Submitted on 18.11.2025 by

Concert performance of Karol Szymanowski’s “King Roger” at the Berlin Philharmonic

kobieta w kwieciszej sukni wraz z klasycznymi muzykami na scenie
Artists from the Grand Theatre in Poznań on stage at the Berlin Philharmonic, photo courtesy of the Grand Theatre in Poznań

On 12 November 2025, Berlin will become the stage for Polish opera music – the Grand Theatre in Poznań invites audiences to a concert performance of Karol Szymanowski’s “King Roger”. The audience will be taken on a mystical journey through antiquity and the Orient, into a world of inner transformation and the search for harmony. The Adam Mickiewicz Institute supports this event, promoting Polish culture in the German capital.

Szymanowski’s mystical tale – Polish classical music on international stages

The Grand Theatre in Poznań invites you to the Berlin Philharmonic for a concert performance of Karol Szymanowski’s “King Roger” – one of the most important works of 20th-century Polish opera repertoire. It is a story of freedom, inner transformation, and the search for harmony – a work Szymanowski himself considered his greatest achievement. The title role will be performed by Szymon Mechliński, an outstanding baritone of the younger generation. The musical direction will be taken by Jacek Kaspszyk, one of the most distinguished Polish conductors of the turn of the 20th and 21st centuries, and the evening will be hosted by Frederik Hanssen.

“King Roger” was inspired by Szymanowski’s fascination with antiquity, the Orient, and Nietzsche’s philosophy – inspirations gathered during his travels to Sicily and North Africa. The libretto, written in collaboration with Jarosław Iwaszkiewicz after the First World War, is a spiritual journey into the depths of the human soul. Full of contrasts, the composition combines Oriental melodies, Christian liturgy, and modern musical language. It is a mystical tale of the search for divinity in human nature, set against the landscape of Sicily, tempting with its colours and the scent of hot air – a musical impression of antiquity and the Orient, a mesmerising vision of the search for liberating truth.

Concert performance of “König Roger” – Szymanowski/Kaspszyk in Berlin, Germany

  • Date: 12 November 2025

  • Time: 7:00 p.m.

  • Venue: Berliner Philharmoniker (Kulturforum / Herbert-von-Karajan-Str. 1, Berlin)

  • Performers: Szymon Mechliński – King Roger, Ruslana Koval – Roksana, Andrzej Lampert – Shepherd, Piotr Kalina – Edrisi / tenor solo, Rafał Korpik – Archpriest, Anna Lubańska – Deaconess, Monika Mych-Nowicka – soprano solo, Jacek Kaspszyk – conductor, Choir and Orchestra of the Grand Theatre in Poznań, Poznań Cathedral Choir (director: Fr Szymon Bajon; choir preparation: Bartłomiej Szczeszek), concert host: Frederik Hanssen (“Der Tagesspiegel”)

  • Tickets and more information are available at:  opera.poznan.pl

  • Co-financed by the Minister of Culture and National Heritage as part of the Inspiring Culture 2025-2026 programme

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