Iolanta
Encyclopedia
Iolanta, Op.
69, (sometimes Iolanthe) is a lyric opera
in one act by Pyotr Tchaikovsky
. The libretto was written by the composer's brother Modest Tchaikovsky
, and is based on the Danish play
Kong Renés Datter (King René’s Daughter) by Henrik Hertz
. The play was translated by Fyodor Miller and adapted by Vladimir Zotov. The opera received its premiere on 18 December 1892 in St. Petersburg
.
, Tchaikovsky worried that he had lost his creative inspiration after such a large project. He started Iolanta with the final duet in June 1891, and despite his worries, finished composition in September and orchestration in November. The public reception was quite favorable, though Tchaikovsky was disappointed and felt he was repeating himself, especially when compared to his earlier work, The Enchantress.
) 1892 at the Mariinsky Theatre
in St. Petersburg
. It was conducted by Eduard Nápravník
and sets were designed by Mikhail Bocharov.
The premiere of the opera shared a double bill with the composer's last ballet, The Nutcracker
.
Its first performance outside Russia was in Hamburg
on 3 January 1893, with Gustav Mahler
conducting. Mahler also conducted the Vienna
premiere on 22 March 1900.
There are only a few recordings of the opera, although Robert's aria has been recorded and performed in concerts frequently. A 1963 performance was filmed in Riga
and released overseas in 1974. A 1997 two-act version of Iolanta is performed regularly at Bolshoi Theatre
(13 nights during the 2006 season).
Operadis discography
Opus number
An Opus number , pl. opera and opuses, abbreviated, sing. Op. and pl. Opp. refers to a number generally assigned by composers to an individual composition or set of compositions on publication, to help identify their works...
69, (sometimes Iolanthe) is a lyric opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
in one act by Pyotr Tchaikovsky
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (Russian: Пётр Ильи́ч Чайко́вский ; often "Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky" in English. His names are also transliterated "Piotr" or "Petr"; "Ilitsch", "Il'ich" or "Illyich"; and "Tschaikowski", "Tschaikowsky", "Chajkovskij"...
. The libretto was written by the composer's brother Modest Tchaikovsky
Modest Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Modest Ilyich Tchaikovsky was a Russian dramatist, opera librettist and translator.-Early life:Modest Ilyich was born in Alapayevsk, the younger brother of the future composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. He graduated from the School of Jurisprudence with a degree in law...
, and is based on the Danish play
Play (theatre)
A play is a form of literature written by a playwright, usually consisting of scripted dialogue between characters, intended for theatrical performance rather than just reading. There are rare dramatists, notably George Bernard Shaw, who have had little preference whether their plays were performed...
Kong Renés Datter (King René’s Daughter) by Henrik Hertz
Henrik Hertz
Henrik Hertz , Danish poet, was born of Jewish parents in Copenhagen.In 1817 he was sent to the university. His father died in his infancy, and the family property was destroyed in the bombardment of 1807. The boy was brought up by his relative, ML Nathanson, a well-known newspaper editor.Young...
. The play was translated by Fyodor Miller and adapted by Vladimir Zotov. The opera received its premiere on 18 December 1892 in St. Petersburg
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
.
Composition history
Composed after the completion of The Queen of SpadesThe Queen of Spades (opera)
The Queen of Spades, Op. 68 is an opera in 3 acts by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky to a Russian libretto by the composer's brother Modest Tchaikovsky, based on a short story of the same name by Alexander Pushkin. The premiere took place in 1890 in St...
, Tchaikovsky worried that he had lost his creative inspiration after such a large project. He started Iolanta with the final duet in June 1891, and despite his worries, finished composition in September and orchestration in November. The public reception was quite favorable, though Tchaikovsky was disappointed and felt he was repeating himself, especially when compared to his earlier work, The Enchantress.
Performance history
The world premiere took place on 18 December (6 December O.S.Old Style and New Style dates
Old Style and New Style are used in English language historical studies either to indicate that the start of the Julian year has been adjusted to start on 1 January even though documents written at the time use a different start of year ; or to indicate that a date conforms to the Julian...
) 1892 at the Mariinsky Theatre
Mariinsky Theatre
The Mariinsky Theatre is a historic theatre of opera and ballet in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Opened in 1860, it became the preeminent music theatre of late 19th century Russia, where many of the stage masterpieces of Tchaikovsky, Mussorgsky, and Rimsky-Korsakov received their premieres. The...
in St. Petersburg
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
. It was conducted by Eduard Nápravník
Eduard Nápravník
Eduard Francevič Nápravník was a Czech conductor and composer, who settled in Russia and is best known for his leading role in Russian musical life as the principal conductor of the Imperial Mariinsky Theatre in Saint Petersburg for many decades...
and sets were designed by Mikhail Bocharov.
The premiere of the opera shared a double bill with the composer's last ballet, The Nutcracker
The Nutcracker
The Nutcracker is a two-act ballet, originally choreographed by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov with a score by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. The libretto is adapted from E.T.A. Hoffmann's story "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King". It was given its première at the Mariinsky Theatre in St...
