted frock coat with spangled or sequined lapels, a black shirt, narrow-leg black trousers, and black shoes. His white hair is a little long for somebody of his age. Although he is capable of looking quite good, the effect of the outfit was to make him look a little silly, as if he were dressed to play a magician in an opera or ballet. I can accept the idea of a frock coat for an afternoon recital, but I see no need for sequins on the lapels, and the trousers would have looked better if less narrow.


----------



## Almaviva

sospiro said:


> Dima has started to become a parody of himself. This review isn't very complimentary.


This is why I like Salome. It's a lot more practical, no need to worry about fashion, the soprano just looks great naked.


----------



## MAuer

sospiro said:


> Dima has started to become a parody of himself. This review isn't very complimentary.


Mr. H. needs to follow el Guapo's example and obtain some professional fashion advice. (No joke -- the delectable Jonas is officially outfitted by a German designer label called Strenesse.)


----------



## sospiro

MAuer said:


> Mr. H. needs to follow el Guapo's example and obtain some professional fashion advice. (No joke -- the delectable Jonas is officially outfitted by a German designer label called Strenesse.)


His K-ness always looks good, not surprised he has a designer.

I love this photo of Simon singing My Boy Bill for World Hunger Day.



I think Joseph is designer-free. He only seems to have one jacket!



*ROH: Boccanegra*



*Munich: L'elisir*


----------



## Sieglinde

Simon still looks great. When I saw the ROH Don G I thought he was around 40 at most...


----------



## sospiro

Talking of gorgeous baritones ... Simon Keenlyside is singing Don Giovanni in Cleveland starting on 19th March. This is an interview published in the program booklet for the upcoming performances at Severance Hall.



