Rafał Siwek is a Polish opera singer (

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Wood * Bass or basswood, the wood of the tilia americana tree Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in th ...

Education

Rafał Siwek is a graduate of

Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Warsaw The Fryderyk is the annual award in Polish music. Its name refers to the original Polish spelling variant of Polish composer Frédéric Chopin's first name. Its status in the Polish public can be compared to the US Grammy and British BRIT Awa ...

(Professor Jerzy Knetig's class). He mastered his voice under the supervision of Kaludi Kaludov and during the masterclasses taught by Alexandrina Milcheva and Ryszard Karczykowski. He received numerous awards at vocal competitions, e.g. Moniuszko Vocal Competition in Warsaw (2001),

International Hans Gabor Belvedere Singing Competition The International Hans Gabor Belvedere Singing Competition is an annual competition for young opera Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken b ...

in Vienna (2001), and Competizione dell'Opera in Dresden (2002).

Operatic career

Siwek made his opera debut in 2000 at

Wrocław Opera The Wrocław Opera ( Polish: ''Opera Wrocławska'') is an opera company and opera house in the Old Town of Wrocław, Poland. The opera house was opened in 1841 and up to 1945 was named after the city's then German name, Oper Breslau. History An ...

(Ferrando in Verdi's '' Il trovatore''). For a few years since 2001 he was a soloist of

Warsaw Chamber Opera The Warsaw Chamber Opera (, WOK) is a Polish opera company founded in 1961 by Stefan Sutkowski, its managing and artistic director from its inception until his retirement in 2012. On 15 October 1986, the Warsaw Chamber Opera moved into its own t ...

, where he sang the parts of Sarastro (''

Die Zauberflöte ''The Magic Flute'' (, ), K. 620, is an opera in two acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to a German libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder. It is a ''Singspiel'', a popular form that included both singing and spoken dialogue. The work premiered on ...

''), Basilio (''

Il barbiere di Siviglia ''The Barber of Seville, or The Useless Precaution'' ( ) is an ''opera buffa'' (comic opera) in two acts composed by Gioachino Rossini with an Italian libretto by Cesare Sterbini. The libretto was based on Pierre Beaumarchais's French comedy '' ...

''), Seneca (''

L'incoronazione di Poppea ''L'incoronazione di Poppea'' (Stattkus-Verzeichnis, SV 308, ''The Coronation of Poppaea'') is an Italian List of operas by Claudio Monteverdi, opera by Claudio Monteverdi. It was Monteverdi's last opera, with a libretto by Giovanni Francesco Buse ...

'') and Il Commendatore ''(

Don Giovanni ''Don Giovanni'' (; K. 527; full title: , literally ''The Rake Punished, or Don Giovanni'') is an opera in two acts with music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to an Italian libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte. Its subject is a centuries-old Spanish legen ...

''). In 2002, he made his debut at

Polish National Opera The Grand Theatre, Warsaw (), or the Great Theatre—National Opera (Polish language, Polish: ''Teatr Wielki—Opera Narodowa''), is a theatre and opera complex situated on the historic Theatre Square (Warsaw), Theatre Square in central Warsaw, ...

as Gremin in ''

Eugene Onegin ''Eugene Onegin, A Novel in Verse'' (, Reforms of Russian orthography, pre-reform Russian: Евгеній Онѣгинъ, романъ въ стихахъ, ) is a novel in verse written by Alexander Pushkin. ''Onegin'' is considered a classic of ...

'', later appearing also in ''Die Zauberflöte'' (Sarastro), ''

Lucia di Lammermoor ''Lucia di Lammermoor'' () is a (tragic opera) in three acts by Italian composer Gaetano Donizetti. Salvadore Cammarano wrote the Italian-language libretto loosely based upon Sir Walter Scott's 1819 historical novel '' The Bride of Lammermoor''. ...

'' (Raimondo), ''

Nabucco ''Nabucco'' (; short for ''Nabucodonosor'' , i.e. "Nebuchadnezzar II, Nebuchadnezzar") is an Italian-language opera in four acts composed in 1841 by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Temistocle Solera. The libretto is based on the biblic ...

'' (Zaccaria), ''

Rigoletto ''Rigoletto'' is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi. The Italian libretto was written by Francesco Maria Piave based on the 1832 play '' Le roi s'amuse'' by Victor Hugo. Despite serious initial problems with the Austrian censors who had c ...

'' (Sparafucile), ''

Turandot ''Turandot'' ( ; see #Origin and pronunciation of the name, below) is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini to a libretto in Italian by Giuseppe Adami and Renato Simoni. Puccini left the opera unfinished at the time of his death in 1924; it ...

