The poetry of the orchestral colors tells the story in a very powerful way.

What are some of the other highlights of the score that audiences should be listening for? Rusalka’s Song to the Moon is one of the most recognizable melodies in opera. It’s the best of both worlds! The specific difficulties lie in the detailed rhythmical figures, which have to be clearly delineated while supporting the vocal line on stage. We can treat it like the most wonderful symphonic poem, to which we add vocal lines of sublime inspiration. For a conductor, Rusalka is very rewarding, because the orchestral writing is really influenced by his symphonic style. Through opera, he could express his melodic ideal, his Bohemian roots, and his science of orchestration. It is not a universally known fact, but Dvořák composed several operas, and this side of his work was very important to him-he always fought to be recognized as an opera composer.

When I was invited to make my debut at Covent Garden with Rusalka in 2012, I was extremely excited, and my love for this opera only grew as I worked on it and conducted it.Īre there any particular challenges and rewards of performing an opera by a composer primarily known for his orchestral music? And his vocal writing is the same-as a young chorister, I remember singing performances of his Mass in D, and I simply loved it right away. His unique lyricism combined with the vitality of his rhythmical writing make a very compelling combination. Discovering his music led naturally to Dvořák’s, and I quickly became a Dvořák lover as well. I have been a huge fan of the music of Brahms since I was 12 years old. As he prepared to take the podium for the 2014 revival of Dvořák’s Rusalka, Yannick Nézet-Séguin spoke to the Met’s Matt Dobkin about why he “loves every bar of this score.”

Opera music songs