THE WORLD'S FINEST OPERA
BALLET, THEATRE AND MUSIC
Dvořák: Rusalka
Asmik Grigorian (Rusalka); David Butt Philip (Prince); Aleksei Isaev (Vodnik); Emma Bell (Duchess); Sarah Connolly (Ježibaba); Ross Ramgobin (Hajny); Hongni Wu (Kuchtík)
Rusalka, a water spirit, lives with her family in the pure waters of the forest lake. When she falls in love with a Prince, she sacrifices her voice and leaves her home in the hope of finding true love in a new world – a world that does not love her back.
Natalie Abrahami and Ann Yee create a poetic, contemporary staging of Dvořák’s lyric fairy tale, revealing our uneasy relationship with the natural world and humanity’s attempts to own and tame it. Semyon Bychkov conducts an all-star cast featuring Asmik Grigorian in the title role.
DVD
Genre: Opera
Release Date: 24/05/2024
Sound Formats: Dolby Digital Surround 5.1 & Dolby Digital 2.0
Ratio: 16:9 Anamorphic
Subtitles: EN, FR, DE, JP, KO
Catalogue Number: OA1384D
BLU-RAY
Genre: Opera
Release Date: 24/05/2024
Sound Formats: DTS-HD Master Audio Surround 5.1 & LPCM Stereo 2.0
Ratio: 16:9
Subtitles: EN, FR, DE, JP, KO
Catalogue Number: OABD7322D
Conductor(s):
Semyon Bychkov
Semyon Bychkov
Orchestra(s):
The Orchestra of the Royal Opera House; Royal Opera Chorus
The Orchestra of the Royal Opera House; Royal Opera Chorus
Artist(s):
Asmik Grigorian; David Butt Philip; Aleksei Isaev; Emma Bell; Sarah Connolly; Ross Ramgobin; Hongni Wu; The Orchestra of the Royal Opera House; Royal Opera Chorus; Semyon Bychkov
Asmik Grigorian; David Butt Philip; Aleksei Isaev; Emma Bell; Sarah Connolly; Ross Ramgobin; Hongni Wu; The Orchestra of the Royal Opera House; Royal Opera Chorus; Semyon Bychkov
"... a superb cast with no weak links ... On the podium Semyon Bychkov was equally responsive to the folksy lilt and expansive lyricism in this glorious score. Annemarie Woods supplied striking costumes and Paule Constable evocative lighting to complete the five-woman team responsible for this remarkable feminist-orientated and incidentally ecologically sustainable production." (The Evening Standard ★★★★)
"Lithuanian soprano Asmik Grigorian has a voice in a thousand. Then – first heard in the distance – comes the voice of the prince, British tenor David Butt Philip, a sweetly expressive foil to the protagonist." (The Independent ★★★)
"Ann Yee and Natalie Abrahami’s thoughtful and effective new production shapes Dvorák’s opera into a tale of mankind versus nature. A first-rate cast is matched by Semyon Bychkov in the pit.
Asmik Grigorian’s first Rusalka in the UK doesn’t disappoint: her polished-steel soprano glints and flashes. David Butt Philip is her outstanding match as the fickle Prince, his tenor soaring, and the rest of the cast is first-rate, from Emma Bell’s imperious yet flirty Duchess ... to the comic pair of Ross Ramgobin and Hongni Wu as the forester and his nephew. All are supported at every turn by Bychkov’s wonderfully elastic and idiomatic-sounding orchestra. Yee and Abrahami may have transformed rags into riches on stage but it’s in the pit that the magic of this Rusalka really happens." (The Guardian ★★★★)
"The cast was superb, with great performances from Lithuanian soprano Asmik Grigorian as Rusalka, Russian baritone Aleksei Isaev as her father Vodnik and British tenor David Butt Philip as the Prince, with British soprano Emma Bell and mezzo-soprano Sarah Connolly both deliciously evil as the Duchess and Ježibaba.
Despite the excellence of the music and the cast, however, the most impressive contribution to this production came from Natalie Abrahami and Ann Yee whose joint direction and Ann Yee's choreography brought the story beautifully to life.
The set design was impressive without being overbearing and the costumes were striking without ever being gaudy.
