If you love great baritone singing, make sure to tune in your radio or go online to
WFMT, Chicago's public radio station. The next three Saturday's will feature a bevvy of our favorite singers including three in this week's broadcast of Verdi's
Simon Boccanegra. The opera will feature the ageless barihunk Thomas Hampson in the title role alongside the riveting Ferruccio Furlanetto as Fiesco and rising superstar Quinn Kelsey as Paolo. Amelia will be sung by Krassimira Stoyanova and Adorno by Frank Lopardo.
Hampson is currently starring in Verdi's
La traviata at the
Wiener Staatsoper.
The following week barihunk Craig Verm can be heard as Albert in Massenet's
Werther, in a cast that includes tenor sensation Matthew Polenzani in the title role and Sophie Koch as Charlotte. Verm opens as Ned Keene in Britten's
Peter Grimes at the
Des Moines Metro Opera on June 22nd.
On June 1st, Italian sex symbol Ildebrando D'Arcangelo takes on the very un-barihunk title role in Donizetti's
Don Pasquale opposite the Norina of Marlis Petersen. D'Arcangelo is currently performing the role of Selim in Rossini's comic masterpiece
Il turco in Italia at Barcelona's beautiful
Gran Theatre del Liceu.
Future broadcasts include Richard Strauss'
Elektra, Humperdinck's
Hansel & Gretel, Puccini's
La boheme, Wagner's
Die Meistersinger, Verdi's
Rigoletto and Previn's
A Streetcar Named Desire with an all-star cast featuring barihunk Teddy Tahu Rhodes, tenor Anthony Dean Griffey and soprano Renée Fleming.
