The opera King Roger by Polish composer Karol Szymanowski had its Czech première at the Janáček Theatre. The title character was played by Jiří Brückler, the king's consort Roxana was portrayed by Veronika Rovná, Roger's right hand man, the sage Edrisi, was played by Vít Nosek, while Petr Nekoranec appeared as the Shepherd and the main source of Roger's trouble. The role of the High Priest was performed by David Szendiuch; Jana Hrochová appeared as the Deaconess and the soprano and tenor solos were performed by Eva Daňhelová and Pavel Valenta. In addition to the soloists, the Janáček Opera NdB Choir and Orchestra conducted by Martin Buchta and the Brno Children's Choir with choirmaster Valeria Mat'ašová also performed. It was directed by Vladimír John, with set design by Martin Chocholoušek and costumes by Barbora Rašková. The lighting design was by Martin Kroupa and the choreography by Jan Kodet and Michal Heriban. Robert Kružík, who also directed the première performance, took over the musical direction.
King Roger is one of those operas that build their musical and lyrical effect on the inner experience of characters and listeners rather than on a traditional epic and rich plot packed with twists and turns. The work is also an adequate reflection and musical culmination of its era, as well as a personal expression of the composer.
Underneath the seemingly complex symbolic veil lies a centuries-old struggle between the Apollonian and Dionysian principles of ascetic moderation and absolute freedom, which, however, in their exacerbated form, go as far as destructive madness. It should be added that the Apollonian principle is not so fundamentally defined here and stems more from logic than from the opera itself. However, it is no coincidence that the composer chose this particular framework - Szymanowski was enchanted by Euripides' The Bacchae, and at the same time the opera about ultimate personal liberation and self-discovery resonated within Szymanowski's acknowledgement of his sexual orientation. The composer's great Dionysian mystery lies in the title character, who longs to execute the Shepherd, who preaches about a new - gracious, liberating, but also seductive - god. Its most interesting climax, however, is not the decisive breaking of chains, but the understanding with which the composer embraces Roger. It is he who is the hero of Szymanowski's opera, not the Shepherd who liberates but at the same time drives the crowds mad.
Vladimír John's direction is humble in its logic and skilfully exploits the timelessness of the whole concept of Szymanowski's opera, as well as the inner world of the protagonist. As he says in an interview for the Klasika+ portal, the entire production takes place in a "space of timelessness". The Shepherd himself is seen by the producers as Roger's alter ego rather than a real character. Here, John does some exemplary work with symbolism and uses individual operatic elements for both musical and non-musical purposes.
Hand in hand with the staging is Martin Chocholoušek's purposeful and "not overdone" set, together with Barbara Rašková's costumes, the character of which also somewhat blurs the boundaries between original historical inspiration and the present day. The set design should be praised for the successful transition between the first and second act, when the scenery of the king's palace is lowered to the stage as the audience looks on. Another visually impressive element was Martin Kroupa's "graining" of the lighting design, which, especially at the beginning of the opera, created a kind of ominously dark yet strongly dreamlike atmosphere preceding the arrival of the Shepherd.
While the story of King Roger won't necessarily appeal to everyone, and many won't particularly enjoy its focus on the inner world of the title character, the music itself and the vocal performances have universal appeal. Szymanowski's musical language is at times opulent, sensuous and deliberately exuberant - just like his Shepherd - and austere to the point of asceticism at others. Robert Kružík has managed to find a firm balance between the two extremes so that the result is not conflict and contrast, but rather interconnection and symbiosis. The orchestra played well and all the sections were dynamically balanced, with a precise sense of rhythm and intonation. This is yet further proof of the prowess of the players in the National Theatre orchestra.
As far as vocals go, the opera had a solid quartet consisting of Jiří Brückler (Roger), Veronika Rovná (Roxana), Vít Nosek (Edrisi) and Petr Nekoranec (The Shepherd), with Roger and the Shepherd drawing the most attention to themselves for obvious reasons. Jiří Brückler's speech was appropriately emotional and the singer managed to get the king's inner ambivalence across through his singing. Petr Nekoranec as the Shepherd, on the other hand, perfectly teetered on the edge between sweet promise, insolence and a certain menace - it was here that the singer did a perfect job of accentuating the disturbingly ambivalent character of his role. Also excellent was Veronika Rovná as Roxana, whose most successful performances mainly came in the lyrical parts of the second act. Vít Nosek's most impressive moments as Edrisi also came in Act II, where he and the king are waiting together for the Shepherd's arrival. And, of course, we must mention the choir of the Janáček Opera, as flawless as always - shining especially at the very beginning of the show - and also the excellent Brno Children's Choir.
King Roger is an intense and lavish a bite-sized masterpiece of an opera that boasts great music, tasteful direction, a stunning set, wonderful costumes, impressive lighting, balanced musical staging and, above all, outstanding musical performances by soloists, choirs and orchestra. At the same time, it is to be applauded that Karol Szymanowski's music has finally found its way onto Brno's stages. Hopefully, it won't take long for it to find its way into the hearts of Brno’s audiences.
Karol Szymanowski Composer
Karol Szymanowski and Jarosław Iwaszkiewicz Libretto
Robert Kružík Musical staging
Robert Kružík Conductor
Vladimír John Director
Martin Chocholoušek Set design
Barbora Rašková Costumes
Martin Krupa Lighting design
Jan Kodet Choreography
Michal Heriban Choreography
Patricie Částková Dramaturgy
Martin Buchta Choirmaster
Valeria Maťašová Children's Choir Choirmaster
Jiří Brückler - H.R.H. Roger II King of Sicily
Veronika Rovná - H.R.H. Roxana, his wife
Vít Nosek Edrisi, Arabic scholar
Petr Nekoranec Shepherd
David Szendiuch Archbishop
Jana Hrochová Deaconess
Première 13 June 2025
Janáček Theatre, 7:00 p.m.
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