Rusalka
Antonín Dvořák
(1901)

Inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s The Little Mermaid, Rusalka is a modern-day fairytale of a water nymph who yearns to be part of the human world to earn the love of a prince. Invoking the help of a manipulative witch, she is bound by strict conditions that will lead her to discover the meaning of true love.

First performed by Opera North in 2003, Olivia Fuchs’ award-winning production returns with many of its original cast, including Irish soprano, Giselle Allen as Rusalka, Susannah Glanville as The Foreign Princess and Richard Angas as The Water Sprite.  Internationally acclaimed Richard Berkeley-Steele makes his Opera North debut as The Prince.

Suffused with a haunting score, famed for Rusalka’s poignant ‘Song to the Moon,’ and conducted by Oliver von Dohnanyi, (The Bartered Bride, 1998) Rusalka offers an altogether spell-binding experience.

Sung in English
Lasts approximately 3 hours 15 minutes

"Of recent interpretations, Opera North’s must rank as one of the best. First seen in 2003, it has been to Australia and back, and now returns stronger than ever – thanks to a first-class ensemble and a staging by Olivia Fuchs that tickles the imagination while respecting the mysterious simplicity of the tale. Niki Turner’s single set is a winter wonderland of transparent ice-cubes, a handy refuge for nubile wood nymphs and a useful perch for the alluring Rusalka – until Jezibaba, here wittily portrayed as a hospital surgeon, performs the operation that gives her human legs." Andrew Clark, Financial Times 5*

Read the full article here.

"Richard Angas excels as the fatalistic Water Sprite, a lugubrious prophet of doom with a timbre so deep it seems to have been scraped up off the ocean floor; and Anne Marie-Owens portrays the enchantress Jezibaba as a surgeon who casually tosses the heroine's amputated tail into a specimen dish. Fuchs's presentation is quite capable of chilling the blood, though it comes at the expense of melting one's heart." Alfred Hickling, The Guardian 3*

Read the full article here.

"It's been seven years since Giselle Allen took the lead in Dvorak's tragic ode to unconditional and unrequited love. It's almost as if time stood still. She appears untouched by the passing years and, as a result, remains the perfect choice to play Rusalka visually."

"Vocally Allen is also superb as the besotted water nymph who sacrifices her own happiness to be with the man she adores. Her voice is mesmeric and precise, never more obvious than when she takes on the famous aria Song to the Moon." Rod McPhee, Yorkshire Evening Post 3*

Read the full article here.

A variety of free pre-show talks accompany this opera.  Book in advance at the box office for the following venues:

The Grand Theatre Leeds

The Lowry Salford Quays
 
Theatre Royal Newcastle

Theatre Royal Nottingham

Renée Fleming – Rusalka
Ben Heppner – The Prince
Eva Urbanová – The Foreign Princess
Dolora Zajick – Ježibaba
Franz Hawlata – Water Sprite
Czech Philharmonic Orchestra
Charles Mackerras – conductor
Decca 460 5682, 3 CDs, full-price, Czech libretto with English translation
 

Olivia Fuchs (Director)

What will be the first impressions for the audience?
Of course it is the music - it is very beautiful and very accessible. They will enter this striking, intense world, which is transmutent and very passionate.

Are you bringing elements of the contemporary to Rusalka?
Rusalka is very much a fairy tale opera and fairy tales are always symbolic. There are many layers of meaning and I don’t want to loose that aspect of the opera. But I do want to bring it up to date and closer to home. For me the piece is very much about two different realms or worlds; the spiritual world is all about the flow of water, or life, that constantly changes and moves. We should all try and be aware of it more, tap into it more. The human world in Rusalka tries to fix everything - it takes from nature and the spiritual world without giving anything back. This is reflected in how they are dressed: burgundies and blood red coloured costumes adorned with furs.

What stage did you begin working with your set and costume designer Niki Turner?
It was a fluid process. I started formulating some thoughts and we both sat down and discussed the physical world the piece should take place in. The main design came quickly as we focused on the fairy tale and the elements of water. The first act is about the flow of water and it is most visibly depicted with a pool centre stage with further lighting allusions. In Act 2 the water turns to snow and then Act 3 becomes a totally frozen world – there are even icicles in Rusalka’s hair.

