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W h at t o E x p e c t f r o m r u sa lk a
Fa i r y ta les m ay n o t li t e r a lly c o m e t r ue , bu t t h e h is t o r y
of Antonín Dvořák’s Rusalka, particularly in the United States, bears some
resemblance to the genre it represents. An instant success in the composer’s Czech homeland at its 1901 premiere, Rusalka fared less well in other
countries and was rarely performed abroad for more than half a century.
The happy ending began in 1988, when a graduate of the Juilliard School
from upstate New York won the Met’s National Council Auditions with her
performance of Rusalka’s “Song to the Moon.” Two years later, the Seattle
Opera and Houston Grand Opera invited the young soprano to sing the
title role in the opera’s first major U.S. productions. Audiences began to
fall in love with Rusalka—and with its star, Renée Fleming.
The opera reached the stage of the Met in 1993, and Ms. Fleming, who
first sang it there in 1997, returns this season to headline the same classic
production by Otto Schenk in this Live in HD transmission. It’s a perfect
staging for young people, full of fairy-tale magic. It also allows room to
look at the work’s allegorical qualities—which are explored in the activities
in this educators’ guide. While many students may recognize the story of
Rusalka from other incarnations of the same source material—most notably
the animated Disney film The Little Mermaid—this guide will help them
navigate the sophisticated differences found in the operatic version by
Antonín Dvořák and Jaroslav Kvapil and examine its mystery and beauty.
Above all, the guide seeks to enhance students’ understanding, appreciation, and joy as they experience both the supernatural and the profoundly
human aspects of this opera and its Live in HD presentation.
THE WORK
rusalka
An opera in three acts, sung in Czech
Music by Antonín Dvořák
Libretto by Jaroslav Kvapil, based on
the novella Undine by Friedrich de
la Motte Fouqué and Hans Christian
Anderson’s The Little Mermaid
First performed on March 31, 1901 in
Prague (now the Czech Republic)
production
Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Conductor
Otto Schenk, Production
Günther Schneider-Siemssen,
Set Designer
Sylvia Strahammer, Costume Designer
Gil Wechsler, Lighting Designer
Carmen de Lavallade, Choreographer
STARRING
(in order of vocal appearance)
John Relyea
THE WATER SPRITE (bass)
Renée Fleming
RUSALKA (soprano)
Dolora Zajick
Production a gift from The Fan Fox and Leslie R. Samuels Foundation, Inc.
JEŽIBABA (mezzo-soprano)
Alexey Lavrov
HUNTER (tenor)
Piotr Beczala
THE PRINCE (tenor)
Vladimir Chmelo
GAMEKEEPER (tenor)
Julie Boulianne
KITCHEN BOY (soprano)
Emily Magee
THE FOREIGN PRINCESS (soprano)
fleming
zajick
beczala
relyea
1
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The guide includes four types of
activities. Reproducible student
resources for the activities are
available at the back of this guide.
CLASSROOM ACTIVITY:
a full-length activity, designed to
support your ongoing curriculum
MUSICAL HIGHLIGHTS:
opportunities to focus on notable
moments in Rusalka to enhance
familiarity with the work
PERFORMANCE ACTIVITIES:
to be used during The Met:
Live in HD transmission, calling
attention to specific aspects of this
production
POST-SHOW DISCUSSION:
a wrap-up activity, integrating the
Live in HD experience into students’
views of the performing arts and
humanities
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A G uide t o r u sa lk a
The activities in this guide address several aspects of Rusalka:
• The capacity of myth to express human experience
• The interpretation of fantasy as an allegorical medium for ideas and
feelings
• The ways legends are changed and adapted to different settings and
periods in time
• The attribution of cultural nationalism to Dvořák’s work
• The opera as a unified work of art, involving a wide range of creative
decisions by the composer, the librettist, and the artists of the
Metropolitan Opera
The guide is intended to cultivate students’ interest in Rusalka whether or
not they have any prior acquaintance with opera. It includes activities for
students with a wide range of musical backgrounds, seeking to encourage
them to think about opera—and the performing arts in general—as a
medium of entertainment and as creative expression.
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The Story
Act I A meadow by a lake, in fairy-tale times. The water nymph Rusalka sits sadly by
the water as wood nymphs sing and dance. When her father, the Water Sprite, asks
why she is unhappy, she tells him that she fell in love with a human Prince when he
came to swim in the lake. Now she wants to become human herself and live on land
with him. Horrified, the Water Sprite tells her that humans are evil and full of sin.
When Rusalka insists, claiming they are full of love, he says she will have to get help
from the witch Ježibaba, then sinks back into the lake in despair. Rusalka calls on the
moon to tell the Prince of her love. Ježibaba arrives and agrees to turn Rusalka into
a human—but warns her that if she doesn’t find love she will be damned and the
man she loves will die. Also, by becoming mortal, she will lose her power of speech.
Convinced that her feelings for the Prince can overcome all spells, Rusalka agrees
and Ježibaba gives her a potion to drink. As dawn breaks, the Prince appears with
a hunting party and finds Rusalka by the lake. Even though she won’t speak to him,
he is captivated by her beauty and leads her away to his castle. From the lake, the
voices of the Water Sprite and the other water nymphs are heard, mourning the loss
of Rusalka.
Act II The Prince’s castle. The Gamekeeper and the Kitchen Boy talk about the
approaching wedding of the Prince and his strange new bride, whose name nobody
knows. The Prince enters with Rusalka. He wonders why she is so cold toward him
but remains determined to win her. A Foreign Princess, who has come for the
Renée Fleming as Rusalka
ken howard / metropolitan opera
3
wedding, mocks Rusalka’s silence and reproaches the Prince for ignoring his guests.
VOICE TYPE
Since the early 19th century,
singing voices have usually
been classified in six basic
types, three male and
three female, according
to their range:
SOPRANO
the highest-pitched type
of human voice, normally
possessed only by women
and boys
The Prince sends Rusalka away to dress for the ball and escorts the Princess into the
castle for the beginning of the festivities.
In the deserted garden, the Water Sprite appears from the pool. Rusalka, who has
become more and more intimidated by her surroundings, rushes from the castle in
tears. Suddenly recovering her voice, she begs her father to help her, telling him that
the Prince no longer loves her. The Prince and the Princess come into the garden,
and the Prince confesses his love for her. When Rusalka intervenes, rushing into his
arms, he rejects her. The Water Sprite warns the Prince of the fate that awaits him,
then disappears into the pool with Rusalka. The Prince asks the Princess for help but
she ridicules him and tells him to follow his bride into hell.
MEZZO-SOPRANO
the female voice whose range
lies between the soprano
and the contralto (Italian
“mezzo” = middle, medium)
CONTRALTO
the lowest female voice, also
called an alto
counterTENOR
a male singing voice whose
vocal range is equivalent to
that of a contralto, mezzosoprano, or (less frequently) a
soprano, usually through use
of falsetto
TENOR
the highest naturally
occurring voice type in
adult males
BARITONE
the male voice lying below
the tenor and above the bass
BASS
the lowest male voice
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Act III The meadow by the lake. Rusalka sits by the lake once again, lamenting her
fate. Ježibaba appears and mocks her, then hands her a knife and explains that
there is a way to save herself: she must kill the Prince. Rusalka refuses, throwing the
weapon into the water. When her sisters reject her as well, she sinks into the lake in
despair. The Gamekeeper and the Kitchen Boy arrive to ask Ježibaba for help. The
Prince, they say, has been bewitched by a strange wood girl he was going to marry.
Enraged, the Water Sprite rises from the lake, saying that it was the Prince who
deceived Rusalka. Terrified by the supernatural sight, the two run away. The Wood
Nymphs enter, singing and dancing, but when the Water Sprite explains to them
what has happened to Rusalka, they fall silent and disappear.
The Prince, desperate and half crazy with remorse, emerges from the forest,
looking for Rusalka and calling out for her to return to him. 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. Rusalka asks for mercy on his soul and sinks into the water.
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w h o ’ s w h o in r u sa lk a
CHARACTER
PRONUNCIATION
VOICE TYPE
THE LOWDOWN
roo-SAHL-ka
soprano
This particular nymph, the central
figure of the opera, is nonetheless
nameless: Rusalka is Czech for
water nymph.
bass
The Water Sprite is Rusalka’s (and
probably the other water nymphs’)
father. His Czech name, Vodník
(pronounced VOHD-nyeek), is
alternately translated into English
as Water Sprite, Gnome, or Goblin.
mezzosoprano
With her magic powers, Ježibaba
spans the gap between human
and supernatural creatures. Her
name means “old witch.”
