Blogging Prague: Part 3

Prague National Theater

This evening we attended Dvorák’s opera “Rusalka” at the Prague National Theater. The performance began at 7 p.m. and we were chauffeured to the performance in one of the hotel’s Mercedes limos about 30-minutes before show-time. We had orchestra row seats with a semi-private box, just behind the orchestra pit. There were three seats across and one behind. We had seats “1″ and “2″ (in front) and shared the box with another couple. It was quite pleasant and we had an unobstructed view of the stage (we also had a fabulous view of the conductor and the orchestra musicians). The theater projected the opera’s text (”titles”) in English on a small screen just above the stage, which added to the enjoyment of the performance. There was a 15-minute intermission after both the first and second act with champagne, beer, water and light snacks in the lobby. This opera actually premiered in this very theater in 1901.

The opera was conducted by Oliver Dohnányl and starred Helena Kaupová as Rusalka, Tomáš Cerneý as the Prince, Miloslav Podskalský as Vodnik (the Water Goblin), Yvona Škvárová as Ježibaba (the Witch) and Anda-Louise Bogza as Cizí knežna (the Foreign Princess)

Kaupová was wonderful singing “Mesícku na nebi hlubokém” (Oh, moon high up in the sky) and it made quite a difference hearing the aria performed by a Czech. I noticed a difference in her diction versus Renée Fleming. However, Kaupová’s voice wasn’t as strong as it needed to be, as she was overpowered by the orchestra a time or two. The best performance of the night came from Podskalský as he sang “Kvetiny bile po ceste” (White blossoms all along the road) to a huge round of applause from the audience.

There are many interpretations of this opera and I suppose this is necessary to keep the story interesting and “current.” However, Rusalka is a fairy tale and I believe should be performed as one. This performance was and it didn’t disappoint. Cindy and I truly enjoyed this opera.

After the performance the hotel limo was waiting to take us back to the hotel.