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Dvorak - Rusalka / Fleming Heppner Zajick Hawlata Urbanova Czech Phil Sir Charles Mackerras | 
 enlarge | Artists: Antonin Dvorak, Charles Mackerras, Renee Fleming, Ben Heppner, Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, Kuehn Mixed Choir, Franz Hawlata, Eva Urbanova, Zdena Kloubova Dolora Zajick, Ivan Kusnjer
Label: Decca
Category: Music
List Price: $50.98
Buy New: $29.99
You Save: $20.99 (41%)
New (38) Used (13) from $21.89
Rating:  19 reviews
Sales Rank: 16006
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 3
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.5
Dimensions (in): 5.7 x 5 x 1.2
MPN: 460568
UPC: 028946056820
EAN: 0028946056820
ASIN: B00000DBUP
Release Date: October 20, 1998
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Brand new, factory sealed. Fast shipping!
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| Tracks:
Disc 1
| • | Prelude | | • | Hou, hou, hou, stoji mesic nad vodou! | | • | I pekne vitam, pekne vitam | | • | Hastrmanku, taticku! | | • | Sem casto prichazi a v objeti me stoupa | | • | Mesicku na nebi hlubokem | | • | Ta voda studi, studi! Jezibabo! Jezibabo! | | • | Staleta moudrost tva vsechno vi | | • | Tvoje moudrost vsechno tusi | | • | Cury mury fuk | | • | Jel mlady lovec, jel a jel | | • | Ustante v lovu, na hrad vratte se | | • | Sestry, jedna schazi z nas! |
Disc 2
| • | Jarku, jarku, klouce mile | | • | U nas v lese strasi | | • | Jiz tyden dlis po boku | | • | Zda na chvili princ vzpomene si prec | | • | Slavnostni hudba - balet | | • | Cely svet neda ti, neda | | • | Kvetiny bile po ceste | | • | Rusalko, znas mne, znas? | | • | Vidis je, vidis? Jsou tu zas |
Disc 3
| • | Necitelna vodni moci | | • | Aj, aj? Uz jsi se navratila? | | • | Vyrvana zivotu v hlubokou samotu | | • | Ze se bojis? Tresky, plesky | | • | Mam, zlate vlasky mam | | • | Bila moje lani! Bila moje lani! | | • | Milacku, znas mne, znas? | | • | Libej mne, libej, mir mi prej |
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| Similar Items:
| • | Massenet - Thais / Fleming, Hampson, Sabbatini, Shkosa, Vidal, Devellereau, Cals, Yves Abel | | • | Dvorak - Rusalka / Robert Carsen, James Conlon - Fleming, Urbanova, Diadkova, Larin, Opera de Paris | | • | Puccini - La Rondine / Gheorghiu Alagna Matteuzzi Mula Rinaldi Ciofi Bacelli LSO Pappano | | • | Tchaikovsky - Eugene Onegin / Fleming, Vargas, Hvorostovsky, Gergiev, Carsen [Metropolitan Opera 2007] | | • | Donizetti - Lucia di Lammermoor / Sutherland Pavarotti Milnes Ghiaurov ROH Covent Garden Bonynge |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com essential recording
Though Czech opera has often had questionable export value due to linguistic barriers, this first truly international recording of Dvorak's most viable opera--inspired by Wagner's love of mythology and Verdi's melodic drama--suggests that non-Czech artists can be more than just credible. As a water sprite who becomes human for love of a prince, Renee Fleming gives her best recorded performance so far with a dramatic heat and theatrical dimension (plus her customary vocal luster) that her Czech predecessors haven't always mustered. Ben Heppner is a robust-voiced prince, though this one- dimensional role doesn't inspire any special affinity from him. Dolora Zajick is a vivid, vocally commanding witch. The one substantial disappointment is Franz Hawiata as the leathery-voiced water goblin. Conductor Sir Charles Mackerras is less interested in creating surface excitement than in bringing out subtleties that help compensate for the composer's occasional lack of melodic precision, though the big moments are by no means slighted. --David Patrick Stearns
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| Customer Reviews:
 The best case possible for Rusalka February 27, 2007
Santa Fe listener
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
In 1998 Fleming and Heppner were widely accalimed for this, the most vocally resplendent Rusalk ever recorded. As everyone else says, Ms. Fleming's radiant soprano is thrilling in the title role, and Heppner's heroic timbre is gilt-edged casting. Mackerrass is a Czech specialist from way back, and his conducing is strong and sympathetic. One might lament that we can't have native Czech performers on this level, but Decca recorded most of ts Janacek cycle, also under Mackerras, with non-native leads. I imagine that the Czech pronunciation here is much less than idiomatic, and that there's a good deal more earthiness in Dvorak's music, but those are quibbles. This amounts to one of the most ravishing opera recordings in years.
One Spotlight reviewer above makes idiotic comments about Mozart's operas being "about on a par" with his symphonies, about Mozart operas being neglected, and about Rusalka not being performed becasue the music is too difficult (compared to Wozzeck?). In reality Rusalka has been neglected in the first place because it's Czech, in the second because the libretto is a conventional fantasy-fairy tale that lacks psychological interest (the same problem afflicts Rimsky-Korsakov's operas), and third becasue Dvorak, like Tchaikovsky, didn't follow the familiar oepratic styles of Verdi, Rossini, Mozart, and Wagner.