> Simon Keenlyside discusses opera's most notorious cad
> by Elaine Guregian
> 
> The London Observer has called him "one of the definitive Don Giovannis of the day." London's Guardian newspaper proclaimed his performance a "tour de force" when he sang the role at the Royal Opera. But the Englishman whom the New York Times dubbed "the Ralph Fiennes of baritones'' has never performed the role of opera's most famous Lothario on an American stage . . . until now.
> 
> Beginning March 19, Keenlyside joins an international cast and The Cleveland Orchestra at Severance Hall for four fully staged performances of the Zurich Opera's 2006 production of Mozart's Don Giovanni conducted by Franz Welser-Möst. The performances reunite many in the cast - including singers who performed together at Severance Hall in Così fan tutte in 2010 and The Marriage of Figaro in 2009. Finally, an American audience will be able to experience Keenlyside in a role that he has claimed for his own.
> 
> Holding up a mirror
> 
> From appearances in Zurich, Vienna, London, Tokyo and elsewhere, Keenlyside has sung in his share of approaches to Don Giovanni, including one where he took on the Commendatore bare-chested, sporting a wig of he-man hair down to his waist, as well as an update where he serenaded a prospective lover by phone at a bar.
> 
> "Who cares if he's got a wig or not got a wig? It's not about costumes. It's about real human nature, about showing the cracked mirror of human nature to people," the baritone said in a phone conversation from his home in London, where he lives with his wife, ballerina Zenaida Yanowsky, and their two children, Owen (age two) and Iona (age one).
> 
> Called "one of the most natural actors in opera" by the New York Times, the talkative and thoughtful Keenlyside can't say enough good things about the acting instincts of Sven-Eric Bechtolf, the director of the Zurich Opera's production of Don Giovanni coming to Cleveland.
> 
> "The joy of the difference between any one production and another is in the details - in the nuances, in the shadows. What I loved about Sven was working with a highly intelligent actor who knew what he wanted in terms of the detail and the nuance. He's not addressing anything differently. He's still dealing with the main issues of the challenge to God, the challenge to authority, the abuse of power."
> 
> "Sven could easily, with a giant arm, have swept the whole lot away and had exactly the same process with no sets. Sven is not interested in sets. He's interested in theater."
> 
> Not that the production's simple scenery isn't beautiful, with a gleaming Art Deco sophistication that raises Keenlyside's depiction of the philandering Don Giovanni to a level of elegant hedonism. (As for the past Mozart/Da Ponte operas presented at Severance Hall in 2009 and 2010, the original Zurich sets were designed by Rolf Glittenberg, with costumes by Marianne Glittenberg and lighting by Jürgen Hoffmann.) Seen in a DVD of his Zurich Opera performances, Keenlyside's Don Giovanni is a James Bond-like ladykiller who abuses his power every possible way.
> 
> It would be easy to take in Don Giovanni simply as beautiful music and "a wonderful, strap-yourself-in story," but Keenlyside also looks to it for insights about freedom, or lack of it, through the cast of characters around him.
> Giovanni is somebody who does "whatever the hell they want, when they want," he notes.
> 
> No easy answers
> 
> Very little is black and white in Don Giovanni. Gradually the audience gets to know the characters, beginning with Donna Anna (sung by Eva Mei), whom Giovanni tries to seduce and whose father (the Commendatore, sung by Alfred Muff) loses his life to the Don. "What woman could be attracted to Donna Anna's upright Don Ottavio [sung by Shawn Mathey]? He's boring," notes Keenlyside, suavely managing to make it sound like a fact, not an opinion. Donna Elvira (Malin Hartelius), another of the Don's traumatized but still-lovestruck conquests, along with Giovanni's manservant, Leporello (Ruben Drole) and a betrothed pair of servants, Masetto (Reinhard Mayr) and Zerlina (Martina Janková), all help librettist Lorenzo Da Ponte make a variety of political points.
> 
> "The freedoms we have now, the shoulders of the people we stand on now, are more than just those of our fathers and grandfathers from the last war. The sexual, political, religious, and economic freedoms were bought hard. Mozart is shouting, but with so graceful a feather, about those injustices," says Keenlyside, noting that a female servant in Mozart's time didn't even have the right to her own virginity; it could be taken by her master, according to the feudal concept of the droigt de seigneur.
> 
> Mozart's unforgettable arias draw the listener's attention to people, not politics. Bringing to life the relationships of these characters keeps Keenlyside fully engaged.
> 
> "You probably will do what you do because that's your body and what you learned along the way - and made choices about along the way. But I really do passionately think that art and life are in the details, and that is the greatest joy,'' he says. "On that count, every production is very different." He takes pleasure in collaborating with conductor Franz Welser-Möst, who - like him - is a stickler for details, yet who also looks for the artistry beyond what's stipulated on the pages of a score.
> 
> "Arias don't take place in real time in Don Giovanni - nor do soliloquies in Shakespeare. Time is a relative construct. . . . There's this endless scope for spontaneity and that takes somebody who's prepared to give you freedom,'' says Keenlyside. Someone like Welser-Möst. "He's a stickler for correct note values and details, as Charles Mackerras was, and I like that. If you're ready on Day One to work, then you can play with things and tinker with things and experiment with things.''
> 
> Over the years since Keenlyside first sang for Welser-Möst on a program in London, he has gotten to know him through performances at Severance Hall and in Europe. "On the face of it, he seems quite stern. He's actually quite the opposite. If he trusts you . . . then it's lovely because then he will give you plenty of scope to shift about within the parameters that one's already agreed on. He's got this impish sense of humor in music that I like a lot - particularly in Mozart." Keenlyside says.
> 
> A Family man
> 
> In demand for operas, recitals, and orchestral appearances, Keenlyside, 51, was named Musical America's Vocalist of the Year for 2011. But having grown up a third-generation musician (his father, Raymond Keenlyside, was a violinist in the Aeolian Quartet; his grandfather was a concertmaster in London), he claims no need for the trappings of fame, and lately he has pared down his schedule in order to accommodate family life.
> 
> "I'm not an ambitious man. . . . As long as I can get good work, that's what I want, and I've got that. When I'm out on the bicycle with my boy, none of it matters anyway,'' says Keenlyside.
> 
> And when it comes to singing opera, Keenlyside concludes, "The joy for me is in the moment." Get into your costume and go out there under the lights with "a gimlet eye, radar on,'' fully aware of everything around you. Then, "it's just fun, telling a story."