Altogether a very fine production of an opera that deserves to be seen more often." (The Daily Express)
"... forces superbly marshalled by conductor Semyon Bychkov in the pit… The balance between pit and stage is perfect, allowing Grigorian’s glorious soprano to gleam amid the shifting harmonies, with David Butt Philip equally impressive." (British Theatre Guide)
"Musically…much here is wonderful. Grigorian’s dramatic commitment is never in doubt… [Butt] is equally superb, warmer in tone…passionate in his delivery throughout… Bychkov conducts it wonderfully well, too, his spacious speeds allowing both emotion and detail to register fully." (Gramophone)
"Lithuanian soprano Asmik Grigorian has a voice in a thousand. Then – first heard in the distance – comes the voice of the prince, British tenor David Butt Philip, a sweetly expressive foil to the protagonist." (The Independent ★★★)
"Ann Yee and Natalie Abrahami’s thoughtful and effective new production shapes Dvorák’s opera into a tale of mankind versus nature. A first-rate cast is matched by Semyon Bychkov in the pit.
Asmik Grigorian’s first Rusalka in the UK doesn’t disappoint: her polished-steel soprano glints and flashes. David Butt Philip is her outstanding match as the fickle Prince, his tenor soaring, and the rest of the cast is first-rate, from Emma Bell’s imperious yet flirty Duchess ... to the comic pair of Ross Ramgobin and Hongni Wu as the forester and his nephew. All are supported at every turn by Bychkov’s wonderfully elastic and idiomatic-sounding orchestra. Yee and Abrahami may have transformed rags into riches on stage but it’s in the pit that the magic of this Rusalka really happens." (The Guardian ★★★★)
"The cast was superb, with great performances from Lithuanian soprano Asmik Grigorian as Rusalka, Russian baritone Aleksei Isaev as her father Vodnik and British tenor David Butt Philip as the Prince, with British soprano Emma Bell and mezzo-soprano Sarah Connolly both deliciously evil as the Duchess and Ježibaba.
Despite the excellence of the music and the cast, however, the most impressive contribution to this production came from Natalie Abrahami and Ann Yee whose joint direction and Ann Yee's choreography brought the story beautifully to life.
The set design was impressive without being overbearing and the costumes were striking without ever being gaudy.
Altogether a very fine production of an opera that deserves to be seen more often." (The Daily Express)
"... forces superbly marshalled by conductor Semyon Bychkov in the pit… The balance between pit and stage is perfect, allowing Grigorian’s glorious soprano to gleam amid the shifting harmonies, with David Butt Philip equally impressive." (British Theatre Guide)
"Musically…much here is wonderful. Grigorian’s dramatic commitment is never in doubt… [Butt] is equally superb, warmer in tone…passionate in his delivery throughout… Bychkov conducts it wonderfully well, too, his spacious speeds allowing both emotion and detail to register fully." (Gramophone)
Asmik Grigorian (Rusalka); David Butt Philip (Prince); Aleksei Isaev (Vodnik); Emma Bell (Duchess); Sarah Connolly (Ježibaba); Ross Ramgobin (Hajny); Hongni Wu (Kuchtík)
Rusalka, a water spirit, lives with her family in the pure waters of the forest lake. When she falls in love with a Prince, she sacrifices her voice and leaves her home in the hope of finding true love in a new world – a world that does not love her back.
Natalie Abrahami and Ann Yee create a poetic, contemporary staging of Dvořák’s lyric fairy tale, revealing our uneasy relationship with the natural world and humanity’s attempts to own and tame it. Semyon Bychkov conducts an all-star cast featuring Asmik Grigorian in the title role.
DVD
Genre: Opera
Release Date: 24/05/2024
Sound Formats: Dolby Digital Surround 5.1 & Dolby Digital 2.0
Ratio: 16:9 Anamorphic
Subtitles: EN, FR, DE, JP, KO
Catalogue Number: OA1384D
BLU-RAY
Genre: Opera
Release Date: 24/05/2024
Sound Formats: DTS-HD Master Audio Surround 5.1 & LPCM Stereo 2.0
Ratio: 16:9
Subtitles: EN, FR, DE, JP, KO
Catalogue Number: OABD7322D
Conductor(s):
Semyon Bychkov
Semyon Bychkov
Orchestra(s):
The Orchestra of the Royal Opera House; Royal Opera Chorus
The Orchestra of the Royal Opera House; Royal Opera Chorus
Artist(s):
Asmik Grigorian; David Butt Philip; Aleksei Isaev; Emma Bell; Sarah Connolly; Ross Ramgobin; Hongni Wu; The Orchestra of the Royal Opera House; Royal Opera Chorus; Semyon Bychkov
Asmik Grigorian; David Butt Philip; Aleksei Isaev; Emma Bell; Sarah Connolly; Ross Ramgobin; Hongni Wu; The Orchestra of the Royal Opera House; Royal Opera Chorus; Semyon Bychkov
"... a superb cast with no weak links ... On the podium Semyon Bychkov was equally responsive to the folksy lilt and expansive lyricism in this glorious score. Annemarie Woods supplied striking costumes and Paule Constable evocative lighting to complete the five-woman team responsible for this remarkable feminist-orientated and incidentally ecologically sustainable production." (The Evening Standard ★★★★)
"Lithuanian soprano Asmik Grigorian has a voice in a thousand. Then – first heard in the distance – comes the voice of the prince, British tenor David Butt Philip, a sweetly expressive foil to the protagonist." (The Independent ★★★)
"Ann Yee and Natalie Abrahami’s thoughtful and effective new production shapes Dvorák’s opera into a tale of mankind versus nature. A first-rate cast is matched by Semyon Bychkov in the pit.
