I think this is well done. Nudity was common among the ancient Greeks, particularly among men who were soldiers, athletes, students. There is nothing salacious or remotely pornographic about this. Hercules was usually depicted in art as naked, carrying his lion skin cloak. Clearly, Hercules is being dressed by his men for battle. Mr. Stains is in great shape and is a handsome man. Why not be naked?
The voice is fine. The technique gets him through this difficult piece.
The level of ignorance and prejudice exhibited in some of these comments is quite appalling. He has some problems with some of the finer modulations but this is quite a bravura aria. As for being naked, seeing it live or all over the walls of the greatest museums in the world makes no difference if the context justifies it. In case people had not noticed Ercole is Hercules so yes, the context justifies it.
@littleangel9001 With all due respect, we all know you are a GrEaT SiNgEr. Be a singer. But the singer from the opera has also a beautiful body. It is a living art, not a porn.
Hiding Hercules behind the clothes would be like depicting Jesus Christ as a white European. Funny, easy for consumption, but weird.
@littleangel9001 What exactly do you find sluttish about this performance? For once I think nudity and a sexual subtext (not so "sub" here!) are justified in opera. Personally I find this mise en scene quite pertinent and impressive, but I guess it's a question of sensibility.
I can´t beleive that a tenor with such a beautiful sweet vocie, has the courage to do this nude scene, which by the way is very consistent with the plot, I mean we´re talking about Herkules here. Nevertheless the lightness of his sound fits perfectly the stile of this period. Just impecable.
Did this singer really thought that his penis which hasn't shocked, I think, anyone but a few prude virgins (if there are any left) would compensate his lack of vocal strength and musicality? I do pity him and sincerely hope that at least he found some kinky pleasure from his performance.
did this singer really thought that his penis which hasn't shocked, I think, anyone but a few prude virgins (if there are any left) would compensate his lack of vocal strength and musicality? I do pity him and sincerely hope that at least he found some kinky pleasure from his performance
His voice is not beautiful, but it's well managed; he looks and moves like a living statue; how many serious singers would dare to appear like this on stage? The nudity here doesn't seem pornographic or provocative, it seems like a matter of course with this subject
Hercules is often depicted nude in classical art... so I guess why not in Opera.. it does of course mean that casting directors have to ensure the chosen singer has an appropriate physique to depict the legendary hero... probably very good for the sales of opera glasses too :-)
and enjoy this opera but...well i don't have some against the nudity of zachary stains but...i'm not enjoy very much...however i love this DVD instead of this :D
Admirons avant tout la mélodie si sensuelle de Vivaldi et la plastique du ténor par la même occasion, même si son chant n'est pas totalement au-dessus de tout reproche.
chi ha scritto che l'Ercole ha una voce orrenda temo che legga troppo novella3000 , il mio giudizio ( oserei dire insindacabile , essendo un esperto rossiniano ;-) e' del tutto positivo con le piccole riserve che ho gia' descritto in un post precedente
Che coraggio esporsi al pubblico cantando completamente nudo. Ogni minimo errore ti viene criticato senza sconti.
Sarà che in effetti non è Caruso, ma forse la componente dell'invidia o del moralismo spiegano l'astio e il rancore di alcuni commenti che leggiamo qui sotto.
molto interessante voce naturalmente impostata e non sforzata , ( da fare solo piccolissimi aggiusti sulle nasali) bellezza fisica super , carte in regola per un sicuro successo!
It's well sung and looks beautiful. Stains has great physiognomy, his movements are well studied and graceful. You can pause on any moment and the image looks like it's taken from a greek amphora. Representations of ancient heroes were always full of nudity in the course of history of art, and here I see a nice connection to this tone. People who can't see anything but "prics","porn", provocation, and crap like that, only show how shallow they are.
I don't think his voice fits this repertoire (this goes not only for Vivaldi, but also for Handel). He should try something with less coloratura. Concerning the nudity ... well ... I guess if you intend to have someone who pretends to be Hercules nude through the whole opera, your list of candidates is quite short. Anyway, more provocation than artistical considerations, I think.
This comment has received too many negative votesshow
That's hot. How can they show his fat cock on Youtube? I thought dick and hairy balls were banned on here. I've never been interested in boring opera before, but now I may start showing up.
The answer is CLEARLY ARTISTIC VALUE: Hercules is putting on his battle gear in ancient Greece, singing constantly in an indubitably artistic manner, entirely void of sexual connotations. Anyway, Hercules was half man, half god, so standard rules hardly apply, don't you agree?
tout simplement sublime!! Zachary Stains, sa voix, ses jambes, sa présence, sa façon de posséder la scène. bravo!! bravo encore et merci de poster cette vidéo.
