''The Enchantress'' (or ''The Sorceress'', ) is an

opera Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...

in four acts by

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky ( ; 7 May 1840 – 6 November 1893) was a Russian composer during the Romantic period. He was the first Russian composer whose music made a lasting impression internationally. Tchaikovsky wrote some of the most popula ...

based on the

libretto A libretto (From the Italian word , ) is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or Musical theatre, musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to th ...

Ippolit Shpazhinsky Ippolit Vasilievich Shpazhinsky (; ) was a Russian playwright and poet. He is best known for his play ''The Enchantress'' (''Чародейка''), which Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky adapted as his opera of the same name. Biography Ippolit Shpazhinsky ...

, using his drama with the same title. The opera was composed between September 1885 and May 1887 in Maidanovo (a village in the

Klin KLIN (1400 kHz) is a commercial AM radio station broadcasting a talk radio format. It is licensed to Lincoln, Nebraska, and is owned by NRG Media. The studios are in Broadcast House at 44th Street and East O Street ( U.S. Route 34). KLIN i ...

district of

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

) and was first performed in

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...

in 1887.

Composition history

's play ''The Enchantress'' was first produced in 1884 at the Maly Theatre in Moscow, and soon it had seen more performances than any other play being staged in Moscow or

. The actresses

Maria Yermolova Maria Nikolayevna Yermolova (; in Moscow – 12 March 1928, ''id.'') was a Russian actress, said to be the greatest in the history of the Maly Theatre in Moscow and the first person to be proclaimed the " People's Artist of the Republic" ( ...

and

Maria Savina Maria Gavrilovna Savina (, née Podrame′ntsova, 11 April 1854, Kamenets-Podolsky, Imperial Russia – 21 September 1915, Petrograd, Imperial Russia) was a stage actress from the Russian Empire. Biography Born Maria Podramentsova into a famil ...

were prominent in the title role of Nastasya ("Kuma").Bolshoi Press Office, 26 June 2012, Bolshoi to return "forgotten" Tchaikovsky's masterpiece, The Enchantress
/ref>

Modest Ilyich Tchaikovsky Modest Ilyich Tchaikovsky (; –) was a Russian people, Russian dramatist, opera librettist and translator. Early life Modest Ilyich was born in Alapayevsk, Verkhotursky Uyezd, Perm Governorate, the younger brother of the composer Pyotr Ilyich ...

admired ''The Enchantress'' and one scene in particular. He pointed it out to his brother the composer, who proceeded to write a duet based on that scene. Pyotr saw the play himself in January 1885, after which he wrote to Shpazhinsky, asking him to convert the drama to an opera libretto. Shpazhinsky agreed, and the two men met that month to discuss the project,Tchaikovsky Research
/ref> but the librettist's work was delayed by his divorce proceedings. When the libretto was finally completed in August, it was far too long and Tchaikovsky had to radically cut it. Even so, this opera was still the longest work he wrote.

Performance history

The world premiere was given on 1 November 1887

S 20 October S, or s, is the nineteenth letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and other latin alphabets worldwide. Its name in English is ''ess'' (pronounced ), plural ''esses''. ...

at the

Mariinsky Theatre The Mariinsky Theatre (, also transcribed as Maryinsky or Mariyinsky) is a historic opera house in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Opened in 1860, it became the preeminent music theatre of late 19th-century Russia, where many of the stage masterpieces ...

conducted by the composer and with stage direction by Osip Palechek (Josef Paleček), set designs by Mikhail Bocharov; and costume designs by E. Ponomaryov. After one season it was dropped from the repertoire. The sets and costumes were sent to Moscow where the opera received a single performance on 2 February 1890 S There was a second production at the

Bolshoi Theatre The Bolshoi Theatre ( rus, Большо́й теа́тр, r=Bol'shoy teatr, p=bɐlʲˈʂoj tʲɪˈat(ə)r, t=Grand Theater) is a historic opera house in Moscow, Russia, originally designed by architect Joseph Bové. Before the October Revolutio ...

on 25 January 1916 S but this remained in the repertoire only until the end of the year. A third production at the Bolshoi in 1958 received 49 performances and remained in the repertoire until 1965. The British premiere was given by New Sussex Opera in May 1996 as part of the Brighton Festival. The latest production at the Bolshoi was premiered in 2012 A new production of ''Charodeyka'' directed by

Christof Loy Christof Loy (born 5 December 1962) is a German stage director especially for opera, whose work received several awards. A freelance director, he has staged operas from Baroque to premieres of new works at major European opera houses and festivals ...

opened the 2014/2015 season of

Theater an der Wien The is a historic theatre in Vienna located on the Left Wienzeile in the Mariahilf district. Completed in 1801, the theatre has hosted the premieres of many celebrated works of theatre, opera, and symphonic music. Since 2006, it has served prim ...