*sigh* - such a lovely guy


----------



## mamascarlatti

Christopher Ventris might not look any great shakes here, but get him in his tighty whities in Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk and he exudes raw sexuality.


----------



## Almaviva

mamascarlatti said:


> Christopher Ventris might not look any great shakes here, but get him in his tighty whities in Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk and he exudes raw sexuality.


Whoa! Is this a new Lady Macbeth DVD?
I have these two:








Simply excellent









Unwatched Pile Member

It's funny to see how the cover pictures for my first version and yours are similar, and both have Christopher Ventris.

Is this Liceo version any good? Post a review!


----------



## mamascarlatti

Almaviva said:


> Is this Liceo version any good? Post a review!


Yes it is excellent - I'm still digesting the sheer magnificence of it and thinking about what to say in a review. I looked at your review of your version and then realised belatedly that it was actually different from what I have.


----------



## sospiro

The incomparable Sherrill Milnes. I can't explain it but this man's voice reaches into my soul.










My current 'marching music' is










& it's not doing my fitness levels much good as I have to keep stopping to replay Milnes

Arrived yesterday ...










... and if I'd been Floria I'd have ditched Mario for this Scarpia


----------



## MAuer

sospiro said:


> The incomparable Sherrill Milnes. I can't explain it but this man's voice reaches into my soul.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> My current 'marching music' is
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> & it's not doing my fitness levels much good as I have to keep stopping to replay Milnes
> 
> Arrived yesterday ...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ... and if I'd been Floria I'd have ditched Mario for this Scarpia


Absolutely! Milnes' voice is jaw-dropping gorgeous. With all due respect to the fine baritones singing today, I really miss him.


----------



## Sieglinde

Oh, Sherrill Milnes! He made me cry by just listening to his Posa. And he's also a badass Scarpia.


----------



## sospiro

Simon Keenlyside drops in at the Cleveland Institute of Music for an impromptu coaching session. Lucky students.

But is that a man bag in the last photo?


----------



## DarkAngel

sospiro said:


> Arrived yesterday ...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ... and if I'd been Floria I'd have *ditched Mario for this Scarpia*


Almost always better to hear Pavarotti than see him on DVD, but I think you will be very impressed with his 1970s voice here for Mario......

Freni is not the very best Tosca ever even in her prime vocal period here, but the trio of main singers is very strong on balance with excellent late analog sound


----------



## mamascarlatti

View attachment 1541


One seriously hunky countertenor, all 6ft 2 of him.


----------



## sospiro

mamascarlatti said:


> View attachment 1541
> 
> 
> One seriously hunky countertenor, all 6ft 2 of him.


Very gorgeous indeed! Looking forward to your review.


----------



## sospiro

Fit ... or what?


----------



## mamascarlatti

*Rodney Clarke, bass baritone*










Have him stripped and washed and brought to my tent.


----------



## mamascarlatti

Nicolas Testé, bass


----------



## sospiro

This is a fairly new upload. I thought this YouTube comment was particularly interesting (if it's true of course)



> Milnes didn't have a paralyzed vocal fold...he had﻿ a capillary that burst. Still a terrible thing, though. Sherrill is a good friend of mine and we work together quite often when he works with singers (I'm the accompanist). It's SOMETHING to hear him demonstrate vocally right next to me...still the same sound! And he's just the nicest guy...


----------



## sabrina

My final vote goes to Franco Corelli! The Niagara of tenors!











Enjoy!

I'll try to embed the youtube video:





I have no idea what I do wrong!


----------



## sospiro

sabrina said:


> My final vote goes to Franco Corelli! The Niagara of tenors!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> I'll try to embed the youtube video:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I have no idea what I do wrong!


Thank you Sabrina - what a great way to start my day!

