The Maid 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.

Performance history

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.

In 2025 the opera was performed in Amsterdam, by the Nationale Opera, directed by Dmitri Tcherniakov.

Roles

{| class="wikitable"

|+

!Role

!Voice type

!Premiere cast<br />25 February 1881 (13 February O.S.)<br />Conductor: Eduard Nápravník

|-

|King Charles VII

|tenor

|Mikhail Vasilyev

|-

|The Archbishop

|bass

|Vladimir Mayboroda

|-

|The Pope

|tenor

|

|-

|Dunois, a French knight

|baritone

|Fyodor Stravinsky

|-

|Lionel, a Burgundian knight

|baritone

|Ippolit Pryanishnikov

|-

|Thibaut d'Arc, Joan's father

|bass

|Mikhail Koryakin

|-

|Raymond, Joan's betrothed

|tenor

|Sokolov

|-

|Bertrand, a peasant

|bass

|

|-

|Soldier

|bass

|

|-

|Joan of Arc

|soprano or mezzo-soprano

|Mariya Kamenskaya

|-

|Agnès Sorel

|soprano

|Wilhelmina Raab

|-

|Angel, solo voice in the choir of angels

|soprano

|

|-

|colspan="3"|Chorus, silent roles: Courtiers and ladies, French and English soldiers, knights, monks,<br />Gypsies, pages, buffoons, dwarfs, minstrels, executioners, people

|-

|}

Instrumentation

The opera is scored for the following forces:

  • 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

Synopsis

:Time: Beginning of the 15th century, in the midst of the Hundred Years' War with England