| Antonín Dvořák operas |
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• Rusalka (1901) |
“Rusalka” by Antonín Dvořák
Premiere / date of written: 31 March 1901
Rusalka, Op. 114, is an opera ('lyric fairy tale') by Antonín DvoÅ™ák. The Czech libretto was written by the poet Jaroslav Kvapil (1868–1950) based on the fairy tales of Karel Jaromír Erben and Božena NÄ›mcová. A Rusalka is a water sprite from Slavic mythology, usually inhabiting a lake or river. Rusalka is one of the most successful Czech operas, and represents a cornerstone of the repertoire of Czech opera houses.
The most popular excerpt from Rusalka is the "Song to the Moon" ("MÄ›síÄku na nebi hlubokém") from act 1, which is often performed in concert and recorded separately. It has also been arranged for violin and used on film sound tracks.
Libretti
| # | Language | Authors |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Czech
  |
Jaroslav Kvapil |
| 2 |
English
|
David R. Beveridge |
original libretto
line-by-line of the original libretto
Images
Audio recordings
| Year | Cast | Conductor, Opera chorus and orchestra |
Label, Comment |
Buy |
| 1952
|
Rusalka — Ludmila ÄŒervinková, The Prince — Beno Blachut, Vodník, The Water Sprite — Eduard Haken, Foreign Princess — Marie Podvalová, Ježibaba, The Witch — Marta Krásová 1st Wood Nymph — Maria Tauberova, 2nd Wood Nymph — Miloslava Fidlerova, 3rd Wood Nymph — Vera Krilova, The Gamekeeper — Jiri Joran, The Turnspit — Ludmila Hanzalikova, The Hunter — Premysl Koci |
Jaroslav Krombholc Prague National Theatre Chorus and Orchestra |
CD: Supraphon Cat: SU 3811-2 |
|
| 1976 | Rusalka — Teresa Stratas, The Prince — Ivo Zidek, Vodník, The Water Sprite — Wilard White, Foreign Princess — Gwendolyn Killebrew, Ježibaba, The Witch — Gwendolyn Killebrew |
Bohumil Gregor Netherlands Opera Orchestra and Chorus |
Opera D'oro Bella Voce |
|
| 1984 | Rusalka — Gabriela BeňaÄková, The Prince — WiesÅ‚aw Ochman, Vodník — Richard Novák, Foreign Princess — VÄ›ra Soukupová, Ježibaba — Anna Barová |
Václav Neumann Czech Philharmonic & Prague Philharmonic Choir |
CD: Supraphon (re-issue in 2003) Cat: SU 3178-2 633 |
|
| 1997 | Rusalka — Ursula Furi-Bernhard, The Prince — Walter Coppola, Vodník — Marcel Rosca, Foreign Princess — Tiziana K. Sojat, Ježibaba — Nelly Boschkova |
Alexander Rahbari Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra & Ivan Goran KovaÄić Academic Choir |
CD: Brilliant Classics Cat: 93968 |
|
Video recordings
| Year | Cast | Conductor, Opera chorus and orchestra, Director |
Label, Comment |
Buy |
| 1986 | Rusalka — Eilene Hannan, The Prince — John Treleaven, Vodník, The Water Sprite — Rodney Macann, Foreign Princess — Phyllis Cannan, Ježibaba, The Witch — Ann Howard |
Sir Mark Elder Orchestra and chorus of English National Opera David Pountney |
DVD: Arthaus Musik (released 2006) Cat: 102 019 Sung In English |
|
External links
- Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- Sheet Music — www.sheetmusicplus.com