UPDATE: Join the Rusalka Raffle and get to watch on September 11 at the CCP! Details at the end of this post.
We were Disney children, my sister and I. Grew up singing to Disney songs and exchanging dialogues. No wonder, my child does the same. Only, it is Frozen in her generation.
One such Disney cartoon we both loved, and well, my sister loves forever, would be The Little Mermaid. She probably memorized the entire movie, and had her hair colored red. Yes, that’s how much she loves being Ariel.
Anyways, the Little Mermaid, written by Hans Christian Andersen, was also adapted for opera, more than half a century after, by Antonin Dvořák. Dvořák is a Czech composer who is known for his symphonies, the most popular being The New World Symphony. Astronaut Neil Armstrong took a recording of this work to the first landing to the Moon during the infamous Apollo 11 mission in 1969.
Rusalka, meanwhile, is his famous opera, which is still being actively performed today. Some elements of the Little Mermaid were used in this work.
Who isn’t familiar with this beautiful aria from Rusalka? In “Song to the Moon” (“Měsíčku na nebi hlubokém”), Rusalka asks the Moon to tell the Prince of her love.
Finally, Rusalka will be fully staged here, and yes, I will be part of its Philippine Premiere!
This will also be the first production in which the cast consists of students and alumni from different music schools in Metro Manila. We’re in the thick of rehearsals as of the moment, and we are all really excited for this. Follow me on Instagram (@touringkitty) as I post some photos of rehearsals.
I will be playing First Wood Sprite for the September 11 and 23 shows. See details of the shows below:
Antonín Dvořák’s
“RUSALKA: A Lyric Fairy Tale Opera”
A Philippine Premiere
“RUSALKA” is a love story between a water nymph and a human. See how the two lovers conquered challenges, how characters from different worlds communicate, and how Dvorak intertwined through his music the mystic of Rusalka.. The opera will have a Filipino setting and will have runs at the Cultural Center of the Philippines and the University of the Philippines.
STAGE DIRECTOR Alegria O. Ferrer
SCENOGRAPHER Danilo S. Sylvestre
CONDUCTOR Josefino Chino Toledo
ORCHESTRA Grupo 20/21
Cast list here: http://music.upd.edu.ph/rusalka_opera.html
Cultural Center of the Philippines – Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino, CCP Complex, Pasay City
September 11 (Thur), 2014 // 7:30 PM
September 12 (Fri), 2014 // 7:30 PM
Tickets P600 and available through Ticketworld. 891-9999. Online tickets here: bit.ly/RusalkaPHCCP
UP College of Music – Abelardo Hall Auditorium, UP Diliman, Quezon City
September 23 (Tue), 2014 // 6:30 PM
September 24 (Wed), 2014 // 6:30 PM
Tickets P500 and available through the College of Music at 929-6963.
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Want to watch Rusalka on September 11 at the CCP? Join the Rusalka Raffle! Draw will be on Thursday, September 11, 9:00AM. Thanks to the RusalkaPhil2014 team for sponsoring this raffle!