Antonín Dvořák (1841-1904): Rusalka
A fairy tale of love and betrayal together with Dvořák’s enchanting score.
Libretto: Jaroslav Kvapil
Author: Antonín Dvořák
Musical Preparation: Jaroslav Kyzlink
Conductor: Jaroslav Kyzlink, Ondrej Olos
Director: Vladimír Morávek
Set Design: Daniel Dvořák
Costume Design: Sylva Zimula Hanáková
Choreography: Ladislava Košíková
Chorus Master: Pavel Koňárek
Dramaturgy: Patricie Částková
Assistant Conductor: Daniel Simandl
Assistant Stage Director: Barbora Hamalová, Renata Fraisová, Kristýna Kopřivová
Video Projection: Tomáš Hrůza
Janáček Opera Ensemble and Orchestra of the National Theatre Brno
Premiere 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’sRusalka 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]).
