Rusalka

First performed in 1901, the opera ‘Rusalka’ was composed by Antonín Dvořák, with a libretto by Jaroslav Kvapil, and was inspired by the fairy tale ‘Undine’ (1811) by Friedrich de la Motte Fouqué and ‘The Little Mermaid’ (1837) by Hans Christian Andersen, along with other European legends. Soprano Ángeles Blancas plays Rusalka, an aquatic nymph who tries to become human so that she can be with her beloved prince - but at the cost of losing her voice. The opera's tragic denouement contrasts with the more sugar-coated versions of the same story, and reveals its depth and complexity.