Rusalka
A water nymph;
a female
supernatural
creature
The Water
Sprite
A male
supernatural
creature of the
water
Ježibaba
An old witch
The Prince
The young royal
Rusalka falls in
love with
tenor
Rusalka falls in love with the Prince
as he swims in the pond where
she lives.
The Foreign
Princess
Another young
royal, visiting
the Prince’s
palace
soprano
It isn’t clear whether the Princess
is already the Prince’s fiancée
when she considers luring him
away from Rusalka.
Kitchen Boy
A simple
peasant
soprano
This is a trouser role—a male
character played by a female
singer.
Gamekeeper
A wise, older
peasant
baritone
This is not the man in charge of
the Prince’s domains but a lowerclass caretaker.
Hunter
Leader of the
Prince’s hunting
party
baritone
The Hunter is the first human to
encounter Rusalka after Ježibaba
turns her into a woman.
Wood
Nymphs
Supernatural
creatures who,
unlike water
nymphs, have
legs and can
run and dance
Two sopranos, one mezzosoprano
This group of nymphs lives in the
forest by Rusalka’s lake.
Water
Nymphs
Rusalka’s sisters
chorus
YEH-zheeBAH-bah
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c l a ss r o o m ac t ivi t y
Beneath the Surface:
The Fairy Tale as Allegory
In Preparation
Dvořák and Kvapil subtitled Rusalka a “Lyrical Fairy Tale.” Yet it is much more than a
For this activity, students will
need the reproducible resources
available at the back of this guide
as well as the audio selections from
Rusalka available online or on the
accompanying CD.
romantic bedtime story. Despite such typical components as curses, magical powers,
Curriculum Connections
Language Arts (Rhetorical devices),
and a strict dichotomy between the natural and the supernatural, Rusalka—like many
other works of fantasy—has often been understood as an allegory. In this activity,
students will explore key moments of the opera in order to become acquainted
with the concept of allegory—what it means, how it works, and the relationships it
proposes between works of art and their inherent meanings. They will
• consider allegorical interpretations of Rusalka’s plot
Music (Compositional styles), and
• examine the music and words of key scenes
Social Sciences (History of culture)
• discuss meanings those scenes might hold outside the boundaries of the
Learning Objectives
•To recognize and experiment with
allegory as an interpretive device
•To identify correspondences
between situations, characters, and
settings that lend themselves to
allegorical interpretation
•To practice close listening and close
reading in order to analyze musical
and literary techniques
•To deepen interest in this very
sophisticated fairy tale
•To prompt curiosity about the Live in
HD transmission of Rusalka
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opera’s plot
• draw their own conclusions about Rusalka’s status as an allegory
• develop their own allegorical interpretation of Rusalka
STEPS
There are few concepts more widely applied in the interpretation of art—whether
it’s literature, the visual arts, or performance—than allegory: the idea that an entire
work carries a meaning other than the one immediately apparent to its audience.
Some works are created with allegorical purpose: a painting in which a pile of clocks
and the figure of Death confront an elderly figure might be an allegory of life’s brevity.
In his notoriously allegorical novel Animal Farm, English author George Orwell
employs the fantastical scenario of animals taking control of their farm to examine
the socio-political dynamics of the 1917 Russian Revolution and the subsequent rise
to power of Joseph Stalin. But sometimes works or even entire genres are treated as
allegorical, whether or not their creators intended it.
Since the early 20th century, especially due to the influence of psychoanalysis,
fairy tales have often been read not as simple, thrilling bits of fantasy, but as stories
that implicitly communicate deep and even universal truths entirely invisible on the
surface of the story. As a “lyrical fairy tale” created at the dawn of the modern era,
Rusalka has variously been interpreted as an allegory of
• the situation of the Czecho-Slovak area within the Austro-Hungarian Empire in
the years before World War I
• the lives of minorities and immigrants in foreign societies
• the treatment of young women from rural areas who migrate to big cities
Common Core Standards
and Rusalka
This activity will help your students
meet English Language Arts Common
Core Standards for Reading
and Speaking and Listening. Students will develop their understanding of the opera’s Key Ideas
and Details, examining ideas about
allegory as they relate to Rusalka’s
story. They will also practice skills
related to Comprehension and
Collaboration in classroom
discussions of Rusalka’s themes.
• human emancipation and the painful path to personal freedom
None of this, of course, is mentioned in the libretto. This activity therefore explores
allegory as a set of interpretive possibilities audiences may discover in a work of art,
whether or not these possibilities were ever in the minds of its creators.
Step 1: Skimming the Surface
Common Core Connection
Reading: Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
Students will compare and contrast a fictional portrayal of a time, place,
or character and a historical account of the same period as a means of
understanding how authors of fiction use or alter history.
During most of this activity, students will be brainstorming to find meanings in
scenes from Rusalka beyond the words, music, and deeds of the opera’s characters.
The first step is to get to know the story as Kvapil and Dvořák present it. Distribute
copies of “The Story,” on pages 3 and 4 of this guide, for students to read, so they
understand the plot, the characters, and the fundamental relationships in Rusalka.
Once your students have read the synopsis, ask them to tell in their own words
what the opera is about. Then mention one or two of the allegorical interpretations
above. It’s likely that students will find them odd. Press them to imagine how the
story they read could possibly have such a meaning. What if elements of the story
were symbols—if they stood for something else?
Point out one or two famous works, commonly recognized as allegories, that
students might recognize. Examples include:
• Lord of the Flies, the novel by William Goldman—a story about life on a desert
island intended as an allegory of power and injustice in society
• Avatar, the film by James Cameron—an allegory of the misuse of military–
industrial power and the destruction of Earth’s own environment
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• The Crucible by Arthur Miller—a play about the Salem witch trials generally
understood as an allegory of anti-Communist hysteria in 1950s America
Each of these works were meant to be read as allegories by their creators. In other
cases, critics and audiences have proposed meanings that may or may not have
been intended. These include:
• The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum, interpreted by some as an allegory
of the late 19th-century U.S. economy
• The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien, seen by some as an allegory of industrialization and the two World Wars (although the author expressly denied any such
intention)
Whether intended by creators or discovered by audiences, allegorical meanings
depend on a correspondence between the characters, events, and emotions central
to a story and certain facts or relations outside the story that are familiar to the
audience. This is the key to Step 2, in which students will explore allegory by naming
familiar situations that correspond to key scenes in Rusalka.
The Gamekeeper and
Kitchen Boy in Act II
ken howard / metropolitan opera
8
Step 2: The Correspondence Game (Connecting Rusalka to
the Real World)
Common Core Connection
Speaking and Listening: Comprehension and Collaboration
Students will effectively engage in collaborative discussions, building on
others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.
Common Core Connection
Reading: Key Ideas and Details
Students will cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis
of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
In this step, teams of students will compete to think of familiar situations that correspond to key scenes in Rusalka. This requires three processes:
• analyzing the actual story element
• thinking of corresponding situations outside the story
• justifying the correspondences
The reproducibles The Correspondence Game: Round 1–6 provide texts and translations for six scenes from Rusalka. Use as many as time permits. The basic objectives of the activity can be met in three rounds, using scenes 1, 2, and 4. Note that
the difficulty of finding corresponding situations will increase as students move from
scene 1 to scene 6.
The Correspondence Game is modeled on the traditional game called a Sing-Down.
To play the Correspondence Game, divide the class into teams. You’ll want the same
number of teams as rounds of the game, so each team gets a chance to go first. Each
round is played as follows:
• Distribute the reproducible.
• Play the audio tracks for the respective scene. Students can use the space
Fun Fact: Although
Rusalka was not staged at
the Met until 1993, the great
Czech soprano Emmy Destinn
(pictured), an eager promoter
of her nation’s cultural
heritage, sang the “Song to
the Moon” at a gala concert
in 1912.
provided on the reproducible to note their responses to the feelings and
relationships in the scene, especially as expressed in Dvořák’s music.
• Allow the teams two minutes to discuss the scene itself.
• Play the track one more time so students have a second chance to think about it.
• Allow the teams three minutes to list, on paper, as many real-life situations as
possible that correspond to the scene. (Examples are provided in the guide to
Round 1)
When three minutes are up, have each team report one corresponding situation,
team by team. Note: They may not repeat a situation already reported. List the
situations on the blackboard or a large sheet of paper. Continue until all the teams
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have exhausted their lists. Hold onto the combined reports of correspondences;
they will be used in the discussion in Step 3, after the game is over.
