Szymanowski - King Roger · Symphony No.4 / Sir Simon Rattle

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com essential recording
Szymanowski was concerned with philosophical and moral questions as well as writing music, and King Roger (completed in 1926) is an opera of ideas rather than events, centering on the eternal conflict between Apollo and Dionysus, between reason and the unconscious. The action (such as it is) takes place on a single night: a mysterious shepherd appears at the court of Roger, the enlightened 12th-century King of Sicily, and leads the people and Roger's beloved wife, Roxana, in an orgiastic dance and then off to a "Land of Ecstasy"; the shepherd reveals himself as the god Dionysus, but Roger, while accepting him, turns in the end to the rising sun of Apollo. The music is fervent, harmonically dense, and richly impressionistic, the chorus plays a significant role, and Rattle's Birmingham forces are excellent in this production. However, the singers are no more than adequate; the ubiquitous Thomas Hampson seems uncomfortable with the Polish text, Elzbieta Szmytka lacks the warmth and sensuality required for Roxana, and Ryszard Minkiewicz's sweet tenor is too light for the shepherd-god. The set is filled out by a splendid performance of Symanowski's 4th Symphony, with Leif Ove Andsnes outstanding at the piano, in better sound than the opera. --Alex Morin

Szymanowski - King Roger · Symphony No.4 / Sir Simon Rattle, Music, Karol Szymanowski, Simon Rattle, Thomas Hampson, Elzbieta Szmytka, Ryszard Minkiewicz Philip Langridge, Leif Ove Andsnes, City of Birmingham Symphony Chorus & Orchestra, 20th/21st Century Symphony, Classical, Classical Music, Opera, Opera / Operetta / Oratorio, Opera/Operetta, Polish 20th/21st Century Opera, Symphonic
Szymanowski - King Roger · Symphony No.4 / Sir Simon Rattle
Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
  • I Can Only Rave
  • Interesting
  • Assault of the sensuous...
  • An Exotic Masterpiece
  • A new enthusiasm
 Szymanowski - King Roger · Symphony No.4 / Sir Simon Rattle
Karol Szymanowski , Simon Rattle , Thomas Hampson , Elzbieta Szmytka , Ryszard Minkiewicz Philip Langridge , Leif Ove Andsnes , and City of Birmingham Symphony Chorus & Orchestra
Manufacturer: Angel Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:
  1. Szymanowski: Harnasie (Ballet Pantomime) Op.55/Mandragora (Patomime), Op. 43/Etude For Orchestra In B
  2. Karol Szymanowski: Piano Sonata No. 3; Métopes; Masques
  3. Karol Szymanowski: Stabat Mater
  4. Karol Szymanowski: Stabat Mater/Litany/Symphony No.3
  5. Szymanowski: Harnasie; Orchestral Songs

ASIN: B00000K4EM
Release Date: 1999-09-21

Tracks:

  1. King Roger: Hagios! Hagios! - Archbishop
  2. King Roger: Boze poblogoslaw Panie praodwieszny - Archbishop, Deaconess
  3. King Roger: Czys slyszal? - Roger, Edris, Archbishop, Deaconess, Roxana
  4. King Roger: Oto bluznierca! - Roger, Shepherd
  5. King Roger: Moj Bog jest piekny jako ja - Shepherd, Archbishop, Deaconess, Roxana, Roger
  6. King Roger: W jego usmiechu! - Roxana, Roger, Shepherd, Deaconess, Archbishop, Edrisi
  7. King Roger: Niech odejdzie Pasterz - Roger, Roxana, Shepherd
  8. King Roger: (Orchestra)
  9. King Roger: Niepokoj bladych gwiazd - Roger, Edrisi
  10. King Roger: A...!...Roksana! Jej spiew! - Roxana, Roger, Edrisi
  11. King Roger: Ktos mglisty prezeszedl miedzy straza! - Roger, Edrisi, Shepherd
  12. King Roger: O przychodze sam, jako kazales, Krolu - Shepherd, Roger
  13. King Roger: A...! Uspij Swoj lek i gniew, Rogerze! - Roxana, Shepherd, Roger, Edrisi
  14. King Roger: Tajemnych glebin zycia zar wszechmocno - Shepherd
  15. King Roger: Dance Of The Shepherd's followers
  16. King Roger: Roxana's entrance - Roxana, Shepherd, Roger
  17. King Roger: Kto smie moj czar lancuchem petac robow? - Shepherd, Roxana
  18. King Roger: Sluchajie...W ciszy nocy, sluchajcie - Shepherd, Roxana, Roger, Edrisi
  19. King Roger: Appendix: Roxana's Aria With Concert Ending - Roxana, Roger, Edrisi