'' (Timur), and ''

The Haunted Manor ''The Haunted Manor'' () is an opera in four acts composed by Polish composer Stanisław Moniuszko in 1861–1864. The libretto was written by . Despite being a romance and a comedy, it has strong Polish patriotic undertones, which made it ...

'' (Zbigniew). In 2003, he performed at Thėâtre du Chatelet in Paris in Szymanowski's

King Roger King Roger (, Op. 46) is an opera in three acts by Karol Szymanowski to a Polish libretto by the composer himself and Jarosław Iwaszkiewicz, the composer's cousin. The score was finished in 1924. The opera received its world premiere on 19 Jun ...

. The same year he sang the part of Tibault d’Arc in '' The Maid of Orleans'' in

Concertgebouw Concertgebouw may refer to one of the following concert halls: * Concertgebouw, Amsterdam, Netherlands * Concertgebouw, Bruges, Belgium * Concertgebouw de Vereeniging, Netherlands {{disambiguation Buildings and structures disambiguation pages ...

in Amsterdam and Il Commendatore in ''Don Giovanni'' at

Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie The Royal Theatre of La Monnaie (, ; , ; both translating as the "Royal Theatre of the Mint") is an opera house in central Brussels, Belgium. The National Opera of Belgium, a federal institution, takes the name of this theatre in which it is ho ...

in Brussels. In 2005, at the invitation of Zubin Mehta, Siwek sang the bass part in Verdi's ''Requiem'' at

Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia The Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia () is one of the oldest musical institutions in the world, founded by the papal bull ''Ratione congruit'', issued by Sixtus V in 1585, which invoked two saints prominent in Western musical history: Gre ...

in Rome. His other performances that year include the appearance at ''The International Music Festival ‘Chopin and his Europe''’ as well as the role of Hunding in a concert performance of ''

Die Walküre (; ''The Valkyrie''), Wagner-Werk-Verzeichnis, WWV 86B, is the second of the four epic poetry, epic music dramas that constitute Richard Wagner's Literary cycle, cycle ''Der Ring des Nibelungen'' (English: ''The Ring of the Nibelung''). It was ...

'' at Polish National Opera alongside

Placido Domingo Placido may refer to: People Surname *José Plácido de Castro (1873–1908), Brazilian soldier and politician *Michele Placido, (born 1946) Italian actor and director * Plácido Vega y Daza, (1830-1878) 19th century Mexican general and politician ...

as Siegmund. His first Wagner role in a stage performance was King Marke (''

Tristan und Isolde ''Tristan und Isolde'' (''Tristan and Isolde''), WWV 90, is a music drama in three acts by Richard Wagner set to a German libretto by the composer, loosely based on the medieval 12th-century romance ''Tristan and Iseult'' by Gottfried von Stras ...

'') in Rome in 2006. In 2007, Siwek began his cooperation with the conductor

Lorin Maazel Lorin Varencove Maazel (; March 6, 1930 – July 13, 2014) was an American conductor, violinist and composer. He began conducting at the age of eight and by 1953 had decided to pursue a career in music. He had established a reputation in t ...

. This resulted in their concert performances of Beethoven’s ''

Symphony no. 9 Symphony No. 9 most commonly refers to: * Symphony No. 9 (Beethoven) in D minor (Op. 125, ''Choral'') by Ludwig van Beethoven, 1822–24 * Symphony No. 9 (Dvořák) in E minor (Op. 95, B. 178, ''From the New World'') by Antonín Dvořák, 1893 ...

'' in the Vatican, Milan, Brussels (European Parliament), Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia and Auditorium Conciliazione in Rome as well as Verdi’s ''Requiem'' in

St. Mark’s Basilica The Patriarchal Cathedral Basilica of Saint Mark (), commonly known as St Mark's Basilica (; ), is the cathedral church of the Patriarchate of Venice; it became the episcopal seat of the Patriarch of Venice in 1807, replacing the earlier cathed ...

in Venice, Milan, Cassablanca, Busseto, Assisi and Jerusalem. Maazel also conducted operas in which Siwek sang bass parts – ''Aida'' in Sao Paulo (Ramfis) and ''

Luisa Miller ''Luisa Miller'' is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Salvadore Cammarano, based on the play '' Kabale und Liebe'' (''Intrigue and Love'') by the German dramatist Friedrich von Schiller. Verdi's initial idea f ...