The last team with a new situation to report wins the round.
For your convenience, below is a listening guide to the six rounds. Examples of the
kinds of correspondences students are likely to identify are included for Round 1.
Round 1: Rusalka confides in the Water Sprite (Act I)
The scene is heard without interruption on Track 1. Tracks 2 and 3 break it down for
focused study.
Fun Fact: Of Dvořák’s
ten operas, only Rusalka has
found a permanent place in the
international repertoire. His
Symphony No. 9, better known by
its subtitle “From the New World,”
on the other hand, is one of the
most popular symphonic works of
the Romantic era. It was written
in 1893 in New York during
Dvořák’s tenure as director of the
short-lived National Conservatory
of Music of America.
In the music heard in Track 2, Rusalka tells the Water Sprite of her love for a human
and her wish to leave the water and become human herself. Her sorrow is audible
from the first languid notes she sings. As she recalls her repeated encounters with the
Prince as he dove into the pond, her longing and impatience is expressed in a lyrical
melody in straightforward 3/4 rhythm. Impatience turns to frustration as she reflects,
in a line she repeats twice, on her invisibility to her beloved. The melody rises higher
and higher, conveying Rusalka’s yearning to change her situation, to become human.
Then it gracefully descends, gathering the warmth and comfort she imagines she
would feel in embracing the Prince. In the last line of the passage, she takes her time
with the word “zulíbal,” meaning “would kiss.” She holds on to that thought before
assertively, but with a brevity that might express embarrassment, adding “prudce,”
meaning “sharply,” “passionately,” or “powerfully.” A forceful, expanding string
figure at the end of the track introduces the anguished reaction of the Water Sprite,
contrasting with Rusalka’s wishful attitude.
Track 3 displays the Water Sprite’s fatherly distress. Rather than contradict
Rusalka, he channels his feelings into a reminder of the pain her leaving would cause
those she loves. Then, with a melody that winds up and down chromatically, he
warns her about her own destiny.
The emotions expressed in this scene will have resonance for many students, offering
a good opportunity to think of corresponding experiences in other situations.
Rusalka here might stand for anyone about to engage in a behavior he or she knows
to be dangerous. Rusalka’s relationship with the Water Sprite is strong enough for
her to feel she can tell him her plans, perhaps seeking approval, perhaps seeking
advice. Possible correspondences in your students’ life experience may include:
• a young adult deciding to quit college or a job
• a teen planning a weekend trip with a group of risk-taking friends
• a woman with an unplanned pregnancy, announcing her plan to keep the
baby—or to have an abortion
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Dolora Zajick and Renée Fleming
as Ježibaba and Rusalka
Human Nature
With the subtitle “Lyrical Fairy Tale,” Dvořák and
Kvapil downplayed the serious philosophical
themes woven into Rusalka. Apart from the possibilities for allegorical interpretation (addressed in
the Classroom Activity), Kvapil’s text specifically
and repeatedly touches on the blessing and the
curse of being human. The theme emerges early
and is brought into sharp focus in Rusalka’s heartrending plea to Ježibaba, “Take whatever I have,
but make me human!”
To be human, Rusalka believes, is to be free,
to express emotions, to care for one another. As
Ježibaba observes, Rusalka wants “to love and be
loved,” feelings known to humans, not magical
water creatures. But the witch hints that human
nature cuts two ways, as she adds, “to kiss and
be kissed.” The Czech Kvapil uses for “kiss” here
stresses desire, not chaste affection.
The humans in Rusalka recognize this distinction. With witty self-reference, Kvapil has his
Prince ask, upon meeting Rusalka, “Are you
human or a fairy tale?” A short time later, wonder
has turned to dismay as the Prince complains,
“You still seem like a creature from a fairy tale.”
Despite her apparent humanity, his new love remains cool and distant, like the water she comes from. From Rusalka’s
point of view, it’s a miracle that she is finally able to embrace him. From his, it’s no embrace at all.
Enter the conventional beauty, eroticism, and, ironically, cool disdain of the visiting Foreign Princess—an example
of human nature far less ambivalent than the Prince. Humans, after all, might not be the delicate romantics of a water
nymph’s moonlit dream. Ježibaba, of course, knew about this dark side all along. “A human,” she tells the distraught
Rusalka in Act III, “is not human until he has wet his hand in a stranger’s blood.” Now that the water nymph is half-human,
says the witch, only “hot human blood” can restore her to health.
Rusalka rejects the witch’s advice, but it is not clear whether this signifies her newfound humanity or her old supernatural compassion. When the Prince arrives, he is willing to die in exchange for his one true love’s embrace. But again it’s up
to the audience to determine whether this represents self-sacrifice, virtuous love, or blind desire. One thing is certain: any
work of art that raises questions of this kind is no simple “fairy tale”—a fact Dvořák surely was aware of when he chose to
set Kvapil’s libretto to “lyrical” song.
ken howard / metropolitan opera
11
• on a global scale, Rusalka might represent a political figure contemplating a
monumental decision, seeking advice (or affirmation) from a trusted diplomatic
counselor
There is, of course, no “right” or “wrong” when it comes to discussing the correspondences students imagine for each of these scenes—as long as they can point
to aspects of music and text that support their ideas.
Round 2: Rusalka seeks help from Ježibaba (Act I)
The scene is heard without interruption on Track 4. Tracks 5–7 break it down for
focused study.
Track 5 begins just after Rusalka has asked Ježibaba to turn her into a human. The
text establishes the witch’s business-like attitude—“What’s in it for me?”—while
brisk accompaniment conveys the excitement of the moment.
In Track 6, Rusalka’s response indicates both surprise and despair. Between
slashing chords, she blurts out her willingness to give up absolutely everything. This
is followed by a powerful orchestral phrase that gallops like a runaway horse, as if to
ask, “What has she gotten herself into?”
Track 7 shows how unimpressed Ježibaba is by all this emotion. Both her words
and the low, flowing strings underneath indicate that she’s heard this all before and
knows where it leads. She then gives an almost weary recital of the sentiments that
have set Rusalka aglow—the desire for love and physical affection—punctuated by
the repeated words “to já znám” (“I know about that”). Kvapil caps Ježibaba’s text
with a demeaning turn from the first person singular to the plural, which Dvořák
underscores with an arrogant little flourish in the vocal line on the final “nám,” or
“us”—regally referring to the witch herself.
Students should have little trouble imagining corresponding contexts in which a
despairing innocent seeks help from a jaded purveyor of supposed solutions.
Round 3: The Prince speaks to a mute Rusalka (Act II)
The scene is heard without interruption on Track 8. Tracks 9 and 10 break it down
for focused study.
This scene can enrich students’ understanding of the character relationships in
Rusalka by revealing a part of the Prince’s inner life, as well as his initial feelings
toward his “fairy-tale” beloved.
While only the Prince is heard in this scene, it’s important to remember that he
isn’t alone on stage. He’s singing to Rusalka. To make herself known to him, she has
12
paid the price of losing her voice, but the Prince isn’t aware of that. In Track 9, he
sings gently and romantically of his helplessness in trying to understand his silent
beloved. The melody becomes more impassioned as he repeats a phrase, telling
Rusalka how he gazed deeply into her eyes.
Track 10 continues with a pensive interlude before the Prince indicates a more
serious concern. It seems Rusalka hasn’t expressed any physical desire. Though the
Prince’s melody is courtly and respectful, horns in the orchestra are Dvořák’s musical
symbol for sexuality. A few bars later, when Kvapil’s text explicitly mentions physical
passion, the music takes on a more urgent character.
The overall emotional tone of this scene combines confusion and frustration. One
character’s behavior doesn’t comport with the other’s expectations—a circumstance aggravated by Rusalka’s inability to explain herself. Students should be able
to imagine many corresponding situations outside the context of the opera.
Round 4: The Foreign Princess and Prince speak as Rusalka stands
silently by (Act II)
The scene is heard without interruption on Track 11. Tracks 12–19 break it down for
focused study.
Track 12 opens with an angry Foreign Princess expressing herself with sarcasm and
in an emotionally charged melodic line in the upper range. As mentioned above, it is
important to keep in mind that she and the Prince are not alone on stage. Rusalka is
fun fact: The opera
Rusalka has been a
touchstone role in
soprano Renée Fleming’s
career. She first sang
the role at the Met in
1997, but she had already
sung Rusalka’s big aria
as a finalist at the Met
National Council Winners
Concert in 1988.
present, but cannot speak. By directing her remarks at the Prince alone, the Foreign
Princess is insulting her adversary.