My comment was not referring to the nudity at all.
I meant the music is florid baroque. The nudity, while quite pleasing to me as a gay man, was actually distracting from the opera.
And actually small boys in the role of Putti or Cherubs often appeared on stage in the 17th and 18th century nude or almost so. But, as you say, this is obviously a modern titillation.
We shall leave discussion of the Castrati to another day .....
I appreciate their experiment here. Movies, Popular music, Musical Comedy have been part of the modern erotic expressiveness. Opera has focused on the voice over the body and physical beauty. But if you have an attractive male singer who can sing the music and an opera that lends itself to the nudity experiemnt, go for it. Opera and classical music has been left out of sex and eros game for sometime. Now it's coming back in its own way. That's great.
No tengo nada en contra de su nudeza, pues el desnudo en arte no es algo raro ni escandaloso. Solo un desnudo como este se transforma en porno en los ojos del que lo mira, y por muchos de los comentarios que leo, veo que la gente que alaba el cuerpo antes que la opera, incluso aunque fuere mas alabable su cuerpo que su voz, es la que vuelven esta opera en porno y no en opera que es lo que es. vaya que dan mas verguenza los comentarios que la escena en si misma. Con todos los respetos.
so the discussion here is about his... technique? ahahhahahahahahaha
Singers are desperate in our days to get attention. Tits, cocks, balls, nipples, pussies all nude onstage... Nothing wrong with nudity but it is far better placed in a strip-bar :p I dont understand why they want to transform Opera into Porn... Porn is porn, Opera is Opera, do I have to blame the stupid Queens again? ahahhahahaha are they so bored to change from Opera to Porn they actually want it two-in-one? :))))))
Your shame is showing along with your ignorance, bigotry, and general gratuitous meanness. Nudity doesn't equate to pornography except in the case of sad christianists and other spiritual cripples.
"Singers are desperate in our days..." What pompous idiocy.
The nudity of this opera was made just for the sake of nudity, has nothing to do with "art, moral, mythological aspects, ancient symbolism" etc. The Vivaldi's "Ercole" stands even without an exposed penis. It was just an idea to capture the attention and create sensation with something "scandalous". Just that.
"just for the sake of nudity, nth to do with art..just to capture attention" ...well, how would u prove this was their goal ? im afraid this is merely YOUR impression. i dont see anything contradicting the view that it indeed WAS about art and scenic devices.
so Tiziano,Monet, Goya are also in the porno affair...according to your view. Yours is not just bigotry but more -im afraid- lame information: porno is based on explicit sex acts, being nude is not sufficient to perform porno. this is a basic concept of public domaine
Hot dude! Much nicer to look at than to listen to...but he's on his way...The voice is constricted, throaty and needs training. I bet he got the part for his body! ;)
"...that is how Hercules is usually portrayed in art - wearing nothing but a bear skin. So it was actually based on art history. Nothing scandalous about that!" - Thus wrote SingDude (see below)some months ago. I quite agree, but dear SingDude, when you write "Excellent singing" you surely can't mean Zachary Stains.
Lo scandalo non è il fatto che canti nudo con il pisello ondeggiante in faccia al pubblico e che ha fatto la delizia di tutte le carampane sedute fra il pubblico. Lo scandalo è che canti. Ha una voce orrenda e una pronuncia altrettanto infame. In quest'aria sembra colto da colite acuta, volgarmente parlando: dolori di pancia. Non c'è un minimo di eroico nel suo canto. Sembra un topo uscito da un buco di formaggio appena scampato alla trappola.
What a beautiful voice and nicely hung...I mean sung. No, seriously. Great singing. I wonder if the nudity is really necessary. I like both opera and naked men, but some things just don't go together
mah... cominciamo dall'intonazione. Poi la vocalizzazione è disomogenea e precaria in diversi punti. Non mostra avere una chiara idea di ciò che sta dicendo, ergo l'interpretazione del testo è alquanto sommaria. Basta così o continuo? Forse lui è bravo in amore, bello com'è, ma il canto lo lasci ad altri
It's a great novelty, and Stains sure is a hunk. However, I'm sure Vivaldi is spinning in his grave. Why? Lead opera roles like this were never written for tenor, so the original performer would have been a soprano, most likely a castrato. And I doubt a castrato would be anxious to sing in the nude, tending as they did either toward extreme pudginess or being overly long and lanky with not much muscle.