'' in Valencia (Wurm). In 2011, Siwek made his

La Scala La Scala (, , ; officially , ) is a historic opera house in Milan, Milan, Italy. The theatre was inaugurated on 3 August 1778 and was originally known as (, which previously was Santa Maria della Scala, Milan, a church). The premiere performa ...

debut as Sarastro. He also performed at

Staatsoper Unter den Linden The Staatsoper Unter den Linden ( State Opera under the Lime Trees), also known as the Berlin State Opera (), is a listed building on Unter den Linden boulevard in the historic center of Berlin, Germany. The opera house was built by order of Pr ...

in Berlin (Grand Inquisitor in ''

Don Carlo ''Don Carlos'' is an 1867 five-act grand opera composed by Giuseppe Verdi to a French-language libretto by Joseph Méry and Camille du Locle, based on the 1787 play '' Don Karlos, Infant von Spanien'' (''Don Carlos, Infante of Spain'') by Fried ...

'') and

Bayerische Staatsoper The Bavarian State Opera () is a German opera company based in Munich. Its main venue is the Nationaltheater München, and its orchestra the Bavarian State Orchestra. History The parent ensemble of the company was founded in 1653, under Ele ...

in Munich (Timus in ''Turandot'' and Ramfis in ''Aida''). He sang the part of Ramfis also at Terme di Caracalla in Rome. At Polish National Opera, Siwek appeared as Zaccaria in ''Nabucco'', Narbal in ''

Les Troyens ''Les Troyens'' (; in English: ''The Trojans'') is a French grand opera in five acts, running for about five hours, by Hector Berlioz. The libretto was written by Berlioz himself from Virgil's epic poem the ''Aeneid''; the score was composed be ...

'' (cond. by

Valery Gergiev Valery Abisalovich Gergiev (, ; ; born 2 May 1953) is a Russian conducting, conductor and opera company director. He is currently general director and artistic director of the Mariinsky Theatre and of the Bolshoi Theatre and artistic director o ...

) and Raimondo in ''Lucia di Lammermoor''. In 2012, Siwek returned to Bayerische Staatsoper in Munich to sing Wurm in ''Luisa Miller'' and Fafner in ''

Siegfried Siegfried is a German-language male given name, composed from the Germanic elements ''sig'' "victory" and ''frithu'' "protection, peace". The German name has the Old Norse cognate ''Sigfriðr, Sigfrøðr'', which gives rise to Swedish ''Sigfrid' ...

'' (cond. by

Kent Nagano Kent George Nagano (born November 22, 1951) is an American conductor and opera administrator. Since 2015, he has been ''Generalmusikdirektor'' (GMD) of the Hamburg State Opera (until 2025). Early life and education Nagano was born in Berkeley, ...

). He sang Galitsky at the season opening performance of ''

Prince Igor ''Prince Igor'' (, ) is an opera in four acts with a prologue, written and composed by Alexander Borodin. The composer adapted the libretto from the early Russian epic '' The Lay of Igor's Host'', which recounts the campaign of the 12th-centur ...

'' at Staatsoper in Hamburg and Commandore at Deutsche Oper in Berlin during the Festival Castell de Peralada. Siwek began season 2013, the year of Verdi, with Philip II in ''Don Carlo'' and Zaccaria in ''Nabucco'' at Polish National Opera. He returned to La Scala as Grand Inquisitor and to Bayerische Staatsoper as Sparafucile. He also made his debut at Opernhaus in Zurich as Il Commendatore (cond. by

Fabio Luisi Fabio Luisi (born 17 January 1959) is an Italian conductor. He is currently principal conductor of the Danish National Symphony Orchestra, music director of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, and chief conductor of the NHK Symphony Orchestra. Biog ...

) and appeared at

Bolshoi Theatre The Bolshoi Theatre ( rus, Большо́й теа́тр, r=Bol'shoy teatr, p=bɐlʲˈʂoj tʲɪˈat(ə)r, t=Grand Theater) is a historic opera house in Moscow, Russia, originally designed by architect Joseph Bové. Before the October Revolutio ...

as Philip II in ''Don Carlo''. In 2014, he again sang at Bayerische Staatsoper (Gremin, cond. by

Kirill Petrenko Kirill Garrievich Petrenko (, Latin script: ; born 11 February 1972) is a Russian-Austrian conductor. He is chief conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic. Early life Petrenko was born in Omsk, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union, to a violinist father and m ...

; Sparafucile, cond. by Marco Armiliato) and in Zurich (Ramfis in a new production of ''Aida''). Together with Polish National Opera he made a guest performance in Tokio. He also sang Timur at Teatro Lirico in Calgari and

Arena di Verona The Verona Arena is a Roman amphitheatre located in the historic center of Verona, an iconic symbol of the Venetian city alongside the figures of Romeo and Juliet. It stands as one of the grand structures that defined Roman architecture and i ...

