Rusalka

Rusalka ( Op. 114, is a 1901 opera ('lyric fairy tale') by Antonín Dvořák. The Czech libretto was written by the poet Jaroslav Kvapil (1868–1950) based on the fairy tales of Karel Jaromír Erben and Božena Němcová. A rusalka is a water sprite from Slavic mythology, usually inhabiting a lake or river. Rusalka was the ninth opera Dvořák composed. It is Dvořák's most successful opera and belongs to the repertoire of all world opera scenes.

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. In the five seasons from 2008 to 2013 it was performed by opera companies worldwide far more than all of Dvořák's other operas combined.

The most popular excerpt from Rusalka is the soprano aria, the "Song to the Moon" ("Měsíčku na nebi hlubokém") 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 sound tracks.

Program and cast

Conductor: Jiří Štrunc

Rusalka: Alžběta Poláčková, Pavla Vykopalová

Prince: Peter Berger, Aleš Briscein, Richard Samek

Water Goblin: Oleg Korotkov, Zdeněk Plech, Roman Vocel

Witch: Veronika Hajnová, Jana Sýkorová, Andrea Tögel Kalivodová

Foreign Princess: Anda-Louise Bogza, Iveta Jiříková, Jitka Svobodová

First Wood Sprite: Hana Jonášová, Lucie Silkenová

Second Wood Sprite: Sylva Čmugrová, Jana Horáková Levicová

Third Wood Sprite: Šárka Hrbáčková, Alžběta Vomáčková

Turnspit: Lenka Pavlovič, Erika Vocelová Jarkovská

Gamekeeper: Jan Ježek, Ivan Kusnjer

Hunter: Jiří Brückler, Jiří Hájek, František Zahradníček

Libretto: Jaroslav Kvapil
Stage director: Zdeněk Troška
Sets: Milan Ferenčík
Costumes: Josef Jelínek
Chorus master: Adolf Melichar
Choreography: Dana Morávková
Dramaturgy: Jitka Slavíková

State Opera Orchestra
State Opera Chorus