Opera Spins Magic For The Eye And The Ear -- New Staging Of Dvorak's `Rusalka' Proves Fairy Tales Can Come True

``Rusalka,'' Dvorak opera in new Seattle Opera production, with Bruce Ferden conducting, staging and designs by Gunther Schneider-Siemssen; sponsored by The Boeing Company. Opera House, Saturday night (Gold Series cast), yesterday (Silver Series cast), and Wednesday through Nov. 7 (443-4711).

Bring your binoculars.

Your wide-angled field glasses; your high-powered spyglass; your best mother-of-pearl lorgnette.

Because Seattle Opera's new ``Rusalka'' production is likely to be one of the loveliest-looking shows you'll ever see. Gasps and applause greeted the storybook sets, fairy-tale forests, glittering waters and brilliantly subtle lighting effects created by renowned designer Gunther Schneider-Siemssen, who also made his American stage-directing debut with this production.

Idea after colorful idea was played out on the stage, right down to the creation of a few characters unspecified in the libretto but the evening's biggest hit with the audience: The benevolent, bossy witch Jezebaba is accompanied by four adorable owls (can these be spotted owls? - a topical reference?), with the smallest baby owl portrayed by a 5-year-old in a downy costume.

Aside from a minor snafu caused by a blown fuse Saturday, the projections and the lighting designs were almost magically successful, and they followed the libretto with care; when the supratitles announced that gray clouds covered the moon, they did. It's high praise to say that musically speaking, this ``Rusalka'' was nearly as easy on the ear as on the eye. In the Gold Series cast, which opened Saturday night, two very fine principals - Renee Fleming as Rusalka and Ben Heppner as the Prince - were accompanied by the lively supporting cast that sings in all performances.

Fleming was a warm, impassioned Rusalka whose beautiful vocal quality and register seem perfectly tailored for this role. Heppner, who made his debut here as Walther in ``Die Meistersinger,'' gave a noble account of the waffling Prince. Heppner's voice continues to grow in finesse and in range (including an imposing high C); he's impressive even outside the heldentenor repertoire he has claimed as his own.

Sheila Nadler was a wonderfully confident and stylish Jezebaba. The heartless Foreign Princess was sung with real relish by Ealynn Voss, got up like a bizarre bird of prey in her headdress and crestlike collar and what appeared to be black lipstick. There's steel in her demeanor, and in her Wagnerian-size voice.

Rusalka's father, the Water Man, was Richard Van Allen, who gave a very empathetic and moving performance despite some vocal irregularities. Susan Graham had some delightful moments in the ``pants role'' of the kitchen boy, with Paul Gudas as the Gamekeeper; Byron Ellis was a fine Hunter, and a lovely trio of nymphs - Deeji Killian, Dawn Jensen and Louise Marley - moved and sang charmingly.

Graham, Heppner and Fleming, all young singers, were Metropolitan Opera Auditions finalists in the same year: What a vote of confidence in the Met Auditions' ability to scout great talent.

The chorus, cleverly deployed offstage and represented through shadows in the second-act court scene, sang with finesse and precision.

Bruce Ferden gave an enthusiastic, musicianly account of the score, and if balances tipped occasionally in favor of the orchestra, at least the orchestra was in first-rate fettle.

Ferden could have turned down the volume a bit yesterday, however, for the Silver Series cast, when Nicole Philibosian and David Bender took over as less heroically powered Rusalka and the Prince. Philibosian gave a moving and affecting performance, but this isn't a great role for her; much of the densely scored music lies in the lower middle voice, not her greatest area of strength. Bender was a dashing Prince, but he didn't pace himself vocally, and ran out of tenorial steam in the third act.

Schneider-Siemssen's stage direction veered between the quaintly old-fashioned (exactly the right tone for this fairy-tale ambiance) and the perplexing. Rusalka is supposed to be a water sprite who cannot leave the water, but she opens the show perched in a treetop, from which she sings the beautiful Song to the Moon. Later, when her transformation into a mortal is reversed, she laments, ``You cruel waters, you drag me down again'' - from the top of the same tree.

My guess is that the treetop location was so beautiful and evocative that the director couldn't resist it. (It may also be that no soprano in her right mind wants to sing the Song to the Moon while standing waist-deep in the lake.)

Based on the same fairy tale that inspired Disney's animated film, ``The Little Mermaid,'' ``Rusalka'' is short on action but long on beautiful music. This production takes the ideal route: voices to do the score justice, and sets beautiful enough to beguile the eye through any longueurs of the libretto.