Tracks:

  1. King Roger: (Orchestra)
  2. King Roger: Wokol martwota glazow - Roger, Edrisi
  3. King Roger: Rogerze! Rogerze! - Roxana, Edrisi, Roger, Shepherd,
  4. King Roger: Na sad, na sad staw - Roger, Shepherd, Edrisi, Roxana
  5. King Roger: Syc ofiarny - Roxana, Roger, Shepherd
  6. King Roger: Edrisi, juz swit
  7. King Roger: Slorice! - Roger
  8. Symphony No. 4: Moderato: Tempo comodo
  9. Symphony No. 4: Andante molto sostenuto
  10. Symphony No. 4: Allegro non troppo, ma agitato ed ansioso

Amazon.com essential recording

Szymanowski was concerned with philosophical and moral questions as well as writing music, and King Roger (completed in 1926) is an opera of ideas rather than events, centering on the eternal conflict between Apollo and Dionysus, between reason and the unconscious. The action (such as it is) takes place on a single night: a mysterious shepherd appears at the court of Roger, the enlightened 12th-century King of Sicily, and leads the people and Roger's beloved wife, Roxana, in an orgiastic dance and then off to a "Land of Ecstasy"; the shepherd reveals himself as the god Dionysus, but Roger, while accepting him, turns in the end to the rising sun of Apollo. The music is fervent, harmonically dense, and richly impressionistic, the chorus plays a significant role, and Rattle's Birmingham forces are excellent in this production. However, the singers are no more than adequate; the ubiquitous Thomas Hampson seems uncomfortable with the Polish text, Elzbieta Szmytka lacks the warmth and sensuality required for Roxana, and Ryszard Minkiewicz's sweet tenor is too light for the shepherd-god. The set is filled out by a splendid performance of Symanowski's 4th Symphony, with Leif Ove Andsnes outstanding at the piano, in better sound than the opera. --Alex Morin

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars I Can Only Rave.......2007-05-27

I have been under the spell of this incredible recording for several months now and became easily convinced years before that Szymanowski is one of the great composers. The Rattle recordings are certainly advancing the cause brilliantly. I cannot recommend this recording more enthusiastically.

First, I would strongly differ with some of the other reviewers regarding the singing. It works. Roxana is beautifully sung with great purity and focus. I would not ask for better. Hampson does just fine vocally and the charecterization is subtle and on point. Others have complained about the shepherd, but Minkiewicz has great intonation (crucially important in Szymanowski), and in most ranges the voice is quite beautiful. If anything, I find the more I listen, the more I am convinced.

The orchestra and chorus are terrific. The Sinfonia Concertante is a worthwhile bonus - not in a league with the 2nd Violin Concerto, written about the same time, and as others have observed rather far removed from the world of King Roger, but enjoyable and very well played.

3 out of 5 stars Interesting.......2004-03-20

This opera has a rather unusual basis. It is inspired by Euripides' Bacchae. The theme is the conflict between Apollonian rationality and Dionysian passion. Perhaps to set the stage for the lush, if not to say deliberately exotic, music, it is set not in Greece or contemporary Europe but in Medieval Sicily. The theme and music are very interesting. The composer uses what can only be described as a hyper-romantic 'palette' of orchestral and vocal effects. The overall effect is often lovely though the unrelenting attempts to produce uniformly and self-consciously gorgeous music can be a bit hypnotic. I suspect this piece might not be particularly successful on stage. The theme is rather intellectual, the action is series of relatively static scenes, and the demands for a large orchestra and elaborate staging are considerable. The libretto is in Polish, which would also be an obstacle to performance in most of the world. This is a good recording. The orchestral work is excellent. I agree with several other reviewers that the soloists are adequate but not outstanding.

