‘Rusalka’ encores at Cineplex on Sunday
KRISTINE OPOLAIS sings her first Met performances of the role that won her international acclaim, the tragic water nymph Rusalka. Sir Mark Elder conducts a new staging of Dvorák’s fairy-tale opera directed by Mary Zimmerman, also starring Brandon Jovanovich as the prince who captures Rusalka’s heart. Katarina Dalayman is her rival, the foreign princess; Eric Owens is the water sprite, Rusalka’s father, and Jamie Barton is the duplicitous witch Jezibaba.
Having played live on screens around the world last Saturday, Jamaican operas fans will have another chance to see this enchanting work on Sunday at 11:30 a.m. at the Palace Cineplex
The opera takes place in an unspecified fairy-tale setting. Contrasting unspoilt and ‘honest’ nature (the woods and lake of the framing acts) with corrupt human culture (the prince’s palace in Act II) was a favourite theme of Romantic artists.
The orchestral score of Rusalka is magically evocative, particularly for the passages depicting the forest and the lake in Acts I and III. These scenes are effectively contrasted with the bright brass flourishes depicting the glittering court of the prince. The vocal writing is built around emotional outbursts riding waves of orchestral sound, notably in the final confrontation between the hero and heroine. Rather than a standard duet with both characters singing at once, each of them sings straightforward phrases that capture the irreconcilable states of these estranged characters.
Tickets are available at the box office or online at www.palaceamusement.com with a Palace Card or any major credit card.