Rusalka Revealed: Dvořák’s operatic masterpiece

To celebrate a new edition of Antonín Dvořák’s beloved opera Rusalka and a new staging by the Royal Opera House, the editors Robert Simon and Jonáš Hájek discussed Dvořák‘s lyrical fairy tale, and their work on the score and Jaroslav Kvapil’s libretto with musicologist Nigel Simeone. Anna Blackmur, Principal 2nd Violin of the ROH orchestra, shared her personal experience of playing Dvořák’s music highlighting the challenges his seemingly easy music presents to players.

Robert Simon is an American librarian and musicologist specializing in Czech music. He is the author of Bohuslav Martinů: A Research and Information Guide and recently edited Martinů's one-act opera Ariane as part of the Bohuslav Martinů Complete Edition. Other editorial projects include the Wind Quintet of Pavel Haas and Antonín Dvořák's Slavonic Rhapsodies, Op. 45. Robert currently serves as Music and Arts Librarian at the College of the Holy Cross (Worcester, MA), and previously worked at the University of Notre Dame (South Bend, IN), where he launched their new Music Library in 2018.  

Jonáš Hájek  is a graduate of both the Prague Conservatory and the Institute of Musicology, Faculty of Arts, at the Charles University in Prague. He also spent a year at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater in Leipzig. Since 2007, he has been an editor (since 2017 the chief editor) of the Prague branch of the Bärenreiter publishing house, which specialises in Czech music. As an editor, he has prepared the Symphony "Asrael" op. 27 by Josef Suk ("Best Edition" prize from the Association of German Music Publishers 2019), Dvořák's Romance for Violin and Piano Op. 11 and Dvořák'sNocturne for String Orchestra Op. 40. He is the publishing supervisor of the new edition of Rusalka and the editor of its libretto.

Nigel Simeone is a writer and musician with special interests in Czech music and twentieth-century opera – both inspired by seeing Janáček’s Cunning Little Vixen during a school visit to Germany in 1971. He broadcasts regularly for BBC Radio 3 (Record Review, Opera on 3, BBC Proms) and has published extensively, including twelve books, two of them on Janáček: Janáček’s Works (1997, with John Tyrrell and Alena Němcová) and The Janáček Compendium (2019). Nigel has given lectures on aspects of Czech music for the London Symphony Orchestra, Philharmonia, Wigmore Hall, BBC Proms and Welsh National Opera. He has written programme notes for the Royal Opera House, Scottish Opera, the BBC Proms, the LSO and the Salzburg Festival, and CD booklet notes for Deutsche Grammophon, Decca, Hyperion, Chandos and others.

Anna Blackmur studied as a Royal College of Music scholar under Maciej Rakowski, completing her BMus with first class honours (2010) and her Masters in Performance with Distinction (2012). In 2015, Anna was appointed Section Principal Second Violin with the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, having previously appeared as Assistant Concertmaster with the orchestra. She has also appeared as principal with the BBC Symphony Orchestra, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Orchestra of Welsh National Opera, and principal or coprincipal with the Academy of St Martin in the Fields (with whom she has toured extensively, directed by Joshua Bell, Sir Neville Marriner and Murray Perahia), and Scottish Chamber Orchestra. Anna is in constant demand as a recording artist, playing on multiple film and television sessions. She is also in high demand as a coach/mentor, and as a chamber musician, playing with, amongst others, the Covent Garden Soloists and Aronowitz Ensemble, and attending numerous international festivals such as the BBC Proms, and the Saronic and Aims Festivals as an artist in residence. 

In collaboration with The Dvořák Society and the Bärenreiter Music Publishing House.

Cover photo: Růžena Maturová as Rusalka, National Theatre in Prague, 1901, © National Museum – Czech Museum of Music

Recorded at the Czech Embassy Cinema in London on Wed 22 Feb 2023.

For more information please visit our website here: Czech Centre London Programme