The Maid of Orléans (Tchaikovsky)
| Opera dates | |
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| Title: | The Maid of Orleans |
| Original title: |
Орлеанская дева (Orleanskaja dewa) |
| Shape: | Opera in four acts and six pictures |
| Original language: | Russian |
| Music: | Pyotr Tchaikovsky |
| Libretto : | Pyotr Tchaikovsky |
| Literary source: |
Friedrich Schiller : The maiden of Orleans , Jules Barbier : The maiden of Orleans, Auguste Mermet: Libretto to Jeanne d'Arc, Henri Wallon : Biography of the saints |
| Premiere: | February 25, 1881 |
| Place of premiere: |
Mariinsky Theater , Saint Petersburg |
| Playing time: | about 3 hours |
| Place and time of the action: | France, at the time of the Hundred Years War , 1429–1431 |
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The Maiden of Orléans or The Maiden of Orléans (Russian: Орлеанская дева , Orleanskaja dewa , often also written "Orleanskaja deva") is an opera in four acts and six pictures with music and libretto by Pyotr Tchaikovsky . It premiered on February 25, 1881 in the Mariinsky Theater in Saint Petersburg .
action
The action takes place in France during the Hundred Years War with England 1429-1431.
first act
Rural region; on one side a chapel with an image of Mary, on the other an oak tree on the river bank
In the square in front of the church, girls decorate an oak tree and sing songs. The peasant Tibo d'Ark is annoyed by her carelessness at such a terrible time for the fatherland. He worries about the fate of his seventeen-year-old daughter Ioanna and wishes that she marry Raimond so that she can be protected from danger. However, Ioanna feels called to do something else. An alarm sounds announcing the fall of Paris and the siege of Orléans. In panic, the citizens pray for salvation. On the basis of a divine inspiration, Ioanna predicts victory soon. The girl says goodbye to her place of birth. She hears the voices of angels blessing her heroic endeavors.
Second act
Chinon Castle
The king is entertained at the Château de Chinon . He neglects his duty with his beloved Agnessa . Appearances by minstrels, pages, gypsies and clowns follow one another. The king is paralyzed from inaction. Neither the appearance of the knight Lore, who was fatally injured in battle, nor the departure of the brave knight Djunua, who prefers to fight with honor ("I'm sorry! We have no monarch, I am no longer your servant"), can be his Influence the decision to flee. Suddenly the archbishop appears; Courtiers and people tell the king about the defeat of the British, the French victory and the "glorious girl" who inspired the soldiers. Ioanna tells the amazed audience about the vision in which she was ordered to lead the fight. A vow of chastity was a prerequisite for victory. On the orders of the king, Ioanna is given authority over the army.
Third act
Battlefield at Reims with the English camp in flames
Ioanna fights deep in the forest with the Burgundian knight Lionel. He is hit and the visor of his helmet falls off. Since she is bound by his beautiful young face, she cannot bring herself to kill him. Lionel is impressed by Ioanna's generosity: “It is said that you do not spare enemies; why do you show mercy for me alone? ”She is shocked by her awakened feelings and remembers her vows. Lionel chooses the French side and offers Djunua his sword. Love for Ioanna grows in the heart of the former enemy.
In front of Reims Cathedral
The nation celebrates the king and Ioanna victorious. However, her father believes that all his daughter's deeds are the work of the devil. He decides to save her soul even if it costs her life. When the king declares her “savior of the fatherland” and orders the building of an altar, her father accuses her of making pacts with Satan. He asks her to publicly prove her innocence: “Do you think you are holy and pure?” Ioanna does not answer. She suffers from her love for Lionel. Djunua tries to protect the heroine. Afraid of a clap of thunder, which they consider a heavenly judgment, the citizens renounce her. Lionel tries to protect her, but Ioanna sends him away.
Fourth act
Forest
Ioanna is alone, abandoned in remote forests. "How dare I give a mortal the soul that I have promised the Creator?" But when Lionel finds it, she happily approaches him. The happy moment is interrupted when English soldiers arrive, kill Lionel and take Ioanna prisoner.
Rouen public square
A funeral pyre is set up in the square. Ioanna is about to be executed. Citizens in the square sympathize with the heroine and there are doubts about the legality of the impending execution. But Ioanna is tied to a stake, a fire is kindled. Ioanna holds a cross and calls to God, humbly ready to die. She hears the voices of angels who promise forgiveness.
layout
The most famous parts of the opera include the aria of Ioanna in the first act and the dances in the second act.
orchestra
The orchestral line-up for the opera includes the following instruments:
- Woodwinds : three flutes (3rd also piccolo ), two oboes , English horn , two clarinets , two bassoons
- Brass : four horns , two pistons, two trumpets , three trombones , tuba
- Timpani , percussion : bass drum , cymbals , snare drum , tambourine , tam-tam , triangle , bell
- harp
- organ
- Strings
- Incidental music behind the scene: three trumpets, banda (two cornets , two alto horns, three tenor horns, bass horn, bass tuba)
Music numbers
Tchaikovsky's original score contains 23 musical numbers.