Of those, Wagner comes closest, I supose, yet comparisons hardly matter. Dvorak wrote an assemblange of songs, marches, dramatic monologues, duets, and folk-inspired ensembles that are altogether beautiful without holding up as a coherent operatic whole--particularly at three and a half hours. Arias are supposed to advance either character or situation; here they are often just songs. Having said that, this is one nelgected oepra that sounds so delightful at home that one hardly misses the stage action, which in any event doesn't exactly rise to high drama.
The absolute BEST Rusalka I could ever ask for May 8, 2006
H. Buehler (Rochester, NY, USA)
6 out of 9 found this review helpful
I had wanted this recording for ages, and when I finally got it... WOW was my very first reaction. I have heard a few other Rusalka recordings after this, yet none of them can ever match this one. Renee Fleming is at her absolute most superb peak in this role, and her "Song to the moon" is not only flawless but also brings pretty much everything one can ask for to this aria. No doubt Renee Fleming's Rusalka would become a legend, and no doubt that she absolutely owns this part and that aria. If I have to write out all the good things I want to say about this recording, I'll probably end up writing a 5-pg essay.
 Not Exactly Disney's Little Mermaid October 22, 2005
Timothy Kearney (Hull, MA United States)
11 out of 17 found this review helpful
Some of the great symphonic composers had a difficult time getting music to work on stage. Beethoven seems to be the only one who had great success at it. His FIDELIO is considered a classic and somewhat on a par with his symphonic works. The same could be said about Mozart too, but not if you keep in mind that only seven of his operas are performed with any regularity even though he wrote far more than seven operas. Tchaikovsky wanted to be known more for his operas than his symphonies, but only two of his works are in the repertoire of most opera houses, and these works are not performed as often as works by Verdi, Puccini, or Wagner, and while they are rich works, they pale in comparison with his symphonic treasures. Dvorak probably had the worst luck. He wrote music for opera that was potentially beautiful but so complex, it was too difficult to perform. When he did get the music to work, the libretto was insipid and the work never gained a place in the hearts of most listeners. The one exception is RUSALKA, an opera that is a darker version of Hans Christian Anderson's "The Little Mermaid." This work is often thought of as a one aria opera with a somewhat familiar polonaise. People familiar with this opera know this is not the case. The early bars of the opera remind the listeners of Wagner's Rhine Maidens from Das Rheingold, the arias sound as if they could be at home in any Verdi opera, yet the opera while borrowing styles from other composers is uniquely Dvorak. While it is not a perfect work, it does have much to offer the listener and deserves the stagings it receives from time to time.
This is a wonderful recording of the work and contains many of the most familiar names in opera. Renee Fleming in the title role is exceptional. Her voice captures the heart and her singing makes the listener believe she is the tragic heroine of the work. We sense she does love the Prince more than she loves herself, and we feel for her. Ben Heppner is the Prince, and his performance is good. He does strain a bit from time to time, which is not rare for Heppner, but we still get an appreciation for his dramatic intensity. Delora Zajick delivers a good, if not always exciting Jezibaba the witch. Franz Hawlata sings the role of Vodnik, the water goblin and while his interpretation is not flawed, it is more sanitary than dramatic and doesn't quite match the performances of Fleming, Heppner, and Zajick. The true star of the recording could be Sir Charles Mackerras. He handles Dvorak's score beautifully, not surprising given his other renditions of Dvorak, and the Czech Philharmonic gives a solid enthusiastic performance throughout the recording.
 Get the Chalabala - Subrtova Version October 6, 2005
Dvorak Fan
14 out of 16 found this review helpful
I have listened to both this version and the Chalabala version, and heard Fleming live. Fleming's voice is stronger than Subrtova's, but Subrtova sings with greater lustre and passion and comes across as a better Rusalka. The Chalabala version is more dramatic. Also, Fleming takes some liberties with "Mesicku nad nebi hlubokem" that I don't think are exactly appropriate, and her pronunciation is obviously not nearly as good as Subrtova's; in fact I think she trips up on some words rather awkwardly.
Zidek and Haken are also much stronger than Heppner and Hawlatha.
The orchestra in the Chalabala version may not be as reputable as the Czech Philharmonic, but they do a superb job.
And please look beyond "Song to the Moon" - there are so many other wonderful parts - the dryads in the first and third acts, Rusalka's dialogues with the Vodnik and Jezibaba (Staleta moudrost tva), the Polonaise, Kvetiny bile po ceste in the second act, Mladosti sve pozbavena in the third act, and of course the wonderful finale ending with the immortal Buh te pomiluj.
Not bad but not the best July 7, 2004
Jiri Zika (Prague, Czech rep.)
8 out of 13 found this review helpful
Knowing Subrtova, Zidek, Haken recording conducted by Chalabala, I simply could not give five stars. I like Fleming and I regard her as a one of the best current soprano, but if you could listen the older recording mentioned above, you would get to know WHAT Rusalka IS.
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