Given Dvorák's generous melodic gifts, his warmly lush musical language, and a dramatically engaging romantic plot, it's surprising that Rusalka, written at the turn of the twentieth century, has taken so long to begin to move into the repertoire of opera houses beyond Eastern Europe. The story is essentially a Slavic version of Hans Christian Andersen's "Little Mermaid": a sea creature falls in love with a mortal prince, with tragic consequences. Dvorák's rhapsodically lyrical vocal writing is evident not only in the opera ...
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Given Dvorák's generous melodic gifts, his warmly lush musical language, and a dramatically engaging romantic plot, it's surprising that Rusalka, written at the turn of the twentieth century, has taken so long to begin to move into the repertoire of opera houses beyond Eastern Europe. The story is essentially a Slavic version of Hans Christian Andersen's "Little Mermaid": a sea creature falls in love with a mortal prince, with tragic consequences. Dvorák's rhapsodically lyrical vocal writing is evident not only in the opera's most familiar excerpt, "Song to the Moon," but in numerous solos and ensembles. This recording, taken from a 1976 broadcast of a live Dutch performance, features the Broadcast Orchestra and Netherlands Opera Chorus. Czech conductor Bohumil Gregor is a Dvorák specialist and leads a spirited and idiomatic performance that emphasizes the opera's high drama. The unevenness of the orchestra's performance is the biggest weakness of this version. Sometimes it sounds beautifully...
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