MUSIC— Mariusz Kwiecień

Ronni Reich
Washington Post
Saturday, December 15, 2007; C08

Making an exhilarating Washington recital debut with the Vocal Arts Society, Polish baritone Mariusz Kwiecień performed works by Schumann, Tchaikovsky, Mieczyslaw Karłowicz and Ravel on Thursday night at the Austrian Embassy.

Kwiecień has a magnificent dark sound, with rare power and just enough grainy ruggedness … Many singers tend toward hushed reverence, saving full-force singing for the thick chords of "Ich Grolle Nicht" [Schumann] … Not Kwiecien … he lent an extroverted richness to the text, as though he could not contain his feelings. … imagine catching Don Giovanni's sensitive side.

… He made a case for Polish neo-romantic composer Karłowicz with a gorgeous, unexpected falsetto note illustrating childhood paradise in "I Remember Those Quiet, Bright, Golden Days." … Throughout, accompanist Howard Watkins's playing was intense and nuanced …

As encores, Richard Strauss's "Zueignung" and "Finch' han del vino," from "Don Giovanni," could not have been better chosen or better sung.