Photos: In Rehearsal for The Royal Opera's New Production Of Dvořák's Timeless Ode To Nature, RUSALKA

Rehearsal images have been released for The Royal Opera's new production of Dvořák's enduring masterpiece Rusalka which opens for six performances on the main stage at Covent Garden on Tuesday 21 February.

Director and choreographer Ann Yee and director Natalie Abrahami make their Covent Garden debuts, creating an ecologically minded, contemporary staging of the lyric fairy tale. Revealing our uneasy relationship with the natural world and humanity's attempts to appropriate and contain it, this staging will be The Royal Opera's first production created using sustainable practices, leading the way towards the ROH's commitment to net zero emissions by 2035.

Semyon Bychkov conducts an all-star cast featuring Asmik Grigorian (Jenůfa 2021) as the immortal water spirit, Rusalka. She is joined by former Jette Parker Young Artist David Butt Philip (Boris Godunov 2019) as the Prince, Emma Bell (Tannhäuser 2016) as the Duchess, and Sarah Connolly (Das Rheingold and Die Walküre 2018) performs the role of Ježibaba. The role of Vodník will be shared by Aleksei Isaev and Rafał Siwek who both make their Covent Garden debuts.

Following its premiere at the Czech National Theatre in Prague in 1901, this new production will be only the second full staging at Covent Garden. Giving voice to a conflict of ever-increasing urgency between the human and non-human world, this bold production is designed by Chloe Lamford, with costumes by Annemarie Woods and lighting design by Paule Constable.

Rusalka runs from Tuesday 21 February - 7 March 2023. Tickets are available on the Royal Opera House website.

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