Krol Roger, Royal Opera House, London - review

At the climax of Euripides' The Bacchae the head of the central character is paraded on a staff, torn off by the followers of Dionysus in a wild orgy. The Polish composer Szymanowski felt the lure of ancient Greek culture, and of Dionysiac sexual freedom in particular, all his life. His music seethes with the ravishing sounds of temptation.

The opera Krol Roger, loosely based on The Bacchae, is quite a rarity. Written in 1926, it has never previously been staged by the Royal Opera, but this new production by the company's director of opera, Kasper Holten, presents a strong statement of faith in it, at once realistic and suggestive, well sung and played.

In a nod back to Euripides the stage is dominated by a giant head, presumably of King Roger himself. Lights play on it magically, suggesting the inner life, desires and torments in this opera of the mind. When the inside of the head is revealed, it has a huge eye at the top (man's awareness), piles of books lower down (man's intellect), and a heaving mass of semi-naked male pole-dancers in the basement (best not to ask). The symbolism may be obvious, but the production does point to layers of depth and meaning.

The tortured figure of King Roger was always surely Szymanowski himself and Holten suggests as much, placing the king and his court in 1920s Poland. Polish baritone Mariusz Kwiecien has made a speciality of the role in recent years. An apology for ill health was made for him at the interval, but he promptly sang superbly through to the end. Georgia Jarman floated radiant sounds as his wife Roxana. Saimir Pirgu's clarion tenor voiced the Shepherd's exotic calls of temptation and Kim Begley stood firm as Edrisi, the king's adviser.

In the hands of conductor Antonio Pappano the music glitters, seduces, even touches the heart from time to time. It is just a shame that the opera fizzles out at the end. Where Euripides delivers a truly stomach-churning conclusion, Szymanowski leaves his hero in an uncertain limbo - no catharsis, just 90 minutes of the alluring, the unattainable, the unreal.

roh.org.uk

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