Out of Rusalka’s many sources which one influenced you the most?
I looked at all the ones I could find – and then Dvořák’s and his librettist Kvapil’s way of expressing the story is slightly different again. It’s an age old story that has so many transmutations including Hans Andersen’s The Little Mermaid which was one of the main sources of the opera. That story is very cruel. It is all about self-sacrifice to attain a soul. Other Undine stories emphasise different aspects like the fact that the Foreign Princess and Rusalka could be seen as alter-egos, or in Giraudoux’ play Undine asks why human beings have to cut up the soul of the universe, so that they can have it for themselves.

* This interview is from 2003 when Olivia was rehearsing Rusalka.

Giselle Allen (Rusalka)

Can you tell us a bit about the character of Rusalka and her journey through the opera?
Rusalka is a water sprite - or, as we would probably describe it, a mermaid. At the beginning of the opera she is very naïve and has an idealistic view of love because she isn’t of the human world. She is in love with a prince who visits the lake in which she lives and is convinced that he loves her too, even though they have never met. She is so pure of heart and doesn’t understand that those of the human world may not act in the same honest way as she and her sisters do. This idealistic view prompts her to surrender her voice and her life in the water in return for legs and the chance to live in the world above. Of course, from this point her life spirals out of control as she discovers the different emotions that we experience as humans, and how cruel and fickle people are capable of being. We witness not only the toll that this takes on her emotionally and physically but also her progress towards a maturity well beyond her life experience. It’s quite a dramatic journey!

What are you most looking forward to about returning to this production?
I'm really looking forward to bringing more experience to the role both mentally and vocally. It’s 7 years since I sang the role and I am really enjoying singing it again. The music is incredibly beautiful and challenging and to be able to rediscover a character and add some more layers will be exciting. Another thing I’m looking forward to is working with the other singers; I’ve worked with many of them before so it’ll be great for us to experiment and feed off one another’s different energies on stage.

What do you consider to be the highlights of the show?
For me the highlights are Acts 2 and 3. I know that most of the audience will wait for ‘Song to the Moon’ in Act 1 but I feel that the following acts really show Rusalka’s true character. I love the aria after she discovers that the Prince has been swayed by the Foreign Princess; she sings the most beautiful song about being betrayed and it is heartbreaking. The aria at the beginning of Act 3 and the final duet with the Prince are also thrilling to sing and act. At this point you are wondering what she will do and whether they will be reunited. It’s very exciting dramatically and features the most sublime music.

Why should people come and see Rusalka?
Well, the whole piece is beautifully written and the plot contains everything a good opera should: love; romance; an innocent soul; an evil witch; a romantic pairing; betrayal; sacrifice; death and redemption. What more could you need?! The audience will certainly not be bored.

I also think it’s a great first opera to see. The fact that we are singing it in English rather than Czech means it will be much more accessible for people and it will appeal because it is a love story and reminiscent of the familiar story of The Little Mermaid. It’s visually stunning, the music is easy on the ear and extremely beautiful and the story will move and thrill you right to the end, so I really think there is something for everyone.
 

Act 1

Rusalka, a water nymph, wants to become human so that she can earn the love of the prince. She invokes the help of a witch Jezibaba, who agrees to help her on two conditions: first, Rusalka must remain silent, never uttering a word to the prince; and second, he must always remain true. If either of these promises is broken they will both be damned. The water goblin warns her against the pact, but Rusalka is determined, and when she and the prince see each other, they fall instantly in love.
 

Act 2

At the prince’s court, the mute Rusalka is plotted against by the evil foreign princess, who convinces the prince to reject her.
 

Act 3

Rusalka is a wreck, broken by the prince’s rejection and damned by the witch’s curse. The repentant prince returns to Rusalka. She explains her silence and tells him she can be released by a single embrace, but that it would cost him his life. He urges her to free them both and they kiss; the prince dies and Rusalka returns to the water.
 

• Rusalka pre-show talk

  (Lasts approximately 7 minutes)

  Chorus member David Owen-Lewis gives his insight and experience of Dvořák's Rusalka, in this special introduction to his pre-show talk on between 6.00pm - 6.30pm before each performance.

• Rusalka - Song to the Moon, Decca

  (Lasts approximately 30 secs)

• Rusalka - Golden is my Hair, Decca

  (Lasts approximately 60 secs)

• Audience Reactions

  

  Find out what people are saying about the production...