5 out of 5 stars Assault of the sensuous..........2003-07-14

Szymanowski is truly an original composer, and "Krol Roger" is a work that boggles the mind with it's endlessly surprising originality. Szymanowski takes the qualities that I admire most in music--extreme chromaticism, imaginative use of orchestral color, obsessive atmosphere, and terrible romantic yearning, and pushes them all up a notch. In some of his music, these qualities are so intense that the music almost loses direction, but not so with "Krol Roger". He gets it just right. The story is strange and mysterious. He's obviously getting at something. The traditional explanation is that it's about his homosexuality, but it's interesting to note that against the will of his librettist, Szymanowski has King Roger resist the call of the shepherd, and instead he yearns for his lost wife.

I'm not an expert on singing. I know when I enjoy it, and I enjoyed this recording immensly. The sound is also of the highest order. The filler is nice, too, but from a later period in Szymanowski's music that is a little more toned down.

4 out of 5 stars An Exotic Masterpiece.......2002-01-31

King Roger has one of the more interesting stories among modern opera. This updating of Dionysus spreading his new religion is reminiscent of the story of Pentheus except King Roger is overcome by the beauty and mystery of the new religion. The orchestration is exotic and lush, and Simon Rattle and his City of Birmingham Orchestra play the score beautifully with every nuance present.

I have to agree, in general, with the opinion of the reviewers here that the singing leaves something to be desired. Ryszard Minkiewicz as the shepherd/Dionysus sings as if his voice is often almost strained to cracking. Elbieta Szmytka as Roxana sings quite beautifully for the majority of the opera and on occasion the vibrato in her voice becomes too much. Thomas Hampson, I think truly captures King Roger and is the highlight of this recording. I cannot agree that he has difficulty with the Polish language and is in excellent voice for the entire opera. I have read the Gramophone review that was mentioned by another reviewer and I would agree that it is generous in the singing department. Perhaps more astonishing is that this King Roger was voted the best opera recording for the 1999 awards. I am not sure what criteria were examined in making this decision but perhaps it was the fact that this opera is rarely heard, and needs to be performed more often, that Gramophone reviewers championed it.

Overall, the recording is beautifully done and if one can get by the singing of Minkiewicz it is a rewarding experience. The Symphony No. 4 compliments the opera's lush orchestration and so is marvelous filler. This is music that can transport you indeed.

4 out of 5 stars A new enthusiasm.......2001-07-26

I have only recently encountered this opera, having acquired Rattle's recording a few weeks ago and, since, having also bought and listened to the Naxos recording. That fact may indicate that I consider this little-known opera a major find--sumptuous, passionate, a work that I will return to many times, I am sure, and would love to see produced. I decided to comment here because I really cannot agree with either of the earlier comments. It is probably true that a Polish speaker would find Hampson's singing of that language a bit uncomfortable--I am not competent to judge that. But his singing is, as I always find it, sensitive and intelligent, and though he does not throw himself into characterization (as does Andrzej Hiolski on the Naxos set), he projects a clear sense of the dramatic conflict confronted by King Roger. I also cannot concur with the condemnation of Szmytka's Roxana. Her voice is light but well-controlled and she manages to negotiate the vocal line effectively. True, it would be interesting to hear, for example, Renee Fleming in the role, but I find this Roxana completely satisfying. (Barbara Zagorzanka, on the Naxos set, has a bigger and broader voice, but is very wiry in the upper register--I don't object to it, but her sound is also not the kind of warm, sensuous quality that seems to be desired.) I would agree that the tenor singing the Shepherd is not outstanding (but neither is the corresponding role on the Naxos disk, though that tenor is stronger overall.) On the whole, this recording is a powerful and beautiful introduction to a superb opera. I think most opera lovers would find it much more than satisfactory.

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