King Roger (Polish: ,
Op. 46) is an
opera
Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libr ...
in three acts by
Karol Szymanowski to a Polish
libretto by the composer himself and
Jarosław Iwaszkiewicz
Jarosław Leon Iwaszkiewicz, also known under his literary pseudonym Eleuter (20 February 1894 – 2 March 1980), was a Polish writer, poet, essayist, dramatist and translator.Bartłomiej Szleszyński, Jarosław Iwaszkiewicz. 2003 Culture.plJaros ...
, the composer's cousin. The score was finished in 1924. The opera received its world premiere on 19 June 1926 at the
Grand Theatre, Warsaw
The Grand Theatre in Warsaw ( pl, Teatr Wielki w Warszawie), known in full as the Grand Theatre–National Opera, is a theatre and opera complex situated on the historic Theatre Square in central Warsaw, Poland. The Warsaw Grand Theatre is home ...
, with the cast including the composer's sister, the
soprano Stanisława Korwin-Szymanowska, as Roxana.
The "Sicilian drama", as he called it,
[''King Roger'', Op. 46 (1918–1924)]
karolszymanowski.pl originated from Szymanowski's enthusiasm for
Mediterranean
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western Europe, Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa ...
culture as a melting pot of different peoples and religions. He spent much time travelling in that area in 1911 and in 1914, and shared his love of the region with Iwaszkiewicz. In the summer of 1918 at
Odessa, Szymanowski and Iwaszkiewicz conceived the project, and composed the opera over the period of 1918 to 1924. Szymanowski's lost
novel ''
Efebos'' dealt with
mystical
Mysticism is popularly known as becoming one with God or the Absolute, but may refer to any kind of ecstasy or altered state of consciousness which is given a religious or spiritual meaning. It may also refer to the attainment of insight in u ...
themes similar to those that inspired this work; Szymanowski labelled it a "Misterium".
Jim Samson has placed ''King Roger'' in a musico-
psychological analysis of Szymanowski's compositional struggles. Alistair Wightman has briefly discussed Szymanowski's stylised treatment of
Arabic music
Arabic music or Arab music ( ar, الموسيقى العربية, al-mūsīqā al-ʿArabīyyah) is the music of the Arab world with all its diverse music styles and genres. Arabic countries have many rich and varied styles of music and also man ...
al idioms in the score. Stephen Downes has analysed in detail the themes of "duality" and "transformation" expressed in the music of the opera.
Performance history
Since its 1926 premiere, stagings of ''King Roger'' have been relatively rare. Two productions followed closely, the first at
Theater Duisburg, Germany, in October 1928, and the second in October 1932 at the
Národní divadlo in Prague. The first post-World War II presentation took place in
Palermo in 1949 in the presence of its librettist, conducted by , set design by
Renato Guttuso
Renato Guttuso (26 December 1911 – 18 January 1987) was an Italian painter and politician. His best-known works include ''Flight from Etna'' (1938–39), ''Crucifixion'' (1941) and ''La Vucciria'' (1974). Guttuso also designed for the theatre ( ...
, sang Roger,
Clara Petrella
Clara Petrella (28 March 1914 in Greco Milanese – 19 November 1987 in Milan) was an Italian operatic soprano, particularly associated with the Italian repertory, an outstanding singing-actress nicknamed the "Duse of Singers".
Born in a mus ...
sang Roxana, the Shepherd. After that some years passed before the opera was staged again.
In 1975, the
New Opera Company
The New Opera Company was a British opera company active during the period 1956 to 1984. It was mainly based at Sadler's Wells Theatre, London and later worked in co-ordination with English National Opera. The company was responsible for the premi ...
in London produced the work under the baton of
Charles Mackerras
Mackerras in 2005
Sir Alan Charles MacLaurin Mackerras (; 1925 2010) was an Australian conductor. He was an authority on the operas of Janáček and Mozart, and the comic operas of Gilbert and Sullivan. He was long associated with the Engli ...
