Warsaw/ Polen: Rafał Siwek Celebrates 25th Anniversary of Artistic Work
On February 14th, the artist will perform one of his signature roles in the premiere of Giuseppe Verdi’s „Simon Boccanegra“ at the Teatr Wielki – National Opera.
Rafal Siwek
Probenfoto: Copyright: Karpati & Zarewicz
The role of Jacopo Fiesco, a distressed yet vengeful father, is among the most brilliant roles of the eminent Polish bass. He has portrayed it in venues such as the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam or the Teatro Massimo in Palermo and he frequently includes the famous aria „Il lacerato spirito“ from the work’s prologue in his recitals and concerts. Now, the Polish audience will have the opportunity to admire his portrayal of that role during five performances presented by the National Opera.
This year marks Rafał Siwek’s 25th anniversary of his professional artistic debut – it took place in 2000 at the Wrocław Opera with the part of Ferrando in Verdi’s „Il Trovatore“ conducted by Ewa Michnik and directed by Robert Skolmowski. This performance was also the artist’s recording debut.
Probenfoto: Copyright: Karpati & Zarewicz
Rafał Siwek is considered one of the most outstanding basses of his generation and one of the most distinguished interpreters of Verdi roles, such as Philip II and The Grand Inquisitor in „Don Carlo“, Zaccaria in „Nabucco“, Padre Guardiano in „La Forza del Destino“, the title role in „Attila“, Ramfis in „Aida“, Sparafucile in „Rigoletto“, Wurm in „Luisa Miller“, and Fiesco in „Simon Boccanegra“. He regularly performs at the most prestigious opera houses, including Teatro alla Scala in Milan, the Paris Opera, the Royal Opera House in London, the Bayerische Staatsoper in Munich, Opernhaus Zurich, Staatsoper Unter den Linden and Deutsche Oper in Berlin, Staatsoper in Hamburg, The Dutch National Opera in Amsterdam, Arena di Verona, the Rome Opera, Teatro Real in Madrid, and Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires. He has worked with such masters of the baton as Zubin Mehta, Lorin Maazel, Fabio Luisi, Valery Gergiev, Kent Nagano, Alberto Zedda, Semyon Bychkov, Daniel Oren, Kiril Petrenko, and Marco Armiliato, and with directors like Franco Zeffirelli, Pierluigi Pier’Alli, Willy Decker, Jonathan Miller, David McVicar, Hugo de Ana, Giancarlo del Monaco, and Adrian Noble.
Probenfoto: Copyright: Karpati & Zarewicz
Probenfoto: Copyright: Karpati & Zarewicz
A special place in the artist’s repertoire is reserved for oratorio works, including Mozart’s Requiem and Verdi’s Messa da Requiem, which he has performed numerous times under the baton of Lorin Maazel in venues in Milan, Rome, Venice, Casablanca, Fez, Busseto, Assisi, and Jerusalem.
Thus, it is especially gratifying that the Polish audience will have an opportunity to admire the artist during his jubilee season. After a series of performances as Fiesco at the National Opera in Warsaw, Rafał Siwek will participate in charity concerts in Łódź (February 24th) and Cracow (March 4th), where he will also appear in the March premiere of „Aida,“ his beloved Verdi’s opera.
Iwona Karpinska