Dvorak: Rusalka / Subrtova

2 CD - Label: Supraphon - SU0013 - Rusalka, Op.114 - Dvorak, Antonin - Orchestra: Prague National Theatre Orchestra - Choir: Prague National Theatre Chorus - Conductor: Zdenek Chalabala

Ivo Zidek, Eduard Haken & Maria Ovcacikova

“This excellent set boasts Eduard Haken, one of the great interpreters of the Watergnome, in robust voice, infusing the character with a rueful gentleness as well as a firmness of utterance. Ivo Zídek as the Prince was in his mid-thirties and in his prime at the time of this recording, singing ardently and tenderly and with a grace of phrasing that matches him well to Milada Subrtová's Rusalka. Hers is a beautiful performance, sensitive to the character's charm as well as to her fragility and pathos. The Slavonic tradition of the old watersprite legend places her in the line of the suffering heroine and it's a measure of Dvorák's success that her delicate appeal holds throughout quite a long opera, and her sinuous but never oversensual lines and the piercing harmony associated with her give her a unique appeal. Subrtová sings the part with unfaltering sensitivity. Zdenek Chalabala, who died only a couple of months after completing this recording, handles the score with great tenderness and an affection that shines through every bar. This is a beautiful performance. The recording comes up remarkably well, too.” - Gramophone Music Guide, 2010

Price: $29.98