. In the USA the opera was first seen in 1981, in a concert version given by the
St. Louis Symphony
The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra is an American symphony orchestra based in St. Louis, Missouri. Founded in 1880 by Joseph Otten as the St. Louis Choral Society, the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra (SLSO) is the second-oldest professional symphony or ...
in St. Louis, conducted by
Leonard Slatkin
Leonard Edward Slatkin (born September 1, 1944) is an American conductor, author and composer.
Early life and education
Slatkin was born in Los Angeles to a Jewish musical family that came from areas of the Russian Empire now in Ukraine. His fat ...
. That same year it was presented at the
Teatro Colón
The Teatro Colón (Spanish: ''Columbus Theatre'') is the main opera house in Buenos Aires, Argentina. It is considered one of the ten best opera houses in the world by National Geographic. According to a survey carried out by the acousti ...
in Buenos Aires, conducted by
Stanisław Wisłocki
Stanisław Wisłocki (July 7, 1921May 31, 1998) was a Polish conductor of classical music who performed and recorded with many internationally renowned orchestras, ensembles and virtuoso musicians and is highly regarded for his interpretation ...
.
Since the late 1980s and into the present century, ''King Roger'' seems to have enjoyed something of a revival with about thirteen productions in many different locations. In 1988, the
Long Beach Opera Long Beach Opera is a Southern California opera company serving the greater Los Angeles and Orange County metroplex. Founded in 1979, it is the oldest continually running opera company in the L.A. area. Though small in size, the company has surveye ...
in California, known for its innovative approach to the repertoire, had
Murry Sidlin as conductor and James Johnson as King Roger,
Nancy Shade
Nancy Shade (born May 31, 1946, in Rockford, Illinois) is an American spinto soprano, best known as a singing-actress. She made her formal debut as Leonora in ''Il trovatore'', in Louisville, in 1967. In 1971, she made her first of many appeara ...
as Roxana, and Jonathan Mack as Edrisi. A concert performance was given on 3 March 1990 at the Royal Festival Hall by the
BBC Symphony Orchestra
The BBC Symphony Orchestra (BBC SO) is a British orchestra based in London. Founded in 1930, it was the first permanent salaried orchestra in London, and is the only one of the city's five major symphony orchestras not to be self-governing. T ...
and Chorus conducted by
Andrew Davis. This was the opening concert of a festival of Szymanowski's works given by the South Bank Arts Centre. David Wilson-Johnson took the title role, with Wieslaw Ochman as the Shepherd,
Eilene Hannan as Roxana,
Martyn Hill
Martyn Hill (b. 14 Sept 1944) is a British tenor.
Life and career
Hill was born in Rochester, Kent on September 14, 1944. He studied at King's College, Cambridge, followed by the Royal College of Music. He pursued further vocal training with Aud ...
as Edrisi, Matthew Best as the Archbishop and Anne Collins as the Archdeaconess.
Sydney Dance Company
Sydney Dance Company is a contemporary dance company in Australia. The company has performed on stages around the world, including the Sydney Opera House in Australia, the Joyce Theater in New York, the Shanghai Grand Theatre in China, and the ...
used the opera as a recorded soundtrack for its ballet of King Roger in the
Sydney Opera House in 1990. Palermo presented ''King Roger'' again in 1992. Four concert versions were given by the end of the 1990s: the first by
Orchestre National de France
The Orchestre national de France (ONF; literal translation, ''National Orchestra of France'') is a French symphony orchestra based in Paris, founded in 1934. Placed under the administration of the French national radio (named Radio France sinc ...
in Paris, conducted by
Charles Dutoit in 1996 and at the London
Proms
The BBC Proms or Proms, formally named the Henry Wood Promenade Concerts Presented by the BBC, is an eight-week summer season of daily orchestral classical music concerts and other events held annually, predominantly in the Royal Albert Hal ...
by the
City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
The City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (CBSO) is a British orchestra based in Birmingham, England. It is the resident orchestra at Symphony Hall: a B:Music Venue in Birmingham, which has been its principal performance venue since 1991. Its a ...
under
Simon Rattle in 1998, while the third and fourth performances were presented in Montreal and subsequently, on October 17, 1999, at
Carnegie Hall for the New York Premiere with Charles Dutoit and the
Montreal Symphony Orchestra
The Montreal Symphony Orchestra (french: Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, or OSM) is a Canadian symphony orchestra based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The orchestra’s home is the Montreal Symphony House at Place des Arts. It is the only orch ...
