Partly inspired by Hans Christian Andersen's poignant fable, The Little Mermaid, Dvorak's operatic masterpiece tells of a water nymph who longs to become human in order to win the love of a handsome prince, only to find herself betrayed by him and condemned to an eternal existence as a will-o'-the-wisp, luring more men to a watery grave.
With its Bohemian forest setting and fairy-tale cast of characters – wood nymphs, a water goblin, two faithful castle servants and the all powerful (if terrifyingly unpredictable) witch, Jezibaba – the whole opera is suffused with a magical aura of poetry, romance and lyricism that flows right through from Rusalka's radiant "Song to the Moon" in Act One to the enraptured closing duet in which the doomed lovers sink together beneath the moonlit waters of the lake.
Rivalled only by Smetana's The Bartered Bride as the world's most popular Czech opera, Rusalka now follows it into the Glyndebourne repertoire, in the securely idiomatic hands of Czech maestro Jiri Belohlavek (reunited with the London Philharmonic Orchestra after their inspiring performances of Tristan und Isolde in 2007). British director Melly Still, (who recently staged the acclaimed production of Coram Boy at the National Theatre), makes her Glyndebourne debut.
Performed by arrangement with Dilia, Praha and Boosey & Hawkes Music Publishers Ltd.
Performance schedule:
Sun 5 July, at 3.35
Thur 9 July, at 4.50
Sun 12 July, at 3.35
Wed 15 July, at 4.50
Sat 18 July, at 4.50
Wed 22 July, at 4.50
Sun 26 July, at 3.35
Sat 1 August, at 4.50
Fri 7 August, at 4.50
Tue 11 August, at 4.50
Thur 13 August, at 4.50
Sun 16 August, at 3.35
Wed 19 August, at 4.50
Fri 21 August, at 4.50
Mon 24 August, at 4.50
Fri 28 August, at 4.50 -- www.glyndebourne.com
Posted June 3rd, 2009 by ruzik_tuzik