I agree with you. But it's no question of tenor or countertenor. It's just on weak singing "bravura" of Stains and bad choices of scena. Then, some castrato are so amazing!!! ;-) to see nude and not only to see!!
Excellent singing, and while the nudity seems out of place at first, the reason behind it was that that is how Hercules is usually portrayed in art - wearing nothing but a bear skin. So it was actually based on art history. Nothing scandalous about that! The entire production was excellent. And the cleaved phalluses are on the Amazon island. Bravo!
In termini vocali più tecnici: La pronuncia è pessima, la voce è brutta, non è un timbro eroico. Che canti completamente nudo sortisce, con questo tipo di vocalità, un effetto ridicolo. Inoltre Ercole era una specie di Schwarzenegger...Questo ha un bel fisico, ma è più apollineo...e comunque ha una bruttissima voce e l'opera si fa con la voce e non con i culi o con i piselli per deliziare pubblico gay e carampane in menopausa.
Those are some good points. Yes, he is more Apollonian with regard to his physique. I suppose we gays should insist that Placido Domingo bare all in the next production so that we can get the full impact from a more talented, fluent and beefy tenor...LOL
Nov' 2007 OPERA NEWS: "Spoleto Festival's production designed / directed eloquently by John Pascoe. Tenor Zachary Stains plays the role nude. Stains pulls of the effect stunningly and commands the stage like a gorgeous classical statue come to life. His performance admirably combines movement, drama, delivery of recitative and virtuoso singing.
Rather than coming off as a cheap stunt, the move comes off brilliantly."
This is fab. What's the problem?? a) he's Hercules. Dem damn Greeks all went nekkid back then, especially the mythical ones. b) he's changing clothes. It's completely organic for the scene. c) It's opera, and Vivaldi at that. More of it, I say; what's not to like?
What's the problem?? a) It's a gratuitus affected nudity, in gay-style to "shock" audiences: poor mythical Hercules...maybe he's better in love, who knows. b) no a natural changing spot o candid peek-a-boo, but all time exhibit. c) Vivaldi´s music does not need any "complementary shocking" ideas to be perceived. What's not to like? No scandals for the scenes, the only scandal is the performance to no tell of scenograpy: a field of cleaved dicks! puah! Nevertheless I like nudity in opera.
I am sorry to admit that, but I agree. It's just an idea to shock the audiences. Everybody just talked about Stains nudity, leaving Vivaldi's first modern representation of Ercole almost in shadow.
This comment has received too many negative votesshow
What, pray tell, is gay-style? Before you begin casting stones, perhaps you should learn to spell. "Gratuitus"? Check your dictionary, if you own one.
Oh,I see,we have a purist of English spelling! Oh, but he is American! Oh! not a purist! but only a stupid man that...(why in English?)...un cretino, che non avendo argomentazioni valide da controbattere, tenta di spostare l'attenzione sulla padronanza della lingua...Poor-Stupid-Man.
"Shocking" things are based on perspective. As an artist, I look at nudity, and either see obvious pornography or I see part of a work of art at hand.
Here I see art.
Hercules, who is speaking with his comrade, is in the act of changing into his armor. During the Roman period, where the name Hercules would be correct (Heracles is Greek), it wasn't uncommon for warriors to change in front of someone they were speaking to, since there was little need for modesty. After all, they're all warriors.
This is a beautifully original idea based on classic concepts which works so well it elevates the original work - I'm sure Vivaldi would have been delighted. Zachary Stains has the looks, the body and the voice and enormous courage to carry the performance - he is truly an artist in every sense of the word. Those who can't see past their own prejudices and narrow views give themselves away by staying to view something which is clearly beyond them- bravo Zachary!
If I looked and sang like that I'd own the world, great piece!
TheRamrod100 1 month ago
ο Ηρακλής στον Θερμώδωνα.
όπερα του Antonio Vivaldi, που ανακαλύφθηκε σχετικά πρόσφατα!
την εποχή του Βιβάλντι που έκανε πρεμιέρα το έργο, τους ρόλους των γυναικών τραγουδησαν μόνο άντρες castrati !
Θερμώδων: στη μυθολογία, ποταμός κοντά στη Μαύρη Θάλασσα, στην Τουρκία, όπου πιστευόταν ότι βρισκόταν η πρωτεύουσα των Αμαζόνων.
okeanos70 1 month ago
amo i costumi di quest'opera!
RagusaBoy 2 months ago
He's hot.
But his coloratura was poor as hell!
XD
But hey, his butt more than makes up for his lack of coloratura!