. He sang the title role in a concert performance of Verdi’s ''

Attila Attila ( or ; ), frequently called Attila the Hun, was the ruler of the Huns from 434 until his death in early 453. He was also the leader of an empire consisting of Huns, Ostrogoths, Alans, and Gepids, among others, in Central Europe, C ...

'' at Polish National Opera. The next year witnessed his performances in ''

Halka ''Halka'' is an opera by Polish composer Stanisław Moniuszko to a libretto written by Włodzimierz Wolski, a young Warsaw poet with radical social views. It is part of the canon of Polish national operas. Performance history The first perfor ...

'' (Stolnik) at Polish National Theatre, in ''

Der fliegende Holländer ' (''The Flying Dutchman''), Wagner-Werk-Verzeichnis, WWV 63, is a German-language opera, with libretto and music by Richard Wagner. The central theme is redemption through love. Wagner Conducting, conducted the premiere at the Königliches Hofthe ...

'' (Daland) at National Theatre in Tokio and in ''Nabucco'' (Zaccaria) at New Israeli Opera in Tel Aviv. In 2016, he added the title part of

Boris Godunov Boris Feodorovich Godunov (; ; ) was the ''de facto'' regent of Russia from 1585 to 1598 and then tsar from 1598 to 1605 following the death of Feodor I, the last of the Rurik dynasty. After the end of Feodor's reign, Russia descended into t ...

to his repertoire, which he sang at Grant Theatre in Poznań. He also appeared as Raimondo in ''Lucia di Lammermoor'' at

Paris Opera 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 kn ...

. In 2017, Siwek sang Heinrich in ''Lohengrin'' at Paris Opera, Fiesco in ''

Simon Boccanegra ''Simon Boccanegra'' () is an opera with a prologue and three acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave, based on the play ''Simón Bocanegra'' (1843) by Antonio García Gutiérrez, whose play ''El trovador'' had bee ...

'' in Concertgebouw, as well as Galitsky in ''Prince Igor'' and Tsar Ivan the Terrible in

The Maid of Pskov ''The Maid of Pskov'' ( ), also known as ''Ivan the Terrible'', is an 1872 opera originally in three acts (six scenes) by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. The libretto is by the composer, after the play by Lev Mei. The storyline is fictitious, but set a ...

in Moscow. In 2018 he appeared, among others, in ''Aida'' in Teatro Real in Madrid as well as ''Nabucco'' and ''Aida'' in Arena di Verona. In the opening performance of 243rd artistic season in Bolshoi Theatre he had his debut as Boris in ''Boris Godunov''. He also recorded Moniuszko’s operas. In the next year, together with Placido Domingo, Siwek was one of the performers at Verdi Gala in Paris Philharmonic and sang Zaccaria in ''Nabucco'' in Bayerische Staatsoper in Munich. He took part in the performance of Mahler’s “Symphony of a Thousand” at Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, which was conducted by Fabio Luisi. He appeared in Opera Bastille in Paris, where he sang Padre Guardiano in ''La forza del destino'', as well as Teatro Real in Madrid and Greek National Opera in Athens, where he performed the role of Grand Inquisitor in ''Don Carlo.'' n the 2020-21 season, during the pandemic, he sang in Poland among others Philip in the concert performance of ''Don Carlos'' at the Grand Theatre in Łódź (together with Aleksandra Kurzak, Roberto Alagna and Andrzej Dobber) and at the Arena di Verona Festival he created Zaccaria in ''Nabucco'' and Ramfis in ''Aida''. The artist began the 2021-22 season with a performance in the title role in Boris Godunov at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow. At the Amsterdam Opera, he appeared as the Commendatore in ''Don Giovanni'', and in Munich as Timur in ''Turandot''. He created King Mark in ''Tristan and Isolde'' in Bari, Fiesca in ''Simone Boccanegra'' in Palermo and in Bologna he appeared in a concert performance of Tchaikovsky's ''Jolanta'' as René. He concluded the season with performances in the part of Zaccaria in ''Nabucco'' at the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires and in Verona. 2022-23 season: Munich and Berlin - as the Grand Inquisitor, Vodnik in Dvořák's

Rusalka In Slavic folklore, the rusalka (plural: rusalki; , plural: русалки; , plural: ''rusałki'') is a female entity, often malicious toward mankind and frequently associated with water. It has counterparts in other parts of Europe, such as th ...

at the Semperoper and in ROH in London; Sarastro in ''Die zauberflöte'' in Teatro Colon, Father Guardian in ''La forza del destino'' in Bologna. Siwek also appeared in nine performances (''Aida'' and ''Nabucco'') at the 100th anniversary Arena di Verona Festival.

