A. DVOŘÁK: RUSALKA (Janáček Brno 2024)

ABOUT

Antonín Dvořák was one of Leoš Janáček’s mentors and friends, and his music and advice had a great influence on the younger composer. Dvořák’s Rusalka was written at the time when Janáček was working on the first version of his famous opera Jenůfa and the festival will offer a unique opportunity to hear and see these two operas side by side in both cases in extraordinary projects; the director of Rusalka will be one of the best Czech directors David Radok, who has been cooperating with the Janáček Opera of the National Theatre Brno for a long time, in an already proven tandem with Marko Ivanović as the author of the musical staging. 

Human soul, pure human soul! The water nymph Rusalka longs for life above the water, for love and a human soul. The witch knows the way, but the price is high – Rusalka loses her ability to speak, but what good is speech when for her beloved prince she is just a wave on the water… The world of men, however, turns out to be cruel and full of betrayal, over which even her pure love cannot prevail. Rusalka offers the stagers countless possibilities of interpretation, and David Radok has taken the path of a fateful drama about unfulfilled desires and human failure, about the contradictory conflict between love and erotic desire, a drama about the sinful human soul and about mistakes that can no longer be corrected.

Since its creation in 1900, Dvořák’s Rusalka has been one of the most beloved and most performed Czech operas both at home and abroad, not only thanks to its beautiful music, but also because of the poetic and timeless libretto by Jaroslav Kvapil. The poet found his inspiration in Norse myths and legends about mysterious realms hidden beneath the waves of the sea, as well as in the famous fairy tale by H. Ch. Andersen The Little Mermaid. Kvapil’s unique text contains countless symbols and Antonín Dvořák was inspired by it to create music full of colour and beautiful melodies that extend beyond opera, into the world of symphonic music. The production Rusalka, which was created as part of the Year of Czech Music, will be the second contribution of the Brno ensemble to the festival programme.

Patricie Částková

Creatives

Author: Antonín Dvořák
Director: David Radok
Conductor: Marko Ivanović, Ondrej Olos
Musical staging: Marko Ivanović
Scene: David Radok
Costumes: Zuzana Ježková
Lighting design: Přemysl Janda
Choreography: Andrea Miltnerová
Assistant Director: Patricie Částková
Choirmaster: Pavel Koňárek

Cast

Rusalka – Jana Šrejma Kačírková
Prince – Peter Berger
Water Goblin – Jan Šťáva
The Foreign Princess – Eliška Gattringerová
Witch – Václava Krejčí Housková
First Wood Sprite – Doubravka Součková
Second Wood Sprite – Ivana Pavlů
Third Wood Sprite – Monika Jägerová
Hunter – Tadeáš Hoza