Prague Journal

Sunday, September 2, 2007

In the morning, we visited Tocnik, a royal chateau of Wenceslas IV from the late 14th century, in Renaissance and Baroque styles. Deserted in the 17th century, the castle has been owned by the Club of the Czech Tourists since 1923. Eva and I happened upon a festival this morning, with belly dancers and folk singers, and numerous booths of trinkets, and food and beverages.

We returned to Prague and headed to Divoka ("wild") Sarka, the forest preserve at the northwest edge of the city, for an ourdoor performance of Antonin Dvorak's best-loved opera Rusalka, the haunting story of a water-nymph who yearns to become human because she has fallen in love with a mortal. Through a witch's magic spell she leaves her underwater home to live on land, with tragic results. First premiered at Prague's National Theatre in 1901, Dvorak's Rusalka has enchanted opera lovers for over a century. This opera, performed on the green with full symphony orchestra and renowed opera stars (and real horses), was attended by about 10,000 spectators (and more than a few dogs) sitting on the sloping grass.

According to Radio Prague http://www.radio.cz/en/article/95062, over ten thousand people made their way to Prague's Divoka Sarka Valley for an outdoor performance of Rusalka at an open air theatre founded back in 1913. The tradition of outdoor operas at Divoka Sarka Valley was broken off in 1922 due to a lack of finances and was not revived until just two years ago by the National Theatre. After the success of Bedrich Smetana's Bartered Bride the previous two years, this year's choice was Rusalka with Helena Kaupova in the lead role. During her main aria - Song to the Moon - you could hear a pin drop. In this case Rusalka was actually singing to the sun but nobody minded. The beauty of the surrounding environment more than made up for the lack of lighting and props. In fact many people noted that Rusalka surrounded by woods and meadows was the ideal setting, reminiscent of the countryside at Vysoka, Dvorak's summer retreat which inspired him to compose the opera. The National Theatre ensemble had the audience on its feet after every single aria and shouts of "Bravo" echoed through the valley. It was exactly what the theatre's founders Emil Pollert and Antonin Fencl had in mind when they built it in 1913. It took almost a century for their dream to come true and judging by the enormous interest outdoor operas for the general public have a future in Prague.

posted by JWinn @ 8:32 PM