Antonín Dvořák

Rusalka's Song To The Moon

Rusalka was created in 1901 and is the most well known opera by Dvorak. Its beauty and poetry give the opera a deserved place in the opera houses of the whole world. The lyrical summit of the work is the song to the moon , sung by the leading character.

In a forest the water spirit Rusalka tells the moon about the love she feels for a human and reveals her desire to be part of this human world of which she can only guess. Like the small siren of the Andersen tale, Rusalka is obliged to request the help of a witch and make a pact with her wherewith she will become dumb and it will therefore be impossible for her to tell of the immense love she feels for her prince. At the end of the opera, Rusalka is forced to kill the man she loves.