Rusalka

Rusalka is one of my top favorite operas and THIS is the production I love to watch. This is Renee Fleming's role; the feature aria is her signature and it was her audition piece for the Met. THIS performance of "Hymn to the Moon", and I have seen several of hers, is and always will be my favorite. She is just radiant. The conductor allows her a much slower tempo so that her voice blooms. This is not how Dvorak wrote it, but she holds the final note for added effect - rarely performed this way because it throws tradition out the window, but it's marvelous. Franz Hawlata is is a true schwarzbass and he sings "Bedo, bedo" with such soul. The other leads are in fine voice in this performance.OK, this being the operatic little mermaid, don't except any mermaids or magical costumes. "Regietheater" tries to show operatic characters in modern settings to expose certain themes. This production, imho, is trying to show the sexual themes in Rusalka. In most productions, Rusalka's reasons for treating the prince coldly in Act II can be a bit vague. Maybe she's overwhelmed by the decadence of his world. This production makes it clear: the prince's advances are VERY sexual. The dancing is very sexual. Rusalka is bewildered. It fits very well musically and shows the "fear of sex" themes in the opera. If Registheater is not to your taste, a later performance of Fleming at the Met in the traditional production where Rusalka sits in a tree and the "water goblin" wears a green chest plate for fake cut abs and pecs, is also available on Amazon. That one is just WAY too campy for me. This is one production where Regietheater is a success!

Excellent recording, Renee Fleming is one of the most beautiful voices actually.And Rusalka music is really impressive. Antonin Dvorak is one of my favorite composers.

The musical performance seems pretty much flawless, at least it seems to me. Fleming may hold one or two notes a bit too long, just because she can, but her overall interpretation is charming as well as vocally perfect. The Jezibaba and Vodnik have sung their roles all over the world and deliver here. Larin, the Prince, can be a bit less convincing as an actor, but he manages the difficult big moments for his character without strain. The sound quality of the DVD and the conductor are excellent.The production is a modern, reinterpretive one, and a very successful one at that, from the Paris Opera. It is a psychological slant on Rusalka, with the staging seemingly suggesting that Rusalka, The Foreign Princess, and Jezibaba are all different aspects of the same woman, mainly by means of matching costumes and by having characters move as reflections of each other in mirrors. The ending is reconceived as a happy one, a new beginning for Rusalka and the Prince. The sets are incredibly attractive, although spare, and the lighting is striking. The DVD's picture is excellent and detailed, with rich, bright photography, even in some fairly dark (interms of the stage lighting) scenes.I have 2 dvds of Rusalka, this one and the English National Opera one with Eileen Hannan. They are both modern productions, and similar in interpreting Rusalka as a story about the difficulty of achieving maturity and breaking away from from one's parents. They are both excellent, but I have to admit, I would like to see something different. I am hoping the recent Glyndebourne production or some other will be released on DVD soon.

I have the Fleming DVD as well. This is far superior, despite the sensationalism of the production. Kristine Opalais is the big diference as Rusalka. She is an incredible actress as well as singer. This is a truly gorgeous, exciting opera certainly equivalent to the great operas like Jenufa, Onegin, etc. that are done more often. It will be performed in Feb. by undergraduate students at Stetson University School of Music, Deland Florida in English.

I just came back from the MET's HD Rusalka with Renee Fleming and must say unequivocally to those considering buying this, wait for it to be released by the MET. I was absolutely shocked at this DVD which took a wonderful but tragic fairy tale and turned it into a psychodrama in a Motel 6 as one reviewer stated. Beautiful casting ruined by an obnoxious misguided director. When will audiences starting booing this crap, and operatic stars refuse to lend their talnts to such depravity?

This is one of my very favorite operas... I returned this production. It is arrogant and insulting. I think the audience has enough intelligence to understand the story at many levels, not just one.

Loved Renee Fleming in this opera. Glorious singing. The production, however. leaves much to be desired. Why is the forest lake a kiddy swimming pool? Weren't the actresses uncomfortable walking around in their soggy dresses? How could Ms Fleming curl up in her wet dress to sing her wonderful,"Song to the Moon"? Whey was the Water Gnome wearing a suit? I found the Met production to be a much better "fairy tale".