on 14 September 2014 with

Mikhail Tatarnikov Mikhail Tatarnikov is a Russian conductor who is known for his production of '' The Enchantress'' at the Theater an der Wien as well as '' The Gambler'' at the Opéra de Monte-Carlo. He was principal conductor and music director of the Mikhailovsky ...

conducting the ORF Radio-Symphonieorchester Wien. The French premiere was given in March 2019 at the Opera de Lyon conducted by

Daniele Rustioni Daniele Rustioni (born 1983) is an Italian conductor. Biography Rustioni was born in Milan, and studied piano, organ, and composition at the Milan Conservatory. He sang in the boys choir of the Teatro alla Scala in his youth. He studied cello fo ...

with

Elena Guseva Elena Guseva is a Russian operatic soprano who has performed at major opera houses in Europe. Besides standard repertoire such as Verdi's Aida and Puccini's Mimi, she has focused on roles by Russian composers, such as Tchaikovsky's Lisa and Pro ...

in the title role.

Roles

Instrumentation

Source
Tchaikovsky Research
*''Strings'': Violins I, Violins II, Violas, Cellos, Double Basses *''Woodwinds'': 3 Flutes (3rd doubling Piccolo), 2 Oboes, Cor Anglais, 2 Clarinets (B-flat, C, A), 2 Bassoons *''Brass'': 4 Horns (F), 2 Cornets (B-flat), 2 Trumpets (B-flat), 3 Trombones, Tuba *''Percussion'': Timpani, Triangle, Tambourine, Military Drum, Cymbals, Bass Drum, Tam-tam *''Other'': Harp *''On/Offstage'': 4 Horns (off)

Synopsis

''Time'': The last quarter of the 15th century ''Place'':

Nizhny Novgorod Nizhny Novgorod ( ; rus, links=no, Нижний Новгород, a=Ru-Nizhny Novgorod.ogg, p=ˈnʲiʐnʲɪj ˈnovɡərət, t=Lower Newtown; colloquially shortened to Nizhny) is a city and the administrative centre of Nizhny Novgorod Oblast an ...

and its vicinity The action takes place at the last quarter of the 15th century at a tavern and brothel near Nizhny Novgorod. Nastasya (Kuma), the charming owner of the inn, has made herself an enemy in rejecting the devious Mamïrov, the right-hand man of the local governor Nikita Danilovich Kurlyatev. He spreads the gossip that Nastasya is an enchantress, and every man whom she meets falls for her. Yuriy, Nikita's son, begins to frequent the inn, as does his father, who falls madly in love with Nastasya (without any success), who threatens her that he will reach his goal by whatever means. Mamïrov confronts Nikita's wife, Yevpraksiya, with the truth, while her son – not yet personally involved with Nastasya – swears to avenge his mother. While confronting Nastasya he learns that it is he whom she loves. They both plan to flee during the night not knowing that, by now, Mamïrov has worked out an elaborate plot to wreak his revenge on Nastasya as well as on Nikita and his family with devastating effect. image:Nizhny Novgorod. Autumn view to Oka River from Shveitsariya Park.jpg, The city of

, seen beyond the Oka River. :Introduction

Act 1

:Folk Scene (No. 1) :Folk Scena (No. 2) :Chorus of Guests & Scene (No. 3) :Scene (No. 4) :Kuma's Arioso (No. 4a) :Folk Chorus & Scene (No. 5) :Scene (No. 6) : Decimet & Chorus (No. 7a) :Scene & Chorus (No. 7b) :Dance of the Tumblers (No. 7c)

Act 2

:Entr'acte :Scene & Princess's Arioso (No. 8) :Scene & Duet (No. 9) :Scene (No. 10) :Scene (No. 11) :Prince's Arioso (No. 11a) :Scene: Prince with the Princess (No. 12) :Folk Scene (No. 13) :Finale (No. 14)

Act 3

:Scene & Duet (No. 15) :Scene (No. 16) :Scene (No. 17) :Duet (No. 17a)

Act 4

:Entr'acte :Scene with Chorus (No. 18) :Scene & Duet (No. 19) :Scene (No. 20) :Kuma's Arioso (No. 20a) :Scene & Duet (No. 21) :Scene & Quartet (No. 22) :Finale (No. 23)

Versions by other hands

In the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

, the opera was staged again with a new version of the libretto by

Sergey Gorodetsky Sergey Mitrofanovich Gorodetsky (; – June 8, 1967) was a Russian poet. He was one of the founders (together with Nikolay Gumilev) of "Guild of Poets" (). He was born in Saint Petersburg, and died in Obninsk. Gorodetsky entered the literary ...

after

on 22 March 1941 in

Leningrad Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...