Asmik Grigorian’s first Rusalka in the UK doesn’t disappoint: her polished-steel soprano glints and flashes. David Butt Philip is her outstanding match as the fickle Prince, his tenor soaring, and the rest of the cast is first-rate, from Emma Bell’s imperious yet flirty Duchess ... to the comic pair of Ross Ramgobin and Hongni Wu as the forester and his nephew. All are supported at every turn by Bychkov’s wonderfully elastic and idiomatic-sounding orchestra. Yee and Abrahami may have transformed rags into riches on stage but it’s in the pit that the magic of this Rusalka really happens." (The Guardian ★★★★)
"The cast was superb, with great performances from Lithuanian soprano Asmik Grigorian as Rusalka, Russian baritone Aleksei Isaev as her father Vodnik and British tenor David Butt Philip as the Prince, with British soprano Emma Bell and mezzo-soprano Sarah Connolly both deliciously evil as the Duchess and Ježibaba.
Despite the excellence of the music and the cast, however, the most impressive contribution to this production came from Natalie Abrahami and Ann Yee whose joint direction and Ann Yee's choreography brought the story beautifully to life.
The set design was impressive without being overbearing and the costumes were striking without ever being gaudy.
Altogether a very fine production of an opera that deserves to be seen more often." (The Daily Express)
"... forces superbly marshalled by conductor Semyon Bychkov in the pit… The balance between pit and stage is perfect, allowing Grigorian’s glorious soprano to gleam amid the shifting harmonies, with David Butt Philip equally impressive." (British Theatre Guide)
"Musically…much here is wonderful. Grigorian’s dramatic commitment is never in doubt… [Butt] is equally superb, warmer in tone…passionate in his delivery throughout… Bychkov conducts it wonderfully well, too, his spacious speeds allowing both emotion and detail to register fully." (Gramophone)
"Lithuanian soprano Asmik Grigorian has a voice in a thousand. Then – first heard in the distance – comes the voice of the prince, British tenor David Butt Philip, a sweetly expressive foil to the protagonist." (The Independent ★★★)
"Ann Yee and Natalie Abrahami’s thoughtful and effective new production shapes Dvorák’s opera into a tale of mankind versus nature. A first-rate cast is matched by Semyon Bychkov in the pit.
Asmik Grigorian’s first Rusalka in the UK doesn’t disappoint: her polished-steel soprano glints and flashes. David Butt Philip is her outstanding match as the fickle Prince, his tenor soaring, and the rest of the cast is first-rate, from Emma Bell’s imperious yet flirty Duchess ... to the comic pair of Ross Ramgobin and Hongni Wu as the forester and his nephew. All are supported at every turn by Bychkov’s wonderfully elastic and idiomatic-sounding orchestra. Yee and Abrahami may have transformed rags into riches on stage but it’s in the pit that the magic of this Rusalka really happens." (The Guardian ★★★★)
"The cast was superb, with great performances from Lithuanian soprano Asmik Grigorian as Rusalka, Russian baritone Aleksei Isaev as her father Vodnik and British tenor David Butt Philip as the Prince, with British soprano Emma Bell and mezzo-soprano Sarah Connolly both deliciously evil as the Duchess and Ježibaba.
Despite the excellence of the music and the cast, however, the most impressive contribution to this production came from Natalie Abrahami and Ann Yee whose joint direction and Ann Yee's choreography brought the story beautifully to life.
The set design was impressive without being overbearing and the costumes were striking without ever being gaudy.
Altogether a very fine production of an opera that deserves to be seen more often." (The Daily Express)
"... forces superbly marshalled by conductor Semyon Bychkov in the pit… The balance between pit and stage is perfect, allowing Grigorian’s glorious soprano to gleam amid the shifting harmonies, with David Butt Philip equally impressive." (British Theatre Guide)
"Musically…much here is wonderful. Grigorian’s dramatic commitment is never in doubt… [Butt] is equally superb, warmer in tone…passionate in his delivery throughout… Bychkov conducts it wonderfully well, too, his spacious speeds allowing both emotion and detail to register fully." (Gramophone)