Repertoire

Rafał Siwek mainly performs major dramatic bass roles by

Verdi Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi ( ; ; 9 or 10 October 1813 – 27 January 1901) was an Italian composer best known for his operas. He was born near Busseto, a small town in the province of Parma, to a family of moderate means, recei ...

Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, essayist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most o ...

and Russian composers. His repertoire includes numerous parts in Verdi’s operas: Philip II and Grand Inquisitor (''

''), Attila (''

''), Zaccaria (''

''), Wurm (''

''), Il Padre Guardiano ('' La forza del destino''), Silva (''

Ernani ''Ernani'' is an operatic ''dramma lirico'' in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave, based on the 1830 play ''Hernani (drama), Hernani'' by Victor Hugo. Verdi was commissioned by the Teatro La Fenice in Ve ...

''), Ferrando ('' Il trovatore''), Fiesco ''(

''), and Massimiliano ''( I masnadieri''); Wagner’s operas: Daland (''

''), Heinrich (''

Lohengrin Lohengrin () is a character in German Arthurian literature. The son of Parzival (Percival), he is a knight of the Holy Grail sent in a boat pulled by swans to rescue a maiden who can never ask his identity. His story, which first appears in Wo ...

''), King Marke (''

'') and Russian operas: Boris Godunov (''

''), Galitsky and Konchak in ''

'', and Tsar Ivan the Terrible in

Artistic work

Rafał Siwek regularly appears at the most prestigious opera houses such as

in Munich, Opernhaus in Zurich, Staatsoper Unter den Linden in Berlin, Staatsoper in Hamburg, Teatro Real in Madrid, Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, Mariinsky Theatre in St Petersburg, Royal Theatre in Brussels, New Israeli Opera in Tel Aviv and National Theatre in Tokio. In Italy, he performed at Teatro alla Scala in Milan, Teatro dell’Opera di Roma, Teatro Communale in Bologna, Teatro Regio in Turin, Teatro del Maggio Musicale in Florence, Teatro Regio in Parma as well as during the festivals at

, Terme di Caracalla and

Torre del Lago Torre del Lago (Tower of the Lake) is a town of almost 11,000 inhabitants, a ''frazione'' of the ''comune'' of Viareggio, in the province of Lucca, Tuscany, Italy, between the Lake of Massaciuccoli and the Tyrrhenian Sea. The Festival Puccini, ...

. He has sung at many famed European theatres and festivals, including

in Amsterdam, Theatre du Chatelet in Paris,

Beethovenfest The Beethovenfest ('Beethoven Festival') is a festival of classical music in Bonn, Germany, dedicated mostly to the music of Ludwig van Beethoven who was born there. It dates back to 1845, when the composer's 75th anniversary of birth was celebra ...

in Bonn, Royal Theatre and

Palais des Beaux Arts The Centre for Fine Arts (, ; , ) is a multi-purpose cultural venue in the Royal Quarter of Brussels, Belgium. It is often referred to as BOZAR (a homophone of ''Beaux-arts'') in French or by its initials PSK in Dutch. This multidisciplinary s ...

in Brussels,

Accademia di Santa Cecilia The Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia () is one of the oldest musical institutions in the world, founded by the papal bull ''Ratione congruit'', issued by Sixtus V in 1585, which invoked two saints prominent in Western musical history: Greg ...

in Rome,

Opéra de Lille The Opéra de Lille is a neo-classical opera house, built from 1907 to 1913 and officially inaugurated in 1923. Closed for renovation in 1998 it reopened in 2003 for Lille 2004. The Opéra de Lille is a member of the European Network for Opera, ...

Grand Théâtre de Luxembourg The Grand Théâtre de Luxembourg, inaugurated in 1964 as the Théâtre Municipal de la Ville de Luxembourg is the city's major venue for drama, opera and ballet.

, Savonlinna Festival, and others. He has performed oratorio works with Radio France Philharmonic Orchestra,

Netherlands Radio Symphony Orchestra The Netherlands Radio Symphony Orchestra (NRSO) was a Dutch radio orchestra. It was founded in 1985 after a merger of the Promenade Orchestra and the Radio Chamber Orchestra (Omroep Orkest). In 2005, the NRSO was disbanded, and its functions were ...

, Filarmonica Arturo Toscanini, z

Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century The Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century () is a Dutch early music orchestra. Frans Brüggen and Lucy van Dael co-founded the orchestra in 1981. Sieuwert Verster became financial manager in 1984. Although he did not have a formal title with the orc ...

and the major Polish orchestras. He has sung with many acclaimed opera singers (e.g.

