King Roger by the Polish composer Karol Szymanowski (1882-1937) has opened at the Teatro Real in Madrid.

The production is directed by Poland’s Krzysztof Warlikowski with Polish baritone Mariusz Kwiecień in the title role and Ukrainian-born Polish soprano Olga Pasichnyk as Queen Roxana. 

The opera is sung in Polish, with Spanish subtitles. Nine performances are scheduled till 14 May.

The staging of King Roger is accompanied by an exhibition in the theatre foyer documenting the life and work of Karol Szymanowski, one of the most prominent composers of the first half of the 20th century.

He was described by the American critic Mark Swed as ‘the great transition figure in Polish music. He began where Chopin left off and ultimately paved the way for his country's post-World War II avant-garde. King Roger, completed in 1924, is the summation of his sensualist phase.

His circle included Prokofiev, Stravinsky, Ravel and Strauss, all of whom (along with Scriabin) heavily influenced his work and thought highly of him. […]

During the past two seasons, Krzysztof Warlikowski produced King Roger at the Opera Bastille in Paris and at the Bregenz Festival in Austria. 

Three years ago  Mariusz Treliński’s production (with the Marijski Theatre of St Petersburg) was shown at the Edinburgh Festival. In the mid-1990s Simon Rattle recorded the opera for EMI. (mk)