Performed in the original Czech with Czech surtitles
One of the most beautiful operas ever written. A fairy tale about love, betrayal and forgiveness, for which the ultimate price has to be paid.
Premiere on 24th February 2012, Janáček Theatre
The most successful operatic work by one of the giants of Czech music. This exquisite fairy tale, stemming from a wistful story by Hans Christian Andersen, tells of great love and happiness, but also pain, disappointment and despair, which Dvořák’s music depicts with his moving melodies. There are few who do not know this touching story of a water nymph who falls in love with an earthly prince: this work has found a permanent place on the stages of the world’s opera houses. The timeless libretto came from the pen of Jaroslav Kvapil. Dvořák’s Rusalka definitively confirmed his position among the world’s foremost composers. The score overflows with heartfelt melodies, both gentle and tensely dramatic. The fairy-tale atmosphere is full of melodic fantasy and masterly orchestration. The new production is the work of the theatre and film director Vladimír Morávek, who introduced into this fabulous world a distinctive poetry evoking Norse and Celtic mythology. The reviews were enthusiastic, talking of a “very strong, musically engrossing” performance, which was described as “one of the most promising works in the repertoire of the Janáček Opera in recent times” (M. Zapletal, Brněnský deník [Brno Daily]).
