Rusalka
May 2004 Reviewed by: Wes Marshall Format: DVD	(all ratings out of 5): Overall Enjoyment Picture Quality Packaged Extras Sound Quality

Rusalka (Renée Fleming) is a water nymph who is in love with the Prince (Sergei Larin). She goes to the witch Jazibaba (played by Larissa Diadkova, and by the way, Naxos, the spelling should be Jež ibaba) who offers to turn Rusalka into a human. However, as in most fantasy operas, there is a catch: Rusalka will lose her ability to talk and the Prince must remain faithful to her. If not, the witch will condemn them both. When the Prince meets Rusalka in her human form, he falls in love and takes her to court. There, the evil Foreign Princess (Eva Urbanova) steals the Prince by spreading rumors about Rusalka. Rusalka returns to her lake, devastated over the loss. The Prince sees the error of his ways and goes to Rusalka. With her voice back, she explains everything to the Prince. He longs to be with her, but she warns that Jazibaba has cursed their union, and a single kiss will lead to his death. He begs for a kiss, which she tearfully gives, and he dies.

Fleming is opera’s reigning superstar soprano and this is a wonderful opportunity to hear her at the peak of her powers (then again, she keeps getting better every year, so her true peak may come years from now). If you want to hear the diva in a lovely aria, go straight to chapter 6 for her rendition of "Mesícku na nebi hlubokém," a gentle aria where she longs for an opportunity to wander in the world above the water and live with humans. A fine cast of singers and mostly good actors joins Fleming. The exception is Sergei Larin as the Prince, acting more like a princess.

In the very near future, Naxos may rule the entire world of classical music. Besides their stellar selection of CDs, they are now dominating the world of opera DVDs. Where the older, larger European companies are still trotting out the old tapings, Naxos is delivering a stunning array of new recordings with top artists. Rusalka was shot on videotape, so you see digital clarity as opposed to analog beauty. The sound is well recorded and even when Fleming hits a sustained high note that probably made the entire auditorium shake, there is no breakup in the sound. All is not perfect. There is no libretto, even though there is plenty of room in the box, and the subtitles are poorly placed so that they occasionally cover the singers. Those quibbles aside, this is a terrific opportunity to see a rarely performed opera sung by our greatest living soprano.

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