The Maid of Orleans (opera)

The Maid of Orleans (Russian: Орлеанская дева, romanized: Orleanskaja deva, lit. 'Virgin of Orleans' ) is an opera in 4 acts, 6 scenes, by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. It was composed during 1878–1879 to a Russian libretto by the composer, based on several sources: Friedrich Schiller's The Maid of Orleans as translated by Vasily Zhukovsky; Jules Barbier's Jeanne d'Arc; Auguste Mermet's libretto for his own 1876 opera; and Henri Wallon's biography of Joan of Arc. Dedicated to conductor Eduard Nápravník, this work represents the composer's closest approach to French grand opera, albeit in the Russian language, notably with its inclusion of a ballet in act 2.

The Maid of Orleans

Russian: Орлеанская дева

Tchaikovsky

Russian

Several works about Joan of Arc

25 February 1881

Mariinsky Theatre, Saint Petersburg

Performance history[edit]

The world premiere was given on 25 February 1881 (13 February O.S.) at the Mariinsky Theatre in Saint Petersburg, conducted by Eduard Nápravník. Notable subsequent performances were given on 28 July 1882 in Prague under Adolf Čech, the first production of any Tchaikovsky opera outside Russia; in 1899 in Moscow by the Private Opera Society, conducted by Mikhail Ippolitov-Ivanov; and in 1907 in Moscow by the Zimin Opera, conducted by Palitsīn.

Strings: violins I and II, violas, cellos, double Basses, harp

Woodwinds: piccolo, 3 flutes, 2 oboes, cor anglais, 2 clarinets (B-flat, A, C), 2 bassoons

Brass: 4 horns (F, D, E-flat, E), 2 cornets (B-flat, A), 2 trumpets (E-flat, F, E, D, A), 3 trombones, tuba

Percussion: timpani, triangle, tambourine, side drum, bass drum, tam-tam, bell

Other: organ

The opera is scored for the following forces:^[1]

1946, (conductor), Kirov Theatre Orchestra and Chorus, Sofia Preobrazhenskaya (Joan), V. Kilchevskyi (King Charles), N. Konstantinov (Archbishop), O. Kashevarova (Agnes Sorel), V. Runovsky (Dunois), L. Solomiak (Lionel), V. Ulianov (Raymond), I. Yashugin (Thibaut), I. Shashkov (Bertrand), S. Vodsinsky (Soldier), A. Marin (Lore), M. Merzhevskaya (Angel), N. Grishanov (Minstrel)

Boris Khaykin

1971, (conductor), Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, Irina Arkhipova (Joan), Vladimir Makhov (King Charles), Klavdiya Radchenko (Agnes Sorel), Vladimir Valaitis (Dunois), Sergey Yavkovchenko (Lionel), Lev Vernigora, (Archbishop), Andrey Sokolov (Raymond), Viktor Selivanov (Bertrand), Vartan Makelian (Soldier), Yevgeny Vladimirov (Thibaut) [HMV ASD 2879-82]

Gennady Rozhdestvensky

1993, (conductor), Bolshoy Theatre Orchestra and Chorus, Nina Rautio (Joan), Oleg Kulko (King Charles), Mariya Gavrilova (Agnes Sorel), Mikhail Krutikov (Dunois), Vladimir Redkin (Lionel), Gleb Nikolsky (Archbishop), Arkady Mishenkin (Raymond), Maksim Mikhaylov II (Bertrand), Anatoly Babikin (Soldier), Zoya Smolyanikova (Angel), Vyacheslav Pochapsky (Thibaut)

Alexander Lazarev

Bernandt, Grigoriĭ Borisovich. Словарь опер впервые поставленных или изданных в дореволюционной России и в СССР, 1736–1959 [Dictionary of Operas First Performed or Published in Pre-Revolutionary Russia and in the USSR, 1736–1959] (Moscow: Советский композитор, 1962), p. 215.

100 опер: история создания, сюжет, музыка. [100 Operas: History of Creation, Subject, Music.] Leningrad: Издательство "Музыка", 1968, pp. 390–396.

Notes

Sources

: Scores at the International Music Score Library Project

The Maid of Orleans (opera)