The Prince’s reply addresses the Foreign Princess’s concern, but he is careful not to
match her in attitude. His melody is lyrical, his words ingratiating. Notice his emphasis
when he repeats the phrase “knežno krásná” (“beautiful princess”) and the almost selfdeprecatory way Dvořák has him rush off the rest of the line, which refers to himself.
Above all, note that the Prince, too, sings as if unaware of Rusalka’s presence.
The Foreign Princess does not let up (Track 13). Having won a small victory in
claiming the Prince’s attention, she turns her wit and jagged melodic line on her
rival—though still singing to the Prince, as if Rusalka were not standing there. The
sorrowful woodwind phrase heard in Track 14 seems to represent Rusalka, watching
helplessly as this interloper tears her dream to shreds. As the Foreign Princess forges
ahead in Track 15, her words continue to refer to Rusalka, but the music that carries
them is a bold challenge to the Prince.
The orchestra’s sudden shift from a harsh to a wistful tone in Track 16 leaves room
for interpretation. Is the music giving voice to sad Rusalka? Or is it only describing
the effect the Foreign Princess’s barbs have on the Prince? He continues along the
13
same melodic line in Track 17—now insulting Rusalka in one more apology to the
Foreign Princess, then pursuing his lyric flirtation.
Track 17 ends with another emotional turn in the orchestra: a sudden sound of
crisis. In Track 18, we learn why. The Prince has turned on Rusalka. No longer the
tender beau, he attacks her with a breathless, fractured line sounding more like the
Foreign Princess’s melodies than the gracious style he’s been using until now.
Dance: The Great Divider For all the variations in detail,
Rusalka shares one major theme with other tellings of the Little Mermaid
story (see the Post-Show Discussion)—fish can’t dance. In Dvořák’s opera,
dance represents society, both in nature and among humans. And while its
heroine moves between worlds, she never dances herself.
As the curtain rises, playful forest nymphs dance alongside the Water
Sprite’s pond. “Try to catch us,” they tease. Then, as the legless water
goblin ruefully looks on, they run away. In Act III, the forest nymphs
return to celebrate the pleasures of their life. One praises the feet with
which she runs barefoot across the dew-dappled glade, then all three sing,
“Let us dance!”
Ježibaba, a land-dwelling witch, casts her spell to a spooky little waltz.
Dance is also used in Rusalka to draw social and class distinctions between
humans. In Act III, after Rusalka’s shameful return to the pond, even her
sister water nymphs, themselves legless, sing metaphorically, “She whom
man has embraced is banned from our dance.”
Rusalka herself doesn’t seem to notice. Singing to her beloved moon,
she prays she might hold the Prince in her arms. Begging Ježibaba to turn
her human, she doesn’t mention legs—even when Ježibaba drops a broad
hint, singing “Look how her little feet already know to walk.” She only
yearns to hold, to hug, to embrace. Her yearning adds subtle pathos as she
sings parting words to her ill-fated Prince: “I must take you into my arms.”
Dance enlivens the worlds of Rusalka, both the supernatural and the
human. Yet dance is denied Rusalka herself—a fact that never seems to
cross her lovesick mind. In an opera filled with references to dancing, this
denial becomes an important aspect of its title character.
14
The final blow comes in Track 19 with a remarkable moment of musical contrast.
The Prince completes his derogation of Rusalka, sending her away in the same harsh
tone. With Rusalka gone, the music becomes formal, aristocratic, martial and decidedly human. This is music for a prince and princess—it holds no place for an ethereal
nature creature like Rusalka.
While it’s possible to view the events of this scene from the point of view of three
different characters, each with its own motivations and emotional reaction, students
are most likely to imagine Rusalka’s perspective. In that sense, the scene depicts a
moment of looking on powerlessly as plans, hopes, or dreams are crushed by an
unexpected event or the actions of another person. But either of the other perspectives, the Princess’s or the Prince’s, can be just as fruitful in suggesting real-life
scenes with emotional correspondence.
Round 5: Ježibaba’s solution (Act III)
The scene is heard without interruption on Track 20. Tracks 21–24 break it down for
focused study.
This scene begins with Track 21, where an indignant Ježibaba ridicules Ruslka’s
request for her help; her canny restatement is appropriately set to a melody that
invokes a pleasant old folk tune. But the fact is that the witch is indignant; she all but
explodes with resentment when she sings the word “pomohát,” or “help.” In Track 22,
Ježibaba gains her composure, completes her indictment, and then throws down a
gauntlet. Yes, she says, she can help. But will Rusalka take her counsel? As if to
convey her doubt, Ježibaba repeats the phrase “ví to rarach sám” (“the devil himself
knows”) twice more—the first time the phrase is tossed off dismissively (Track 23).
Then, on Track 24, the phrase becomes laden with dark solemnity and is followed
by a long, ominous pause. The witch is gathering strength to describe her “remedy.”
All spark of humor is gone from her tone. Her melody sounds like an incantation from
the depths of ancient wisdom. Her words are as dark as can be, warning Rusalka that
she can only redeem herself by killing the Prince in cold blood. Nevertheless, Dvořák
leavens her singing with unmistakable gentleness as she remarks that human blood
really can solve Rusalka’s problem (“Opustí tě všechna muka,” “free you of pain”)—
until the bone-chilling descent on the words “zahubi-li tvoje ruka” (“destroy him with
your own hands”) lead to a terse, pragmatic finish at the end of the track.
This scene starts with a cry for help but concludes with a demand that Rusalka
go deeper and darker place than ever before. Ježibaba’s “remedy” is the polar
opposite of Rusalka’s hope. Students may begin to find correspondences harder to
imagine. This is the sort of high drama common in opera and less familiar in daily life.
15
Round 6: A fatal reunion (Act III)
The scene is heard without interruption on Track 25. Tracks 26–29 break it down for
concentrated study. This last scene, also, brings students to the conclusion of Rusalka.
Track 26 begins with the Prince calling for Rusalka as if he were searching for a lost
child in the forest. His pacing is desperate, nearly hysterical, with tightly focused
orchestral accompaniment. All of a sudden, the music calms down and a harp
responds briefly. The Prince repeats his anguished words, the harp returns more
prominently, and then, for the first time (Track 27), he hears Rusalka’s voice—delicate,
uncertain, pleading, and with no hint of the vengeance the witch has prescribed. Its
strange sound seems to frighten him. In Track 28, the Prince realizes he’s stumbled
into the supernatural. Continuing the tone of despair, he throws himself at the mercy
of Rusalka. When she answers, sounding almost eager to warn him away, the Prince
will not be deterred. In Track 29, he declares his devotion with the same energetic
spirit that drove his search. He even starts to beg forgiveness in that forceful tone,
but seems to catch himself. His music mellows, becoming reminiscent of the courtly
song with which he initially wooed Rusalka. The music seems to carry Rusalka’s
bittersweet compassion; the compassion of a creature about to demonstrate her
love—and to take his life.
Taking place shortly before the Prince decides to accept the embrace Rusalka has
longed for—even though it means his death—this scene may provide the greatest
allegorical challenge: What can it mean? But students should not be deterred. As
one of the foremost Rusalka experts, Renée Fleming herself, has explained in her
memoir, The Inner Voice, “The ending of this opera, particularly, took me a great
deal of time and discussion to understand. What happens to her? Or to the prince,
for that matter?” What do your students think?
16
Step 3: From Correspondences to Allegory
Common Core Connection
Speaking and Listening: Comprehension and Collaboration
Students will pose questions that connect the ideas of several speakers
and respond to others’ questions and comments with relevant evidence,
observations, and ideas.
After the game, bring the class back together to discuss the correspondences that
have been identified. As time permits, prompt students to explain what led them to
point out a particular correspondence, citing evidence in the score or libretto. (Feel
free to replay tracks to help them illustrate their evidence.)
Next, look for patterns among the correspondences students have identified.
Such patterns might include references to situations like:
• dating
• moving out of your parents’ home
• making friends in unfamiliar social groups
Point out that, to the extent such patterns of correspondence hold together, Rusalka
could be interpreted as an allegory of any of those situations. That’s the nature of
allegory: it only needs to make sense in the mind of the observer.
From this perspective, students may enjoy returning to the allegorical interpretations of Rusalka discussed in Step 1. Do any of them sound more convincing now?
