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Regal in ize
21‘s! centu '1 makeover
of the Mari‘rnsky
Karol Szymanowski considered himself an outsider which is why he identified with Sicily's King Roger H and why his opera has become a gay favourite, finds Carol Main
he Iidinburgh International Festival's
staged opera programme is swinging
from one extreme to the other. In the first week. Smetana‘s The Two ll’idmt's. a relatively unknoer quantity. proved delightfully light- hearted. easy on the eye and ftrll of memorable tunes. The IiII’ is following that up with another unjustly neglected opera. but Karol Slymanowski's Kn}! Roger (King Roger) is rather different. It is intellectually demanding. musically rich and dramatically intense.
Both operas lit into this year‘s Iilli theme of
artists without borders. but where Srnetana was concerned with bolstering (‘zech identity in the 19th century. the production of KM! Roger crosses some more up-to—date borders. The Iidinburgh staging brings together the highly esteemed Russian conductor Valer (iergiev and St Petersburg‘s Mariinsky Opera Company. of which he is general and artistic director. and the Polish production team. headed by lilm. theatre and opera director Marius/ Trelinski. who staged the original version of this production in Wroclaw eight years ago. Deeply philosophical and challenging and with a gorgeous. lush score. the 1926 opera is a great 20th century masterpiece of which more deserves to be known.
The story is based on the life of an actual Sicilian king. Roger II. who ruled between I I30 until I 154. ‘It can.‘ says Trelinski. ‘be read in a thoroughly modern way. as a story of the king
and the man who thought he was pulling all the strings and suddenly realised it was just an
illusion. It is a story about a man who. in spite of
having tremendous political power. failed in his life. Or did be."
For Trelinski. the upside of King Roger‘s downfall is that he found his true self by having power taken away from him. On a more basic level. he says. ‘It can be read as a story about a mid-life crisis.‘
S/ymanowski’s own life was not without crisis. ()penly gay. he grew up with a feeling of being different. ‘IIe often described feelings of being an outcast and rejected by society.‘ says Trelinski. ‘So there is a very strong theme of alienation in this opera.‘
As everyone else in his court. including his wife. succumbs to the beautiful young shepherd and the hedonistic I)ionysian life he offers. King Roger is alone in his attempts at resistance and adhering to the (‘hristian faith. In l2th century Sicily cultures and religions often clashed. It was a real crossroads of powerful influences. whether Iiuropean. Byzantine. (ireek or Arabic. Ultimately. Roger's faith recedes into disintegration and he embraces a transformation. closing the opera with a hymn in praise of the morning sun.
'Another theme is the conflict between Dionysus and (‘hristianityf says 'I‘relirrski. ‘I treat it metaphorically. as a conflict between the
.‘I Am;
freedom of an individual internally driven by an urge to love and a dogma. by which I mean a system of standards accepted by society.‘
The opera has been happily adopted by the gay community. especially in the IS in the ‘)()s when it became accepted as an iconic piece of gay culture. With overtones that can easily be interpreted as homosexual. it is understandable this should be so. 'But. although it is clear from S/ymanowski‘s letters that he felt ostracised from the cornrntrnity.~ says Trelinski. 'the opera is not explicitly about his homosexuality. That would be an oversimplification of his work. Rather. it is about a feeling of “not being from here". both intellectually and aestheticalny
The production to be seen in Iidinburgh is not set anywhere near 12th century Sicily. but in the world of today. The lirst act takes place within a modern church. the second in a living room in a llat and the third in a hospital. In the first act. king and queen are dressed in black. By the last act. everyone wears white. symbolising Roger‘s transformation. 'What I want to do with this production.. says Trelinski. 'is to show a man in the prime of his life. but in a spiritual crisis and internally burnt out. He is a man of today. of here and now.‘
Krél Roger, Edinburgh Festival Theatre, 473 2000, 25 and 27 Aug, 7.15pm, from £10.
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