Dvořák - Rusalka

Dvořák - Rusalka

Ádám Fischer conducts the orchestra and choir of La Monnaie in a performance of Antonín Dvořák’s (1841-1904) Rusalka, a fairytale opera in three acts. Rusalka is the composer’s ninth opera and still one of the cornerstones of Czech opera houses. The main roles are played by Myrtò Papatanasiu (Rusalka), Pavel Černoch (Prince), Annalena Persson (Foreign Princess), Willard White (Vodnik) and Renée Morloc (Ježibaba). A rusalka is a water sprite from Slavic mythology, living in a lake or river. In this story, Rusalka wishes to become human in order to be loved by a prince. For her wish to be fulfilled, Rusalka must give up her voice and face eternal damnation if her love fails. Stage director Stefan Herheim masterfully presents this lyrical fairytale, recorded at La Monnaie, Brussels, in 2016. In this widely acclaimed interpretation, the fairytale elements sometime take on frighteningly realistic dimensions so that one might see this enchanting production as a psychoanalytical study of male fantasies and female archetypes.