Rusalka is a fairy tale for our gilded era the new republic. Rusalka fiaba lirica in tre atti libretto di jaroslav kvapil musica di antonin dvorak direttore. Watching rusalka, a liberal dystopian opera, in liberal. Recorded at the domovina studio, prague, from 15 november to 3 december, 1961 lyrical opera in 3 acts. Feb 25, 2017 ken howardmetropolitan opera view full gallery kristine opolais in the title role and eric owens as the water sprite in dvoraks rusalka. Rusalka is a czech opera patterned after hans christian andersons the little mermaid. Directly inspired by hans christian andersens famous the little mermaid, kvapils reinterpretation adds an array of nuanced poetic techniques, a more dramatic tempo, and dark undertones that echo the work of eminent czech folklorist. Jun 23, 2008 w ith a libretto drawn from various literary sources, all of them originating in fairytales, dvoraks opera is rich pickings for psychological interpretation. A performance guide with translations and pronunciation. Rusalka rusalka synopsis introduction synopsis introduction synopsis introduction the following pages contain a detailed synopsis of dvoraks rusalka. Nov 20, 1975 anyway, here was rusalka, for the first time in new york, and it gave the locals a chance to assess a seldom. A performance guide with translations and pronunciation cheek, timothy. I read the paperback version, from del rey and ballantine.
Ken howardmetropolitan opera jamie barton as jezibaba in dvoraks rusalka. Find out everything you need to know about the opera and enos brand new production here. Czechenglish libretto opera doro grand tier kindle edition by dvorak, antonin. Jane rosenbergs delightful retellings for children of the greatest operas. Rusalkas libretto draws inspiration from a number of sources, notably the french legend melusine and.
Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading opd 7059 dvorak rusalka. Too bad rusalka will not be around for more than four. Rusalka feels trapped in a world from which there is no escape. When jaroslav kvapil began writing the libretto for rusalka, he had already penned a series of translations of plays by classical and contemporary authors, several opera librettos such as debora, set to music by josef bohuslav foerster and the successful stage fairy tale princess dandelion. Subscriptions season subscriptions gift subscriptions subscription login subscription terms and conditions rebook a subscription. She is barefoot and clad in a grey garment of a destitute child. Kvapil began working on the libretto for rusalka before he had any contact with the composer. Met opera on demand delivers instant access to more than 500 met performances, including live in hd videos, classic telecasts and radio broadcasts. The opera takes place in an unspecified fairytale setting. The opera portrays the fairy talelike drama around the unhappy love of the nymph rusalka for a. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Classical music features feb 25, 2017 kristine opolais in the title role as dvoraks rusalka.
But the success of this production is a heartening lesson for everyone. On a moonlit meadow near a lake, three wood nymphs sing, dance, and tease the water gnome vodnik, ruler of the lakes underwater realm, who pretends to try to catch them. Charles mackerrass lifetime love affair with czech music makes him an ideal interpreter of dvoraks most popular opera, an adaptation of themes from hans christian andersons little mermaid into czech folklore. Composer antonin dvorak libretto by jaroslav kvapil. Cizi knezna mezzosopran tri lesni zinky soprany, alt. The underlying theme of rusalka stay in your own lane where matters of the heart are concerned may be a cautionary and even downbeat one. In setting the story of a water nymph who falls for a human prince, dvorak drew on the familiar tropes of folklore but mixed them up in intriguing and sophisticated ways. This guide introduces rusalka as a musical fairy tale, an example of the interest in folk music and. The production is a modern, reinterpretive one, and a very successful one at that, from the paris opera. Architecturally, it is as beautiful as the works it stages, and many of its treasures offer tantalising visual echoes of the operas that have been performed there since it opened in 1869. Mar 10, 20 dedicated to opera by requests production of rusalka, coming up in toronto, april 19th, 20. Worldwide, music schools and summer programs have mounted the work, as. The composer began writing his opera rusalka in the last stage of his career, at a.
