Rusalka ( , Rusálka) is an opera in four acts, six tableaux, by Alexander Dargomyzhsky, composed during 1848-1855. The Russian libretto was adapted by the composer from Pushkin's incomplete dramatic poem of the same name. The premiere took place on 4 May 1856 (Old Style) at the Mariinsky Theatre.

Although much of Dargomyzhsky's Rusalka is fairly conventional in musical form and style, its singular innovation for the history of Russian music in particular is the application of "melodic recitative" at certain points in the drama. This type of recitative consists of lyrical utterances which change continuously according to the dramatic situation, with likewise varied accompaniment in the orchestra. Dargomyzhsky was to apply this technique of vocal composition on a small scale in his songs and on a large scale in his final opera, The Stone Guest.

Roles

Role	Voice type	Premiere Cast 4 May 1856 (Old Style) (Conductor: - )
The Prince	tenor
The Princess	mezzo-soprano
The Miller	bass
Natasha, his daughter, later a Rusalka	soprano
Ol'ga, an orphan, devoted to the Princess	soprano
A Matchmaker	baritone
Little Rusalka, 12 years old	non singing
Chorus: Boyars, boyarynyas, hunters, peasant men and women, and rusalki

Synopsis

The action takes place by the Dnieper River

The plot tells of a maiden who, after being jilted by a prince, drowns herself (hence the designation "rusalka," or "drowned maiden"). The last act of the opera, which features a ballet, is somewhat unusual in that a 12-year-old rusalka speaks her lines over the music.

Related works

Other operas featuring rusalki as characters include Rimsky-Korsakov's May Night and Dvořák's Rusalka.

References

• Naroditskaya, Inna, "Russian Rusalkas and Nationalism," , Music of the Sirens (Ed. Linda Austern and Inna Naroditskaya), Indiana University Press, 2006, pp.216-249.

External links

• Russian libretto in HTML
• Russian libretto in zip file for Word