(To embed a YouTube click on the little symbol which looks like a movie strip on the tool bar & enter the url)


----------



## sabrina

Let me see if it works! Thank you Sospiro!
WAW! Thanks! It worked!


----------



## BalloinMaschera

I always thought Mark Oswald was kind of dreamy...

http://markoswald.com/?cat=11


----------



## Ravellian




----------



## MAuer

sospiro said:


> This is a fairly new upload. I thought this YouTube comment was particularly interesting (if it's true of course)


Annie,

Thanks so much for sharing! To me, Milnes' voice is absolutely jaw-droppingly gorgeous! As extensive as his recordings are, there are still so many roles in which I wish we could have heard him -- particularly in the German repertoire. He didn't do very much there aside from Jokanaan in "_Salome_" (and apparently Donner early in his career). But, my God, what a Pizarro he would have been! And he probably would have been a marvelous Hans Sachs, maybe even Wotan. The aria included here from "_Don_ _Giovanni_" also makes me think he could have been a wonderful Figaro (as in "_The Marriage of _. . . ") or Conte d' Almaviva.


----------



## sospiro

MAuer said:


> Annie,
> 
> Thanks so much for sharing! To me, Milnes' voice is absolutely jaw-droppingly gorgeous! As extensive as his recordings are, there are still so many roles in which I wish we could have heard him -- particularly in the German repertoire. He didn't do very much there aside from Jokanaan in "_Salome_" (and apparently Donner early in his career). But, my God, what a Pizarro he would have been! And he probably would have been a marvelous Hans Sachs, maybe even Wotan. The aria included here from "_Don_ _Giovanni_" also makes me think he could have been a wonderful Figaro (as in "_The Marriage of _. . . ") or Conte d' Almaviva.


Thanks to him I've discovered operas I didn't know just by wanting to hear his voice.

I'm going to see Macbeth soon with Simon Keenlyside and this comment in 2010 by Simon always makes me smile.



> Sherrill Milnes, of course, is much on his mind. Keenlyside first heard Hamlet in the Milnes recording. "Sherrill used to come to Manchester to do master classes, and I wanted to hear what the man's voice was like." The voice remains a touchstone. As recently as last summer, Keenlyside was preparing for a drive from the Vienna State Opera to Munich. "As I was getting in the car, the boss's secretary came round and said, 'Have a listen to this, it'll keep you busy on the way.' It was a live recording of his Macbeth. It was astonishing singing, fantastic singing. Thank God I had already made my work tape! I've no doubt he'll show up at Hamlet in New York. He turns up at all sorts of things, unnerves the hell out of all of us."


source


----------



## mamascarlatti

Joseph Kaiser - that rare breed, a handsome tenor - although apparently he started off as a baritone which explains a lot.


----------



## mamascarlatti

I know the way to El Guapo's heart.


----------



## sospiro

mamascarlatti said:


> I know the way to El Guapo's heart.


:lol:

Il Cioccolatissimo's 20 questions.

Q: What else would you like to do if you weren't in Classical Music?

A: I would like to be a firefighter!

OMG


----------



## mamascarlatti

sospiro said:


> :lol:
> 
> Il Cioccolatissimo's 20 questions.
> 
> Q: What else would you like to do if you weren't in Classical Music?
> 
> A: I would like to be a firefighter!
> 
> OMG


And he liked the film "Babies". Aaawwww.


----------



## Meaghan

I saw him in Seattle's _Don Quichotte_ in March and liked him very much. And I also like the film "Babies," which means he and I would certainly get along very well.


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## sospiro

Meaghan said:


> I saw him in Seattle's _Don Quichotte_ in March and liked him very much. And I also like the film "Babies," which means he and I would certainly get along very well.


So envious. I love Don Quichotte.


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## Meaghan

Sieglinde said:


> Weirdly beautiful Ian Bostridge...


Okay, so I know I'm quoting a post from more than a year ago, but are you the same Sieglinde who was commenting on his Winterreise on youtube? I just watched the whole thing and now I am a bit in love.


