Libretto: Jaroslav Kvapil
Musical preparation: Jakub Hrůša
Conductor: Zbyněk Müller
Stage director: Jiří Heřman
Sets: Jaroslav Bönisch
Costumes: Alexandra Grusková
Lights: Daniel Tesař
Chorus master: Pavel Vaněk
Choreography: Jan Kodet
Dramaturgy: Beno Blachut

National Theatre Orchestra

National Theatre Chorus

Ballet of the National Theatre Opera

Premiere: May 13, 2009

Dvořák’s Rusalka is a true gem of Czech opera, one that has won over audiences worldwide. The composer’s ardent melodies, both tender and dramatically extreme, his masterful work with musical motifs and full-blooded orchestration, as well as Jaroslav Kvapil’s fairy-tale libretto, evoking Erben’s immensely forcible ballads, make Rusalka a work of fascinating beauty addressing audiences of all ages. Rusalka is customary deemed a “mere” fairy-tale. To be sure, there is no doubt that the fantastic story and the characters of the nymphs, water goblin or the witch are of a fairy-tale nature, yet in its fairy-tale scenes Dvořák’s paramount operatic work bears an enciphered yet profound message about the fundamental order of powers, elements, energies and passions in the natural, therefore also human, world.

Orchestra, Chorus and Ballet of the National Theatre Opera.

The opera is staged in Czech original version and English surtitles are used in the performance.

Photo: Hana Smejkalová, Petra Hajská and Petr Neubert

Duration of the performance: 3 hours and 10 minutes, 2 intermissions

PERFORMANCE DATES:
Thursday, 18 December 2014
Friday, 16 January 2015
Thursday, 12 February 2015
Thursday, 5 March 2015
Tuesday, 17 March 2015
Wednesday, 22 April 2015

CAST

Rusalka Dana Burešová

Prince Aleš Briscein

Walter Goblin Miloslav Podskalský

Witch, Foreign Princess Denisa Hamarová

First Wood Sprite Yukiko Šrejmová Kinjo

Second Wood Sprite Lucie Hájková

Third Wood Sprite Václava Krejčí Housková

Turnspit Michaela Šrůmová

Gamekeeper/Hunter František Zahradníček

The National Theatre

Ostrovní 1
112 30 Praha 1