What research might students do to more thoroughly understand why someone
would see Czech history or immigrant experience addressed between the lines of
Rusalka?
FOLLOW-UP: The concept of allegory can be explored in many different ways.
Students might enjoy undertaking the research mentioned in Step 3 to assess the
relevance of an allegorical interpretation of Rusalka. They might want to follow
through on the discussion of the Correspondence Game, fleshing out an interpretation of Rusalka as an allegory of one of the situations mentioned. Or they might
want to choose another familiar story—a film, a TV show, or even a fairy tale—and
propose their own allegorical interpretation.
17
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m usi c a l h ig h lig h t
Greatest Hit: A Close Look at
the “Song to the Moon”
Musical Highlights are
brief opportunities to
The best-known melody in Rusalka—and one of the most popular in all of Czech
music—is heard early in the first act, shortly after Rusalka tells the Water Sprite of
•help students make sense of opera
her love for the Prince (Track 1). Her aria, “Měsíčku na nebi hlubokém” (“Little moon
•whet their interest in upcoming
Live in HD transmissions
in the deep sky”), is widely performed in concert by the world’s great sopranos.
Each focuses on audio selections
from Rusalka available online at
metopera.org/education or on the
accompanying CD. For selections
with texts, text and translation are
provided on reproducibles in the
back of this guide.
audiences’ understanding of Rusalka, her world, and her dreams.
These “mini-lessons” will in practice
take up no more than a few minutes
of class time. They’re designed
to help you bring opera into
your classroom while minimizing
interruption of your ongoing
curriculum. Feel free to use as many
as you like.
moon (Track 31). Woodwinds echo the moonlight (Track 32), then the strings return,
But it was not written as a showpiece—it’s an integral part of the opera, deepening
To appreciate the full effect of this aria, it’s helpful to begin listening a few minutes
before the soprano enters. In the music heard in Track 30, the strings set the stage
with a carpet of sound, the textures of a deep, dark sky. From time to time, a single
chord emerges from this tapestry, reverberating, as if to warn of the dangers that
lurk at night. This opening contrasts with the sounds of a harp evoking the rising
calm as quiet ripples on the water below (Track 33).
Rusalka enters this peaceful soundscape almost undetectably, calling to the
moon in Track 34. She is alone with her thoughts, though an orchestral echo, like
the moon’s reflection on the pond, calls back as she sings of the moon’s journeys.
Kvapil’s text mentions the moon’s mythical ability to observe the actions of humans,
a notion that might seem merely poetic to a concert audience. In the opera house,
however, the words reflect Rusalka’s yearning to be human herself and to see her
Renée Fleming as Rusalka
ken howard / metropolitan opera
18
Fouqué’s novella
Ondine served as
inspiration for an
1843 ballet
beloved Prince. Dvořák underscores their importance by having Rusalka repeat the
sentiment.
The aria’s second section (Track 35) is structured as a kind of duet between
Rusalka and the moon, represented by the voice of a harp. Rusalka wishes that the
moon might tell her where her love is. Harp and strings answer inscrutably, fading
into moonlit silence.
Tracks 36 and 37 reprise the melodies of the first two sections, as Rusalka’s
wishes become more and more fervent (and more specific). Again, at the end of
Track 37, harp and strings respond. But in Track 38, as a single English horn fills the
silence they leave behind, Rusalka has a final thought, one last prayer to a fading
moon. It’s at the end of this final section that the dramatic integration of the aria
into the musical fabric of the opera has its strongest impact: in a concert setting,
Rusalka’s heartbreaking conclusion, “nezhasni, nezhasni” (“don’t dim your light!”),
would be met by applause. On the opera stage—and as heard in Track 39—there’s
no time for that. Rusalka’s plea instead is cut short. The light fades and cold water
is all but literally splashed on Rusalka’s reverie, as she slips into the pond singing,
“Ta voda studí, studí!” (“The water is cold!”). While a concert audience would merely
appreciate the “beauty” of the music, the dramatic context within the opera tells a
different story.
The aria can be heard without interruption on Track 40.
19
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m usi c a l h ig h lig h t
Upstairs, Downstairs: A Close Look
at Gossip in the Palace (Act II)
Rusalka is a work filled with magic, love, grief—and self-reference. One of the
opera’s central characters, the Prince, describes his own experience as a “fairy tale.”
Two others, the Gamekeeper and the Kitchen Boy, might choose a different term:
“ghost story.” As outside observers, looking on from the service wing of the palace,
they don’t understand what is really happening and are full of superstitions—superstitions that, in this case, happen to be true. They’re the perfect mouthpieces to
deliver the comic plot summary that opens Act II.
With the first words of the scene, the Gamekeeper presses the Kitchen Boy to
hurry and tell him what’s going on (Track 41). Right away, the orchestra introduces a
merry melody reminiscent of a polka—the musical backbone of this whole passage
(Track 42). In Track 43 the Gamekeeper sings the second part of the polka, then
the Kitchen Boy repeats this second part in a higher register; the melody becomes
somewhat ominous.
He has a story to tell, and like any good storyteller, he’s going to take his time.
First, he prepares the Gamekeeper—“have you ever heard anything like it?” Horns
join in, reminders of the hunt in Act I, during which the Prince discovered the newly
human Rusalka (Track 44).
The boy sings of the hunt and the pale, silent woman as the orchestra plays more
scary music, punctuated by more horns (Track 45). But as soon as he mentions
the unthinkable—that the Prince might marry this strange woman—up pops that
merry polka-like theme again (Track 46). With a full version of it, the Gamekeeper
expresses his shock in Track 47, then offers a simple prayer and a bit of peasant
wisdom. Horns quote the polka one more time (Track 48).
Now it’s the Gamekeeper’s turn to raise the fear factor. In Track 49, he gleefully
spins stories of witches, goblins, and nymphs across three repeats of a new, slower
melody that resembles the style of a folk tune. Predictably, he gets a rise out of
the Kitchen Boy (Track 50), and so, in Track 51, he gives the boy a brief blessing
before they continue to discuss the Prince’s potential marriage. The Kitchen Boy
relays gossip about the Prince’s apparent interest in another woman. At the end
of Track 51, the Gamekeeper brings the conversation back to the supernatural,
worrying that this new girl might be demonic—the ghost story is brought up to the
present moment.
Note the last disturbing chord heard in Track 51. The Gamekeeper thinks he’s
just telling a tale, but in fact he’s right in the middle of it: the Prince and Rusalka are
approaching. In Track 52, fear creeps into the boy’s voice as he hears them. The
Gamekeeper is no braver. They both run off, as fast as their shaking legs will carry
them—just in time for Rusalka to resume its darker, more serious tone.
The scene can be heard without interruption on Track 53.
20
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m usi c a l h ig h lig h t
Different Natures: A Close Look at the
Folk-Dance Chorus (Act II)
The contrast between humans, their nature and society, and the world of the
supernatural is one of the central themes of Rusalka, and never more prominent or
dramatic than in the scene in which the Water Sprite appears from the pond to listen
in on the wedding celebration in the palace. He is bemoaning Rusalka’s condition,
caught between her native world and the shifting affairs of men, when a chorus of
partygoers enters for a dance.
Track 54 presents the mournful conclusion of the Water Sprite’s lament, a refrain
he repeats several times over the course of the opera—“Ubohá Rusalko bledá” (“Poor,
pale Rusalka”). This time, he is interrupted by a sound consistently associated with
humans throughout the opera: a brass fanfare, here leading into the first notes of a
dance (Track 55).
The wedding guests sing as they dance in Track 56. Kvapil’s text provides a
folk-ish romantic pastoral, with just enough symbolic edge to make it appropriate
for the occasion. (The distinction between white and red flowers hints at the marital
loss of virginity.) Dvořák’s sprightly tune and the wry lyrics create a carefree quality.
That’s why it’s so surprising when, after a single stanza, the Water Sprite joins the
revelers in song.
As Track 57 demonstrates, the Water Sprite sings at half the tempo of the
party-goers, declaiming one line for every two of theirs. He borrows the humans’
metaphor, exchanging the lily pads of his and Rusalka’s native pond for the humans’
white roadside blossoms. While not quite a dirge, his song has a somber quality.
Though the melody and steady beat are the same as the humans’, the Water Sprite’s
FUN FACT: Dvořák had a
lifelong interest in traditional
Slavic music. Melodies, scales,
and rhythms of folk music
appear in many of his works,
such as the “Slavonic Dances”
seen here.
song is not at all danceable. Dvořák thereby references a dramatic idea, specific to
the plot of this opera, in what might otherwise be seen as a simple bit of musical
counterpoint: dance is outside the Water Sprite’s domain.
