Polish singer Ruciński makes Met debut

“He is a wonderful artist and a wonderful man,” British conductor Karel Mark Chichon told the Polish Press Agency after the performance.

Ruciński himself was delighted with the tumultuous reception of the audience.

“What else could I expect from a debut performance? I feel great. The atmosphere was fantastic right from the start. I got support from other members of the cast, from the conductor and the Met management. I am extremely happy,” Ruciński said.

The premiere was a revival of the 2006 production by Anthony Minghella, who died in 2008. There will be four more performances, on 22 and 27 of February and 2 and 5 of March.

Ruciński’s partners are Ana Maria Martinez in the title role and Roberto De Biasio as Pinkerton.

Alongside Piotr Beczała, Mariusz Kwiecień and Aleksandra Kurzak, Artur Ruciński belongs to a select group of Polish opera singers who have skyrocketed to stardom over the last two decades.

He made his debut at the National Opera in Warsaw in 2002. The turning point of his career came with Daniel Barenboim’s invitation to sing Eugene Onegin under his baton and alongside Rolando Villazon at the Deutsche Staatsoper in Berlin in 2010.

In 2014 he appeared as Count Di Luna in Verdi’s 'Il Trovatore' at the Salzburg Festival, replacing Plácido Domingo who had to cancel his participation due to illness. In the same year he made his Covent Garden debut as Germond in Verdi’s “Il Traviata”. (mk/nh)