José Cura José Luis Victor Cura Gómez (born 5 December 1962) is an Argentine operatic tenor, conductor, director, scenographer and photographer known for intense and original interpretations of opera characters, notably ''Otello'' in Verdi’s ''Otello ...

José van Dam Joseph, Baron Van Damme (born 25 August 1940 in Brussels), known as José van Dam, is a Belgian bass-baritone, described as having "a magnificent resonant and expressive voice" and being "an excellent actor". Life and career At the age of 17, h ...

Juan Pons Joan Pons Álvarez ( Ciutadella, Spain, 8 August 1946) is a Spanish operatic baritone, known internationally as Juan Pons. He is most famous for his Verdi roles.Salazar, David. ''Artist Profile: Spanish baritone Juan Pons, Verdi specialist''. Oper ...

Leo Nucci Leo Nucci (born 16 April 1942) is an Italian operatic baritone, particularly associated with Verdi and '' Verismo'' roles. Biography Born at Castiglione dei Pepoli, near Bologna, Nucci studied with Giuseppe Marchese. He made his stage debut ...

, Marcelo Alvarez) and conductors (e.g.

Zubin Mehta Zubin Mehta (born 29 April 1936) is an Indian conductor of Western classical music. He is music director emeritus of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra (IPO) and conductor :wikt:emeritus, emeritus of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Mehta's father ...

, Semyon Bychkov,

Daniel Oren Daniel Oren (Hebrew: דניאל אורן; born 25 May 1955) is an Israeli conductor. Biography Daniel Oren was born in Jaffa, Israel. His paternal grandfather, a Muslim from the prominent Sikseck family who was married to a Jewish woman, rescue ...

Gianluigi Gelmetti Gianluigi Gelmetti OMRI, (11 September 1945 – 11 August 2021) was an Italian-Monégasque conductor and composer. Early life Gianluigi Gelmetti was born on 11 September 1945 in Rome, Italy. When 16 years old, Sergiu Celibidache let him conduct ...

Krzysztof Penderecki Krzysztof Eugeniusz Penderecki (; 23 November 1933 – 29 March 2020) was a Polish composer and conductor. His best-known works include '' Threnody to the Victims of Hiroshima'', Symphony No. 3, his '' St Luke Passion'', '' Polish Requiem'', '' ...

Helmuth Rilling Helmuth Rilling (born 29 May 1933) is a German choral conductor and an academic teacher. He is the founder of the Gächinger Kantorei (1954), the Bach-Collegium Stuttgart (1965), the Oregon Bach Festival (1970), the Internationale Bachakade ...

Alberto Zedda Alberto Zedda (2 January 19286 March 2017) was an Italian conductor and musicologist whose specialty was the 19th-century Italian repertoire. Alberto Zedda was born in Milan, Italy, where he accomplished his education in music and humanities, comp ...

, Walerij Giergijew,

Roberto Abbado Roberto Abbado (born 30 December 1954 in Milan) is an Italian opera and symphonic music conductor. Currently he is an Artistic Partner of The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra. In 2015 he has been appointed music director of Palau de les Arts Reina ...

, Kiril Petrenko, and Marco Armiliato). He took part in stagings by

Franco Zeffirelli Gian Franco Corsi Zeffirelli (; 12 February 1923 – 15 June 2019) was an Italian stage and film director, producer, production designer and politician. He was one of the most significant opera and theatre directors of the post–World War II e ...

, Pierluigi Pier’Alli,

Willy Decker Willy Decker (born 1950) is a German theatre director and opera producer. He staged the world premières of Hans Werner Henze's ''Pollicino'' in Montepulciano in 1980, of Antonio Bibalo's ''Macbeth'' for the Norwegian Opera in Oslo in 1990 and ...

Jonathan Miller Sir Jonathan Wolfe Miller CBE (21 July 1934 – 27 November 2019) was an English theatre and opera director, actor, author, television presenter, comedian and physician. After training in medicine and specialising in neurology in the late 19 ...

David McVicar Sir David McVicar (born 1966) is a Scottish opera and theatre director. Biography McVicar was born in Glasgow in 1966. He studied as an actor at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, graduating in 1989. In 2007, ''The Independent'' ra ...

Mariusz Treliński Mariusz Treliński (born 28 March 1962, Warsaw) is a Polish opera, theatre and film director as well as the artistic director of the Grand Theatre in Warsaw. Life and career He studied film direction at the National Film School in Łódź, whi ...

