Trailer:
Like most people I only really knew ‘the’ aria from this work - one of the first classical records I heard as my parents had a 45 rpm of it, sung by Joan Hammond. And while I saw the famous Pountney/ENO production in the (?) 70’s/80’s, I recall very little except that it took a psychoanalytical approach to the story and I vividly recall one stage image of a girl in white on a swing…
Here the production was essentially abstract (of which more later) and the most distinctive aspect of the production was that the main characters all had dancer equivalents.s a very distinctive visual and dramatic approach and I fear that, after having seen it all and thought about it, it was not something that worked. From the start the dance was incessant and obtrusive. It was rare that the dances positively added to the scenes that they were in. The biggest problem I think is that ones attention never knew where to be focused and it was not a technique that helped to tell the story - in fact, it too often obscured it. A classic case was in Act 3 where Jezibaba gave the knife to Rusalka to kill the Prince to save herself - a crucially important scene but which here was of diminished impact as there were two Rusalka’s and only one Jezibaba. Who does she focus on and react with - and while she is doing that, what is the other player doing?There is also of course the problem that singers and dancers move VERY differently and this was another distracting aspect of this idea. Dancers were singularly superfluous in ‘the’ aria and it detracted was the marvellous singing and emotional performance of Rusalka. In addition the interactions between the singers and dancers seemed inconsistent - sometimes the singer was paired with the dance or vice versa (where the difference in terms of quality of body movement became particularly apparent, while at other times dancer and singers were paired with their performing ‘other half’…but there seemed to be no logic or reason when this happened!
The set (in two parts on two revolves) was a large structure made up of tall wave-shaped wooden verticals. This was…OK but too often it just sat there solidly -although there were a few times when it was beautifully lit, )thankfully during ‘Oh Silver Moon’). And this was another problem for me with the production. It seems that the essence of this drama is a contrast between two worlds - the spirit and the human, epitomised by Rusalka and the Prince but, with one brief exception (the opening of Act 3 where the stage was bathed in a rich blue light with stage fog swirling) this was not acknowledged at all. Even the costumes had a similar muted and muddy quality in their colouring. A major flaw I feel.
However in spite of all these problems, the work DID impress - both as a drama, if only periodically and when permitted by the production, but certainly with the first-rate singing. The music is rich and engaging with many excellent and vividly daramtic scenes - the confrontation between the Foreign Princess and the Prince, the Goblin Kin’slament near the end of Act 2 for Rusalka and the rejection at the end of that act - all were super pieces of thrilling drama. As indicated the Prince, Foreign Princess and Rusalka gave marvellous performances. Jezibaba was effective as a singer but given her central power and importance, her rather matronly and frankly dull appearance gave no real help in placing her as one of the central propellers of the drama.
But, in spite of all these criticisms the work did ‘work’ and Act 3 was particularly fine, giving us a dramatically and emotionally satisfying conclusion. Here, finally, almost all staging elements seemed to be working together with a sickly green light being very effectively used for this climactic scene and the redemption of the Prince (a relative of Pinkerton, I think) did convince - in spite of the fact that there were two death scenes happening simultaneously!
Loved the opera then, disliked the production, essentially as it worked against the music and its impact. Will look out for other productions to compare now I think.
RusalkaPumeza Matshikiza Rusalka (dancer)Shelby Williams
The Prince Kyungho Kim The Prince (dancer)Morgan Lugo
Vodník, the water goblin Goderdzi Janelidze Vodník (dancer) Matt Fole
Ježibaba, a witch Maria Riccarda Wesseling
The foreign princess Karen Vermeiren
Gamekeeper Daniel Arnaldos
Turnspit Raphaële Green
Hunter Justin Hopkins
First wood sprite Annelies Van GramberenSecond wood spriteZofia HannaThird wood spriteRaphaële Green
Wood sprites (dancers) Morgana Cappellari, Lara Fransen, Laurine Muccioli, Júlia Pagès
Water nymphs (dancers) Joseph Kudra, Robbie Moore, Shane Urton, Lateef Williams
Conductor: Giedoc Slekyte