IPR’s Arias in April savors the Des Moines Metro Opera’s production of Dvořák’s brilliant setting of an ancient folk tale, complete with an unforgiving witch, a gorgeous sea nymph and a beautiful princess.
"Let me get right to the point: This is the Rusalka I have been waiting for all my life." - Opera Today
Dvořák’s gripping opera, Rusalka, often compared to Hans Christian Andersen’s The Little Mermaid, ushers his heroine, Rusalka, through the joys of falling in love, coupled with the heartbreak of broken commitments as the result of several tragic decisions.
Soprano Sara Gartland, who portrays the role of Rusalka, and soprano Laura Wilde, who assumes the role of Rusalka’s rival, the Foreign Princess, reveal their insight on Dvořák’s timeless Czech fairy tale.
Sung in Czech, the opera truly “resonates with Dvořák’s passion for Czech folklore and fairy tales.” Dvořák “juxtaposes the mortal and the mythical with beautiful folk melodies and luminous arias.”
The Des Moines Metro Opera cast for Rusalka includes:
Rusalka – Sara Gartland, soprano
Jezibaba – Jill Grove, mezzo-soprano
Prince – Evan Leroy Johnson, tenor
Vodnik – Zachary James, bass
Foreign Princess – Laura Wilde, soprano
Rusalka will be followed by one more mainstage Des Moines Metro Opera production, Flight, a Luther College production of Cosi fan Tutte, and a Cedar Rapids Opera Theatre performance of Turandot.
Rusalka show times will be:
Saturday at 8 pm – April 13
Sunday at 11 pm – April 14