XD
Marlifan69 3 months ago 2
I prefer Villazon singing this but my mind shies away from the idea of the costume......
mummygrim 5 months ago
Non capisco perche' solo il tenore deve essere nudo, non e' giusto! :// FUCK YOU ALL, BLOODY BASTARDS GAY DIRECTORS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Desideria7 5 months ago
well good cock
SuperBADRINATH 6 months ago
I think this is well done. Nudity was common among the ancient Greeks, particularly among men who were soldiers, athletes, students. There is nothing salacious or remotely pornographic about this. Hercules was usually depicted in art as naked, carrying his lion skin cloak. Clearly, Hercules is being dressed by his men for battle. Mr. Stains is in great shape and is a handsome man. Why not be naked?
The voice is fine. The technique gets him through this difficult piece.
bjmiceli 6 months ago 2
oh no he´s naked!!!! get the fuck over it, its just a naked body
roach180 8 months ago 4
ohai penis
BamvsNoodle 9 months ago
dio mio, il fraseggio l'ha imparato da personal trainer?
oscardegliorazi 9 months ago 2
BRAVO, Zachary....Bravo!!!....Encore,Encore!
cagaleano 10 months ago
Diese verrückten Deutschen haben es wieder getan. Es ist schön, einfach schön. Ich scherze.
BestAmateurViolinist 11 months ago
like curious1 said it is not him being naked, his voice or accent, the whole act was lacking,
joaquinolvera25 11 months ago
Brave performance. I wasn't expecting to see all of that...but why the hell not, it's just a naked body and a nice one to boot.
flamencoandy 1 year ago 3
The level of ignorance and prejudice exhibited in some of these comments is quite appalling. He has some problems with some of the finer modulations but this is quite a bravura aria. As for being naked, seeing it live or all over the walls of the greatest museums in the world makes no difference if the context justifies it. In case people had not noticed Ercole is Hercules so yes, the context justifies it.
syllahk 1 year ago 3
@littleangel9001 With all due respect, we all know you are a GrEaT SiNgEr. Be a singer. But the singer from the opera has also a beautiful body. It is a living art, not a porn.
Hiding Hercules behind the clothes would be like depicting Jesus Christ as a white European. Funny, easy for consumption, but weird.
g0greg0g 1 year ago 2
@littleangel9001 What exactly do you find sluttish about this performance? For once I think nudity and a sexual subtext (not so "sub" here!) are justified in opera. Personally I find this mise en scene quite pertinent and impressive, but I guess it's a question of sensibility.
janvanb32 1 year ago 3
Sehr interessante Regie....)))) Hab Lust auch teilzunehmen)))
Saenger100 1 year ago
I can´t beleive that a tenor with such a beautiful sweet vocie, has the courage to do this nude scene, which by the way is very consistent with the plot, I mean we´re talking about Herkules here. Nevertheless the lightness of his sound fits perfectly the stile of this period. Just impecable.
dionisiaco 1 year ago 2
It was actually written for a tenor, and very famous for instance. Opera seria does use the tenor voice.
cleyyyment 1 year ago
He's got every voice teacher wanting to give him lessons, for sure!
cleanears 1 year ago
C'ero! (:
SIMSPOLETO 1 year ago
Somebody should be hung... oh, sorry, I mean hanged for this.
CaballeroCatalan 1 year ago
This has been flagged as spam show
Did this singer really thought that his penis which hasn't shocked, I think, anyone but a few prude virgins (if there are any left) would compensate his lack of vocal strength and musicality? I do pity him and sincerely hope that at least he found some kinky pleasure from his performance.
catholab 1 year ago
did this singer really thought that his penis which hasn't shocked, I think, anyone but a few prude virgins (if there are any left) would compensate his lack of vocal strength and musicality? I do pity him and sincerely hope that at least he found some kinky pleasure from his performance
catholab 1 year ago
His voice is not beautiful, but it's well managed; he looks and moves like a living statue; how many serious singers would dare to appear like this on stage? The nudity here doesn't seem pornographic or provocative, it seems like a matter of course with this subject
bramoditrionfar 1 year ago
el tipo esta buenismo, que importa q no cante bien.
hughoto 1 year ago
ke coragee el tiooo!!
bagwa9 1 year ago
con todo respeto
si tubierra menos cuerpo y mas voz estaria mucho mejor, la opera es voz,actucion,esenografia,etc, le cuerpo es lo de menos
pero este tipo de minimo la mitad de voz, se oye fatal bueno +
saludos!!!