.
In the 21st century, ''King Roger'' was given by the Polish National Opera in 2000 and in the same year also in Amsterdam by the Netherlands Opera, conducted by Hartmut Haenchen. In 2002, Charles Dutoit conducted the Japanese premiere of the work in a concert version with the
NHK Symphony Orchestra in Tokyo, as well as in Prague with the Czech Philharmonic in 2007. The
Mariinsky Opera Company brought the work to the
Edinburgh Festival
__NOTOC__
This is a list of arts and cultural festivals regularly taking place in Edinburgh, Scotland.
The city has become known for its festivals since the establishment in 1947 of the Edinburgh International Festival and the Edinburgh Fe ...
in 2008 under
Valery Gergiev
Valery Abisalovich Gergiev (russian: Вале́рий Абиса́лович Ге́ргиев, ; os, Гергиты Абисалы фырт Валери, Gergity Abisaly fyrt Valeri; born 2 May 1953) is a Russian conductor and opera company d ...
and directed by
Mariusz Treliński.
It was presented in Palermo in 2005 and also by the
Wrocław Opera
The Wrocław Opera ( Polish: ''Opera Wrocławska'') is an opera company and opera house in the Old Town of Wrocław
Wrocław (; german: Breslau, or . ; Silesian German: ''Brassel'') is a city in southwestern Poland and the largest city in t ...
in 2007. A subsequent US performance was at the
Bard SummerScape festival in 2008.
Both the Gran Teatre del
Liceu
The Gran Teatre del Liceu (, English: Great Theatre of the Lyceum), known as ''El Liceu'', is an opera house in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. Located in La Rambla, it is the oldest running theatre in Barcelona.
Founded in 1837 at another ...
in Barcelona and the
Opéra National de Paris
The Paris Opera (, ) is the primary opera and ballet company of France. It was founded in 1669 by Louis XIV as the , and shortly thereafter was placed under the leadership of Jean-Baptiste Lully and officially renamed the , but continued to be ...
in Paris, conducted by
Kazushi Ono
Kazushi (written: 和志, 和司, 和士, 和史, 一志 or 一至) is a masculine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include:
*, Japanese manga artist
*, Japanese rugby sevens player
*, Japanese writer
*, Japanese footballer
*, Jap ...
presented it in 2009. In 2011, ''King Roger'' appeared at the
Staatstheater Mainz. A new production of the opera was staged in Polish at The
Santa Fe Opera
Santa Fe Opera (SFO) is an American opera company, located north of Santa Fe, New Mexico. After creating the ''Opera Association of New Mexico'' in 1956, its founding director, John Crosby, oversaw the building of the first opera house on a newl ...
on 21 July 2012 with
Mariusz Kwiecień in the title role. In 2013, ''King Roger'' was presented at the 17th
Festival Amazonas de Ópera in Manaus, Brazil, with in the title role. In June 2014, a new production was staged at the
Wuppertal Opera House in Germany. Two performances took place in Boston in March 2015 with the
Boston Symphony Orchestra and Charles Dutoit. The
Royal Opera House
The Royal Opera House (ROH) is an opera house and major performing arts venue in Covent Garden, central London. The large building is often referred to as simply Covent Garden, after a previous use of the site. It is the home of The Royal Ope ...
, Covent Garden, introduced a new co-production with Opera Australia, conducted by
Antonio Pappano
Sir Antonio Pappano (born 30 December 1959) is an English-Italian conductor and pianist. He is currently music director of the Royal Opera House and of the Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia. He is scheduled to become chief c ...
, in May 2015. The first performance in Australia was shown by
Opera Australia
Opera Australia is the principal opera company in Australia. Based in Sydney, its performance season at the Sydney Opera House accompanied by the Opera Australia Orchestra runs for approximately eight months of the year, with the remainder ...
in 2017 in Sydney and Melbourne, conducted by
Andrea Molino
Andrea Molino (born 1964 in Turin, Italy) is an Italian composer and conductor.
