The production marks the Met’s first staging of I Puritani in nearly 50 years. It also stars soprano Lisette Oropesa and tenor Lawrence Brownlee as Elvira and Arturo, with bass-baritone Christian Van Horn as Elvira’s uncle, Giorgio.
Reviewers praised Ruciński's performance. The New York Classical Review wrote: "Ruciński was superb as Riccardo. He had an almost conversational quality to his delivery, and a vibrancy that gave force to each word and note.
"His extended Act I sequence from Or dove fuggo through Ah! per sempre, was engrossing. His earthiness transcends the artificiality of opera, and each declamatory phrase followed the last with an iron-clad expressive logic."
According to Bachtrack.com, Ruciński sang with "noble phrasing and technical flexibility" as Riccardo: "His bel canto line and legato were most impressive in his soulful Ah! Per sempre io ti perdei in which, after learning that Elvira will marry Arturo, he pours out his sorrows to his officer, Bruno.
"Ruciński’s voice was especially well-paired with the resonant bass-baritone of Christian Van Horn as Giorgio, Elvira’s sympathetic uncle. Their patriotic and energetic duet, Suoni la tromba, preceded by a gorgeously atmospheric horn solo, was one of the evening’s many highlights."
The Met has scheduled five more performances of I Puritani on January 3, 6, 10, 15 and 18.
The January 10 performance will be broadcast worldwide as part of the Met's Live in HD series.
Ruciński, 49, is one of several Polish opera singers who have gained international acclaim in recent years.
He made his debut at the Polish National Opera in 2002 in the title role of Eugene Onegin and has since performed at leading opera houses worldwide.
He made his Metropolitan Opera debut in 2016 as Sharpless in Madama Butterfly.
(mk/gs)