Jdario8 1 year ago
Hercules is often depicted nude in classical art... so I guess why not in Opera.. it does of course mean that casting directors have to ensure the chosen singer has an appropriate physique to depict the legendary hero... probably very good for the sales of opera glasses too :-)
hugothebear 1 year ago
Zachary n'a pas froid aux yeux ! Que dirait Vivaldi?
camalane 1 year ago
I can't look away. Beautifull production.
AlessanteFurioso 1 year ago
i like it.
maorimoffo 1 year ago
and enjoy this opera but...well i don't have some against the nudity of zachary stains but...i'm not enjoy very much...however i love this DVD instead of this :D
theshinjiheart 1 year ago
Admirons avant tout la mélodie si sensuelle de Vivaldi et la plastique du ténor par la même occasion, même si son chant n'est pas totalement au-dessus de tout reproche.
mijoree 1 year ago
chi ha scritto che l'Ercole ha una voce orrenda temo che legga troppo novella3000 , il mio giudizio ( oserei dire insindacabile , essendo un esperto rossiniano ;-) e' del tutto positivo con le piccole riserve che ho gia' descritto in un post precedente
rossinigio 1 year ago
I don't think Hercules was circumsized
thetuscanman 1 year ago 3
opera meets puppetry of the penis.
wattever333 1 year ago
parte 2:
Cinque stelle:
una per la voce,
una per il coraggio,
una perchè se fosse stato vestito non avrebbe attirato gli oltre 100 commenti,
due per il fisico. In scena è importante avercelo e chi ha solo la voce e crede che basti si sbaglia e rosica.
albibert 1 year ago
Che coraggio esporsi al pubblico cantando completamente nudo. Ogni minimo errore ti viene criticato senza sconti.
Sarà che in effetti non è Caruso, ma forse la componente dell'invidia o del moralismo spiegano l'astio e il rancore di alcuni commenti che leggiamo qui sotto.
albibert 1 year ago
molto interessante voce naturalmente impostata e non sforzata , ( da fare solo piccolissimi aggiusti sulle nasali) bellezza fisica super , carte in regola per un sicuro successo!
rossinigio 1 year ago 3
Comment removed
rossinigio 1 year ago
Belleza física, belleza en la idea de desnudez pero vocalmente me deja ilusionado. No me gusta.
Anibaal 2 years ago
Magari... una voce!
undamaris2006 2 years ago
I rather he worked on me while I deal with his ornaments lol
eradesso 2 years ago
this tenor should spend more time on voice training not body training~~~
pigvivivi 2 years ago 2
@pigvivivi
Precisely what I was thinking!!
alexandriusgirl 2 years ago
Is that an alternative?cant he be both?
besides,his voice is pretty effective and successfull the way it is.
pianofolle 2 years ago
It's well sung and looks beautiful. Stains has great physiognomy, his movements are well studied and graceful. You can pause on any moment and the image looks like it's taken from a greek amphora. Representations of ancient heroes were always full of nudity in the course of history of art, and here I see a nice connection to this tone. People who can't see anything but "prics","porn", provocation, and crap like that, only show how shallow they are.
masterka 2 years ago 7
I don't think his voice fits this repertoire (this goes not only for Vivaldi, but also for Handel). He should try something with less coloratura. Concerning the nudity ... well ... I guess if you intend to have someone who pretends to be Hercules nude through the whole opera, your list of candidates is quite short. Anyway, more provocation than artistical considerations, I think.
TheSpidersDive 2 years ago
he's a good looking courageous tenor-hunk........but those ancient operas are so dull, Vivaldi pffffffttttt....
papoocanada 2 years ago
It is a very entertaining video and musically satisfying.
longviewhaus 2 years ago
I wish he could sing as well as he can strip.
Pathetikos 2 years ago 2
Comment removed
hollowghost926 2 years ago 3
BTW, why don't they show a close up of his peter? Why is it so far away when he lets himself hang?
BobsWorld666 2 years ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
That's hot. How can they show his fat cock on Youtube? I thought dick and hairy balls were banned on here. I've never been interested in boring opera before, but now I may start showing up.
BobsWorld666 2 years ago
The answer is CLEARLY ARTISTIC VALUE: Hercules is putting on his battle gear in ancient Greece, singing constantly in an indubitably artistic manner, entirely void of sexual connotations. Anyway, Hercules was half man, half god, so standard rules hardly apply, don't you agree?
jannevellamo 2 years ago 2
Yeh, ok. They still should show it close up.
BobsWorld666 2 years ago
We did this one in high school. And we had even less of a budget than this production did for costumes.