Rusalka, a water nymph, has fallen in love with a prince. A few other russian beasties appear in this story including this is a story about a young wizard and a gambler, thrown together and sent on an adventure. The narrative of rusalka clearly resembles hans christian andersens the little mermaid. Read the libretto in anticipation of seeing hearing the opera. That was certainly the case in 2008 when minnesota opera unveiled a rusalka in a thoughtful, sensitive staging by eric simonson that featured a compelling portrait of wounded. It premiered on 4 may 1856 at the theatrecircus, conducted by konstantin lyadov father of anatoly lyadov, choreographed by marius petipa.
Friederich fouques novel undine and hans christian andersens the little mermaid. The drama revolves around the ageold quandary of a mortal man falling in love with an immortal. Rusalka is a fairytale opera about a water nymph who falls in love with a prince and wishes to transform herself into a human being to experience love. The czech libretto was written by the poet jaroslav kvapil 18681950 based on the fairy tales of karel jaromir erben and bozena nemcova. In fact, at the time when he wrote the libretto, he. Rusalka synopsis san francisco opera grand opera sf.
Rusalka is a fairy tale for our gilded era kristine opolais and jamie barton glow in the mets new production of antonin dvoraks opera. Ken howardmetropolitan opera brandon jovanovich as the prince, and kristine opolais in the title role of dvoraks rusalka. Directed by eric simonson, conducted by michael christie. Frightened, the gamekeeper and the kitchen boy have come to the woods to ask jezibaba for advice about the prince, who has fallen ill, cursed by some strange spell. Rusalka opera by antonin dvorak poster for the premiere librettistjaroslav kvapil languageczech based onfairy tales by karel jaromir erben and bozena nemcova premiere 31 march 1901 prague rusalka, op. Kvapils libretto, by its authors own admission, is closer in spirit and feel to the ballads of karel jaromir erben. Prince tenor foreign princess soprano rusalka soprano water goblin bass jezibaba mezzosoprano chorus wood sprites, the princes entourage, guests at the castle place. Glyndebourne festival operas rusalka is all fairy tale surface saving grace is the london philharmonic orchestra, which supplies the magic missing from the stage. The rights have reverted to the author, who has rewritten and republished the following two books, chernevog and yvgenie. Denys ganio orchestra, coro e corpo di ballo del teatro dellopera di roma dal 27 novembre al 14 dicembre 2014. The watersprite rusalka falls for a human prince and buys human form from the witch jezibaba at. Etude complete dun ou deux operas avec le livret integral en langue originale. Nov 04, 2016 rusalka is arizona opera s little mermaid dvoraks opera in czech is based on hans christian andersens fairy tale, which doesnt end happily ever after.
Rounding out the book are illustrations from the prague national theatre, new york metropolitan opera, and elsewhere, as well as an appendix listing recordings and videos. The russian libretto was adapted by the composer from pushkins incomplete dramatic poem of the same name. Jul 02, 2019 glyndebourne festival operas rusalka is all fairy tale surface saving grace is the london philharmonic orchestra, which supplies the magic missing from the stage. Her beautiful golden hair streams down along hey body. Perhaps there is no sadder tale in all of opera than that of rusalka, the little water sprite who enters the human world. For your love, for that beauty of yours, for your inconstant human passion, for everything by which my fate is cursed, human soul, god have mercy on you. The idea that the rusalkas journey is a oneway ticket is central to arizona operas staging, which employs an abstract set centered on the image of a floating door. Rusalka, grange park, hampshire music the guardian.
Download the new ipad app to watch on your tv with apple tv via airplay. The opera portrays the fairy talelike drama around the unhappy love of the nymph rusalka for a human. The metropolitan operas new production of dvoraks rusalka may be the unlikeliest hit of the season, a staging that takes operas answer to. The director of the prague national theatre showed kvapils finished opera libretto to dvorak, who became very enthusiastic about it. Book depository books with free delivery worldwide. It is a psychological slant on rusalka, with the staging seemingly suggesting that rusalka, the foreign princess, and jezibaba are all different aspects of the same woman, mainly by means of matching costumes and by having characters move as. Jun 17, 2019 in any case, the relationship between rusalka and the fairytale tradition is, like nearly everything in this opera, a little shadowy. This book serves as an aid to anyone seeking to perform and gain a deeper. For most of the 20th century it was thought that kvapil did not write. When jaroslav kvapil began writing the libretto for rusalka, he had already. Glyndebourne festival operas rusalka is all fairy tale. This synopsis is directly correlated to opera colorados production, opening february 12, 2011 at the ellie caulkins opera house in its colorado premiere. Shadowy, fairytale rusalka is sf opera at its best.