(St Petersburg).

Recordings

* 1954, Natalya Sokolova (Nastasya), Mikhail Kiselyov (Prince Kurlyatev), Vera Borisenko (Princess Yevpraksiya), Georgiy Nelepp (Prince Yuriy), Aleksey Korolyov (Mamïrov), Anna Matyushina (Nenila), Mikhail Skazin (Ivan Zhuran), Anatoly Tikhonov (Foka), Vera Gradova (Polya), Sergey Sladkopevtsev (Balakin), Leonid Khachaturov (Potap), Aleksey Usmanov (Lukash), Gennady Troitsky (Kichiga), Pavel Pontryagin (Payisy), Pavel Korobkov (Kudma), Moscow Philharmonia State Orchestra, Radio USSR chorus,

Samuil Samosud Samuil Abramovich Samosud (; , Tiflis — 6 November 1964, Moscow) was a Soviet and Russian conductor and pedagogue. He started his musical career as a cellist, before becoming a conductor at the Mariinsky Theatre, Petrograd in 1917. Fro ...

(conductor) * 1978, Rimma Glushkova (Natasya, the enchantress), Oleg Klenov (Prince Kurlyatev), Lyudmila Simonova (Princess Yevpraksiya), Lev Kuznetsov (Prince Yuriy), Yevgeny Vladimirov (Mamirov), Nina Derbina (Nenila), Boris Dobrin (Ivan Zhuran), Pyotr Gluboky (Foka), Galina Molodtsova (Polya), Vladimir Makhov (Balakin), Sergei Strukachev (Potap), Lev Eliseyev (Lukash), Vladimir Matorin (Kichiga), Andrei Sokolov (Payisy), Viktor Ribinsky (Kudma), Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra and Chorus,

Gennady Provatorov Gennady Provatorov (Проваторов, Геннадий Пантелеймонович) (Moscow, 11 March 1929 - Minsk 4 May 2010) was a Soviet and Belarusian conductor.Isaak Glikman ''Story of a friendship: the letters of Dmitri Shostakovich to ...

(conductor) * VHS 1984 (DVD 2010), Larissa Zyryanova (Nastasya, the enchantress), Vladimir Stepanov (Prince Kurlyatev), Lyudmila Korzhakova (Princess Yevpraksiya), Vadim Valyuta (Prince Yuriy), Alexander Pravilov (Mamirov), A. Perfilova (Nenila), E. Sedov (Ivan Zhuran), Dimitri Sukhanov (Foka), L. Lebedovskaya (Polya), N. Bogutsky (Payisy), A. Burlatsky (Balakin), M. Sanotsky (Potap), Mikhail Larin (Lukash), A. Perfilov (Kichiga) Nizhegorodsky State Academic Theatre of Opera and Ballet, Pavel Reznikov. * 2024 Blu-Ray/DVD, Recorded 2022.12.30 live in Frankfurt, Opernhaus.

Asmik Grigorian Asmik Grigorian (born 12 May 1981 in Vilnius) is a Lithuanian operatic soprano of Armenian ancestry. Life and career In 1999, Asmik Grigorian graduated from National M. K. Čiurlionis School of Art in Vilnius. She studied music at the Lithuani ...

(Kuma); Iain MacNeil (Prince);

Claudia Mahnke Claudia Mahnke is a German operatic mezzo-soprano, a member of the Oper Frankfurt, with guest appearances at leading opera houses and the Bayreuth Festival. Career Mahnke was born in Meerane in Saxony, Germany. While she attended school she was ...

(Princess); Alexander Mikhailov (Yury); Frederic Jost (Mamyrov/Kudma); Zanda Švēde (Nenila); Abernethy, Jonathan (Balakin); McCown, Michael (Paysy); Volle, Dietrich (Foka); Kang, Pilgoo (Potap); Yende, Nombulelo (Polya); Abildin, Kudaibergen (Lukash); Baldvinsson, Magnús (Kichiga); Smiljanić, Bozidar (Zhuran).

Frankfurt Opera The Oper Frankfurt (Frankfurt Opera) is a German opera company based in Frankfurt. Opera in Frankfurt am Main has a long tradition, with many world premieres such as Franz Schreker's '' Der ferne Klang'' in 1912, '' Fennimore und Gerda'' by Fre ...

and Museum Orchestra; Frankfurt Opera Chorus. Vasily Barkhatov (stage director), Valentin Uryupin (conductor); BR Naxos NBD 0180 V 024Naxos NYDX 50352 024DVD Naxos 2110768/9 024

References

External links

*
Tchaikovsky Research

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Enchantress, The Russian-language operas Operas by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Operas 1887 operas Operas based on plays Operas set in Russia