What type of opera is Rusalka?

What type of opera is Rusalka?

A rusalka is a water sprite from Slavic mythology, usually inhabiting a lake or river. Rusalka was the ninth opera Dvořák composed. It is one of the most successful Czech operas, and represents a cornerstone of the repertoire of Czech opera houses….Rusalka (opera)

Rusalka
Premiere 31 March 1901 Prague

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.

Who composed the opera Rusalka?

Antonín Dvořák
Rusalka/Composers
It was in 1899 that Antonín Dvořák began looking for a libretto for his next opera. Librettist Jaroslav Kvapil provided him with a text, and by 1900 Dvořák’s greatest opera, Rusalka, was composed.

Is Little Mermaid based on Rusalka?

Rusalka is based on the original Slavic fairy tale of the Little Mermaid. The story was later adapted by Hans Christian Andersen and then by Walt Disney Studios into the 1989 film.

How does Rusalka end?

Rusalka refuses, throwing the weapon into the water. She appears from the water, reproaching him for his infidelity, and explains that now a kiss from her would kill him. Accepting his destiny, he asks her to kiss him to give him peace. She does, and he dies in her arms.

When was Rusalka written?

1900
Rusalka/Written

Where does Rusalka’s story begin?

The Story of ‘Rusalka’ ACT ONE of Dvorak’s opera begins on the banks of a lake in the forest. Wood nymphs are teasing Vodnik, a water sprite. Rusalka, a water nymph, is one of Vodnik’s daughters, and like her father and sisters, she’s immortal, but only while she stays in her watery home.

When was Rusalka composed?

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 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.

What does Rusalka mean in Russian?

In Slavic folklore, the rusalka (plural: rusalky/rusalki; Cyrillic: русалка; Polish: rusałka) is a typically feminine entity, often malicious toward mankind and frequently associated with water, with counterparts in other parts of Europe, such as the French Melusine and the Germanic Nixie.

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).

Who is the author of the opera Rusalka?

Rusalka ( pronounced [ˈrusalka] ( listen) ), Op. 114, is an opera (‘lyric fairy tale’) by Antonín Dvořák. The Czech libretto was written by the poet Jaroslav Kvapil (1868–1950) based on the fairy tales of Karel Jaromír Erben and Božena Němcová.

What kind of sprite is the opera Rusalka?

A rusalka is a water sprite from Slavic mythology, usually inhabiting a lake or river. Rusalka is one of the most successful Czech operas, and represents a cornerstone of the repertoire of Czech opera houses.

Who is the water nymph in the opera Rusalka?

Rusalka, the Water-Nymph, tells her father she has fallen in love with a human Prince who comes to hunt around the lake, and she wants to become human to embrace him. He tells her it is a bad idea, but nonetheless steers her to a witch, Ježibaba, for assistance.

What does Rusalka stand for in Slavic folklore?

In Slavic folklore, the rusalka (plural: rusalki) ( Russian: русалка, romanized : rusalka; Polish: rusałka) is a female entity, often malicious toward mankind and frequently associated with water.