Interesting modernized production

Despite good singing this production is ruined for me by the decision of the stage director, Martin Kusej, that the Water Goblin is an evil child molester who has gathered a harem of beaten down young girls for his pleasure. The singer who sings the part admits that he was initially uncomfortable with what he was asked to do, but, together with the whole cast, was persuaded by its consonance with the libretto. I am not so persuaded. As I read the libretto, or indeed watch Robert Carsen's DVD version, there is a clear distinction to be made between the Wood Nymphs who begin the opera by teasing the Water Goblin, in much the fashion of the Rhinemaidens in Rhinegold--knowing full well that he has no chance of catching them--which he knows too. It is all high spirited fun, and the music seems to agree.Rusalka (the name is a generic as well as individual one) is different creature, a watery, moony being subject to melancholy reflection, incapable of many human feelings, but strongly desiring them. The Water Goblin knows her well, and appears as a protector of her known vulnerabilities, who only reluctantly is persuaded to help her in her probably hopeless desire to become fully human and beloved by the Prince.The story has tragic elements, but the tragedy lies in the inability of a Rusalka to become fully human, not in the wicked sexual exploitation of the Water Goblin.. I find Kusaj's heavy handed version gets constantly in the way of the music and the libretto, and I think I have just sworn off German "regie" directors for good. I shall focus on directors who can give a new perspective without blanking out what is really there, like David McVicars with his brillian Giulio Cesare and Nozze di Figaro, or Nicholas Hytner, with a wonderful Glyndebourne Cosi fan Tutte. Or indeed Carsen's Katya Kabanova.

La Lettonie, petit pays, nous avait déjà donné Elina Garança, mezzo de référence de notre époque, elle ajoute aujourd’hui Kristine Opolais, qui donne ici un exemple de ce que doit être dans l’excellence une soprano tragédienne lyrique, qui ajoute à une voix exceptionnelle, un jeu théâtral tout en expression, en sensibilité et en nuances. Cela est particulièrement frappant au second acte, où rendue muette, elle ne peut dialoguer avec le prince qu’avec ses regards et ses attitudes qui communiquent tous ses sentiments, son amour, mais aussi ses inquiétudes, ses peurs, ses déceptions. Ces regards traduisent successivement la douleur, la haine, l’incapacité de ressentir la passion nécessaire à l’accomplissement de cet amour trop pur qui l’oblige à laisser la place à cette autre princesse venue d’ailleurs.Physiquement très belle, elle a la qualité de chant et d’expression dramatique d’une Anna Netrebko dans Anna Bolena. Tout en elle est émerveillement, que ce soit dans la mélodie, comme dans la célèbre chanson à la lune, émouvant chant d’amour, ou dans les moments de révolte, comme en fin de second acte, où la puissance de sa voix est impressionnante. Là où elle nous semble donner la plénitude de son talent est certainement l’air d’entrée du 3° acte, à la fois dramatique et lyrique, dégageant une puissance qui va en faire, je crois, l’une des grandes sopranos de demain. C’est d’autant plus admirable qu’elle doit souvent évoluer dans l’eau ou aspergée d’eau totalement trempée, subissant différents sévices, dans une mise en scène réaliste peu favorable à la plénitude vocale. Et dans le final, ses aigus lumineux vont se fondre dans l’orchestre dans un moment d’émotion intense traduisant à la fois la félicité d’un instant d’amour partagé, et l’échec de l’amour pur quand la passion est absente. Ce duo final extatique est un des sommets musicaux de l’opéra romantique tant il est empreint de sensualité, jusque dans ce baiser mortel. C’est une interprétation qui ne peut vous laisser insensible, qui au contraire vous pénètre, vous interpelle tant elle est éprouvante.L’orchestre est magnifiquement dirigé par un Chef tchèque qui a en lui toute l’inspiration, la résonance de ce peuple et cette musique de Dvorak, comme l’avait I. Kertesz dans son intégrale des 9 symphonies qui m’ont enchanté dès ma jeunesse, ou Rostropovitch dans le magnifique concerto pour violoncelle. Il y a dans cet opéra des moments musicaux d’une grande richesse mélodique dans lesquels transparaissent des thèmes folkloriques. Cela est ressenti dès le très beau prélude sur le thème de l’eau omniprésente tout au long du spectacle. Il y a tant de phrases dégageant du rythme, de la couleur, de la mélodie dans une orchestration complexe qui se rapproche à la fois de Wagner et de R. Strauss par son coté expressionniste fait de grands élans, c’est une musique qui a une âme que fait si bien vivre Tomas Hanus.Le restant de la distribution est sans reproche, d’une très grande homogénéité, avec une mention particulière pour K.F. Vogt, voix très claire de ténor, très wagnérienne, (je crois le voir dans Lohengrin), à la prestance romantique s’il en est, une ligne de chant parfaite ; et une autre mention pour G. Groissböck, superbe basse très mélodieuse dans un rôle ingrat qu’il magnifie par moments en délivrant des chants chaleureux d’une grande douceur, et d’une ligne mélodique parfaitement maitrisée, comme au second acte devant le désespoir de sa fille muette et désespérée.Si la qualité technique est absolument parfaite (images, prises de vues, son), la mise en scène est moins catastrophique que celle de Carsen qui m’avait terriblement déplu à l’opéra de Paris au point d’éclipser la très remarquable René Fleming, mais elle est très loin de celle dont je rêve. Elle a un parti pris de transposition que je comprends tant il est difficile de rendre une telle légende terriblement complexe sans tomber dans la mièvrerie. Mais, je fais le rapprochement avec Sadko, autre légende aquatique slave, merveilleusement monté au Mariinski avec V. Gergiev, on aurait pu s’en inspirer, pour rehausser la qualité du spectacle et lui laisser cette dimension poétique essentielle qui est absente ici. Mon principal reproche vient de la violence de certaines scènes, ce qui à mon avis est inutile, car l’œuvre en elle-même n’est pas tendre. Je n’aime pas ces scènes d’inceste pédophile ainsi rendues en début du premier acte, ni la scène de coït sauvage du second acte dans un coin de la scène, et encore moins le rendu du bal franchement dégoutant avec ces daims sanguinolents de peinture rouge sur les robes blanches, à un moment où l’orchestre délivre une musique magnifique. Quant à la scène finale, on aurait pu imaginer un décor plus agréable que cet univers de lits de pensionnat où l’eau dans laquelle doit à nouveau évoluer Rusalka n’est plus représentée que par des bouteilles en plastique. Il y a là un parti pris de voyeurisme et de provocation d’un metteur en scène probablement lui-même un peu névrosé, qui n’ajoute rien, au contraire (malgré les explications données en bonus en anglais), à une œuvre musicale et théâtrale d’une telle puissance intrinsèque, surtout avec la qualité de son interprétation qui est exceptionnelle et justifie pleinement l’acquisition de ce DVD.