, Hugo de Ana, and

Adrian Noble Adrian Keith Noble (born 19 July 1950) is a theatre director, and was also the artistic director and chief executive of the Royal Shakespeare Company from 1990 to 2003. Education and career Noble was born in Chichester, Sussex, England. After le ...

. His concert performances include Verdi’s ''Requiem'' (Milan, Venice, Casablanca, Jerusalem, cond. by Lorin Maazel), Beethoven’s ''Symphony no. 9'' (Rome, Milan, Brussels, Taormin), Rossini’s ''

Stabat Mater The Stabat Mater is a 13th-century Christian hymn to the Virgin Mary that portrays her suffering as mother during the crucifixion of her son Jesus Christ. Its author may be either the Franciscan friar Jacopone da Todi or Pope Innocent III.Saba ...

'' (Verona), Janáček’s ''

Glagolitic Mass The ''Glagolitic Mass'' (, '; also called ''Missa Glagolitica'' or ''Slavonic Mass'') is a composition for soloists (soprano, contralto, tenor, bass), double chorus, organ and orchestra by Leoš Janáček. Janáček completed the work in 1926. I ...

'' (Praha, Bonn, Bratislava, Brno, Linz). Siwek has appeared many times at

Warsaw Philharmonic The Warsaw Philharmonic (full Polish name: ''Orkiestra Filharmonii Narodowej w Warszawie'', "National Philharmonic Orchestra in Warsaw"), as it is legally set up, is a Polish orchestra based in Warsaw. Founded in 1901, its home is the Warsaw ...

singing Verdi’s ''Requiem'', Dvořák’s ''

'', Beethoven’s

Missa Solemnis is Latin for Solemn Mass.Mass
, ''Catholic Encyclopedia''. N.p., Appleton, 1910. 797. and is a genre of < ...

, Rossini’s ''

Petite Messe Solennelle Gioachino Rossini's ''Petite messe solennelle'' (Little Solemn Mass) was written in 1863, possibly at the request of Count Alexis Pillet-Will for his wife Louise, to whom it is dedicated. The composer, who had retired from composing operas m ...

'', Mozart’s ''

Requiem A Requiem (Latin: ''rest'') or Requiem Mass, also known as Mass for the dead () or Mass of the dead (), is a Mass of the Catholic Church offered for the repose of the souls of the deceased, using a particular form of the Roman Missal. It is ...

'' and '' Coronation mass'' (cond. by

Frans Brüggen Franciscus ("Frans") Jozef Brüggen (30 October 1934 – 13 August 2014) was a Dutch Conducting, conductor, recorder player and baroque flautist. Biography Born in Amsterdam, Brüggen was the youngest of the nine children of August Brüggen, a t ...

), Bach’s '' Mass in B minor'' (cond. by

). In Riga, he sang in Penderecki’s

Credo In Christian liturgy, the credo (; Latin for "I believe") is the portion of the Mass where a creed is recited or sung. The Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed or the Apostles' Creed are the primary creeds used for this purpose. History After the ...

, the performance conducted by the composer.

