Mariusz Kwiecien Bringing "King Roger" to U.S.

Kwiecien as Don Giovanni in Krakow

For fans of Mariusz Kwiecien in the United States who have been eager to see him perform something outside of the Italian repertory, you're in luck. The Santa Fe Opera will present the Polish barihunk in Karol Szymanowski's masterpiece "King Roger" next season. We'll have plenty of coverage before next summer. The entire opera with Kwiecien is available on YouTube. You can start the series right here on Barihunks by clicking HERE.

Also, don't forget that for the next two weeks we'll be taking submissions for our first-ever charity Barihunks calendar. Send High Res photos and bio to Barihunks@gmail.com.

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Kwiecien Ruling Again as King Roger

Mariusz Kwiecien: KING OF THE WORLD

In June 2009 we posted about Polish barihunk Mariusz Kwiecien's steamy hot potrayal of  Karol Szymanowski's "King Roger" at the Paris Opera (Pictures HERE). We subsequently named him as one of our "Top 10" posts of 2010 for being "just plain hot."

Kwiecien has returned to the role that he owns at the Teatro Real in Madrid. There are nine performances of the opera running through May 14th. He is joined in the production by the Ukrainian-born Polish soprano Olga Pasichnyk as Queen Roxana. 

Kwiecien as King Roger in Paris

Teatro Real is also hosting an exhibition in the foyer documenting the life and work of Karol Szymanowski, whose compositions served as a transition between Chopin and the Polish avant-garde movement. Many have described King Roger as the pinnacle of Szymansowski's "sensualist phase" and there are echoes of Ravel, Stravinksy, Richard Strauss and Prokofiev in his music.

You can watch the entire opera from Paris on YouTube with Kwiecien. Here is the first video in a series of ten:




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More Mariusz Kwiecien From King Roger

Who said that King Roger isn't an interesting opera? One couldn't help but be totally mesmerized by Mariusz Kwiecien during the entire broadcast yesterday from the Bastille. Also, now everyone knows why he's called the Hot Pole (see center photo - or should we say "box' 3?).

One other thing needs to be said about Mariusz Kwiecien on a serious note. He's undoubtedly a great singer and he's unquestionably a barihunk. But Kwiecien is probably the best actor in all of opera. One of the motivations for creating this site was having seen Kwiecien in arguably the greatest portrayal of Don Giovanni ever at the San Francisco Opera. He dominated the stage with sexual energy and he had the type of edginess that makes one understand how women fall in love with rakes, murderers and societal bad boys.

King Roger is a notoriously difficult opera to pull off dramatically. The joke amongst music critics is that it's best enjoyed on CD, where one can lather in it's luxurious melodies. Kwiecien brings out so much of the character's inner self that it actually elevates the opera.

With all of that said, enjoy the pictures, which is why this site exists.

This site can be contacted at barihunks@gmail.com

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Mariusz Kwiecien Brings Some Sexual Energy to King Roger

The Paris Opera is performing Karol Szymanowski's rarely performed opera King Roger (or Le Roi Roger in France). King Roger's lack of performance stems from the fact that the opera is much more interesting musically than it is dramatically. In fact, the music is exquisite. The Paris Opera has created a visually stunning version of the opera and having the Hot Pole run around his briefs boxer shorts would make Pfitzner's Palestrina interesting.

You can watch this performance live on Saturday, June 19th at 11 AM P.S.T at http://liveweb.arte.tv/fr/video/Le_Roi_Roger_de_Karol_Szymanowski_a_l_Opera_Bastille/

You can find a synopsis of the opera here: http://www-umi.mariinsky.ru/en/playbill/playbill/2008/7/16/20080716_1_1900/

This site can be contacted at barihunks@gmail.com

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