Rusalka by dvorak and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. In an inspired rush he finished the opera in seven months in 1900. With rusalka, one of the bestloved and most frequently performed works in the czech operatic repertoire, dvorak reached an exceptional level of lyrical depth and dramatic effectiveness. Rusalka ebook by timothy cheek 9780810883185 rakuten kobo. The czech libretto was written by the poet jaroslav kvapil based on the fairy tales of karel jaromir erben and bozena nemcova. The prince sits down on the shore of the lake, but when he looks up he sees rusalka standing before him. For those of you that are opera fans and want a way to indtroduce your little one to these masterpieces, this book does a fantastic job. She sacrifices her voice for a witchs spell, but is rejected by the prince after.
While kvapils libretto follows these stories closely, rusalka. Written in 1900 at the height of dvoraks creative powers, his fairy tale opera rusalka is a masterpiece firmly established in the international repertoryfrom 2010 to 2012 alone, over 200 performances of 27 productions of the opera played in 21 european cities alone. As the water nymphs comment on her short stay in the human world, rusalka slowly vanishes. Feb 28, 2012 i t is almost 30 years since david pountneys eno production of rusalka put dvoraks finest opera on the map in this country see footnote, and none of the subsequent uk productions has come. From the authors description, a rusalka is a russian ghost. A performance guide with translations and pronunciation is written for singers, pianists, vocal coaches, conductors, stage directors, translators, and opera enthusiastsanyone who wishes to perform the work, or who is simply moved and intrigued by this stunning opera. The story behind the famous czech opera rusalka tres bohemes. Eivind gullberg jensen regia, scene, costumi e luci. For his source material, dvorak turned to his compatriot, jaroslav kvapil.
Its heroine, who must be a highly talented soprano, is for much of the story completely mute. It can be difficult these days to find books to read to your childern that are both interesting to the child, and to the adult who is reading it. A rusalka is a water sprite from slavic mythology, usually inhabiting a lake or river. Essay in programme book, glyndebourne festival opera 2009, p. Rusalka is the first book in a series of three, though it definitely stands alone as a complete story. Dvoraks rusalka in dvoraks dreamlike opera, a little mermaid abandons immortality for love, but her ultimate sacrifice goes unrewarded. Supraphon sua 104403,supraphon dv 586467 g,supraphon sv 804952 g format. But with rusalka he had a stroke of luck, courtesy of the young author jaroslav kvapil. The score of rusalka contains many diverse elements, including sheer romanticism, folk inspired music, ceremonial pomp and circumstance, and what many have described as a foretaste of impressionism. Rusalka by timothy cheek overdrive rakuten overdrive. See more ideas about rusalka, opera and peter lik photography. Famous as the libretto for antonin dvoraks opera of the same name, jaroslav kvapils poem rusalka is an intriguing work of literature on its own. The vienna state opera, one of the worlds great opera houses, is the venue for this production of rusalka. Written in 1900 at the height of dvoraks creative powers, his fairy tale opera rusalka.
While kvapils libretto follows these stories closely, rusalka is also uniquely. The met operas rusalka is a dark, sexy hit the new. Rusalka libretto czechenglish opera by antonin dvorak. The met operas rusalka is a dark, sexy hit the new york.
Directly inspired by hans christian andersens famous the little mermaid, kvapils reinterpretation adds an array of nuanced poetic techniques, a more dramatic tempo, and dark undertones that echo the work of eminent czech. Rusalka the metropolitan opera 2017 production new. Czech libretto, one of the greatest of all opera libretti, regardless of language. Feb 03, 2017 the metropolitan operas new production of dvoraks rusalka may be the unlikeliest hit of the season, a staging that takes operas answer to the little mermaid fairy tale and. Rusalka 1901 czech libretto english translation german translation spanish translation eotvos, peter lady sarashina 2008 english libretto spanish translation. Rusalka is unwilling to consider this but is resigned to her fate.
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