Immersion in the production of Rusalka by Antonín Dvořák

The journey begins two years before the first performance

Once the show has been scheduled by the Director of the ONR, work begins on putting together the artistic team. For Rusalka, the selected team consisted of Antony Hermus (conductor), Nicola Raab (director), Julia Müer (set designer), Raphaela Rose (costume designer), Bernd Purkrabek (lighting engineer), and Martin Andersson (videographer).

Together, they devise the staging, the decorative elements, the costumes, the mood, and the lighting. All of these artistic choices must work together in harmony and be a good fit for each other.

Presenting the model box
About a year before the première, the artistic team presents its plans to all the personnel at the opera company. This event, which is vital for each production, has a specific name in French: the "dépôt de maquette", or the submission of the model box.

For this purpose, Julia Müer and Raphaela Rose have made the model box, a mockup that depicts the first image of the future show at a reduced scale. This allows them to explain their artistic choices to the various teams involved.

When the singers arrive for rehearsals, about six weeks before the first performances, they must already know their parts. Most of the soloists are hired by the ONR and they come to Strasbourg from a variety of countries.

Some roles are also played by members of the ONR Choir or the Opéra Studio. For some productions, additional choirs from other opera companies are hired for the period in which the production will take place.

During the next rehearsals, Nicola Raab explains the approach she will take in directing the show and the means used to execute it. She explains her vision and gives the first directions on her expectations: movements, entrances, emotions, and so on.

Rehearsals continue like this for three weeks. They take place in the studio and in the Salle Jean-Pierre Ponnelle, which is a rehearsal room exactly the same size as the stage in Strasbourg. There, a taster of the sets is installed, using stand-in objects and markings on the floor, to give the performers their first points of reference with regard to the scale of things.

The show is rehearsed scene by scene. Antony Hermus is present and the music is played on the piano by a vocal coach who stands in for the orchestra at the time.

At the end of these three weeks, the team switches to the stage itself, where the set is now in place. The stagehands will have moved all elements of the set from the workshops to the stage and the electricians will have set up the electrics in advance.

The run-through
Two weeks before the première, the piano-only rehearsal takes place. For this occasion, the score is played by a pianist alone.

The performers run through the opera in its entirety for the first time. This is called the run-through. The most senior members of the wig, makeup, and costume departments are present to make any necessary adjustments in line with comments made by the director and her artistic team (who deal with sets and costumes).

Orchestral rehearsals

The Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg has its own rehearsals, known as the orchestra's "lectures" or "readings." The musicians become familiar with their parts individually and then follow Antony Hermus's directions on how to perform them together with the rest of the orchestra. He gives them instructions on the tempo, rhythm, interpretation, and style. This orchestra alternates with the Orchestre Symphonique de Mulhouse, so the music for each production is performed by one of them.

Pre-dress rehearsal and dress rehearsal

Next are the pre-dress rehearsal and then the dress rehearsal, both of which involve performing the show in its entirety under real performance conditions and without pausing.

During these rehearsals, the singers may perform their parts by "marking," which means not singing all of the notes with their full voice to preserve their vocal cords. Unlike the pre-dress rehearsal, the dress rehearsal is open to the public.

Rusalka / Antonín Dvořák
Lyric fairytale in three acts.
Libretto by Jaroslav Kvapil based on text by Friedrich Heinrich Carl de la Motte-Fouqué
First performed in Prague (at the National Theatre) on March 31, 1901.
Performed at the ONR from October 18 through November 10, 2019.
Production by the Opéra National du Rhin, 2019/2020 season. Coproduction with the Opéra de Limoges.
Musical Director: Antony Hermus
Director: Nicola Raab
Set Designer: Julia Müer
Costume Designer: Raphaela Rose
Lighting: Bernd Purkrabek
Video: Martin Andersson
© plainpicture/Maryanne Gobble
Graphic Design: la fabrique des regards
Muriel Waerenburgh & Lise Bruyneel