Rusalka (), Op. 114, is an opera ('lyric fairy tale') by Antonín Dvořák. His ninth opera (1900–1901), on Karel Jaromír Erben's and Božena Němcová's fairy tales. The rusalka is a water sprite from Slavic mythology; it usually inhabits a lake or river.

For many years unfamiliarity with Dvořák's operas outside the Czech lands helped reinforce a perception that composition of operas was a marginal activity, and that despite the beauty of its melodies and orchestral timbres Rusalka was not a central part of his output or of international lyric theatre. In recent years it has been performed more regularly by major opera companies.

The most popular excerpt from Rusalka is the soprano aria, the "Song to the Moon" ("") for the title character in act 1, which is often performed in concert and recorded separately. It has also been arranged for violin and used on film soundtracks.

Composition history

right|thumb|Růžena Maturová as the first Rusalka

Dvořák had played viola for pit orchestras in Prague (the Estates Theatre from 1857 until 1859 while a student, then from 1862 until 1871 at the Provisional Theatre). He thus had direct experience of a wide range of operas by Mozart, Weber, Rossini, Lortzing, Wagner, Verdi as well as his compatriot Smetana.

Kvapil's libretto was written before he had any contact with the composer. The plot contains elements which also appear in The Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Andersen and in Undine by Friedrich de la Motte Fouqué, The libretto was completed by 1899, when Kvapil began looking for composers interested in setting his text to music. His composer friends were engaged with other works, but mentioned that Dvořák was looking for a project. The composer, always interested in Erben's stories, read the libretto and composed his opera quite rapidly, with the first draft begun on 22 April 1900 and completed by the end of November.

Performance history

Rusalka was first performed in Prague on 31 March 1901, with Růžena Maturová as the first Rusalka. It became an enormous success in Czech lands, and soon gained success also abroad. Shortly after the premiere Dvořák was in contact with Mahler, then at the Vienna Court Opera about mounting the work there, and having met Mahler signed a contract for a production to take place, but this fell through.

The first performance outside Bohemia took place in Ljubljana. The opera was given in Vienna by a Czech company in 1910; in German translation it was given in Stuttgart in 1935.

The UK stage premiere was given by John Lewis Opera at Peter Jones, Sloane Square in May 1950. The Times commented: "It is left to amateurs to stage for us those operas by composers howsoever eminent which do not get into the international repertory".

The first professional performances were at Sadler's Wells Theatre in 1959; a 1983 production by English National Opera was filmed and revived several times.

The United States premiere of the opera was presented by the San Diego Opera in 1975 with Kathryn Bouleyn in the title role. Rusalka was first performed in New York at the Metropolitan Opera in 1993, a production from the Vienna State Opera, directed by Otto Schenk, with Gabriela Beňačková and Neil Rosenshein. The 2007 production by Opera Australia with Cheryl Barker in the title role and Richard Hickox conducting won the Helpmann Award for Best Opera.

Roles

{| class="wikitable"

|+

!Role One writer considers the final section of the opera – the duet for the prince and Rusalka ("Líbej mne, líbej, mír mi přej") – as "[twelve] or so of the most glorious minutes in all opera" in their "majestic, almost hymnic solemnity"

|-

|1961||Milada Šubrtová,<br />Ivo Žídek,<br />Eduard Haken,<br />Alena Miková,<br />Marie Ovčáčiková

|Zdeněk Chalabala,<br />Prague National Theatre Chorus and Orchestra

|LP: Supraphon<br />Cat: SU 50440 3

|-

|1984||Gabriela Beňačková,<br />Wiesław Ochman,<br />Richard Novák,<br />Drahomíra Drobková,<br />Věra Soukupová

|Václav Neumann,<br />Czech Philharmonic & Prague Philharmonic Choir

|CD: Supraphon (re-issue in 2003)<br />Cat: SU 3178-2 633

|-

|1986||Eilene Hannan,<br />John Treleaven,<br />Rodney Macann,<br />Phyllis Cannan,<br />Ann Howard

|Mark Elder,<br />Orchestra and chorus of English National Opera,<br />(Sung in English; director David Pountney)

|DVD: Arthaus Musik (released 2006)<br />Cat: 102 019

|-

|1997||Ursula Furi-Bernhard,<br />Walter Coppola,<br />Marcel Rosca,<br />Tiziana K. Sojat,<br />Nelly Boschkova

|Alexander Rahbari,<br />Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra & Ivan Goran Kovačić Academic Choir

|CD: Brilliant Classics<br />Cat: 93968

|-

|1998||Renée Fleming,<br />Ben Heppner,<br />,<br />Eva Urbanová,<br />Dolora Zajick

|Charles Mackerras,<br />Czech Philharmonic & Kühn Mixed Choir

|CD: Decca<br />Cat: 000289 460 5682 0

|-

|2002||Renée Fleming,<br />Sergei Larin,<br />Franz Hawlata<br />Eva Urbanová,<br />Larissa Diadkova

|James Conlon,<br />Orchestra and chorus of the Opéra de Paris

|DVD: Arthaus Musik (re-issue in 2009),<br />Cat: 107 031

|-

|2007||Cheryl Barker,<br />Rosario La Spina,<br />Bruce Martin,<br />Elizabeth Whitehouse,<br />Anne-Marie Owens

|Richard Hickox,<br />Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra, Opera Australia Chorus

|CD: Chandos,<br />Cat: CHAN 10449(3)

|-

|2008||Camilla Nylund,<br />Piotr Beczała,<br />Alan Held<br />Emily Magee,<br />Birgit Remmert

|Franz Welser-Möst,<br />Cleveland Orchestra

|CD: Orfeo,<br />Cat: C792113D

|-

|2009||Ana María Martínez,<br />Brandon Jovanovich,<br />,<br />Tatiana Pavlovskaya,<br />Larissa Diadkova

|Jiří Bělohlávek,<br />London Philharmonic Orchestra and the Glyndebourne Chorus

|CD: Glyndebourne Festival Opera<br />Cat: GFOCD 007-09

|-

|2011

|Kristine Opolais,<br />Klaus Florian Vogt,<br />Gunther Groissbock,<br />Nadia Krasteva,<br />Janina Baechle

|Tomáš Hanus (conductor) & Martin Kušej (stage director),<br />Bayerisches Staatsorchester

|Blu-ray and DVD: C Major<br />Cat: 706504

|-

|2014||Myrtó Papatanasiu,<br />Pavel Černoch,<br />,<br />Willard White,<br />Renée Morloc

|Julian Hubbard,<br />La Monnaie Symphony and Chorus

|DVD and Blu-ray Disc: EuroArts (DVD label)<br />Cat: 2059928

|-

|2021

|Asmik Grigorian,<br />Eric Cutler,<br />Maxim Kuzmin-Karavaev,<br />Karita Mattila,<br />Katarina Dalayman

|Ivor Bolton (conductor), Christof Loy (stage director),<br />Teatro Real

|Blu-ray and DVD: C Major<br />Cat: 759604

|}

References

Further reading

  • Cheek, Timothy. Rusalka, a Performance Guide with Translations and Pronunciation, Lanham: Scarecrow, 2009.
  • Rusalka on a comprehensive Dvorak site
  • Czech (and Spanish) libretto
  • English (and German) libretto
  • "Song to the Moon", Czech lyrics with phonetic IPA transcription
  • , Anna Netrebko, Antonio Pappano, RAI 2014