Moonstruck
Antonin Dvorak, the Czech composer best known for the “New World” Symphony, his postcard to America, composed nine operas and never had much success with them. Only “Rusalka,” his setting of an epic fairy tale similar to “The Little Mermaid,” has survived in the mainstream repertoire of modern opera houses.
We can be grateful for that. “Rusalka” has some of the most beautiful vocal music ever written, displaying Dvorak’s matchless gift for melody and orchestration. The Metropolitan Opera’s visually and musically gorgeous new production of this work comes to The Moviehouse in Millerton and the Mahaiwe in Great Barrington, live in HD, on Saturday, February 25. I had the good fortune to attend the opening-night performance live at the Met.
In “Rusalka,” the title character, a water sprite, falls in love with a mortal, a prince. The witch Jezibaba grants her wish to turn her into a human, so she can be with her love. In exchange for this magic, however, she must win the prince’s love – without her voice – or else be cursed forever and, possibly, lure the prince to his death. Unlike Disney’s Ariel, Rusalka has no sidekick sea creatures to help her.
As Rusalka, the Latvian soprano Kristine Opolais is the reigning queen of the role. Opolais, who is married to Boston Symphony conductor Andris Nilsson, made her name at the Met a few years ago as a last-minute substitute in “La Boheme.” Her voice is radiant, especially in the upper registers; occasionally she was a little too soft on the low notes for those of us in the cheap seats.
The rest of the cast is uniformly excellent, especially the dashing American tenor Brandon Jovanovich as the prince. His voice is fresh and lyrical, only occasionally strained on the highest notes; in a few years he could reach superstar status. Jamie Barton as Jezibaba and Katarina Dalayman as a rival princess are outstanding.
The sets and lighting by Daniel Ostling and T.J. Gerckens bring the story alive with vivid color and form. Mary Zimmerman’s production leans heavily on the symbolism in the libretto, such as the clash of cultures between human and non-human, which drives a wedge between the prince and Rusalka.
But the lush melodies and orchestration are what make this opera an unforgettable experience, no more so than in its most famous aria, the Song to the Moon, sung by Rusalka in the first act. Honestly, I could listen to it a thousand times and never get tired of it. As interpreted by Opolais and the British conductor Mark Elder, it was sublime.
The work is not without its flaws. It could have used a major trim to cut it down from its 3-plus-hour length. “Rusalka” was Dvorak’s attempt at Being Wagner, and his use of certain Wagnerian devices was heavy-handed; for example, he deploys the “Moon” theme as a leitmotif with variations throughout, which in some sense diminishes the joy of the aria itself.
Quibbles aside, this is one of the high points of this Met season, one you won’t want to miss when it comes to theaters February 25 (with an encore March 11).
We can be grateful for that. “Rusalka” has some of the most beautiful vocal music ever written, displaying Dvorak’s matchless gift for melody and orchestration. The Metropolitan Opera’s visually and musically gorgeous new production of this work comes to The Moviehouse in Millerton and the Mahaiwe in Great Barrington, live in HD, on Saturday, February 25. I had the good fortune to attend the opening-night performance live at the Met.
In “Rusalka,” the title character, a water sprite, falls in love with a mortal, a prince. The witch Jezibaba grants her wish to turn her into a human, so she can be with her love. In exchange for this magic, however, she must win the prince’s love – without her voice – or else be cursed forever and, possibly, lure the prince to his death. Unlike Disney’s Ariel, Rusalka has no sidekick sea creatures to help her.
As Rusalka, the Latvian soprano Kristine Opolais is the reigning queen of the role. Opolais, who is married to Boston Symphony conductor Andris Nilsson, made her name at the Met a few years ago as a last-minute substitute in “La Boheme.” Her voice is radiant, especially in the upper registers; occasionally she was a little too soft on the low notes for those of us in the cheap seats.
The rest of the cast is uniformly excellent, especially the dashing American tenor Brandon Jovanovich as the prince. His voice is fresh and lyrical, only occasionally strained on the highest notes; in a few years he could reach superstar status. Jamie Barton as Jezibaba and Katarina Dalayman as a rival princess are outstanding.
The sets and lighting by Daniel Ostling and T.J. Gerckens bring the story alive with vivid color and form. Mary Zimmerman’s production leans heavily on the symbolism in the libretto, such as the clash of cultures between human and non-human, which drives a wedge between the prince and Rusalka.
But the lush melodies and orchestration are what make this opera an unforgettable experience, no more so than in its most famous aria, the Song to the Moon, sung by Rusalka in the first act. Honestly, I could listen to it a thousand times and never get tired of it. As interpreted by Opolais and the British conductor Mark Elder, it was sublime.
The work is not without its flaws. It could have used a major trim to cut it down from its 3-plus-hour length. “Rusalka” was Dvorak’s attempt at Being Wagner, and his use of certain Wagnerian devices was heavy-handed; for example, he deploys the “Moon” theme as a leitmotif with variations throughout, which in some sense diminishes the joy of the aria itself.
Quibbles aside, this is one of the high points of this Met season, one you won’t want to miss when it comes to theaters February 25 (with an encore March 11).