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## BalloinMaschera

Zachary Gordin is yummy 

http://www.zacharygordin.com/html/Home.html

http://barihunks.blogspot.com/2010/08/zach-gordin-could-confuse-violetta.html

in Speedos! Lordy, lordy...


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## sospiro

BalloinMaschera said:


> Zachary Gordin is yummy
> 
> http://www.zacharygordin.com/html/Home.html
> 
> http://barihunks.blogspot.com/2010/08/zach-gordin-could-confuse-violetta.html
> 
> in Speedos! Lordy, lordy...


 yummy indeed

& doesn't David Ossenfort have a beautiful ..... voice?


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## Sieglinde

The same. (I could so totally sing this sentence if i was bass...)

I watched Winterreise there too. Soooooo emo  And I love Ian's voice.


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## Meaghan

Sieglinde said:


> And I love Ian's voice.


Like an angel! I guess I've been going a little Ian Bostridge crazy lately. And I listened to his Desert Island Discs and it made me happy that the beautiful final chorus from Midsummer Night's Dream was among them.  And that he compared Bob Dylan's "Don't Think Twice, It's Alright" (his one non-classical pick) to Winterreise.


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## MAuer

mamascarlatti said:


> I know the way to El Guapo's heart.


Thanks to that "20 Questions" interview, Herr Kaufmann can probably be assured of a steady supply of gummi bears from all his fans.


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## DarkAngel

*Fabio Armillato............*

I have a couple European opera DVDs with Fabio, both times performs with Daniella Dessi, then dug a little deeper and found out they are actually married couple

*Wait, MamaS already has him on her list*, should have known no dashing leading man could escape her wish list (especially withn a name like "Fabio")



> Fabio Armiliato, very dashing as Johnson in la Fanciulla del West.


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## sospiro

The multi-talented composer & singer: Steven Ebel (he of the Stage Door garlicky hugs ).


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## mamascarlatti

sospiro said:


> The multi-talented composer & singer: Steven Ebel (he of the Stage Door garlicky hugs ).


Aah garlic, a man after my own heart!


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## mamascarlatti

Misha Dydik, finally a Herman that you understand Lisa giving up her society marriage for:










Catch him - and an astounding Ewa Podleś as the raddled old Countess, in this:


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## mamascarlatti

Lawrence Zazzo, countertenor


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## Aramis

Ochman looks pretty handsome here, it often happened to him when he was younger:


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## sospiro

A nice new photo from the recent Met Japan tour.



















_" ... It is actually impossible to decide which Mephistopheles I like the most. They are both great in different ways. *But, I imagine once I take on Boito's Mefistofele, that will probably end up being my favourite. That is a truly magnificent work.*" _

Link

I would go to the ends of the earth to see his Mefistofele!


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## karenpat

mamascarlatti said:


> Lawrence Zazzo, countertenor


I get to see him live in November!


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## mamascarlatti

karenpat said:


> I get to see him live in November!


OOOh nice. What's he singing in?


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## sospiro

Met Japan tour - from Dima's Facebook.


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## mamascarlatti

sospiro said:


> Met Japan tour - from Dima's Facebook.


Two cool dudes :lol: :lol:.


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## Aksel

karenpat said:


> I get to see him live in November!


Is he singing in Oslo? Because in that case, I think I might be seeing him live in November as well.


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## karenpat

mamascarlatti said:


> OOOh nice. What's he singing in?


It's a recital entitled "Lunarcy - Songs of Madness and the Moon".

Aksel: Yes, it's in Oslo! http://www.operaen.no/Default.aspx?ID=28607&ProductID=PROD685


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## Aksel

karenpat said:


> It's a recital entitled "Lunarcy - Songs of Madness and the Moon".
> 
> Aksel: Yes, it's in Oslo! http://www.operaen.no/Default.aspx?ID=28607&ProductID=PROD685


Nice. And it's even on a Sunday! Hopefully I'll have time off school then.


