Antonín Dvořák and his librettist Jaroslav Kvapil describe their opera Rusalka as a lyrical fairy tale
The water mermaid Rusalka wants to escape her natural world because she has fallen in love with a prince. But it cannot assert itself in the human world and the prince's love does not last either. Antonín Dvořák and his librettist Jaroslav Kvapil describe their opera Rusalka, which was premiered with great success in 1901, as a lyrical fairy tale. Motifs from old legends and various literary sources, such as the fairy tale The Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Andersen or the story Undine by Friedrich de la Motte Fouqué, are artistically interwoven in this work. Antonín Dvořák (1841-1904) set the often symbolistic verses to music with a great impressionistic magic sound, but also late romantic opulence.
Die Wassernixe Rusalka wil ihrer Naturwelt entfiehen, denn sie hat sich in einen Prinzen verliebt. Aber sie kann sich in der Menschenwelt nicht behaupten und auch die Liebe des Prinzen ist nicht von Bestand. Antonín Dvořák and his librettist Jaroslav Kvapil described their 1901 opera Rusalka as a lyrical fairy tale. In this work, motifs from old sagas and various literary sources, such as Hans Christian Andersens Märchen Die kleine Seejungfrau or Friedrich de la Motte Fouqués Erzählung Undine, are combined in an artistic way. Antonín Dvořák (1841- 1904) interpreted the often symbolistically anmutenden Verse with great impressionistic sound, but also with spätromantischer Opulenz.
Rusalka ist ein vielschichtiges Märchen, das stark beeinflusst ist von den Erkundungen der menschlichen Psyche, wie sie Sigmund Freud Anfang des 20. Jahrhunderts betreibt. Im Handlungskern zeigt sich die Oper als ein psychologisch kraftvolles Werk und erweist sich als das spannende Seelendrama einer Frau, die um Liebe, ein selbstbestimmtes Leben und eine eigene Identität kämpft.
Rusalka is a multi-layered fairy tale that is strongly influenced by the explorations of the human psyche as carried out by Sigmund Freud at the beginning of the 20th century. At the heart of the plot, the opera proves to be a psychologically powerful work and the thrilling soul drama of a woman fighting for love, a self-determined life and her own identity.
