Rusalka (Русалка in Cyrillic; stress on the second syllable) is an opera in four acts, six tableaux, by Alexander Dargomyzhsky, composed during 1848-1855. The Russian libretto was adapted by the composer from Pushkin's incomplete dramatic poem of the same name. The premiere took place on 4 May 1856 (Old Style) at the Mariinsky Theatre. Although much of Dargomyzhsky's Rusalka is fairly conventional in musical form and style, its singular innovation for the history of Russian music in particular is the application of "melodic recitative" at certain points in the drama. This type of recitative consists of lyrical utterances which change continuously according to the dramatic situation, with likewise varied accompaniment in the orchestra. Dargomyzhsky was to apply this technique of vocal composition on a small scale in his songs and on a large scale in his final opera, The Stone Guest. The plot tells of a maiden who, after being jilted by a prince, drowns herself (hence the designation "rusalka," or "drowned maiden"). The last act of the opera, which features a ballet, is somewhat unusual in that a 12-year-old rusalka speaks her lines over the music. Other operas featuring rusalki as characters include Rimsky-Korsakov's May Night and Dvořák's Rusalka.
Characters and Setting
- The Prince: tenor
- The Princess: mezzo-soprano
- The Miller: bass
- Natasha, his daughter, later a Rusalka: soprano
- Ol'ga, an orphan, devoted to the Princess: soprano
- A Matchmaker: baritone
- A Little Rusalka, 12 years old: non-singing role
- Boyars, boyarynyas, hunters, peasant men and women, and rusalki: chorus
The action takes place by the Dnieper River.
Bibliography
- 100 опер: история создания, сюжет, музыка. [100 Operas: History of Creation, Subject, Music.] Ленинград: Издательство "Музыка," 1968, pp. 286-290.
