This January, Piotr Beczała captivated audiences at the prestigious Wiener Staatsoper in Antonín Dvořák’s beloved lyrical fairy-tale opera Rusalka. Stepping into the role of the Prince, Beczała delivered a series of performances marked by vocal elegance and dramatic sensitivity, anchoring a production that quickly became one of the season’s most talked-about operatic events.

Dvořák’s fairy-tale masterpiece, staged this season under the direction of Sven-Eric Bechtolf with Robert Jindra conducting, brings to life the haunting story of a water nymph who sacrifices her voice and immortality for love. At the Vienna State Opera, Rusalka was presented on several dates in January and drew enthusiastic crowds night after night.

What set this run apart was not only the high artistic standard on stage but also the full houses and sold-out performances that accompanied it. Audiences in Vienna responded with warm acclaim, celebrating a performance that combined expressive depth with a compelling ensemble cast. Alongside Beczała, soprano Nicole Car starred as Rusalka, and Alexander Vinogradov as the Water Gnome, contributing to the dramatic richness of the evenings.

In Rusalka, the Prince’s role demands both lyrical refinement and emotional nuance, and Beczała’s interpretation brought both qualities to the fore. His portrayal was one of the pillars of a production that resonated strongly with audiences and established itself as a highlight of the Vienna operatic season.

Critics

Below are selected excerpts from recent reviews that highlight the artistic reception of the production and Beczała’s performance:

“But then the Prince steps onto the stage—and in this figure the evening’s lyrical fairy tale reaches its culmination. Piotr Beczała’s first entrance has an unmistakably regal effect; in the strictly musical sense, he displays complete sovereignty over vocal control. His singing line is flawless. He guides his voice with an ease that never sacrifices substance. And then there are those powerful high notes, which sound not forced, but freely unfolded. It is a sound that touches instantly, precisely because it is so technically perfect that it seems to arise from nature itself. This vocal craftsmanship is breathtaking—and precisely because it does not sound like mere technique, it produces that immediate, visceral shock which so clearly grips the audience this evening. Beczała does not simply sing beautifully; he shapes every single tone. Every phrase has a clear direction, every arc an inner destination. The Prince’s lyricism is not merely displayed, but fully inhabited; one is carried along because the voice does not linger on the text, but penetrates it. He overwhelms not through sheer volume, but through the way he transforms sound into spatial presence. Thus it becomes clear why this figure seduces—and at the same time why this seduction is fatal. In the end, the Prince loves a vision—and Beczała makes that vision irresistible.” – Wochenblatt-reporter.de

“There are moments when good opera performances suddenly rise above themselves, climbing to an entirely different level—one that, earlier that evening, had not even seemed possible. On Thursday, such a spontaneous leap in quality occurred at the State Opera when Piotr Beczała, at the end of the first act of Rusalka, burst into a ravishingly rapturous tone of jubilation. Yet time seems to pass Piotr Beczała by—because this intelligent tenor has vocally lived only off the interest and never touched the capital. The added metal has, at most, strengthened the inner framework; outwardly, the voice still shimmers and gleams as supple, youthful, and cantabile as ever. Almost like in a fairy tale.” – Diepresse.com