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## mamascarlatti

Why would anyone bother with Faust when they could have Mefistofele?


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## GoneBaroque

mamascarlatti said:


> Why would anyone bother with Faust when they could have Mefistofele?


I must agree. Mesistofele is a much better opera and vastly truer to Goethe. Do you know who is shown in the picture? I do not seem to recognize him.

Rob


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## mamascarlatti

Mr Netrebko aka Erwin "Hot" Schrott.


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## amfortas

mamascarlatti said:


> Mr Netrebko aka Erwin "Hot" Schrott.


Don't let Alma see that picture. His hope will turn to despair.


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## Almaviva

amfortas said:


> Don't let Alma see that picture. His hope will turn to despair.


Hey. I'm much more handsome [Alma crosses his fingers]. And wiser. And more experienced. And I sing much better. Oh wait, scratch this last one.


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## mamascarlatti

mamascarlatti said:


> Mr Netrebko aka Erwin "Hot" Schrott.


See what I don't understand is how Erwin maintains his washboard stomach while tucking into all this food.

Although it might explain a few of Anna's recent curves.


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## mamascarlatti

Mirko Gadagnigni, tenor. Can be seen in Il Ritorno D'Ulisse in Patria


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## mamascarlatti

Mauro Borgioni is Giove in the above production.


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## sospiro

Couple of nice photos - good way way to start my day. Thanks Nat!


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## GoneBaroque

mamascarlatti said:


> Mr Netrebko aka Erwin "Hot" Schrott.


Thank you. I recall reading that when Jerome Hines sang Mefistofele at the Colon in BA years ago he appeared onstage for the Ave Signor stripped to the waist and painted with luminous paint. Must have made quite an effect.

Rob


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## sospiro

I found this picture of one of my new favourites & thought it was a good reason to resurrect this thread. Can you guess who it is?



Answer this evening when I get home from work.


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## mamascarlatti

sospiro said:


> I found this picture of one of my new favourites & thought it was a good reason to resurrect this thread. Can you guess who it is?
> 
> 
> 
> Answer this evening when I get home from work.


Lukas--------------------------------*+ (filler characters courtesy of the cat walking on my keyboard)


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## sospiro

mamascarlatti said:


> Lukas


Nope



mamascarlatti said:


> --------------------------------*+ (filler characters courtesy of the cat walking on my keyboard)


:lol:


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## AmericanGesamtkunstwerk

Who was the Baritone in the Met's recent Don Carlo, playing the title character's best friend? He's great one of the best baritones i ever saw.


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## Aksel

sospiro said:


> I found this picture of one of my new favourites & thought it was a good reason to resurrect this thread. Can you guess who it is?
> 
> 
> 
> Answer this evening when I get home from work.


Is it a certain Welshman, perchance?

And AmericanGesamtkunstwerk: Simon Keenleyside. He is rather good, I agree.


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## sospiro

Aksel said:


> Is it a certain Welshman, perchance?


Nope



Aksel said:


> And AmericanGesamtkunstwerk: Simon Keenlyside. He is rather good, I agree.


Nope

Not the cutest of baby photos I have to admit. I can just imagine this guy's Mum shouting down the phone at him "Dearest son, we have hundreds of baby photos of you looking totally adorable & you choose THAT one to put on your website??!!!"

Nat - Lukas is still a favourite, but this guy is my new favourite. I am so fickle.

Ta da



Gorgeous Grigory's website


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## mamascarlatti

sospiro said:


> Not the cutest of baby photos I have to admit. I can just imagine this guy's Mum shouting down the phone at him "Dearest son, we have hundreds of baby photos of you looking totally adorable & you choose THAT one to put on your website??!!!"


Well, he obviously believes that when you find a good hairdo, you should stick to it.


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## sospiro

mamascarlatti said:


> Well, he obviously believes that when you find a good hairdo, you should stick to it.


:lol:

At least he's making the most of what he's got. Better than a crooked hair transplant 

And like most men he wouldn't have a clue as to what is a cute baby. They'll all look the same even one of him.


