If Renee Flemming was not in Rusalka, I would think that it was a very mediocre opera. The singing was great, the plot typical, and the set amazing, but then again it was a Met production. Watching Rusalka was like watching a Romantic comedy, it was good but not very thought provoking. I would put the production in the middle, with Falstaff being my worst and La Rondine being mt favorite.
I can't actually pinpoint why I'm so "eh" about it.The Czech signing was great, and from the begining I thought that it sounded a lot like Italian. I wonder what Russian operas are like( I'm not counting The Nose becasue I hated the atonal music so much thta I blocked out the signing). I thought that Czech would be harsh like German, but it was pretty smooth.
The thing that stood out the most to me was the acting. When viewing operas live it's hard to see the facial expressions of the singers. I think that is why body language is so exaggerated sometimes. Watching an HD simulcast shows the details that may be lost when viewing live. During Act 2 when Flemming's character became mute, her acting really showed through. I had always thought that compared to singing and music, acting took the backseat in opera. But Rusalka delivered in all aspects. It is a very well rounded opera.
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