What is the story of the opera Rusalka?

What is the story of the opera Rusalka?

The most popular and successful Czech opera, Rusalka, tells the story of an immortal water nymph from Slavic Mythology who falls in love with a prince and yearns to become human. The opera Rusalka is based on the fairy tales of the folklorist Karel Jaromír Erben and the Czech writer, Božena Němcová.

How long is Rusalka opera?

three hours
Whole rows of empty seats were nearly all that marred Friday night’s New Orleans Opera Association presentation of Antonin Dvorak’s “Rusalka.” That and the length of the opera, which at three hours (with two intermissions) was perhaps half an hour longer than the average operagoer’s attention span.

Who Wrote Song to the Moon?

Antonín Dvořák
Song to the Moon/Composers
“Song to the Moon” from Rusalka by Dvořák: Six of the Best Performances : Interlude. Antonín Dvořák wrote some of the most memorable melodies in all of music. And from the very beginning he wanted to be known as an opera composer.

When was Rusalka written?

1900
Rusalka/Written

Coming right after his four symphonic poems inspired by Erben’s folk-ballads, Rusalka was composed very quickly, between April and November 1900. “I am filled with enthusiasm and joy that my work is going so well,” he wrote to his friend Alois Gobl in June 1900 regarding his ongoing work on Rusalka.

How do you become a Rusalka?

According to Dmitry Zelenin, young women, who either committed suicide by drowning due to an unhappy marriage (they might have been jilted by their lovers or abused and harassed by their much older husbands) or who were violently drowned against their will (especially after becoming pregnant with unwanted children).

How does Rusalka express her love for the Prince?

Undeterred, Rusalka expresses deep love for the Prince in her famous “Song to the Moon” aria. She meets with the witch Ježibaba, who can exchange Rusalka’s voice for a human body and soul.

What does Rusa Rusalka confess to Vodnik?

Rusalka confesses that she has fallen in love with a human prince, and that she wants to meet him on his land – a land of sun, away from their dark watery home. Vodnik warns how dangerous it is to leave her family home, and that the choice cannot be undone.

Why did Sondra Radvanovsky sing Rusalka?

For opera star Sondra Radvanovsky, singing the role of Rusalka is about connecting with her Czech heritage. Watch the Lyric Opera of Chicago production 2014. Dvǒrák’s Rusalka.

What does Ježibaba tell Rusalka about human blood?

Rusalka is shocked, but Ježibaba tells her that humans always end up spilling each other’s blood. Servants of the Prince arrive, looking for help – he has grown ill, longing for the absent Rusalka.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OtEqGAI7K8Y

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