.
Its first performance outside Russia was in Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
on 3 January 1893, with Gustav Mahler
Gustav Mahler
Gustav Mahler was a late-Romantic Austrian composer and one of the leading conductors of his generation. He was born in the village of Kalischt, Bohemia, in what was then Austria-Hungary, now Kaliště in the Czech Republic...
conducting. Mahler also conducted the Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
premiere on 22 March 1900.
There are only a few recordings of the opera, although Robert's aria has been recorded and performed in concerts frequently. A 1963 performance was filmed in Riga
Riga
Riga is the capital and largest city of Latvia. With 702,891 inhabitants Riga is the largest city of the Baltic states, one of the largest cities in Northern Europe and home to more than one third of Latvia's population. The city is an important seaport and a major industrial, commercial,...
and released overseas in 1974. A 1997 two-act version of Iolanta is performed regularly at Bolshoi Theatre
Bolshoi Theatre
The Bolshoi Theatre is a historic theatre in Moscow, Russia, designed by architect Joseph Bové, which holds performances of ballet and opera. The Bolshoi Ballet and Bolshoi Opera are amongst the oldest and most renowned ballet and opera companies in the world...
(13 nights during the 2006 season).
Roles
| Role | Voice type Voice type A voice type is a particular kind of human singing voice perceived as having certain identifying qualities or characteristics. Voice classification is the process by which human voices are evaluated and are thereby designated into voice types... |
St. Petersburg Premiere, 18 December 1892 (6 December O.S. Old Style and New Style dates Old Style and New Style are used in English language historical studies either to indicate that the start of the Julian year has been adjusted to start on 1 January even though documents written at the time use a different start of year ; or to indicate that a date conforms to the Julian... ) (Conductor: Eduard Nápravník Eduard Nápravník Eduard Francevič Nápravník was a Czech conductor and composer, who settled in Russia and is best known for his leading role in Russian musical life as the principal conductor of the Imperial Mariinsky Theatre in Saint Petersburg for many decades... ) |
|---|---|---|
| René, King of Provence | bass Bass (voice type) A bass is a type of male singing voice and possesses the lowest vocal range of all voice types. According to The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, a bass is typically classified as having a range extending from around the second E below middle C to the E above middle C... |
Konstantin Serebryakov |
| Robert, Duke of Burgundy | baritone Baritone Baritone is a type of male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek , meaning deep sounding, music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C Baritone (or... |
Leonid Yakovlev |
| Count Vaudémont, a Burgundian knight | tenor Tenor The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2... |
Nikolay Figner Nikolay and Medea Figner Nikolay Figner , lyric tenor, and Medea Figner , mezzo-soprano, later soprano, were a renowned husband-and-wife team of opera singers active in Russia between 1889 and 1904. Medea was Italian-born but she became competely Russianized after marrying Nikolay... |
| Ibn-Hakia, a Moorish physician | baritone | Arkady Chernov |
| Alméric, armor-bearer to King René | tenor | Vasily Karelin |
| Bertrand, doorkeeper of the castle | bass | Yalmar Frei |
| Iolanta, blind daughter of King René | soprano Soprano A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody... |
Medea Mei-Figner Nikolay and Medea Figner Nikolay Figner , lyric tenor, and Medea Figner , mezzo-soprano, later soprano, were a renowned husband-and-wife team of opera singers active in Russia between 1889 and 1904. Medea was Italian-born but she became competely Russianized after marrying Nikolay... |
| Marta, Bertrand's wife, Iolanta's nursemaid | contralto Contralto Contralto is the deepest female classical singing voice, with the lowest tessitura, falling between tenor and mezzo-soprano. It typically ranges between the F below middle C to the second G above middle C , although at the extremes some voices can reach the E below middle C or the second B above... |
Mariya Kamenskaya |
| Brigitta, Iolanta's friend | soprano | Aleksandra Runge |
| Laura, Iolanta's friend | mezzo-soprano Mezzo-soprano A mezzo-soprano is a type of classical female singing voice whose range lies between the soprano and the contralto singing voices, usually extending from the A below middle C to the A two octaves above... |
Mariya Dolina |
| Chorus, silent roles: Iolanta's servant-girls and friends, the king's retinue, the Burgundian Duke's regiment, men-at-arms | ||
Instrumentation
Source: www.tchaikovsky-research.net- Strings: Violins I, Violins II, Violas, Cellos, and Double Basses