The two worlds sing in harmony through the end of Track 57, suggesting some
deep connection between the simple country song and the song of the Water
Sprite, despite their evident differences. But when the final notes of both songs are
interrupted by the crash of a cymbal, these songs of water and earth give way to
a more powerful force: the martial music of human aristocracy. Guests and Water
Sprite alike cede the stage to the Prince and Foreign Princess, while their passion
further humiliates the on-looking Rusalka.
The folk-dance chorus can be heard without interruption on Track 58.
21
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p e r f o r m a n c e ac t ivi t y
Supporting students during
The Met: Live in HD Transmission
Thanks to print and audio recording, much about opera can be enjoyed long
before a performance. But performance itself brings vital layers of sound
and color, pageantry and technology, drama, skill, and craft. Performance
activities are designed to help students tease apart different aspects of the
experience, consider creative choices that have been made, and sharpen
their own critical faculties.
Each Performance Activity incorporates a reproducible activity sheet.
Students bring the activity sheet to the transmission to fill out during
intermission and/or after the final curtain. The activities direct attention
to characteristics of the production that might otherwise go unnoticed.
Ratings matrices invite students to express their critique: use these ratings
to spark discussions that call upon careful, critical thinking
The basic activity sheet is called My Highs & Lows. Meant to be collected,
opera by opera, over the course of the season, this sheet points students
toward a consistent set of objects of observation. Its purposes are not
only to help students articulate and express their opinions, but to support
comparison and contrast, enriching understanding of the art form as a
whole. For Rusalka, the other activity sheet, From Woods to Palace, directs
students’ attention to the design elements that help bring a story to life on
the stage of the Metropolitan Opera.
The Performance Activity reproducibles can be found in the back of this
guide. Either activity can provide the basis for class discussion after the
transmission. On the next page, you’ll find an activity created specifically
for follow-up after the Live in HD transmission.
22
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p o s t- s h o w dis c ussi o n
Little Mermaids:
Differing Versions of the Rusalka Story
Common Core Connection
Reading: Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
Students will analyze how modern works of fiction draw on themes,
events, or character types from myths, traditional stories, and other
writing, including describing how the material is rendered new.
Common Core Connection
Reading: Craft and Structure
Students will compare and contrast the structure of two or more texts
and analyze how the differing structure of each text contributes to its
meaning and style.
Students will enjoy starting the class with an open discussion of the Met
performance. What did they like? What bothered them? Did anything
surprise them? What would they like to see or hear again? What would
they have done differently? This discussion will offer students an opportunity to review the notes on their My Highs and Lows sheet, as well as
their thoughts about this Met production—in short, to see themselves
as Rusalka experts.
For all its fairy-tale resonance, Rusalka is not a traditional Czech story.
Jaroslav Kvapil transplanted elements of Slavic legend, including the
“vodník,” or water sprite, and the “rusalka”, or water nymph, into narratives borrowed from two 19th-century authors: the German Friedrich
de la Motte Fouqué and the Danish Hans Christian Andersen (whose
famous version of the story also inspired the Disney film and musical The
Little Mermaid).
The story didn’t begin with Fouqué or Andersen. Similar tales had
been told for many years in many different parts of the world. But
Friedrich de la Motte Fouqué’s novella, Ondine, was particularly influential and widely read throughout the 19th century. Though it differs
in many ways from Kvapil’s libretto, several elements in Rusalka come
directly from de la Motte Fouqué’s text. Some of those similarities and
differences include:
IN PREPAR ATION
This activity requires no preparation
other than attendance at the Met:
Live in HD transmission of Rusalka.
Curriculum connections
Language Arts and Social Studies
(Change and Continuity in Culture;
Artistic Decision-Making)
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
•To acquaint students with the
stories that inspired Rusalka
•To examine a work of literature
in terms of narrative choices and
symbolic structure
•To provide students with the
opportunity to construct their own
variations on a narrative theme that
has endured across many centuries
and cultures
23
Hans Christian Andersen
• While the opera’s Rusalka must make a deal with a witch to leave the
lake she has grown up in, Ondine has been raised on land by a human
fisherman and his wife.
• In the opera, the Prince briefly flirts with the Foreign Princess; in the
novella, the Ondine’s Knight actually weds another woman.
• In both Rusalka and Ondine, the tragic heroine is rejected by her lover
and must retreat to her watery home, only to realize she no longer truly
belongs there.
• In both versions, the lovers’ fatal kiss provides the stories’ climax.
Andersen’s version, published in 1837, will probably be more familiar to
your students, so it will provide the basis of this activity (Anderson’s full
text can be found at tiny.cc/lmermaid). Your students are likely to find
the differences between Andersen’s version and Kvapil’s quite interesting,
beyond the move from saltwater to fresh. These include:
• Andersen’s mermaid can dance quite beautifully, but only with great
pain
• Andersen’s mermaid is encouraged to kill the prince by her own sisters
• The princess who marries Andersen’s prince loves the mermaid like a
sister and misses her when she dives into the sea
• Andersen’s mermaid doesn’t end up a demon, but a virtuous “daughter
of the air”
• Students familiar with the Disney film will recognize even more differences among the three versions of the story.
Though it’s impossible to provide decisive explanations for the differences
among the 1837 Danish version, the 1901 Czech version, and the 1989 U.S.
versions of the Little Mermaid story, hypothesizing such explanations is
part of the work of a literary critic. Students may enjoy trying their hand at
such hypothesis. They can
• specify different, but corresponding, plot points
• consider the implications of the different choices
• conduct research online and in the library to help them understand why a particular creator, living in a particular society, at a particular time,
may have made such a choice.
The variations in the Little Mermaid story might also inspire students to
imagine their own contemporary versions of the story:
24
•
•
•
•
What rings true in all or any of the versions?
What aspects of the story would they change?
How could the story be made more suitable for today’s audiences?
How would those changes affect the plot? The character relationships?
The overall meaning, whether surface or allegorical?
• In the spirit of the Classroom Activity above, how might the story be
intentionally recast as an allegory for an issue of contemporary concern,
such as climate change or Internet ethics?
25
The met: LIve in HD
rusalka
classroom activity
Beneath the Surface: The Correspondence Game, Round 1
Track 1
includes Tracks 2 and 3 without interruption.
Track 2
Rusalka: Sem často přichází a v objetí mé stoupá, šat shodí na hrázi a v loktech mých se koupá. Leč pouhou vlnou jsem, mou bytost nesmí zřít. Ó vím, že člověkem dřív musila bych býti, Ó vím, že člověkem dřív musila bych býti jak já jej objímám, jak já jej objímám a vinu já jej v ruce, by on mne objal sám a zulíbal mne prudce, by on mne objal sám, on sám, on sám, a zulíbal mne prudce!
Often he comes here and accepts my embrace. He leaves his clothes on the shore and plunges into my arms.
But I’m only a wave, so he doesn’t know I even exist. I know that I have to become human, so that—just as I embrace him and hold him in my arms—he too will embrace
me and kiss me passionately!
Track 3
Dítě, ditě, z noci do noci tvoje sestry budou pro tě plakat, už ti není, už ti není pomoci, člověk-li tě v svou moc doved’ zlákat!
The Water Sprite:
My child, my child, night after night your sisters will cry for you. Nothing can be done for you once you’ve given yourself to a human!
Notes on the emotions and relationships expressed in Dvořák’s music:
27
The met: LIve in HD
rusalka
classroom activity
Beneath the Surface: The Correspondence Game, Round 2
Track 4
includes Tracks 5–7 without interruption
Track 5
Ježibaba:
Pomohu-li, co mi dáš?
What’s in it for me if I help you?
Track 6
Vše, co mám, si vem, ale udělej mne člověkem!
Rusalka:
Take whatever I have, but make me human!
Track 7
Ježibaba: A nic víc? Pranic víc? A nic víc? Proto přišlas úpěíc? Voda tě už omrzela, lidského jsi lačna těla, milování, laškování, hubiček a cukrování, to já znám, to já znám, s takovou se chodí k nám!
That’s it? Nothing else? That’s all? That’s what you came here crying for?
You’re tired of water. You want a human body to love and be loved, kiss and be kissed:
I know about that, I know about that—
that’s what they all come to us for!
