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Overview
Synopsis
Considered to be the operatic retelling of The Little Mermaid story, Rusalka is a Czech fairy-tale about a mermaid who longs to be human, so that she can be with the Prince who swims in the lake. When her father Vodník (the water-sprite) cannot help her she turns to Ježibaba, the witch. She sings of her love in the beautiful ‘Měsíčku na nebi hlubokém’ known in English as the Song to the Moon. The witch casts a spell to make Rusalka human, but in return she must give up her beautiful voice and if she cannot make the Prince love her she will return to the water, and he will be cursed. The Prince falls in love with the fragile, silent Rusalka, until a bold and ambitious foreign princess arrives at the castle and he chases her instead. Vodnik rescues Rusalka from the Prince, and puts a curse on him. When he turns to the foreign princess for help she spitefully refuses. Rusalka, longing to return to the water, and to her sister sprites, makes another deal with Ježibaba. This time, she must take the Prince’s life in order to return to her own, but she refuses and throws the dagger she is offered into the lake. In her sorrow she becomes a bludička; a spirit of death. The sick Prince seeks her out to ask for her forgiveness and, knowing that it will be fatal, asks her for one last kiss.
Returning to some of the darkness and terror of the original Czech folklore, Dvořák’s magical score combines the sounds of the watery spirit world with echoes of Czech folk music, and creates a masterpiece that is the most performed, and perhaps most loved, Czech language opera in the canon.
Show Information
- Music
- Antonín Dvořák
- Libretto
- Jaroslav Kvapil
- Category
- Opera
- Age Guidance
- Youth (Y)/General Audiences (G)
- Number of Acts
- 3
- First Produced
- 1901
- Genres
- Fairy Tale/Fantasy
- Settings
- Fantasy/Imaginary, Multiple Settings
- Time & Place
- fairy tale, legendary setting, the princes castle, hunting woods and lake
- Cast Size
- medium
- Orchestra Size
- Large
- Dancing
- Optional
- Licensor
- None/royalty-free
- Ideal For
- Professional Opera, Star Vehicle Female, Includes Young Adult, Adult, Mature Adult, Elderly Characters, Medium Cast
Context
Plot
Characters
| Name | Part Size | Gender | Vocal Part |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Lead |
Female |
Soprano |
|
|
Lead |
Male |
Bass |
|
|
Lead |
Male |
Tenor |
|
|
Lead |
Female |
Mezzo-Soprano |
|
|
Supporting |
Female |
Soprano, Mezzo-Soprano |
|
|
Supporting |
Female |
Soprano, Mezzo-Soprano, Contralto |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Baritone |
|
|
Supporting |
Either Gender |
Soprano |
|
|
Featured |
Male |
Baritone |
|
|
Ensemble |
Either Gender |
Soprano, Mezzo-Soprano, Tenor, Baritone, Bass, Contralto |
Songs
Rusalka is a through-composed opera without strict scene delineations so there may be some discrepancies between editions. The breakdown here is given as a guideline only.
Prelude
Act One
‘Hou, hou, hou, stojí měsíc nad vodou!’ / ‘Ho, ho, ho, the moon is standing over the water!’ - Three Wood Nymphs, Vodnik
‘Hastmánku, tatíčku!’ / ‘Vodník, daddy dear!’ - Rusalka, Vodnik
‘Sem často přichází’ / ‘He often comes here’ - Rusalka, Vodnik
‘Měsíčku na nebi hlubokém’ / ‘Oh moon in the deep sky’ (Song to the Moon) - Rusalka
‘Ta voda studí! Ježibabo, Ježibabo!’ / ‘That water chills me! Ježibaba! Ježibaba!’ - Rusalka, Vodnik, Ježibaba
‘Čury mury fuk, bílá pára vstává z luk!’ / ‘Abracadabra, white mist is rising from the meadows!’ - Ježibaba, Rusalka, Vodnik
‘Jel mladý lovec, jel a jell’ / ‘A young hunter rode and rode’ - Lovec, Prince,
‘Ustaňte v lovu, na hrad vraťte se.’ / ‘Stop the hunt, return to the castle’ - Prince, Lovec, Chorus Naiads, Vodnik
Act Two
‘Jářku, klouče milé, dopověz,’ / ‘Do tell, dear boy, what else?’ - Hajný, Kuchtík
‘Již týden dlíš mi po boku’ / ‘For a week already I have you by my side,’ Prince, Foreign Princess
‘Běda! Běda! Ubohá Rusalko bledá,’ / ‘Alas! Alas! Oh poor, pale Rusalka’ - Vodnik, Chorus, Rusalka,
‘Květiny bílé po cestě’ / ‘White flowers along the way’ - Chorus
‘Ubohá Rusalko bledá’ / ‘Poor pale Rusalka’ - Vodnik, Rusalka,
‘Ó marno, ó marno to je’ / ‘Oh, it’s futile, it’s futile’ - Rusalka
‘Vám v očích divný žár se zračí’ / ‘I see a strange glow in your eyes’ - Foreign Princess, Prince
Act Three
‘Necitelná vodní moci’ / ‘Oh insensitive watery power’ - Rusalka
‘Aj aj, už jsi se navrátila?’ / ‘What, what? You’re back already?’ - Ježibaba, Rusalka
‘Lidskou krví musíš smýti’ / ‘Well, I do have advice’ - Ježibaba, Rusalka
‘Chci věčně trpět v úzkostech’ / ‘I want to suffer eternally in anguish’ - Rusalka, Ježibaba
‘Vyrvána životu v hlubokou samotu’ / ‘Torn from life into deep solitude’ - Rusalka, Water Nymphs
‘Že se bojíš? Třesky, plesky’ / ‘Scared, you say? Chatter, babble!’ - Hajný, Kuchtík
‘Kdo to hlučí? Kdo to volá?’ /’Who’s making that noise? Who’s calling?’ - Ježibaba, Hajny, Kuchtik, Vodnik
‘Mám, zlaté vlásky mám’ / ‘I have golden tresses, yes I do’ - Wood Nymphs, Vodnik,
‘Bílá moje lani!’ / ‘My white doe!’ - Prince
‘Miláčku, znáš mne, znáš? / ‘My love do you recognize me, do you?’ - Rusalka, Prince, Vodnik
A song with an asterisk (*) before the title indicates a dance number; a character listed in a song with an asterisk (*) by the character's name indicates that the character exclusively serves as a dancer in this song, which is sung by other characters.
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Guide Written By:
Wendy Silvester
Singer and vocal coach based in the UK.