Rusalka by Konstantin Vasiljev 1968

January 06, 2020

Rusalka by Konstantin Vasiljev 1968

"Appearing entirely female, the Rusalka was originally a term used by Slavic Pagans for fertility wights (a term for a spirit, ghost, or other supernatural being) that passed water to their crops and fields to nourish them.

This benevolent portrayal changed in the 19th century, when the myth changed to reflect a more cynical, malevolent world view: the Rusalka of this time was thought to be ‘unclean’ by definition, thought to have arisen by a woman drowning in a body of water, either by way of suicide or murder.

Dvořák’s depiction mostly utilises the earlier depiction, beginning as a peaceful water nymph, akin to the fertility spirits of early Rusalka folklore. However, the duality of the historical Rusalka comes in the play in Act 3 of the opera, where her beloved Prince has rejected her for the Foreign Princess – Rusalka turns into a bludička, a ‘spirit of death’, also known as a ‘will o’ the wisp’.

In this form, Rusalka lives in the depths of the lake, only emerging to drag humans to their deaths. Her ending is just as grim, fulfilling her lover’s request to die by her kiss, returning to the depths in sorrow."

-taken from eno.org link below