Lectronimo 2 years ago
Voci scarse, membri maschili secondo i gusti del regista. Povero Vivaldi.
gattetto 2 years ago
bella voce e sicuramente bella presenza, ma i virtuosismi sono ben lontani da essere perfetti
zyloxify 2 years ago
I'm not the only opera buff...but what's all the hoopla about a package on stage...Is there an opera for a an alto with big hooters to show off?
charliehoopla 2 years ago
Well, he's showing his best... and this is not his voice!
podkowalesna 2 years ago 11
tout simplement sublime!! Zachary Stains, sa voix, ses jambes, sa présence, sa façon de posséder la scène. bravo!! bravo encore et merci de poster cette vidéo.
thomsfitzgerald 2 years ago
Sublime Artistry at its best!!
Wonderful Post.
CliveX
StudioResurrezione1 2 years ago
The baroque idiom in all its florid glory !!!!!
Magnificent..... thank you for posting !
anglicansag 2 years ago
I don't imagine the original stage directions called for nudity! It was not likely performed this way back in the day
anahatatutu 2 years ago
My comment was not referring to the nudity at all.
I meant the music is florid baroque. The nudity, while quite pleasing to me as a gay man, was actually distracting from the opera.
And actually small boys in the role of Putti or Cherubs often appeared on stage in the 17th and 18th century nude or almost so. But, as you say, this is obviously a modern titillation.
We shall leave discussion of the Castrati to another day .....
anglicansag 2 years ago
Ah O.K. Yes, crass showboating; pleasing (to me also) but distracting. I appreciate your channel insight and comments.
anahatatutu 2 years ago
OMG how incredible and beautiful!
EROSGODOFGAYS 2 years ago
I appreciate their experiment here. Movies, Popular music, Musical Comedy have been part of the modern erotic expressiveness. Opera has focused on the voice over the body and physical beauty. But if you have an attractive male singer who can sing the music and an opera that lends itself to the nudity experiemnt, go for it. Opera and classical music has been left out of sex and eros game for sometime. Now it's coming back in its own way. That's great.
arsamoris444 2 years ago
No tengo nada en contra de su nudeza, pues el desnudo en arte no es algo raro ni escandaloso. Solo un desnudo como este se transforma en porno en los ojos del que lo mira, y por muchos de los comentarios que leo, veo que la gente que alaba el cuerpo antes que la opera, incluso aunque fuere mas alabable su cuerpo que su voz, es la que vuelven esta opera en porno y no en opera que es lo que es. vaya que dan mas verguenza los comentarios que la escena en si misma. Con todos los respetos.
Leogabrielli 2 years ago
so the discussion here is about his... technique? ahahhahahahahahaha
Singers are desperate in our days to get attention. Tits, cocks, balls, nipples, pussies all nude onstage... Nothing wrong with nudity but it is far better placed in a strip-bar :p I dont understand why they want to transform Opera into Porn... Porn is porn, Opera is Opera, do I have to blame the stupid Queens again? ahahhahahaha are they so bored to change from Opera to Porn they actually want it two-in-one? :))))))
Lohengrin 2 years ago
Your shame is showing along with your ignorance, bigotry, and general gratuitous meanness. Nudity doesn't equate to pornography except in the case of sad christianists and other spiritual cripples.
"Singers are desperate in our days..." What pompous idiocy.
rbryanh 2 years ago 3
The nudity of this opera was made just for the sake of nudity, has nothing to do with "art, moral, mythological aspects, ancient symbolism" etc. The Vivaldi's "Ercole" stands even without an exposed penis. It was just an idea to capture the attention and create sensation with something "scandalous". Just that.
DesAbends 2 years ago
"just for the sake of nudity, nth to do with art..just to capture attention" ...well, how would u prove this was their goal ? im afraid this is merely YOUR impression. i dont see anything contradicting the view that it indeed WAS about art and scenic devices.
pianofolle 2 years ago
so Tiziano,Monet, Goya are also in the porno affair...according to your view. Yours is not just bigotry but more -im afraid- lame information: porno is based on explicit sex acts, being nude is not sufficient to perform porno. this is a basic concept of public domaine
pianofolle 2 years ago
Grandes borrachos!
Assim vale a pena ir à ópera!
anabelapatricia 2 years ago
Of course he sounds horrible, but...yummy!
