Current Affairs New production of Antonin Dvorak's Rusalka at State Opera
The Czech State Opera recently premiered a new production of Antonin Dvorak's Rusalka; his second-last opera, it is about a water-nymph, who, through a witch's magic spell, leaves her underwater home to live on land - with tragic results.
Rusalka, photo: www.opera.cz
The "rusalka" water spirit is a feature of Slavonic mythology,
and the libretto by poet and director Jaroslav Kvapil was based on the
fairy tales of Karel Jaromir Erben and Bozena Nemcova. It also reflected
the influence of Hans Christian Andersen and Friedrich de la Motte Fouque.
Mostly composed at Dvorak's summer retreat at Vysoka over a period of just seven months, Rusalka was first performed at Prague's National Theatre in March 1901, and was immediately successful in the Czech Lands.
Rusalka, photo: www.opera.cz
It took longer for Rusalka to make an impact internationally, though it
indirectly reached a very wide audience when the main aria "Song to
the Moon" was used in the Oscar-winning film Driving Miss Daisy.
A musical version was staged in Prague in the year 2000, but it was not a hit at the box office.
The latest staging at the Prague State Opera is directed by Zdenek Troska, who is best known for making popular low-brow films but made a big impression last year with a successful production of Georges Bizet's Carmen, also at the State Opera.
Rusalka, photo: www.opera.cz
Rusalka is played by Eva Urbanova, who has previously played the role of
Foreign Princess in the opera, including in productions at New York's
Metropolitan Opera and the Opera Bastille in Paris.
The Prague State Opera is planning to run Rusalka until June next year.
For more information go to www.opera.cz
