Mariusz Kwiecien |
Szymanowski's King Roger
is an opera which still does not have the currency it deserves. There
have been a few recent European productions and now Santa Fe Opera
has made a very strong case for the work in Stephen Wadsworth's new
production with Polish baritone Mariusz Kwiecien in the title role.
Szymanowski's
score is lush, complex and richly allusive, but very compact; just
three acts of 30 minutes each, which Santa Fe Opera played without a
break. It is difficult to understand why the piece has not become
more popular because the score is by no means as challenging as
Berg's Wozzeck (which
was written at the same time), though Szymanowski's multi-layered
exoticism and luscious textures can seem a trifle rich to digest at
first. But his style is not just about surface beauty, and the piece
is highly dramatic and expressive.
The
opera's plot is, perhaps, the biggest bar to popular acceptance. It
is highly allegorical, in the manner of Bartok's Bluebeard's
Castle. At the most basic level
it is the story of a marriage in trouble, that of King Roger (Mariusz
Kwiecien) and his Queen, Roxane (Erin Morley). The appearance of
charismatic shepherd (William Burden) disturbs things and he tempts
Roxana to go off, leaving Roger behind.
But it
is also about the pull between Dionysian and Apollonian elements,
between the heart and the head, between ecstasy and discipline. The
shepherd represents Dionysus and is a character who is attractive to
all people, men and women. Both Roger and Roxane are drawn to him. In
fact the most important relationship in the opera is that between
Roger and the Shepherd.
This
brings us to another layer, Szymanowski's homosexuality. A simplistic
but perfectly valid interpretation of the piece would be in terms of
Roger's struggle being that of his sexuality.
Luckily
Wadsworth did not do anything so reductive. Nor did he impose an
interpretation full of Jungian archetypes. For those familiar with
the recent Paris production (excerpts of which are on Youtube), it
was a relief to discover that there was no swimming pool and no
Mickey Mouse costume.
Instead,
Kwiecien's Roger went on a journey, an interior journey which is
mirrored in the music. Thomas Lynch's setting was simple but
effective. Above the staging area hung a huge frieze which changed in
each act. For act 1 it was rich, gold and Klimt-like (but based on
the historic cathedral built by King Roger in Sicily), this together
with the gorgeous costumes (early 20th
century in period, designed by Ann Hould-Ward) created a strong
impression of King Roger's court.
As the
acts progressed the staging got simpler, the frieze became more and
more abstract, concentrating our attention on the singers and the
music. As King Roger and Roxane went on a journey they both changed,
shedding layers of clothes as they left the rich court functions
behind, with Kwiecien finally bare chested and Morley in a simple red
slip. An important part of King Roger'a persona at the opening was a
magnificent red cope-like cloak (based on the real King Roger's one,
now in Vienna). This he retrieved and put back on for his final
transformation.
The
production was not a particularly daring one. At the end of act 3
when the shepherd reappears as Dionysus (summoned by Roger and
Roxane) his followers were scantily clad, but act 2, when the
shepherd whips up King Roger's court into a dance of ecstasy, was
very tame. Certainly it did not invoke memories of the Maenads in The
Bacchae (a play which was very influential on Szymanowski's
thinking).
The
relationship between King Roger and the shepherd was similarly
understated, but there was a very definite relationship. Burden and
Kwiecien developed an intense interaction, but one which never reached
its consummation. This was on a par with Wadsworth's vision of the
piece being about King Roger's journey. He never, quite dedicates
himself to Dionysus and at the end dedicates himself to the sun (to
Apollo). But in Wadsworth's production, as the shepherd departs he
leaves King Roger his laurel wreath crown. For Wadsworth the opera's
conclusion is about balance.
All
this worked because Wadsworth managed to inculcate such intense
performances from all his principals.
In the
title role, Kwiecien gave a towering performance. Richly intense of
voice, he was both commanding and tortured, Roger's problems were
apparent in Kwiecien's performance. He is a highly watchable artist
and took us on his journey with him. Roger is on stage for virtually
all of the opera, and Kwiecien was vivdly central, his performance
very intense, sometimes painfully so.
William
Burden as the shepherd had to content with a costume which made him
look more like an ageing hippy than a shepherd. But Burden was
convincingly charismatic and his singing of the shepherd's high lying
line was as achingly beautiful and as exotic as necessary.
As I
have said, Burden and Kwiecien developed a powerful relationship.
There are not many operas where the strongest erotic pull in the
piece is between two men, Kwiecien and Burden were believably so,
without descending into soap opera.
Erin
Morely as Roxana sang the Queen's gorgeous high lying cantilena with
ease and beauty. She looked ravishing, but the character is an easy
convert to the shepherd's creed, we are more interested in Roger's
story. Denis Petersen as King Roger's Arab aide Edrisi, was a
constant and supportive presence throughout.
For
the chorus, the Santa Fe Opera Young Artists were strengthened by the
Santa Fe Desert Chorale. The effect in the opening scene, was magical
as the rich stage picture combined with Szymanowski's choral chants.
Raymond Aceto was a powerful archbishop with Laura Wilde as the
deaconess.
Under
Evan Rogister (making his Santa Fe Opera debut) the orchestra gave a
fine performance, relishing Szymanowski's lovely textures and
bringing out the score's subtlety.
One
hopes that this landmark production represents a further step in the
acceptance of King Roger and that Wadsworth's production, admirable
for its clarity and subtlety, might have an onward live too.
Further coverage of Santa Fe Opera on this blog
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