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## MAuer

The video isn't that great, but the singer is the young bass-baritone David Jerusalem (born 1985), who, I believe, is the son of the tenor Siegfried Jerusalem.


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## GoneBaroque

*Jonas Kaufmann - Du bist die welt fur mich*

Breaking news from a Berlin concert August 16, 2011


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## sospiro

Mariusz Kwiecień recovered from surgery to take up the role of DG again. Mariusz with Luca Pisaroni (Leporello).


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## CountessAdele

The magnetic Rolando Villazon








And the rugged Zeljko Lucic


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## Aramis

CountessAdele said:


> View attachment 2617
> 
> The magnetic Rolando Villazon


Really? I always thought he was more like cute frog.


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## sospiro

Update on Simon Keenlyside's Songs of War CD


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## GoneBaroque

Thanks Annie it sounds wonderful. So many great songs are included.

And speaking of Simon, here is my favorite duet.


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## MAuer

sospiro said:


> Update on Simon Keenlyside's Songs of War CD


Hard to believe that we're only three years away from the 100th anniversary of the start of World War I. This sounds like a wonderful tribute to all of those who served and the families who lost loved ones.


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## Aksel

GoneBaroque said:


> Thanks Annie it sounds wonderful. So many great songs are included.
> 
> And speaking of Simon, here is my favorite duet.


*refuses to resist urge to post vid*
Speaking of that favourite duet of yours ...


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## sospiro

Aksel said:


> *refuses to resist urge to post vid*
> Speaking of that favourite duet of yours ...












O ... M ... G

Aksel - you've made my evening!


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## mamascarlatti

Aksel said:


> *refuses to resist urge to post vid*
> Speaking of that favourite duet of yours ...


Apart from the glorious loveliness of the manly chests etc, it's also interesting to see the correct breathing for an opera singer - particularly Nathan Gunn breathing right down by his diaphragm, his chest doesn't move at all, but his belly goes out like a little pot.


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## mamascarlatti

Ildar Abdrazakov - a darn sign sexier than the real Henry VIII


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## MAuer

mamascarlatti said:


> Ildar Abdrazakov - a darn sign sexier than the real Henry VIII


And, I must admit, looks a lot more like him than the Wiener Staatsoper's Ildebrando d'Arcangelo.


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## mamascarlatti

The relative dullness of the DG Met production was mitigated by the general gorgeousness of the leading men:

Mariusz Kwiecen as DG










Luca Pisaroni as Leporello










Joshua Bloom as Masetto


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## Aramis

mamascarlatti said:


> Mariusz Kwiecen as DG


What opera has deutsche grammophon as character and how on Earth is human going to perform such object?


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## GoneBaroque

*Tenor Riccardo Massi*

At New York's Metropolitan Opera on February 23 Italian tenor Ricardo Massi made his Met debut as Radames in Verdi's Aida replacing Marcelo Alvarez who has withdrawn from the production. The reviews of Mr. Massi that I have seen were quite favorable. In addition to his operatic career he has worked as a stunt man in films such as Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ, Martin Scorsese's Gangs of New York, Steven Soderbergh's Ocean's Twelve, Franc Reyes's Empire and Ridley Scott's Gladiator. I guess that makes him a hunk.

Presenting his Celeste Aida






here he sings Meco all'altar di Venere from Bellini's Norma






and from what has been called Verdi's greatest opera; The Ingemisco from the Requiem


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## Yashin

I would second those who say that the young Finnish tenor Topi Lehtipuu is very charming and handsome -especially in the new DVD of 'The Rakes progress' from Glyndebourne.

Another tenor who had a boyish face is the Australian tenor David Hobson - famous for his beautiful Rodolfo on the Baz Luhrmann version of La Boheme

And what about Christoph strehl as an elegant man with a good presence.


