The polish tenor Rafal Bartminski is considered as one of the leading operatic tenors in Poland today. His strong lyrical and commanding tenor voice with Vickers-like top and attractive physicality make him a perfect choice for leading tenor roles in romantic repertoire.
Highlights of the 2021/2022 season are role debuts as Max in Der Freischütz and Cavaradossi in Tosca at Opera Wroclaw (new productions) and Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly and Duca in Rigoletto at Polish National Opera.
After vocal studies with Prof. Eugeniusz Sasiadek at the Karol Szymanowski Music Academy in Katowice/Poland, several master classes with Ryszard Karczykowski, Helena Lazarska and Christian Elsner amongst others he won the 3rd prize at the Ada Sari International Vocal Competition in Nowy Sacz 2001 and the 2nd prize at the Stanislaw Moniuszko International Vocal Competition in Warsaw.
He gave his operatic debut as Lensky in Eugene Onegin at the Polish National Opera (Teatr Wielki) in 2002, and since then he appears regularly on this stage. Important roles in at the Polish National Opera were Tamino in Die Zauberflöte, Drum-Major in Wozzeck, Boris in Katya Kabanova, Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly, Duca in Rigoletto, Ismaele in Nabucco, as well as highly acclaimed success in Moniuszkos Halka as Jontek and Stefan in The Haunted Manor.
He regularly performs at major other polish opera houses, like Wroclaw Opera (Nemorino in L’elisir d’amore, Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni, Shepherd in Król Roger), Opera Poznan (Laca in Jenufa, Grigorji in Boris Godunov), Opera Podlaska Bialystok (Rodolfo in La Bohème, Alfredo in La Traviata, Don José in Carmen, Calaf in Turandot).
Operatic engagements abroad have included his highly acclaimed debut as Waclaw in Roman Statkowski's Maria at the Wexford Opera Festival, Drum-Major at Bolshoi Theatre Moscow, Alfredo at Latvian Opera Riga, Shepherd at Hessisches Staatstheater Wiesbaden and Wuppertaler Bühnen, Lensky at Landestheater Linz, Don José and Boris at Tiroler Landestheater Innsbruck.
He performs regularly in concerts with all top Polish orchestras, such as the Warsaw Philharmonic, the National Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra in Katowice, the Polish Radio Orchestra, the Beethoven Academy Orchestra, the Sinfonia Varsovia and the Filharmonia Krakowska. International concert appearances include Szymanowski's 3rd Symphony with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by Mariss Jansons in Munich and Cologne (with CD recording), and with the Spanish Radio Orchestra conducted by Hannu Lintu in Madrid, Penderecki's Polish Requiem with the Leipzig Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by Krzysztof Penderecki at the Gewandhaus Leipzig, and Szymanowski's Harnasie at Théâtre du Châtelet, Paris.
He has worked with many international conductors including Lukasz Borowicz, Gabriel Chmura, Teodor Currentzis, Valery Gergiev, Christopher Hogwood, Tomas Hanus, Mariss Jansons, Jacek Kaspszyk, Jan Latham-Koenig, Hannu Lintu, Ewa Michnik, Marc Minkowski, Krzysztof Penderecki, Modestas Pitrenas, Andrzej Straszynski, Antoni Wit and Alberto Zedda.
Rafal has also worked with acclaimed directors including David Alden, Laurence Dale, Alvis Hermanis, Gregor Horres, Dmitri Tcherniakov, Mariusz Trelinski, Krzysztof Warlikowski, and Michal Znaniecki.
Repertoire:
Berg | Wozzeck | Drum-Major |
Dobrzynski | Monbar | Monbar |
Janáček | Její pastorkyňa | Števa, Laca |
Janáček | Káťa Kabanova | Boris |
Janáček | Věc Makropulos | Janek |
Moniuszko | Halka | Jontek |
Moniuszko | The Haunted Manor | Stefan |
Mussorgsky | Boris Godunov | Gregorji |
Puccini | La Bohème | Rodolfo |
Puccini | Madama Butterfly | Pinkerton |
Puccini | Turandot | Calaf |
Puccini | Tosca | Cavaradossi |
Statkowski | Maria | Waclaw |
J. Strauß | Die Fledermaus | Alfred, Eisenstein |
J. Strauß | Der Zigeunerbaron | Sandor Barinkay |
Szymanowski | Król Roger | Shepherd |
Szymanowski | Loteria na Mezów | Darly Helgoland |
Tchaikovsky | Jewgeni Onegin | Lenski |
Verdi | La Traviata | Alfredo |
Verdi | Falstaff | Fenton |
Verdi | Nabucco | Ismaele |
Verdi | Rigoletto | Duca |
Weber | Der Freischütz | Max |
Weinberg | The Passenger | Walter |
Beethoven | IX. Sinfonie, Missa solemnis | |
Britten | War Requiem | |
Dvořák | Stabat mater | |
Janáček | Glagolská mše | |
Mahler | Das klagende Lied, VIII symphony | |
Penderecki | Polish Requiem | |
Szymanowski | Harnasie, III symphony | |
Verdi | Messa da Requiem | |
Weinberg | VIII symphony |