Rusalka at the Irish National Opera: "An immortal story set to breathtaking music"

This March sees Irish National Opera stage a stunning new production of Rusalka, the classic work by Czech composer Antonin Dvorak. Containing elements of The Little Mermaid and Undine, the story focuses on the titular water nymph.

Driven by her consuming love for a human prince, she abandons her realm to navigate his mortal world. A tale of longing and the cost of desire, with dark undercurrents, it’s a mesmerising story underpinned by Dvorak’s sumptuous score. The show also boasts a bravura lead performance from Irish soprano Jennifer Davis.

“There’s a bit of everything in there,” Davis enthuses of the story. “There’s love, passion, revenge, desire and sacrifice – there’s so much that you will absolutely get something out of it.”
A beloved production around the world, Rusalka’s staging in Dublin arrives just ahead of its 125thanniversary.

“This is not going to be a traditional Rusalka, but it’s going to explore a lot of the core themes of it in a truly special way,” says Davis. “We have such a wonderful team, and one thing I really like about Irish National Opera is that they’re so loyal to Irish singers. They try to bring us back as much as they possibly can, which is incredible. But they also hire international stars. That’s exciting and brilliant for audiences, who get to hear these world class performers.”

Davis herself is looking forward to realising her dream of performing in the lead role. After she falls in love with the prince, Rusalka begs a witch to turn her human so that she can pursue him, even if the spell comes at the cost of losing her voice.

“This is a role I’ve wanted to sing for a long time, so I’m very excited to be doing it, and obviously to be performing it at home is doubly lovely,” says Davis. “Rusalka is such an interesting character, firstly because she’s not human. That’s always a complex and compelling role to try and embody. She’s also voiceless for part of the story, which as an opera singer is an intriguing challenge.

“But what I love most about her is that she embodies pure love. There’s something so innocent and naive about her, and it’s fascinating to see what happens when she enters a whole different world in the name of love.”

Dvoák’s tale is full of dark twists and tragic laments, which Davis believes modern audiences will be able to relate to.

“It’s an incredible story, which has written about for hundreds of years,” she reflects. “We’re always so fascinated with this theme of not feeling like you belong in your world, and seeking a different life, but then not feeling like you belong in that new world, either. A lot of people will have compassion for Rusalka and see similarities in things going on in their own lives. That’s what fairytales are for – that’s how we make sense of our world.”

While the opera is performed in Czech as originally written, there will be English surtitles to convey the poetic, stirring text to audiences. And topping it all off, of course, is that sublime score.

“The music is otherworldly,” says Davis. “It’s just so beautiful. Everyone, not just Rusalka, gets to have exciting vocal moments in heart-wrenching songs. The orchestration is stunning, too – it’s going to be really visceral and thrilling to sit there and hear the orchestra playing the score. It’s an immortal story set to breathtaking music – there’s just so much to enjoy.”

• Rusalka plays at the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre, Dublin on March 22, 24, 26 and 28. Tickets are available now.