Biography
Andrea Molino was born in Turin and studied in Turin, Milan, Venice, Paris and Freiburg. He lives in Zurich and Paris. In 1997, as musical director of the P ...
, with
Saimir Pirgu as Shepherd.
''King Roger''
production details, Opera Australia
Opera Australia is the principal opera company in Australia. Based in Sydney, its performance season at the Sydney Opera House accompanied by the Opera Australia Orchestra runs for approximately eight months of the year, with the remainder ...
Roles
Synopsis
:Place: Sicily
:Time: 12th century
The story concerns the enlightenment of the Christian King Roger II by a young shepherd who represents pagan ideals.
Act 1
''Often known as the "Byzantine
The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...
" act''
The Shepherd is introduced to King Roger and his court
A court is any person or institution, often as a government institution, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between parties and carry out the administration of justice in civil, criminal, and administrative matters in acco ...
during mass
Mass is an intrinsic property of a body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the quantity of matter in a physical body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physics. It was found that different atoms and different eleme ...
at the Palermo Cathedral. Despite calls by the Archbishop as well as the crowd for his punishment as a heretic, Roxana, Roger's wife, convinces the King not to kill him. She implores him to pass a fair judgment on the Shepherd. Roger orders the young man to appear at the palace that night, where he will explain himself and submit to the King's judgement.
Act 2
''The " Oriental" act, representing India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
and the Middle East
The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Province), East Thrace (Europ ...
''
As instructed, the Shepherd appears at the palace gates. Roxana sings a seductive song which is clearly a response to the visitor, causing Roger to grow increasingly agitated. As the Shepherd is led in, he describes his faith in detail and soon almost the entire court joins him in an ecstatic dance. Roger attempts to chain him, but the Shepherd easily breaks free, and leaves the palace with almost all of those assembled following him. At first the King and his Arab advisor, Edrisi are left alone, but soon it is decided that Roger will join the Shepherd.
Act 3
''The " Greco-Roman" act''
In an ancient Greek theater, King Roger and Edrisi rejoin Roxana, who informs her husband that only the Shepherd can free him of his fear and jealousy. A fire is lit, and the Shepherd's followers commence another dance, while the Shepherd is transformed into Dionysus
In ancient Greek religion and myth, Dionysus (; grc, Διόνυσος ) is the god of the grape-harvest, winemaking, orchards and fruit, vegetation, fertility, insanity, ritual madness, religious ecstasy, festivity, and theatre. The Roma ...
. As the dance ends and the participants leave the stage, Roger is left transformed by the experience, and sings a joyous hymn
A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hy ...
at the arrival of the morning sun.
Recordings
References
Further reading
* Earl of Harewood
Earl of Harewood (), in the County of York, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom.
History
The title was created in 1812 for Edward Lascelles, 1st Earl of Harewood, Edward Lascelles, 1st Baron Harewood, a wealthy sugar plantation own ...
(Ed.), "''King Roger''", ''Kobbé's Complete Opera Book''. Putnam: London and New York, 1954, pp. 1594–98
* Holden, Amanda (Ed.), "Karol Szymanowski", ''The New Penguin Opera Guide'', New York: Penguin Putnam, 2001.
External links
*
Libretto (in Polish)
Classical Composers.org page on Stanisław Michal Wisłocki
* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20090104053859/http://www.timeout.com/newyork/articles/opera-classical/42091/king-roger Myers, Eric, ''King Roger'' ''Time Out, New York'', 22–30 July 2008. Review of the Bard College
Bard College is a private liberal arts college in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York. The campus overlooks the Hudson River and Catskill Mountains, and is within the Hudson River Historic District—a National Historic Landmark.
Founded in 1860, ...
production
''King Roger'', Op. 46 – Karol Szymanowski
Culture.pl
''King Roger'', Op. 46 and the Clash of the Gods
{{Authority control
Operas by Karol Szymanowski
Polish-language operas
Operas
1926 operas
Operas set in Sicily
Roger II of Sicily
Cultural depictions of kings
LGBT-related operas