Creatures in the water main

In recent decades conventions drawn from cinematic genres have had their own quiet effect on the nature of operatic productions. While the ‘body-horror’ subgenre may seem too reliant on quick edits and special effects to be translated effectively to the stage, director Kornél Mundruczó offered a credibly nightmarish version in the fascinating – and occasionally frustrating – new production of Rusalka at the Staatsoper Unter den Linden. The oddities of the staging were mirrored in the performances, which placed a generally strong cast – led by Christiane Karg and supercharged by Mika Kares and Anna Kissjudit – against musical direction (from Robin Ticciati) that often seemed indifferent to the beauty and nuance of Dvořák’s score. If the resulting evening was somewhat uneven it was, at the very least, never dull.

The character of Rusalka…