This opera is a dark take on ‘The Little Mermaid.’ How and when to see it in Wichita

Through centuries and across countries, various versions of folklore grew.

“Rusalka,” which Wichita Grand Opera is presenting next weekend, is composer Antonin Dvorak’s take on the Czechoslovakian version of “The Little Mermaid” – except it’s completely different than the tale told by Hans Christian Andersen or Walt Disney Studios.

“Unlike ‘Little Mermaid,’ it is not a happy ending,” director Grant Preisser said.

“The role is just so dramatic,” said soprano Shannon Jennings, who sings the title character. “She goes through such a journey in all three acts, and even though we think we know the ‘Little Mermaid’ story, not only is the Hans Christian Andersen tale different from the Disney tale millions of Americans grew up with, but it’s also very different in the Czech folklore. It has a very dark ending that’s even different from the Hans Christian Andersen version that everybody might know.”

“Rusalka,” which opens WGO’s season, may not be a recognizable title to some, but Preisser said it started to gain popularity in the United States after acclaimed soprano Renee Fleming added the opera’s “Song to the Moon” to her repertoire in the 1990s, “which put it on everybody’s radar again.”

“It’s not often done,” Preisser said. Although known for symphonic masterpieces, “Dvorak did write a handful of operas, but none of them really made it into the standard opera rep.”

The massive undertaking includes 32 chorus singers and a 40-member orchestra.

“It’s kind of a difficult opera, harder to produce because of the style of singing,” Preisser said. “It’s more Wagnerian, so you need the right voices. It’s a fantasy with a big orchestra and it needs a lot of voices to produce.”

The cast has been rehearsing since Labor Day

Preisser is the artistic director of Opera Orlando, which staged a site-specific “Rusalka” in March outdoors, moving from a reflecting pool for the first act, across the street to a museum for the second act and back to the pool for the finale.

Although Preisser did write an English adaptation for the Orlando performance, the WGO will be in the original Czech with supertitles, which he says are “easy to follow.” The rehearsal pianist, he said, speaks fluent Czech and has been a resource giving notes and directions.

The cast, which includes singers from across the nation along with many Wichita performers, has been in rehearsals since Labor Day.

“It’s a beautiful and heartbreaking fairy tale,” Preisser said. “It’s super passionate music and incredible singing – phenomenal voices, very athletic and operatic singing.”

Andrew Potter will be playing water goblin Vodnik for his third production.

“’Rusalka’ is literally one of my favorite opera scores on the planet, and any time I get the chance to do it, I do it,” Potter said. “Dvorak to me is just one of the most sublime composers in history. He has this beautiful, nuansical way of bringing in folk-type melodies but he also brings it with a texture that is kind of palatable, if you want to think of it this way, to the western world.”

Opera must be experienced in person

Potter said Dvorak was influenced by his time in America before writing “Rusalka,” including sudden changes in mood and tempo.

“You get all the power of this incredible composition and then there are these times where there are these simple Czech, folkish type tunes,” he said. “I have this aria that’s very powerful and you get the feeling it was something simple like a lullaby or something like that that inspired it. Dvorak has this uncanny way of presenting these massive swells of music and then he’ll bring it down to next to nothing and you find yourself leaning in to experience it.”

Jennings also had the title role in the Opera Orlando version directed by Preisser, and says she loves the part and the opera.

“I love getting to play with that much darker version and getting to experience that,” she said. “Dvorak’s music is just so rich and lush. Really, it’s a symphony with singers. The orchestration is so thick and so powerful and I’m really looking forward to doing that with a full orchestra this time.”

She said that, unlike other art forms, opera must be experienced in person.

“Truly it’s an in-person art form because you have to be present to feel all of the frequencies and feel all of the resonances hitting you in the face,” she said with a laugh.

‘RUSALKA’ BY WICHITA GRAND OPERA

When: Saturday, 7 p.m.; Sunday, 3 p.m.

Where: Century II concert hall, 225 W. Douglas

Tickets: $325-$85, from the Century II ticket office, selectaseat.com or 316-755-7328