Krol Roger : Pountnay, Elder / Vienna Symphony Orchestra, S.Hendricks, Pasychnik, etc (2009 Stereo)

Karol Szymanowski: King Roger
Blu-ray Disc

King Roger - Scott Hendricks
Roxana - Olga Pasichnyk
Edrisi - John Graham Hall
Shepherd - Will Hartmann
Archbishop - Sorin Coliban
Deaconess - Lyubov Sokolova
Voice 1 - Justyna Dyla
Voice 2 - Mariusz Stefanski

Bregenz Musikhauptschule Children's Chorus
Camerata Silesia
Polish Radio Chorus, Krakow
Vienna Symphony Orchestra / Mark Elder, conductor

David Pountney, stage director
Raimund Bauer, set design
Marie-Jeanne Lecca, costume design
Fabrice Kebour, lighting design
Ron Howell, choreography

Recorded from the Bregenz Festival, 2009

Picture format: 1080i High Definition
Sound format: PCM Stereo 2.0 / DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Region code: 0 (worldwide)
Subtitles: German, English, French, Spanish, Catalan
Booklet notes: English, German, French
Running time: 89 mins

“It’s hard to believe that this ‘Krol Roger’ had been neglected for so long!” The prestigious “Opernwelt” was not alone in welcoming the belated rediscovery of Polish composer Karol Szymanowski’s (1882-1937) masterpiece of 1926, which resonates with echoes of Late-Romanticism and Expressionism, Richard Strauss and Richard Wagner. Presented at the Festival Hall of the Bregenz Festival in a production by festival director David Pountney, the musical rarity, a combination of opera, oratorio and mystery play, tells the story of 12th-century Sicilian King Roger, who is led astray by a mysterious shepherd who preaches a life of unrestrained hedonism.
Director David Pountney delivers an uncommonly riveting production by staging the clash of virtue and immorality in a simple, archaic, yet wondrously luminous set reminiscent of an ancient Greek theater. The coproduction with the Gran Teatre del Liceu of Barcelona is given musical shape by the Wiener Symphoniker, who “rise above themselves” (Opernwelt) under Sir Mark Elder. Scott Hendricks gives a powerful rendition of the title hero. Will Hartmann and Olga Pasichnyk shine as the shepherd and the king’s wife. ( C Major )

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