SENAFOREVER 2 years ago
Hot dude! Much nicer to look at than to listen to...but he's on his way...The voice is constricted, throaty and needs training. I bet he got the part for his body! ;)
Bigman240 2 years ago
I think if the idea of having him nude was to capture classical depictions of Hercules, then the set should have done the same.
archcorenth 2 years ago
"...that is how Hercules is usually portrayed in art - wearing nothing but a bear skin. So it was actually based on art history. Nothing scandalous about that!" - Thus wrote SingDude (see below)some months ago. I quite agree, but dear SingDude, when you write "Excellent singing" you surely can't mean Zachary Stains.
ilwfrjp 2 years ago
Hey "curiosus1", you mean he was singing? I hadn't noticed!
ilwfrjp 2 years ago
Lo scandalo non è il fatto che canti nudo con il pisello ondeggiante in faccia al pubblico e che ha fatto la delizia di tutte le carampane sedute fra il pubblico. Lo scandalo è che canti. Ha una voce orrenda e una pronuncia altrettanto infame. In quest'aria sembra colto da colite acuta, volgarmente parlando: dolori di pancia. Non c'è un minimo di eroico nel suo canto. Sembra un topo uscito da un buco di formaggio appena scampato alla trappola.
curiosus1 2 years ago 9
What a beautiful voice and nicely hung...I mean sung. No, seriously. Great singing. I wonder if the nudity is really necessary. I like both opera and naked men, but some things just don't go together
SirEdgardo 2 years ago
When the opera singer is as gorgeous as this one, and when the subject demands it (come on, he's playing Hercules!), of course it goes together.
6celery8 2 years ago
Impressive. Oh, and he sings nicely too...
RVP57 2 years ago
this nudity is perfectly classical: we have seen so much nude men in vases and frescos and statues that it is not shocking or disturbing at all
good idea and well made!
unagondolaunremo 2 years ago 2
I like his voice and it is interesting to see this production but i like more normal productions :D
delauge 3 years ago
This was too much...
Opera needs no nudity. It's perfect as it is. I bet Vivaldi is going crazy on his tomb.
There's enough nudity on Hollywood. Let's not do the same to opera...
Marlifan69 3 years ago
Oh, BTW, you can buy the DVD of this **** production on Amazon for about $40.00.
Operaman1982 3 years ago
Comment removed
Operaman1982 3 years ago
Gay? Which? Opera? Stains? Vivalidi? Hercules? Nudity?
And if there's nothing wrong, why are you soooo sorry? Then again, sorry being the lot of breeders, I suppose we needn't ask.
rbryanh 3 years ago
He has a great cazzotura...
slobone 3 years ago 3
HEHEHE! :D
DesAbends 3 years ago
Terrible tenor!!! Poor gay...Upps..guy, what he has to do to distract the attention from his bad voice to his good physique
vin61158 3 years ago
I disagree, I think he's pretty good. This stuff ain't easy to sing.
slobone 3 years ago
I Particularly liked Zachary Stains, a commanding tenor with charm to burn. - Alex Ross The New Yorker
rbryanh 3 years ago
Alex Ross is gay, too.
Cadenza9 3 years ago
jajajajajajajajajajajajajajajajajajaja!!!!!!!
Yes, ineed xD.
asisecanta 3 years ago
Well what can I say...the tenor has got indeed nice legs and the rest!!!!
Countertenor is more in the full body...
What are we talking about this nudity????
Love the scenery, and it is NEW!
Isnt this GREAT?!!!!!
andreasscholl 3 years ago
bellissimo uomo, ma pessimo cantante. Ma proprio pessimo.
Bajazet 3 years ago 12
Perché? Che ha che non va? :)
DesAbends 3 years ago
mah... cominciamo dall'intonazione. Poi la vocalizzazione è disomogenea e precaria in diversi punti. Non mostra avere una chiara idea di ciò che sta dicendo, ergo l'interpretazione del testo è alquanto sommaria. Basta così o continuo? Forse lui è bravo in amore, bello com'è, ma il canto lo lasci ad altri
Bajazet 3 years ago 8
It's a great novelty, and Stains sure is a hunk. However, I'm sure Vivaldi is spinning in his grave. Why? Lead opera roles like this were never written for tenor, so the original performer would have been a soprano, most likely a castrato. And I doubt a castrato would be anxious to sing in the nude, tending as they did either toward extreme pudginess or being overly long and lanky with not much muscle.
BethDiane 3 years ago 9
I agree with you. But it's no question of tenor or countertenor. It's just on weak singing "bravura" of Stains and bad choices of scena. Then, some castrato are so amazing!!! ;-) to see nude and not only to see!!
LUCREZIATITA 3 years ago
Excellent singing, and while the nudity seems out of place at first, the reason behind it was that that is how Hercules is usually portrayed in art - wearing nothing but a bear skin. So it was actually based on art history. Nothing scandalous about that! The entire production was excellent. And the cleaved phalluses are on the Amazon island. Bravo!
