Performance Reviews: Don Pasquale, The Metropolitan Opera, 2006

"Eating up the role of Dr Malatesta was the Polish baritone Mariusz Kwiecien. Like other New Yorkers, I've heard him in a variety of roles – and in a variety of music - but had never heard him in bel canto. He turns out to be a natural. The voice is ever gorgeous, and he can take it for a ride, through Donizettian passagework. And, boy, did he have fun, playing Malatesta as a slick dude (complete with sunglasses), giving poor Pasquale a headache."

Jay Nordlinger, "A Grand Night at the Opera",
The New York Sun, April 3, 2006

"Far more than Banks or Florez, it was Mariusz Kwiecien who had the most chemistry with Netrebko. As Dr. Malatesta, who decides to teach his friend Pasquale a lesson, the athletic Polish baritone sang beautifully and was a younger, far more physical presence than usual (or truly right) with this character. In the scene where he rehearses with Norina how she'll fool Pasquale - by posing as Malatesta's sister, fresh from the convent - it seemed odd that the two didn't run off together themselves."

Bradley Bambager, The Star-Ledger, April 3, 2006

"Dr. Malatesta is the instigator of the scheme, and the whole opera. The dynamic young Polish baritone Mariusz Kwiecien was mesmerizing in the role, his robust voice matched by his robust physique. There were sparks of sexual chemistry between his character and Ms. Netrebko's, which lent another intriguing element to the story."

Anthony Tommasini, "Don Pasquale in a New Production at the Met",
The New York Times, April 3, 2006