You know what they say: you never forget your fourth Polish opera. They say that, right? Probably? It's also my first opera that starts with 'K,' which is a major milestone. You'd think there would be some starting with "king," but that speaks to the relative paucity of English-language opera. "Król" is Polish for "king," however.
"Roger" inevitably seems like a comical name for a king, you know? Like that old John Goodman comedy King Ralph. Ralph is a funny name for a king, and Roger is too. Or so I think. But this is definitely not a comedy, and there's no need to worry; the name doesn't ruin it. It's loosely based on The Bacchae, but only loosely. Roger is...the king, and his mind is troubled. And there's an engimatic prophet known only as "The Shepherd" whom the people alternately want to be killed for blasphemy and want to follow. Roger, too, is torn on how to treat the guy, whether to have him executed or let him go or what. And although he's very seductive at first, talking about nature and whatnot, he gradually takes on a more sinister aspect, and everyone goes off to follow him, including Roger's wife Roxana. He follows them and there is ecstactic, bacchanal dancing, followed by an indeterminate conclusion, though unlike the putative source material, nobody here seems to die. So.
As Roger, Mariusz Kwiecien surely has the most meaty role I've ever seen him in, although really, Saimir Pirgu as The Prophet has a role that's probably more fun to play and to watch as well. He's great; why haven't I seen him before? This performanceis spectacular, though also a little abstruse (well, that's probably to an extent the opera itself). It prominently features a giant head, in which things happen representing Roger's inner turmoil. This works well enough, although I'm not sure if said turmoil is really adequately depicted. The music is good throughout, though the most awesome thing, clearly, is the climactic orgiastic dancing scene. It's actually not entirely clear--intentionally, you have to think--whether The Prophet is a wholly evil figure or not, though here said climactic scene is accompanied by book-burning, which certainly seems to give a definitive idea of what the producers think.
Different than the norm, if there is a norm. Characters who aren't exactly emotionally engaging, but intriguing and cool and well worth seeing.
Yaay. Poland.
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