SingDude 3 years ago
err...um, it's a LION skin! DUH...
6celery8 2 years ago
In termini vocali più tecnici: La pronuncia è pessima, la voce è brutta, non è un timbro eroico. Che canti completamente nudo sortisce, con questo tipo di vocalità, un effetto ridicolo. Inoltre Ercole era una specie di Schwarzenegger...Questo ha un bel fisico, ma è più apollineo...e comunque ha una bruttissima voce e l'opera si fa con la voce e non con i culi o con i piselli per deliziare pubblico gay e carampane in menopausa.
curiosus1 2 years ago
Those are some good points. Yes, he is more Apollonian with regard to his physique. I suppose we gays should insist that Placido Domingo bare all in the next production so that we can get the full impact from a more talented, fluent and beefy tenor...LOL
6celery8 2 years ago
me encanto!!!
bastra12 3 years ago
This opera won "DVD of the year" in 2007
Nov' 2007 OPERA NEWS: "Spoleto Festival's production designed / directed eloquently by John Pascoe. Tenor Zachary Stains plays the role nude. Stains pulls of the effect stunningly and commands the stage like a gorgeous classical statue come to life. His performance admirably combines movement, drama, delivery of recitative and virtuoso singing.
Rather than coming off as a cheap stunt, the move comes off brilliantly."
John Pascoe
johnpascoeopera 3 years ago
cattivo
antitenor 3 years ago 15
This is fab. What's the problem?? a) he's Hercules. Dem damn Greeks all went nekkid back then, especially the mythical ones. b) he's changing clothes. It's completely organic for the scene. c) It's opera, and Vivaldi at that. More of it, I say; what's not to like?
Cheers all
Jay
jayspearsmusic 3 years ago
What's the problem?? a) It's a gratuitus affected nudity, in gay-style to "shock" audiences: poor mythical Hercules...maybe he's better in love, who knows. b) no a natural changing spot o candid peek-a-boo, but all time exhibit. c) Vivaldi´s music does not need any "complementary shocking" ideas to be perceived. What's not to like? No scandals for the scenes, the only scandal is the performance to no tell of scenograpy: a field of cleaved dicks! puah! Nevertheless I like nudity in opera.
LUCREZIATITA 3 years ago
I completely agree with you Lucrezia...
Agodipino 3 years ago 10
I am sorry to admit that, but I agree. It's just an idea to shock the audiences. Everybody just talked about Stains nudity, leaving Vivaldi's first modern representation of Ercole almost in shadow.
DesAbends 3 years ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
What, pray tell, is gay-style? Before you begin casting stones, perhaps you should learn to spell. "Gratuitus"? Check your dictionary, if you own one.
Fayrfax1 3 years ago
Oh,I see,we have a purist of English spelling! Oh, but he is American! Oh! not a purist! but only a stupid man that...(why in English?)...un cretino, che non avendo argomentazioni valide da controbattere, tenta di spostare l'attenzione sulla padronanza della lingua...Poor-Stupid-Man.
LUCREZIATITA 3 years ago
There's rape, murder, infanticide, matricide, prostitution and other such things in opera...I don't see why not nudity ;)
agnellodei 3 years ago
...moreover...
c) I think that Vivaldi was inspired by other exciting tools rather that male package: the throat of singers...better if castrato (that's great!!!)...
and...Stains is better well packaged between his legs than in his throat.
Sorry, but I better love Vivaldi...and nudity too (very much)!, but no so bad manipulated. ;)
Are you singin naked sometimes? ;-)
cheers
LUCREZIATITA 3 years ago 2
"Shocking" things are based on perspective. As an artist, I look at nudity, and either see obvious pornography or I see part of a work of art at hand.
Here I see art.
Hercules, who is speaking with his comrade, is in the act of changing into his armor. During the Roman period, where the name Hercules would be correct (Heracles is Greek), it wasn't uncommon for warriors to change in front of someone they were speaking to, since there was little need for modesty. After all, they're all warriors.
Tweedledoom 2 years ago 4
Beautiful guy, beautiful voice.
agnellodei 3 years ago 2
This is a beautifully original idea based on classic concepts which works so well it elevates the original work - I'm sure Vivaldi would have been delighted. Zachary Stains has the looks, the body and the voice and enormous courage to carry the performance - he is truly an artist in every sense of the word. Those who can't see past their own prejudices and narrow views give themselves away by staying to view something which is clearly beyond them- bravo Zachary!
puppetoz 1 year ago