Sire, we were brothers/Tied together by a far nobler bond than Nature forges!
I've been chatting with esteven, who has been enrailing me with vids of German musical stars and opera. We've also been discussing the 18-19th century Age of Enlightenment theory of romantic friendship, where men of that era were unabashed in expressing their deep and emotional love of their male friends (in the way of David and Jonathan, and Jack Aubrey and Stephen Mauturin) -- a love that wasn't (necessarily) sexual, or if so, wasn't ever acted upon sexually.
Where opera and romantic friendship align is Verdi's Don Carlo, which features the classic (and slashiest) bromantic friendship between Carlos and Rodrigo, and this wonderful bromantic duet, "Dio, Che Nell'alma Infondere Amor":
DON CARLOS and RODRIGO
May we be united in life and death!
God, receive our oath
to die in brotherly love!
May we be united in life and death!
This video features Jonas Kaufman and the supremely hot silver fox Thomas Hampson, the latter of whom has sung everything from young Figaro in Rossini's Barber of Seville, to Mahler's "Lied von der Erde" (The Farewell), superlatively. Do I need a massive crush on a silver fox baritone? Let's see.
Another bro-version of "Dio, Che Nell'alma...", with Hampson/Kaufman hugging)!
(ETA: As you might expect, there's even Don Carlo fic!)
Hampson's also sung this opera in French, with the lovely tenor Roberto Alagna (I enjoy it more in French, which I can vaguely follow): Dieu, tu semas dans nos âmes.
As for a more modern bromantic duet, watch Bryn Terfel sing "Perhaps Love" with Michael Ball -- Bryn is the real deal, a perfect operatic bass-baritone, and his voice works so well with Ball's, who despite his fame for singing Marius is actually a lyric tenor, and sings it so tenderly! I think I prefer it to the original Domingo/Denver version, even though young Placido was such a hottie and this vintage vid is the best ;)
Bryn sings another bromantic duet "Au Fond du Temple Saint" (from Bizet's The Pearl Fishermen) with Andrea Bocelli; but esteven linked me to an even sexier shirtless version (William Burden, Nathan Gunn, Philadelphia, 2004) -- did I say shirtless? What a sizzling entry into bromantic opera duets!
Where opera and romantic friendship align is Verdi's Don Carlo, which features the classic (and slashiest) bromantic friendship between Carlos and Rodrigo, and this wonderful bromantic duet, "Dio, Che Nell'alma Infondere Amor":
Click to viewDON CARLOS and RODRIGO
May we be united in life and death!
God, receive our oath
to die in brotherly love!
May we be united in life and death!
This video features Jonas Kaufman and the supremely hot silver fox Thomas Hampson, the latter of whom has sung everything from young Figaro in Rossini's Barber of Seville, to Mahler's "Lied von der Erde" (The Farewell), superlatively. Do I need a massive crush on a silver fox baritone? Let's see.
Another bro-version of "Dio, Che Nell'alma...", with Hampson/Kaufman hugging)!
(ETA: As you might expect, there's even Don Carlo fic!)
Hampson's also sung this opera in French, with the lovely tenor Roberto Alagna (I enjoy it more in French, which I can vaguely follow): Dieu, tu semas dans nos âmes.
As for a more modern bromantic duet, watch Bryn Terfel sing "Perhaps Love" with Michael Ball -- Bryn is the real deal, a perfect operatic bass-baritone, and his voice works so well with Ball's, who despite his fame for singing Marius is actually a lyric tenor, and sings it so tenderly! I think I prefer it to the original Domingo/Denver version, even though young Placido was such a hottie and this vintage vid is the best ;)
Bryn sings another bromantic duet "Au Fond du Temple Saint" (from Bizet's The Pearl Fishermen) with Andrea Bocelli; but esteven linked me to an even sexier shirtless version (William Burden, Nathan Gunn, Philadelphia, 2004) -- did I say shirtless? What a sizzling entry into bromantic opera duets!