Notes on the emotions and relationships expressed in Dvořák’s music:
28
The met: LIve in HD
rusalka
classroom activity
Beneath the Surface: The Correspondence Game, Round 3
Track 8
includes Tracks 9 and 10 without interruption.
Track 9
Prince: Již týden dlíš mi po boku, jak z báje zjev dlíš přede mnou, a marně v očí hluboku tvou bytost hledám tajemnou!
You’ve been living with me a week now, and you still seem some kind of creature from a fairy tale. I gaze into your eyes in vain, trying to figure out your mystery!
Track 10
Prince: Má sňatek dát mi teprve, co láska dávno chtěla, by rozhořela jsi do krve a byla ženou mou zcela?
When we are married, will I know what my love longs to know? Will you feel the heat of passion and be a complete woman?
Notes on the emotions and relationships expressed in Dvořák’s music:
29
The met: LIve in HD
rusalka
classroom activity
Beneath the Surface: The Correspondence Game, Round 4
Track 11
includes Tracks 12–19 without interruption.
Track 12
Foreign Princess: Má na to štěstí, jímž vás blaží svět, též cizí host jen němě pohlížet?
Must a guest stand on the side, silently observing the happiness you’re enjoying?
Prince: Ach, výčitka to věru včasná a s vašich rtíků rád ji, rád ji snáším: i ženich věru, kněžno krásná, je především jen sluhou vaším!
Ah, a timely reproach! And I am glad it comes from your lips.
Even a bridegroom, beautiful princess, is above all but your servant!
Track 13
Foreign Princess: A vaše kráska, citů vašich paní, vás nepokárá za to slovem ani?
And this little beauty, the lady of your heart, does she put up with it all, not a word of reproach?
Track 14
Instrumental
Track 15
Foreign Princess: Či v pohledu svém tolik něhy má,
že mluví s vámi pouze očima?
Or is her mere glance so full of tenderness that her eyes say more than words?
Track 16
Instrumental
Track 17
Prince: Leč
oči její říci zapomněly, že hostitel se nepozorným stal. Necht’ nahradí ted’ rychle, svolíte-li, co roztržit jen chvíli zanedbal.
Her eyes have not told how negligent I’ve been as a host. So may I now make up for what I temporarily neglected?
Track 18
Prince: Nač rozpaky
tvoje, a proč se tolik chvějěs?
What’s with you? Why are you trembling?
Track 19
Prince:
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V svou komnatu pospěš a stroj se k plesu již!
Go up to your room and get ready for the ball!
The met: LIve in HD
rusalka
classroom activity
Beneath the Surface: The Correspondence Game, Round 5
Track 20
includes Tracks 21–24 without interruption.
Track 21
A ted’ Ježibaba má, a ted’ Ježibaba má, zas pomáhat? Po záletech světsky̌ch, dcerko rozmilá, bys ted’ k sestrám ráda se zas vrátila?
Ježibaba:
You want Ježibaba to help again? After your worldly fun, my silly girl, you now want to go back to your merry sisters?
Track 22
Inu, mám já radu, dobrou radu mám, ale poslechneš-li, ví to rarach sám,
Well, I have can offer some advice, good advice, but whether you’ll accept it, the devil himself knows!
Track 23
Ježibaba:
ví to rarach sám!
the devil himself knows!
Track 24
Ví to rarach sám. Lidskou krví musíš smy̌ti živlů prokletí za lásku, již chtělas míti v lidském objetí. Budeš zas, budeš zas číms byla prve, než tě zklamal svět, ale horkem lidské krve lze jen ozdravět. Opustí tě všechna muka, budeš št’astna, budeš hned, zahubí-li tvoje ruka toho, jenž tě oklamal, zahubí-li tvoje ruka toho, jenž tě sved’!
Ježibaba:
The devil himself knows.
Nature’s curse is only washed away with human blood. Cleanse yourself of the love you sought in a man’s embrace!
Only then can you be what you were before you were tricked by the world.
Only hot human blood can bring you health, free you of pain, restore your happiness—
if you destroy the one who seduced you—with your own hands!
Notes on the emotions and relationships expressed in Dvořák’s music:
31
The met: LIve in HD
rusalka
classroom activity
Beneath the Surface: The Correspondence Game, Round 6
Track 25
includes Tracks 26–29 without interruption.
Track 26
Prince: Bílá moje lani! Bílá moje lani, kde jsi, kde jsi? Při všem, co v mrtvém srdci mám, nebe i zemi zaklínám, zaklínám Boha i běsy, ozvi se, ozvi, kde jsi! Milenko má!
My white doe, my white doe, where are you, where are you? By all that yet lives in my dead heart, I beg heaven and earth, I beg God and all devils, speak to me, tell me where you are! My dearest!
Track 27
Rusalka: Miláčku, znáš mne, znáš? Miláčku, ještě vzpomínáš?
My love, do you know me? My love, do you remember me?
Track 28
Prince: Mrtva-lis dávno, znič mne vráz—
živa-lis ještě, spas mne, spas!
If you are dead, kill me now— If you are alive, save me, save me!
Rusalka: Živa ni mrtva
žena ni víla, prokleta bloudím mátohou!
Marně jsem chvíli v loktech tvých snila ubohou lásku, lásku svou, milenkou tvojí kdysi jsem byla, ale ted’ jsem jen smrtí tvou!
I am not dead. I am not alive, neither a woman nor a nymph, I roam the night, cursed, a will o’ the wisp. In vain I have dreamt in your arms, my poor, wretched love
Once I may have been your beloved,
Now I can only be death to you!
Track 29
Bez tebe nikde nelze žít, můžeš mi, můžeš odpustit?
Prince:
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I can’t live without you! Can you, can you forgive me?
The met: LIve in HD
rusalka
musical highlight
Greatest Hit
Tracks 30–33
Instrumental
Track 34
Rusalka: Měsíčku na nebi hlubokém,
světlo tvé daleko vidí,
po světě bloudíš širokém, díváš se v příbytky lidí.
Little moon in the deep sky,
your light goes far and wide,
you travel the world, looking into humans’ homes.
Track 35
Měsíčku, postůj chvíli, řekni mi, kde je můj milý!
Little moon, stay for a while!
Tell me where my love is!
Track 36
Řekni mu, stříbrny měsíčku,
mé že jej objímá rámě,
aby se alespoň chviličku vzpomenul ve snění na mně.
Tell him, little silver moon, that my arms are wrapped around him, so for at least a short time,
he will dream of me.
Track 37
Zasvět’ mu do daleka, Zasvět’ mu řekni mu, řekni, kdo tu naň čeká!
Shine down on him from afar,
Shine down on him, and let him know, let him know, who waits for him here!
Track 38
O mně-li duše lidská sní, at’ se tou vzpomínkou vzbudí! Měsíčku, nezhasni, nezhasni!
Měsíčku, nezhasni!
If he dreams of me, may he wake remembering me; Little moon, don’t dim your light! Little moon, don’t dim your light!
Track 39
Ta voda, studí, studí!
The water is cold!
Track 40
reprises Tracks 30–39 without interruption.
33
The met: LIve in HD
rusalka
musical highlight
Upstairs, Downstairs
Track 41
Jářku, jářku, jářku, klouče, klouče milé,
Dopovež, dopovež, dopovež,
The Gamekeeper:
Come on, come on, dear boy, tell it all, tell it all, tell it all,
Track 42
jaká že to kratochvíle na zámku se strojí dnes?
The Gamekeeper:
what’s the reason for all the festivities taking place today?
Track 43
The Gamekeeper:
To je hostí na sini, to je práce v kuchyni, na stolích a na policích podivného náčiní!
Guests fill the hall.
The kitchen is busy; on the tables, on the shelves,
are all kinds of utensils!
Kitchen Boy: Máme ti ted’ sháňku, milý strýče Vaňku, do večera od svítání neustanem v práci ani!
We’re rushing, dear Uncle Vanek, from dawn to dusk and all night.
We work with no rest!
Track 44
Kitchen Boy: Pomysli si, pomysli si,
zdas to, strýčku, slyšel kdysi?
Just think of it, just think:
have you ever heard anything like it?
Track 45
Kitchen Boy: Princ ti našel v lese divné
stvoření, a s ním, podivme se,
snad se ožení!
Našel prý ji v lesích tvých, ve tvých lesích hlubokých, ale at’ ji vzal, kde vzal, já bych se jí, strýčku, bál! Holka je ti němá, kapky krve nemá, chodí jako vyjevená,
The Prince found a strange creature in the woods, and chances are, he could marry her!
They say found her in your own woods, in the deepest part!
