Ebook257 pages4 hours
Rusalka: A Performance Guide with Translations and Pronunciation
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
5/5
()
About this ebook
Known worldwide as a composer of symphonies and chamber music, Czech composer Antonín Dvorák declared toward the end of his life that his main love was writing operas. Written in 1900 at the height of Dvorák’s creative powers, his fairy tale opera Rusalka is a masterpiece firmly established in the international repertory—from 2010 to 2012 alone, over 200 performances of 27 productions of the opera played in 21 European cities alone! Worldwide, music schools and summer programs have mounted the work, as well, reflecting not only the power of Dvorák’s music but the lyricism and depth of Jaroslav Kvapil’s Czech libretto, one of the greatest of all opera libretti, regardless of language. This book serves as an aid to anyone seeking to perform and gain a deeper understanding of this multi-layered opera, which so trenchantly asks what it means to be human, to love, and to be loved in return.
In the first part, Czech music scholar Timothy Cheek offers a thorough review of Czech lyric diction and inflection, describes the characters and their vocal requirements, and supplies a synopsis of the plot, an elucidation of the layers of meaning in Kvapil’s libretto, a section on musical style and dance elements, and a fascinating explanation of why such a remarkable work took so long to be embraced by Western audiences. In the second half, Cheek gives word-for-word and idiomatic English translations of the Czech libretto, including stage directions, along with the International Phonetic Alphabet for pronunciation. Rounding out the book are illustrations from the Prague National Theatre, New York Metropolitan Opera, and elsewhere, as well as an appendix listing recordings and videos.
Rusalka: A Performance Guide with Translations and Pronunciation is written for singers, pianists, vocal coaches, conductors, stage directors, translators, and opera enthusiasts—anyone who wishes to perform the work, or who is simply moved and intrigued by this stunning opera.
In the first part, Czech music scholar Timothy Cheek offers a thorough review of Czech lyric diction and inflection, describes the characters and their vocal requirements, and supplies a synopsis of the plot, an elucidation of the layers of meaning in Kvapil’s libretto, a section on musical style and dance elements, and a fascinating explanation of why such a remarkable work took so long to be embraced by Western audiences. In the second half, Cheek gives word-for-word and idiomatic English translations of the Czech libretto, including stage directions, along with the International Phonetic Alphabet for pronunciation. Rounding out the book are illustrations from the Prague National Theatre, New York Metropolitan Opera, and elsewhere, as well as an appendix listing recordings and videos.
Rusalka: A Performance Guide with Translations and Pronunciation is written for singers, pianists, vocal coaches, conductors, stage directors, translators, and opera enthusiasts—anyone who wishes to perform the work, or who is simply moved and intrigued by this stunning opera.
Related to Rusalka
Related ebooks
German Song Onstage: Lieder Performance in the Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Centuries Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Songs of Henri Duparc Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDivas and Scholars: Performing Italian Opera Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5La traviata: Critical Edition Study Score Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFamous Italian Opera Arias: A Dual-Language Book Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Siren Songs: Representations of Gender and Sexuality in Opera Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A Short History of Opera Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Twenty-Three Opera Arias for Sopranos Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Verdi and His Operas Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Messa da Requiem: Critical Edition Study Score Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Marriage of Figaro Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsVocal Wisdom Maxims of Giovanni Battista Lamperti [1931 edition] Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Pirates of Penzance Vocal Score Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Rachmaninoff's Complete Songs: A Companion with Texts and Translations Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBrahms's Vocal Duets and Quartets with Piano: A Guide with Full Texts and Translations Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWeep, Shudder, Die: A Guide to Loving Opera Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Opera Theme Plot Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Verdi: The Operas and Choral Works Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPuccini's Turandot: The End of the Great Tradition Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMusic in the Present Tense: Rossini’s Italian Operas in Their Time Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsVocal Rescue: Rediscover the Beauty, Power and Freedom in Your Singing Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5True Tales from the Mad, Mad, Mad World of Opera Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5More Great Operas Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Complete Opera Book Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFrom Studio to Stage: Repertoire for the Voice Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCosi fan Tutte in Full Score Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Faure Song Cycles: Poetry and Music, 1861–1921 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Metropolitan Opera Presents: Mozart's CosI fan tutte: The Complete Libretto Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRigoletto: Critical Edition Study Score Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Music For You
Step By Step Mixing: How to Create Great Mixes Using Only 5 Plug-ins Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5IT'S ALL IN YOUR HEAD Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/588 Piano Classics for Beginners Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Easyway to Play Piano: A Beginner's Best Piano Primer Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Learn Jazz Piano: book 1 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Mixing Engineer's Handbook 5th Edition Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Guitar For Dummies Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Everything Songwriting Book: All You Need to Create and Market Hit Songs Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Learn Your Fretboard: The Essential Memorization Guide for Guitar (Book + Online Bonus) Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Music Theory For Beginners Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Can I Say: Living Large, Cheating Death, and Drums, Drums, Drums Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Circle of Fifths: Visual Tools for Musicians, #1 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Learn Guitar A Beginner's Course Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Music Theory For Dummies Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Guitar Theory For Dummies: Book + Online Video & Audio Instruction Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Guitar Practice Guide: A Practice Guide for Guitarists and other Musicians Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Meaning of Mariah Carey Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Weird Scenes Inside The Canyon: Laurel Canyon, Covert Ops & The Dark Heart Of The Hippie Dream Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5How to Read Music Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Songwriting: Essential Guide to Lyric Form and Structure: Tools and Techniques for Writing Better Lyrics Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Hal Leonard Pocket Music Theory (Music Instruction): A Comprehensive and Convenient Source for All Musicians Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Can't Stop Won't Stop: A History of the Hip-Hop Generation Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Singing For Dummies Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Becoming a Great Sight-Reader–or Not! Learn From My Quest for Piano Sight-Reading Nirvana Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for Rusalka
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
5/5
2 ratings1 review
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I put the 1 star rating because it was blurry, but if you zoom in you can read it fine! So now I'm giving it 5 stars after deleting my old review. If it says 2 ratings, it should be 5 stars, but I can't delete my old rating for some reason. I see now I should have edited my old review rather than delete it. Anyway, this is great!
Book preview
Rusalka - Timothy Cheek
Enjoying the preview?
Page 1 of 1