Rusalka
Antonin Dvorak (1841–1904)
Romantic composer Antonin Dvorak was born in a small village near Prague in the Czech Republic. His father was a professional zither player as well as a butcher, and Antonin’s childhood was steeped in folk music. Though his father wished him to become a butcher, he chose instead to pursue a career in music. He studied the organ, violin, and piano, and soon the young musician joined his father’s local band. He graduated from the Prague Organ School in 1859, and played viola with the Bohemian Provisional Theater Orchestra until 1871 when he resigned to focus on composing. He completed Rusalka at age 60, just 3 years before his death.
At the end of his career, Dvorak was focused on mythical themes. After the success of his opera The Devil and Kate, he looked for a new libretto to bring to the theater. He chose a fairy tale entitled Rusalka by poet Jaroslav Kvapil, based on both Friederich Fougue’s novel Undine and Hans Christian Andersen’s The Little Mermaid. The composer worked on the piece from April to November in 1900, and the opera debuted at the Prague’s National Theater in 1901 to critical acclaim.
Many consider Rusalka to be Dvorak’s magnum opus. A master in the art of contrast, Dvorak depicts the two clashing worlds through completely different compositional styles. He unifies them through the consistent and intricate use of leitmotifs for each role. His characteristic love of nature is embodied in the piece; rather than a mere backdrop for the story, nature plays an active role in the destiny of the characters.
http://www.classicfm.com/composers/dvorak/
mus115: opera 