But whatever—
I’m afraid of her! Doesn’t speak. Not a drop of human blood in her.
Goes around like she’s numb—
Track 46
Kitchen Boy: to by byla, to by byla, to by byla čistá žena!
some fine wife she’ll make!
Track 47
The Gamekeeper: Je to pravda vskutku, co se mluví všude? Můj ty milý smutku, už to takhle bude!
34
Then it’s true, what I hear everyone saying?
Oh my, it seems to be so!
The met: LIve in HD
rusalka
musical highlight
Upstairs, Downstairs (continued)
Track 48
At’ nás Pánbůh chrání, myslivec jsem stary̌, že v tom milování vězí divné čáry!
The Gamekeeper:
May the Lord keep us from harm!
Because reason tells me, there’s a magic spell involved in this match!
Track 49
U nás v lese straší šlakovité moci, lesem divní braši chodí o půlnoci. Je-li v těle duše slabá uhrane ji Ježibaba, pode hrází tuze snadno hastrman tě stáhne na dno, hastrman tě stáhne na dno. A kdo vidí lesní žínky bez košilky, bez sukýnky, omámí ho lásky chtíč, Pán Bůh s námi a zlé pryč, a zlé pryč!
The Gamekeeper:
My woods are haunted by a sinister power, even stranger, creatures wander there at night.
People weak in mind and body risk the spell of Ježibaba, and the Water Sprite waits by the dam for a chance to drag you down, for a chance to drag you down.
And anyone who sees the Wood Nymphs running naked may even lose his head completely—
May the Lord deliver us from evil!
Track 50
Kitchen Boy:
Strýčku, strýčku, já se bojím!
Uncle, I’m afraid!
Track 51
Inu, inu, inu, není div— Pánbůh hřichům tvojím budiž milostiv!
The Gamekeeper:
Kitchen Boy: Náš princ vždy tak švarný byl,
kterak se ted’ proměnil!
Není, jaký býval, není,
bloudí jako omámen,
stará Háta na modlení
dává za něj den co den.
A pan farář, jak to slyšel,
varovati prince přišel,
ale princ ne a ne,
holka prý tu zůstane!
The Gamekeeper: Proto jsou tu hosté již!
Proto se tak prázdní spíž!
Proto jsem honem vlek’
plno zvěře na zámek!
Of course you are—
may the Lord be merciful to your sinful soul!
The Prince used to be so handsome.
See how transformed is he now!
He’s no longer the man he was,
wanders around like he’s in a trance.
Auntie Háta pays for prayers
for him every day.
And the priest, when he heard about it,
came to warn the Prince.
But the prince wouldn't hear a word of it
and insisted that the girl would stay!
That’s why all of these guests are here!
Why supplies are running low!
That’s why I had to
bring so much game!
The italicized passage is not included in the audio clip,
but will be performed in the Live in HD broadcast.
35
The met: LIve in HD
rusalka
musical highlight
Upstairs, Downstairs (continued)
Kitchen Boy: Na štěstí, jak zdá se
nemělo to být,
všecko může zase, zase,
jiná pokazit!
Stará Háta vypráví,
jak prý je princ vrtkavý,
už prý jeho láska mizí,
jinou prý zas v mysli má,
po jakési kněžně cizí
hází prý už očima!
With a bit of luck, it seems
that help may be at hand.
Another woman could well
restore him to his senses!
Auntie Háta told us all
That the prince is inconstant:
That his love’s already vanishing.
Another he has in mind.
To a lovely foreign princess
He began to turn his eyes!
The Gamekeeper: Pánbůh dej, Pánbůh dej,
ve zdraví ho zachovej.
Já být princem, bez okolků vyhnal bych tu cizí holku, než mne v peklo zamotá: at’ se klidí žebrota!
God be praised, God be praised,
Bless him, keep him, give him peace!
If I were the Prince, I would chase out that strange girl without ado, before she drags me to hell; Show her the door, the hussy!
Track 52
Kitchen Boy:
Hu! Tam si vede princ tu obludu!
The Gamekeeper:
Já na ni také čekat nebudu!
Track 53 reprises Tracks 41–52 without interruption.
The italicized passage is not included in the audio clip,
but will be performed in the Live in HD broadcast.
36
Wow! Here come the Prince and the monster!
I’m not waiting around either!
The met: LIve in HD
rusalka
musical highlight
Different Natures
Track 54
Water Sprite: Ubohá Rusalko bledá, v nádheru světa zakletá!
Poor, pale Rusalka, caught up in this worldly web!
Track 55
Instrumental
Track 56
Guests: Květiny bílé po cestě, po cestě všude kvetly,
hoch jel a jel k své neveště a den se smál tak světlý.
White blossoms along the road, everywhere, a young fellow was riding to see his girl, and the day smiled so brightly.
Track 57
water sprite: Na vodách bílý leknín sní smutným ti druhem bude—
pro tvoje lože svatební nekvetou růže rudé!
White waterlilies dreaming on the water will be your sad companions—
no red roses will ever adorn your bridal bed!
Guests: Květiny bílé po cestě, po cestě všude kvetly,
hoch jel a jel k své neveště a den se smál tak světlý.
White blossoms along the road, everywhere, a young fellow was riding to see his girl, and the day smiled so brightly.
Nemeškej, hochu, k milé spěš! dorosteš záhy v muže,
zpátky až tudy pojedeš, pokvetou rudé růže. Květiny bílé nejdříve úpalem slunce zašly, ale ty růže ohnivě svatební lože krášlí.
Do not wait, young fellow, hurry along!
Soon you will be a man.
When you come back this way,
red roses will be blooming. The white blossoms were the first scalded by the sun, but fiery roses decorate the wedding bed.
Track 58 reprises Tracks 54–57 without interruption.
37
The met: LIve in HD
rusalka
At the Met: From Woods to Palace
There are two very distinct settings in Rusalka—the supernatural realm of the woods, and the very human world
of the palace. It is essential to the story that the audience can easily see the difference between these two places.
What were some of the tricks that the Met’s make-up artists, costume, set, and lighting designers used to make
feeling of the woods different from the feeling of the palace? Would you have done anything differently? How
would you design the sets, costumes, and lights to make the difference between Rusalka’s world and the Prince’s
world as clear as possible? Sketch some of your ideas below.
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Rusalka: My Highs & Lows
february 8, 2014
Conducted by yannick nézet-séguin
Reviewed by
the stars
Star PowerMy Comments
renée fleming as rusalka
* * * * *
Piotr Beczala as the Prince
* * * * *
Dolora Zajick as JeŽibaba
* * * * *
John Relyea as the Water Sprite
* * * * *
Emily Magee as the foreign Princess
* * * * *
THE SHOW, SCENE BY SCENE action
musicset design/staging
Dance of the wood nymphs
1-2-3-4-5
1-2-3-4-5
My opinion 1-2-3-4-5
Rusalka confides in the Water Sprite
1-2-3-4-5
1-2-3-4-5
My opinion
1-2-3-4-5
Rusalka’s Song to the Moon
1-2-3-4-5
1-2-3-4-5
My opinion
1-2-3-4-5
Rusalka meets Ježibaba
1-2-3-4-5
1-2-3-4-5
My opinion
1-2-3-4-5
The Prince discovers Rusalka
1-2-3-4-5
1-2-3-4-5
My opinion
1-2-3-4-5
The Gameskeeper and the Kitchen Boy gossip
1-2-3-4-5
1-2-3-4-5
My opinion
1-2-3-4-5
The Prince questions Rusalka
1-2-3-4-5
1-2-3-4-5
My opinion
1-2-3-4-5
The foreign Princess questions the Prince
1-2-3-4-5
1-2-3-4-5
My opinion
1-2-3-4-5
The Water Sprite’s lament
1-2-3-4-5
1-2-3-4-5
My opinion
1-2-3-4-5
Rusalka hears Ježibaba’s requirement
1-2-3-4-5
1-2-3-4-5
My opinion
1-2-3-4-5
The Gamekeeper and Kitchen Boy seek Ježibaba
1-2-3-4-5
1-2-3-4-5
My opinion
1-2-3-4-5
The Wood Nymphs’ trio
1-2-3-4-5
1-2-3-4-5
My opinion
1-2-3-4-5
The Prince comes looking for Rusalka
1-2-3-4-5
1-2-3-4-5
My opinion
1-2-3-4-5
Rusalka’s final embrace
1-2-3-4-5
1-2-3-4-5
My opinion
1-2-3-4-5
39