King Roger is set in the 12th-century kingdom of Sicily under the rule of King Roger II, a member of the Norman dynasty. The opera, based on the libretto written by Jarosław Iwaszkiewicz, originally premiered on June 19, 1926 at Grand Theatre in Warsaw, directed by Adolf Popławski and conducted by Emil Młynarski. Its most recent revival was brought to the stage by Krzysztof Warlikowski across Europe between 2009 and 2011. Warlikowski's production most recently took the stage at Madrid's Teatro Real last spring. David Pountney's production premiered at the annual festival in Bregenz in July 2009, also to a great deal of acclaim.
The work returns to Warsaw's most prestigious opera venue under the reigns of acclaimed director David Pountney. According to Poutney, the score's 'musical richness results from Szymanowski's fascination with Byzantine architecture, its richness and ornamentation'.
Pountney has noted that when directing opera works he strives for stage design to never rival the music. 'To avoid competing with Szymanowski's rich and lively music, we chose a very toned-down and calm artistic language for the performance'. According to the director, the most important characteristics of the whole work and of the set design, arranged by Raimund Bauer, is ambiguity, hidden meanings and enigmatic nature. 'The opera's ending is particularly mysterious. In fact, everyone may interpret it in a different way', he remarks.
Regarded by some as his magnum opus, King Roger was written at the time of the composer's immense interest in Antiquity, the Orient and the culture of the Mediterranean. It was also inspired by his 1911 journey to Italy. It is the composer's second opera after his 1913 Hagith.
During a service at Palermo Cathedral, King Roger, his wife Roxanne and advisor Edrisi learn that the Church is threatened by the founder of a new religion, a young and beautiful Shepherd. Summoned to the sanctuary, he is accused of heresy. Despite the crowd's aggression, the royal couple are impressed by the gentleness and humility of the Shepherd, grant him life and summon him to the court. The Shepherd escapes the castle, with Roxanne fast on his heels. The King gives up the throne and goes searching for his Queen. He finds her with the Shepherd in the ruins of an ancient theatre in Syracuse and they all come together in a divine celebration of the Shepherd's true form. The three acts span 'Byzantine', 'Oriental' and 'Greco-Roman' periods, respectively.