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## sospiro

GoneBaroque said:


> At New York's Metropolitan Opera on February 23 Italian tenor Ricardo Massi made his Met debut as Radames in Verdi's Aida replacing Marcelo Alvarez who has withdrawn from the production. The reviews of Mr. Massi that I have seen were quite favorable. In addition to his operatic career he has worked as a stunt man in films such as Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ, Martin Scorsese's Gangs of New York, Steven Soderbergh's Ocean's Twelve, Franc Reyes's Empire and Ridley Scott's Gladiator. *I guess that makes him a hunk.*


Oh definitely!!!


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## mamascarlatti

Ed Lyon was the "Chicken in a basket" Hylas in Les Troyens at ROH - he sang very movingly about losing his home.


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## guythegreg

mamascarlatti said:


> Lawrence Brownlee is cute in a fresh-faced sort of way. Here he is jumping though the high Cs hoops ,with inevitable comparsions to JDF. I say, there's room for both of them, the more tenors the better. And I enjoyed his performances in the HD Met transmissions of Armida and Cenerentola.


Great idea for a post ... and look how many views you've got already!!

As far as Brownlee goes ... just want to say, when I first saw him he was just a shrimpy little guy that I couldn't imagine why people were crazy about him. NOW, however, he is a craftsman. He doesn't have the power in the high C's that JDF has, but damn ... he knows how to sing!


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## gates4eva

Rodney Gilfry as Don Giovanni and Count Almaviva.


----------



## Sieglinde

Recently, I have really fallen for Ludovic Tézier. First seen him in that Munich Forza with Jonas, and at first he starts out looking all nerdy in a cardigan and glasses, then he switches to a military outfit, gets bloodied up, his hair is messy, and suddenly his hotness skyrockets 

Also, this photo with Jonas...









And THEN I watched him in 2 different Lucias and the Paris Il trovatore. And Werther (both as Albert and as Werther). Oh, and in Ballo. And that recent Paris Don Carlo where the director was really a jerk and put Jonas in a cage so they couldn't hug in the death scene. Rude. Let Them Hug 2k18.


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## Barelytenor

GoneBaroque said:


> At New York's Metropolitan Opera on February 23 Italian tenor Ricardo Massi made his Met debut as Radames in Verdi's Aida replacing Marcelo Alvarez who has withdrawn from the production. The reviews of Mr. Massi that I have seen were quite favorable. In addition to his operatic career he has worked as a stunt man in films such as Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ, Martin Scorsese's Gangs of New York, Steven Soderbergh's Ocean's Twelve, Franc Reyes's Empire and Ridley Scott's Gladiator. I guess that makes him a hunk.
> 
> Presenting his Celeste Aida
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> here he sings Meco all'altar di Venere from Bellini's Norma
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> and from what has been called Verdi's greatest opera; The Ingemisco from the Requiem


On the Ricardo Massi singing "Ingemisco," a couple of things. First off, is it just my sound system, or does anyone else hear an odd rattling sound at several points in the aria? It sounds like a ping pong ball rattling around inside a glass. I notice it first at around 0:53, "qui Mari--a" on the "ri," which is a high G.

Second, pretty voice (and face), but he does tend to distort the Latin vowels more than I would like. More vocal laziness, I think, than an actual technique problem. Nothing a good coach couldn't fix rather quickly.

What say you?

Kind regards, :tiphat:

George


----------



## Bellinilover

I find George Shirley very nice-looking (here with Leontyne Price in 1967).









And with my other big crush, Sherrill Milnes, also in 1967:


----------



## Sieglinde

Some pretty baritones I discovered recently:

David Pershall










Aka probably the cutest, and definitely youngest, Rodrigo I have ever seen. Filippo was literally flirting with him in Restate. I'm not kidding. I hope he'll sing Billy Budd at some point because damn.

Ivan Thirion









Seen him as Enrico. Also ridiculously young but he sounds absolutely ready.

Mario Cassi










Seen him as di Luna and wanted to scream at Leonora the whole time to get some ******* glasses.

Paul Kong









Another very attractive Rodrigo, and he sounded amazing.


----------

