Dvorak's Rusalka

What separates the typical Disney flick from most operas is not just the animation or the language, but the ending, the resolution. True, not all operas end in tragedy (though most do), but even the happily-ever-afters come laden with sacrifice and cost-of-learning, so to speak. And let’s face it, someone usually dies.

This month, the Minnesota Opera brings us Anton Dvorak’s Rusalka, a beautiful Little Mermaid-like fairytale without the happy ending. Named after the Vysoka country estate (just south of Prague) in which Dvorak took residence in 1884 — with Rusalka Lake at its core — the Czech opera tells the story of a water nymph who falls in love with a prince. But in the world of opera, as in Shakespeare, two worlds colliding can only lead in tragedy — a tragedy, of course, made all too beautiful by Dvorak’s composition. A bit on the Wagnerian side perhaps, the music reinforces the "collision" by creating two entirely unique sound-worlds.

Conductor Robert Wood, stage director Eric Simonson, and choreographer Mathew Janczewski lead an illustrious cast in this Minnesota Opera performance, featuring the return of Minnesota native Kelly Kaduce in the title role, and Brandon Jovanovich as the Prince.

Ordway Center for the Performing Arts, 345 Washington St, St Paul, 651-224-4222; $20-$150.