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Masterpiece of Romantic lyrical music
"But the mermaid has no tears and, therefore, suffers much more."
Hans Christian Andersen
"The anonymous water knows all my secrets. The same memory arises from all the springs."
Gaston Bachelard, Water and dreams
When Dvořák returned from his travels to America in 1895, he was a different man. After abandoning the symphony as a genre, he dedicated the last decade of his life to two exuberant musical forms, the symphonic poem and opera. The works that resulted, extraordinarily poetic, were Dvořák’s attempt to reach the heart of the Czech spirit, describing in music and theatre the stories most cherished by his countrymen.
Rusalka—a lyrical fable in three acts—premiered in Prague in 1901 and is the most well-known and beloved opera—along with Smetana's The Bartered Bride—of Czech opera. Dvořák had already shown his interest in Czech folklore in a series of symphonic poems inspired by the popular ballads of Karel Jaromír Erben and decisively adopted a libretto by Jaroslav Kvapil, centered around a water spirit or nymph, inspired by the popular Undine (1811) by Friedrich de la Motte-Fouqué and also The Little Mermaid (1837) by Hans Christian Andersen.
A masterpiece of Romantic lyricism, it tells the story of a water nymph who takes on human nature and pays a cruel price for it. Rusalka falls in love with the prince who often comes to bathe in the lake, and she asks her father, the water spirit, to help her become a human woman. To achieve this, after the famous "Song to the Moon," she seeks the help of a witch, assuming some human conditions, though limited. The prince falls in love with her at first, but her muteness and apparent coldness disappoint him, and he soon turns his affections toward a beautiful and cruel foreign princess. Rusalka must return to her realm—now neither human nor water spirit—and is condemned to lead men to their deaths. The prince, repentant, returns and asks for one final kiss, knowing it will cost him his life, and he dies happily in her arms.
Musically very beautiful, with a certain Wagnerian influence (especially the Ring cycle), it also finely incorporates traditional melodies in its ballads, songs, and dances, and expresses, through the choruses of nymphs and water spirits, an idealized and romanticized view of nature.
Asmik Grigorian and Piotr Beczala will star in the performances of this new production between the Gran Teatre del Liceu, the Sächsische Staatsoper Dresden, the Teatro Comunale di Bologna, the Teatro Real, and the Palau de les Arts in Valencia. A subtle and psychological proposal by Christof Loy, Rusalka is a metaphor for the difficulties of communication between two worlds. Set in the lobby of a theater, where the protagonist is paralyzed and uses crutches, surrounded by characters living from their memories, she longs to leave and discover other ways of understanding reality.
A concept that provides a strong framework for the interactions between the protagonists of this wonderful story, where hidden desires and the darkest instincts become visible.
Opera in three acts
Libretto by Jaroslav Kvapil based on Undine by La Motte Fouqué, The Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Andersen, and Slavic mythology.
World premiere: 03/31/1901 at the National Theatre in Prague.
Premiere in Barcelona: 02/21/1924 at the Gran Teatre del Liceu.
Last performance at the Liceu: 01/14/2013.
Total performances at the Liceu: 14.
With the support of:
With the collaboration of:
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Special sessions
July 4: Live broadcast via the Liceu OPERA+ platform
July 6: Opera across generations
July 7: Live audio description service
- First act 61 min
- Pause 30 min
- Second act 50 min
- Pause 20 min
- Third act 65 min
Artistic profile
- Stage direction
- Christof Loy
- Choreography
- Klevis Elmazaj
- Scenography
- Johannes Leiacker
- Costumes
- Ursula Renzenbrink
- Lighting
- Bernd Purkrabek
- Stager
- Johannes Stepanek
- Assistant Stage Director
- Silvia Aurea de Stefano
- Lighting Assistant
- Dino Strucken
- Assistant to the musical director
- Luís Toro
- Production
- Gran Teatre del Liceu, Teatro Real (Madrid), Staatsoper Dresden, and Palau de les Arts (Valencia)
- Choir of the Gran Teatre del Liceu
- Pablo Assante, conductor
- Symphony Orchestra of the Gran Teatre del Liceu
- Conductor
- Josep Pons
Cast
Cast change
- Soprano Olesya Golovneva will perform the role of Rusalka in the 6 July performance (Opera Between Generations), replacing Irina Lungu, who has withdrawn due to a surgical procedure that prevents her from taking part in the rehearsal and performance period.
Special sessions
Liceu Opera+
Liceu OPERA+ subscribers will be able to enjoy the live broadcast of Dvořák’s Rusalka from the Liceu — the first since the platform’s relaunch — with stage direction by Christof Loy and conducted by maestro Josep Pons.
This is the first broadcast since the platform’s relaunch last March. Once edited, it will remain available on demand for subscribers.
Friday, July 4th, 2025
6:30 PM
Opera across generations
The Gran Teatre del Liceu strengthens its initiative to promote an opera session designed to be experienced across generations. Grandparents can bring their grandchildren to the Liceu—or the other way around. Uncles, godparents, nephews, godchildren, and others are also welcome to attend this special performance of Rusalka, aimed at nurturing emotional and educational bonds between people of different generations through opera.
Sunday, July 6th, 2025
6 PM
The performance you are about to attend includes scenes that have been adapted for the younger members of the audience, particularly the ballet choreography at the end of the second act.
Audio description
Live audio description service during one performance of each staged opera, providing narration of key visual elements for the benefit of blind and visually impaired audience members. The service includes two parts: an audio introduction fifteen minutes before the performance begins, and simultaneous audio description during the show.
LiveVoice App
To listen to the audio description, simply click on Audio Description at the Liceu, or open the LiveVoice app and enter the code: 075177.
Monday, July 7th, 2025
7:30 PM