Recordings

*L. v. Beethoven, ''IX Symfonie,'' Maria Luigia Borsi, Birgit Remmert, Vale Rideout, Rafal Siwek, Coro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, Orchestra Symphonica Toscanini, cond. Lorin Maazel, Vatican, KULTUR (2007); *V. Bellini, ''Norma'', Daniela Dessì (Norma), Fabio Armiliato (Pollione), Kate Aldrich (Adalgisa), Rafal Siwek (Oroveso), Antonello Ceron (Flavio), Marie Luce Erard (Clotilde), Coro e Orchestra del Teatro Comunale di Bologna, cond. Evelino Pidò, Hardy Classics, HCD4034 *W. Kilar, ''Missa Pro Pace'', Joanna Woś, Małgorzata Walewska, Paweł Brożek, Rafał Siwek, Chór Opery i Filharmonii Podlaskiej w Białymstoku, cond. Mirosław Jacek Błaszczyk, DUX 1413; *S. Moniuszko, ''The Haunted Manor,'' Tomasz Konieczny (The Sword-bearer), Edyta Piasecka (Hanna), Monika Ledzion-Porczyńska (Jadwiga), Arnold Rutkowski (Stefan), Mariusz Godlewski (Zbigniew), Marcin Bronikowski (Maciej), Małgorzata Walewska (Cześnikowa), Rafał Siwek (Skołuba); XVIII Century Orchestra, Podlaskie Opera Choir, cond. Grzegorz Nowak, NIFCCD 084-085 *F. Nowowiejski, ''Quo Vadis'', Aleksandra Kurzak, Artur Ruciński, Rafał Siwek, Sebastian Szumski, Arkadiusz Bialic (organy), cond. Piotr Sułkowski, Górecki Chamber Choir, Orkiestra Symfoniczna Warmińsko-Mazurskiej Filharmonii im. Feliksa Nowowiejskiego w Olsztynie , DUX 1327/1328; *K. Penderecki, ''Ubu Rex''; Paweł Wunder (Ojciec Ubu), Anna Lubańska (Ubica), Józef Frakstein (Król Wacław), Izabela Kłosińska (Królowa Rozamunda), Anna Karasińska (Bolesław), Jeanette Bożałek (Władysław), Rafał Bartmiński (Byczysław), Mieczysław Milun (Car), Rafał Siwek (Car), Piotr Nowacki (Baridor), Robert Dymowski (Generał Lascy), Andrzej Witlewski (chłop), Magdalena Andreew-Siwek (Pila), Chór i Orkiestra Teatru Wielkiego - Opery Narodowej w Warszawie, cond. Jacek Kaspszyk, CD Accord, ACD 133 *G. Puccini, ''Edgar'', Placido Domingo (Edgar), Adriana Damato (Fidelia), Marianne Cornetti (Tigrana), Juan Pons (Frank), Rafael Siwek (Gualtiero), cond. Alberto Veronesi, Chorus and Orchestra of Academia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, rec. Santa Cecilia, 22 June 2005 , DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON 00289 477 6102 GH2; *G. Verdi, ''Luiza Miller'' , Francesca Franci, Marcelo Alvarez, Giorgio Surian, Rafal Siwek, cond. Donato Renzetti , Parma Teatro Regio Orchestra, Parma Teatro Regio Chorus, C Major 722808; *G. Verdi, ''Nabucco'', George Gagnidze (Nabucco), Rubens Pelizzari (Ismaele), Rafał Siwek (Zaccaria), Susanna Branchini (Abigaille), Nino Surguladze (Fenena), Nicolò Ceriani (Il Gran Sacerdote di Belo), Paolo Antognetti (Abdallo), Elena Borin (Anna), Arena of Verona Choir, Daniel Oren (conductor), Arnaud Bernard (stage director and costume designer), Alessandro Camera (set designer), Paolo Mazzon (lighting designer), Arena di Verona, August 2017 (live), Bel Air Classiques, No: BAC448 (DVD) *G. Verdi, ''Requiem'', Fiorenza Cedolins, Luciana D'Intino, Ramón Vargas, Rafał Siwek, Coro della Fondazione Arturo Toscanini, Orchestra Filarmonica Arturo Toscanini, dyr. Zubin Mehta, Roma, 30 January 2005, TDK, B000M2EBXI (DVD) *G. Verdi, ''Requiem'', Norma Fantini, Anna Smirnova, Francesco Meli, Rafal Siwek, cond. Lorin Maazel, Florence Maggio Musicale Chorus, Symphonica Toscanini, 2007 (DVD) *G. Verdi, ''Rigoletto'',

Quinn Kelsey Quinn Kamakanalani Kelsey (born 7 March 1978) is a Hawaiian baritone,

(Rigoletto), Michael Fabiano (Il Duca di Mantova), Olga Peretyatko (Gilda), Rafal Siwek (Sparafucile), Vesselina Kasarova (Maddalena), cond. Nicola Luisotti, director:

Claus Guth Claus Guth (born 1964) is a German theatre director, focused on opera. He has directed operas at major houses and festivals, including world premieres such as works of the Munich Biennale, and Berio's '' Cronaca del luogo'' at the Salzburg Festiv ...

, set design: Christian Schmidt, Paris, 23 kwietnia 2016, (DVD), SKU, PODV306 *G. Verdi, ''Il trovatore'', B. Kubiak, M. Dawydow, B. Szynalski, E. Kaczmarzyk-Janczak, R. Siwek (Ferrando); Wroclaw Opera, cond. E. Michnik, DUX 0186;

References

External links

Rafał Siwek’s bio on Polish National Opera’s websiteRafał Siwek’s bio on Poznań Opera’s websiteRafał Siwek on Warsaw Philharmonic website

Rafał Siwek’s bio on Fryderyk Chopin Institute’s website

Rafał Siwek’s bio on Kulturalna Warszawa’s website

Rafał Siwek’s bio on Mariinsky Theatre’s websiteRafał Siwek's biography on Bolshoi Theatre website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Siwek, Rafał 21st-century Polish male opera singers Operatic basses Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Musicians from Warsaw Chopin University of Music alumni