This is a distressing and disturbing, even upsetting, presentation of Dvorák's Rusalka, which comes across as being all about the abuse of girls, portrayed as water nymphs, by unscrupulous people including a very nasty man. Rusalka, who opts to become human and marry, is left in limbo when the marriage fails. Agreeing to marry this human was the only way she could escape from her water nymph status and live as a real human. Sadly, she ends up as a lost soul who belongs nowhere.The depiction of Rusalka the water nymph by the Latvian soprano, Kristine Opolais, is awesome. Her acting, which at one point, involves her immersing herself in an aquarium with some 'fish', is of the highest quality matched only by her singing. All the other players are equally good in their roles. Too late the human prince, who rejects her, discovers that he loves her and she kills him, after which the opera ends in the utmost misery.This is an excellent production of a distressing masterpiece of an opera full of vivid interpretation and meaning, which highlights, in spectacular fashion, the hazards facing the vulnerable and it bites home in a way that most traditional tragic operas do not and, indeed, are not expected to because they are composed and watched for other reasons. But there are no 'other reasons' here. It's the real thing disguised as a fairy tale. But then, isn't that what fairy tales are all about? Amongst other things, this is an opera for caring, imaginative, thoughtful people. Very well staged and acted, it's worth the highest accolades including lots of sparkling five star groupings, even though some viewers might find it very distressing as I did.

Everything is good, no problem with the purchase. Delivered ontime.

Molto buono, se non ottimo, il DVD soprattutto perché cantato nella lingua originale e gli indispensabili sottotitoli in italiano, che sono sempre indispensabili..