- Woodwinds: Piccolo, 2 Flutes, 2 Oboes, Cor Anglais, 2 Clarinets (B-flat & A), 2 Bassoons
- Brass: 4 Horns (all in F), 2 Trumpets (B-flat, A), 3 Trombones, Tuba
- Percussion: Timpani
- Other: 2 Harps
Scene 1
Iolanta has been blind from birth, but no one has ever told her. In a beautiful garden on the king's estate, her friends bring flowers and sing to her.Scene 2
After announcing the king's arrival, Alméric is warned by Bertrand not to speak of light with Iolanta or to reveal that Iolanta's father is the king. She is betrothed to Robert, who is also unaware of her misfortune. The king arrives with a Mauritian physician who states Iolanta can be cured, but only if she is told and desires to see. Ibn-Hakia' monologue "Two worlds". The king refuses the treatment, fearing for Iolanta's happiness.Scene 3
Wishing to avoid the marriage, Robert (telling, he loves another) and Vaudémont escape to the garden where they encounter Iolanta. Robert's Aria "Who can compare with my Mathilde". Robert, convinced she is a sorceress, leaves to prepare his troops. Vaudémont stays and discovers her blindness. They fall in love, after he explains light and color to her.Scene 4
The couple is discovered. Vaudémont pledges his love, whether Iolanta is blind or not. The king threatens to kill Vaudémont if the physician's treatment fails. Robert returns and tells the king he has fallen in love with another. The king cancels the wedding contract, and gives Iolanta to Vaudémont. The treatment works and Iolanta can see!Principal arias and numbers
- Arioso: "Why did I not know this before?" "Отчего это прежде не знала" (Iolanta)
- Aria: "Two worlds" "Два мира" (Ebn-Hakia)
- Aria: "Who can compare with my Matilda?" "Кто может сравниться с Матильдой моей" (Robert)
Structure
- Introduction
- No.1 — Scena
- No.1a — Iolanta's Arioso
- No.2 — Scena & Chorus
- No.3 — Scena & Chorus
- No.4 — Scena
- No.4a — King Rene's Aria
- No.5 — Scena
- No.5a — Ibn-Hakia's Monologue
- No.6 — Scena
- No.6a — Robert's Aria
- No.6b — Vaudemont's Romance
- No.7 — Scena & Duet
- No.8 — Scena
- No.9 — Finale
Recordings
- 1977, Tamara Sorokina (Iolanta), Evgeny Nesterenko (Rene), Yuri Mazurok (Robert, Duke of Burgundy), Vladimir Atlantov (Vaudemont), Vladimir Valaitis (Ibn-Hakia), Alexander Arkhipov (Almeric), Valery Yaroslavtsev (Bertrand), Nina Grigorieva (Martha), Clara Kadinskaya (Brigitta), Larisa Nikitina (Laura). Bolshoi Theatre Soloists & Chorus and Orchestra, Mark ErmlerMark ErmlerMark Fridrikhovich Ermler was a Russian conductor.-Biography:Mark Ermler was born in Leningrad in 1932. His parents were Vera Bakun, a film set designer, and Friedrich Ermler, a film director. He began to study piano at age 5....
. Melodiya. No libretto. - 1984, Galina Vishnevskaya (Iolanta), Nicolai Gedda (Vaudemont), Walton Gronroos (Robert), Tom Krause (Ibn-Hakia), Dimiter Petkov (René), James Anderson (Almeric), Fernand Dumont (Bertrand), Viorica Cortez (Martha), Tania Gedda (Brigitta). Groupe Vocal de France & Orchestre de Paris, Mstislav RostropovichMstislav RostropovichMstislav Leopoldovich Rostropovich, KBE , known to close friends as Slava, was a Soviet and Russian cellist and conductor. He was married to the soprano Galina Vishnevskaya. He is widely considered to have been the greatest cellist of the second half of the 20th century, and one of the greatest of...
- 1994, Galina GorchakovaGalina Gorchakova-Beginnings:Gorchakova was born in Novokuznetsk to a musical family. She moved to Novosibirsk in Siberia with her parents who were singers at the opera house there. It was in that city that she attended music school, college and the Conservatoire from which she graduated in 1988...
, Sergei Alexashkin, Gegam Grigorian, Dmitri HvorostovskyDmitri HvorostovskyDmitri Aleksandrovich Hvorostovsky , is a leading baritone opera singer from Russia.Hvorostovsky was born in Krasnoyarsk in Siberia. He studied at the Krasnoyarsk School of Arts under Yekatherina Yofel and made his debut at Krasnoyarsk Opera House, in the role of Marullo in Rigoletto...
Conductor Valery GergievValery GergievValery Abisalovich Gergiev is a Russian conductor and opera company director. He is general director and artistic director of the Mariinsky Theatre, principal conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra, and artistic director of the White Nights Festival in St. Petersburg.- Early life :Gergiev,...
Kirov Theatre. Philips. - 1996, Tatiana Vorjdova (Iolanta), Alexei Levitski (Rene), Vassili Gorshkov (Vaudemont), Vladimir Prudnik (Ibn-Hakia), Sergei Nikitin (Robert), Tatiana Gorbunova (Martha) Novosibirsk State Opera Orchestra, Alexei Ludmilin. Brilliant.
Video
- 1963, Galina Oleinichenko, Ivan Petrov, Bolshoi. Boris KhaikinBoris KhaikinBoris Emmanuilovich Khaykin was a Russian Jewish conductor who was named a People's Artist of the USSR in 1972.Khaykin was born in Minsk, then part of the Russian Empire . He studied at the Moscow Conservatory under Nikolai Malko and Konstantin Saradzhev...
- 1982, Galina Kalinina, Artur Eisen. VAI.
Operadis discography