Soprano Rachel Willis-Sørensen Sings Rusalka Aria at 1,300 m
Soprano Rachel Willis-Sørensen hit a lot of high notes when she delivered a stellar performance of the Song to the Moon, from Dvorak's Rusalka, while riding a hot air balloon.
Willis-Sørensen gave the impromptu performance during her recent birthday trip to turkey. She hopped on a hot air balloon early in the morning in Cappadocia, known for its balloon rides, and delivered the aria at 1,300 m.
Willis-Sørensen said in a Facebook post that, "even though I am always traveling, I actually very rarely have time for an actual vacation!"
Known for her broad repertoire-described as ranging from Mozart to Wagner-Willis-Sørensen is no stranger to Rusalka, having sung the lead role with the San Francisco Opera in 2019. Initially slated to play the Wagnerian Foreign Princess, Willis-Sørensen said that the multiple rejections gave her greater appreciation for the role of Rusalka: "I've never related more to a character than to this weird character that is not a human. As I was going through it, I was like, 'Oh my gosh, I have felt all of these feelings: the rejection, the self-loathing.'"
Rusalka's arias have since become a regular part of her repertoire: she sang Song to the Moon during the famous solar eclipse that happened earlier this year.