first act
- Introduction
- No. 1. Choir of Virgins (Moderato): "Пока на небе не погас" - "Poka na nebe ne pogas"
- No. 2 scene (moderato): "Не подуше мне песни ваши игры" - "Ne podusche mne pesni waschi igry"
- Trio (Andante): "Пусть попрежнему свободно" - "Pust popreschnemu swobodno"
- No. 3rd scene (moderato): "Ответь же, Иоанна" - "Otwet sche, Ioanna"
- No. 4. Peasants' Choir (Allegro vivo): "Вдали пожар"
- Scene (Moderato assai): “Боже! Помилуй короля и наш народ! "-" Bosche! Pomilui korolja i nasch narod! "
- No. 5th scene (Moderato assai): "О братья и друзья" - "O bratja i drusja"
- No. 6. Hymn (Moderato assai quasi Andantino): "Царь вишних сил" - "Tsar wischnich sil"
- No. 7. Ioanna's aria (Moderato assai - Andantino. Alla breva): "Да, час настал!" - "Da, tschas nastal!"
- No. 8. Finale (Allegro moderato): "Но силы будут ли" - "No sily budut li"
- Choir of Angels (Moderato - Allegro moderato e maestoso): "Надеть должна ты латы боевые" - "Nadet dolschna ty laty bojewyje"
Second act
- No. 9. Entr'acte (Allegro molto vivace - Tre battute)
- No. 10. Choir of minstrels (Moderato): "Бегут года и дни бессменой чередою" - "Begut goda i dni bessmenoi tscheredoju"
- No. 11a. Gypsy dance (Allegro vivace)
- No. 11b. Dance of the Pages and Dwarfs (Allegro moderato)
- No. 11c. Dance of the jugglers and drifters (Allegro molto)
- No. 12 scene (Moderato): "Доволен вами я!" - "Dowolen wami ja!"
- Duet (Andante): "О, молю, послешай: враг под Орлеаном" - "O, molju, posleschai: wrag pod Orleanom"
- No. 13. Agnes' Arioso (Andante): "Ужасная свершается судьба" - "Uschasnaja swerschajetsja sudba"
- Duettino (Lento con anima): "Ах, с тобой и бедствия" - "Oh, s toboi i bedstwija"
- No. 14 scene (Allegro moderato): "Да здравствует" - "Da sdrawstwujet"
- Narration by the Archbishop (Allegro moderato): "Государь, за нас всевышний" - "Gossudar, sa nas wsewyschni"
- No. 15. Ioanna's story (Moderato assai quasi Andante - Moderato e semplice): "Ты ль, дивная?" - "Ty l, diwnaja?"
- No. 16. Finale (Moderato assai maestoso quasi Andante): "Должно молчать перед глаголом неба" - "Dolschno moltschat pered glagolom neba"
Third act, first picture
- No. 17th scene (Allegro vivo): "Стой, стой, ты погиб!" - "Stoi, stoi, ty pogib!"
- Duet (Allegro moderato): "О Боже мой, зачем" - "O Bosche moi, satschem"
- No. 18. March (Allegro moderato)
Third act, second picture
- No. 19th scene (Andante ma non troppo): "Воротимся, мой добрый Арк" - "Vorotimsja, moi dobry Ark"
- Duettino (Molto meno mosso): "О, не губи молю тебя" - "O, ne gubi molju tebja"
- No. 20. Finale (Moderato - Allegro vivo): "Тебя, зиждителя, творца" - "Tebja, sischditelja, tworza"
Fourth act, first picture
- No. 21. Introduction (Andante non troppo quasi Moderato)
- Scene (Andante non troppo quasi Moderato): “Как! Мне, мне любовию пылать? "-" Kak! Mne, mne ljubowiju pylat? "
- No. 22. Duet (Andantino): "О, чудный, сладкий сон!" - "O, tschudnyj, sladki son!"
- Scene (Moderato - Allegro vivace): "Мне небо истину вещало" - "Mne nebo istinu veschtschalo"
Fourth act, second picture
- No. 23. Final scene (Moderato assai. Tempo di Marcia funebre): “Ведут! Ведут! Уж видно чародейку! ”-“ Wedut! Wedut! Usch widno tscharodeiku! "
Work history
The plot is based on the life of Joan of Arc . The sources from which the composer wrote the libretto were the drama by Friedrich Schiller , The Maiden of Orleans by Jules Barbier , the libretto of the opera Jeanne d'Arc by Auguste Mermet and the biography of the saints by Henri Wallon .
Web links
- The Maid of Orleans : Sheet music and audio files in the International Music Score Library Project
- Work information and libretto (Russian) as full text on operalib.eu
- Discography of The Maid of Orleans at Operadis
- The Maid of Orleans on tchaikovsky-research.net
Individual evidence
- ↑ Alexei Parin: Orleanskaja dewa. In: Piper's Encyclopedia of Musical Theater . Volume 6: Works. Spontini - Zumsteeg. Piper, Munich / Zurich 1997, ISBN 3-492-02421-1 , pp. 339–342.
- ↑ The Maid of Orleans at tchaikovsky-research.net, accessed March 26, 2019.