Tchaikovsky's opera The Maid of Orleans. Maiden of Orleans: proud warrior or blessed peacemaker

Current page: 1 (total book has 7 pages)

Friedrich Schiller
Maid of Orleans

Characters:

Charles the Seventh, King of the French.

Queen Isabella, or Isabeau, his mother.

Agnes Sorel.

Philip Dobry, Duke of Burgundy.

Count Dunois.

La Hire.

Du Chatel.

Archbishop of Reims.

Chatillon, Burgundian knight.

Raul, knight of Lorraine.

Talbot, chief leader of the British.

Lionel, Fastolf, English leaders.

Montgomery, Welsh.

French, Burgundian, English knights.

Orleans officials.

English herald.

Thibault d "Arc, farmer.

Alina, Louise, Joanna- his daughter.

Etienne, Armand, Raymond- their suitors.

Bertrand, villager.

Black Knight.

Coal miner.

His wife.

Pages. - Soldiers. - People. - Courtiers. - Bishops. - Marshalls. - Officials. - ladies, children etc.

The action takes place in 1430.

Jeanne d "Arc. Miniature of the second half of the 15th century.

Prologue

Rural place; in front on the right side is the chapel and in it the image of the Mother of God; on the left side is a tall branched oak.

The first phenomenon

Thibaut d "Arc, Etienne, Armand, Raymond, Alina, Louise, Joanna.

Thibault.

So, good neighbors, today we
Still French, citizens, freely
We own the holy land of our fathers;
Tomorrow...how do you know? whose are we? what is ours?
In all places the stranger triumphs;
Everywhere enemies banners; their horses
Paternal fields are trampled;
Paris opened the gates to their troops,
And the ancient crown of Dagobert
Got into prey to a foreigner;
Grandson of kings without a throne, without shelter,
Wanders in his land like a wanderer;
The most distinguished peer, the closest of relatives
Against him with enemies in a conspiracy;
His own mother is preparing his death;
Villages, cities are burning; quiet
Still in our valleys ... but it will come,
A storm of devastation will also come to us.
So, friends, while there is still a will,
I want to build my daughters with God.
For a woman against dangerous times
A caring protector is needed;
And with whom love, it is easy in troubles.
Etienne, you liked Alina;
Our fields are adjacent,
Hearts at the same time ... such a union
Pleasing to God. You, Armand, not a word;
And you, Louise, lowered your eyes ...
Friends, friends, you met with hearts -
It's not for me to separate you. Why wealth?
Who is rich these days? Now everything is ours
Before the first enemy or fire;
Now one lifesaver:
Breast faithful tested husband.

Louise.

Arman(offering her hand).

Yours forever.

Louise.

And you, sister?

Thibault.

For each lady thirty tithes,
And the garden, and the yard, and the herd - God
Bless me, bless me
And you.

Alina.

Comfort your father, sister John,
May three happiness be arranged on this day.

Thibault.

Go; tomorrow we will play a wedding
And a feast for the whole village; cook,
What is needed.

Alina, Louise, Armand and Étienne leave.

Joan of Arc at the siege of Orleans. S. Lenepvö

The second phenomenon

Thibault.

Yours, Jeannette, sisters
Get married; their fate is happy;
In old age they are my fun;
Only you are my grief and sorrow.

Raymond.

Neighbor, why upset Jeannette?

thibault(pointing to Raymond).

Here is a handsome, honest young man; with him
No one in our village compares;
He gave his soul to you; three springs,
How he, thoughtful, with a quiet desire,
With uncomplaining, submissive constancy
Sighs for you; and you are silent
You coldly hide in yourself;
And none of our villagers
Your smile is not comforted.
I look: you are in the fullness of a beautiful life;
It's time for hope, your spring has come;
Blooming... but I'm waiting in vain
For love to ripen in your soul,
It's sad for me. I'm afraid, but I see
That nature has made a mistake on you;
I don't like cold, callous souls,
Unfeeling at the time of a beautiful feeling.

Raymond.

Don't force her, my honest Ark.
Love, my Joanna is beautiful
heavenly fruit; the beautiful is free;
It slowly and secretly ripens.
Now her fun is living in the mountains;
To us in the huts, dwellings of vanity,
From the top of them she is afraid to descend.
Quite often I am reverently quiet
From the valley I look after her when
She alone in majesty over the herd
Stands and gaze bows in thought
To the little dwellings of the earth.
I see in her then a sign
Something higher, and often imagined
That from other times she came.

Thibault.

And that disgusts me! For what
Should she shun her merry sisters?
Always rises before the early roosters,
To roam the deserted heights;
And in terrible hour- in which person
More trustingly crowded to a person -
Furtively, like a bird, a friend of the ruins,
In the misty haunt of the ghosts,
Runs into the darkness of the night so that the mountain wind
Eavesdrop on a dark crossroads.
Why is she always in this place?
Why bring her herd here? Often
I saw how she thought for an hour
Under this druid tree where
Afraid to be a happy creature
She sits motionless ... but here it is not empty;
Here is found unkind from ancient times;
Old people have terrible legends
Saved about this old oak tree;
And often the noise of some voices
We hear in its sad branches.
Once I happened to be late,
The road led me past the oak,
And suddenly I see: under it sits
Foggy, but what? .. I don’t know! Quiet
Raised with a withered hand
Wide clothes and me
As if beckoning ... Having created
Prayer, I ran rather away.

Raymond(pointing to the image in the chapel).

I don't believe; not the machinations of Satan,
And the miraculous face of the Most Pure Virgin
She is always brought to this place.

Thibault.

No no! And dreams and terrible visions
I, my friend, are not worried in vain:
Three nights I see everything, as if in Reims
She sits on the royal throne;
Seven bright stars crowned on the head;
In her hand is some wonderful scepter,
And from it three white lilies,
And I - her father - and both sisters,
And dukes, and earls, and prelates,
And the king himself is on his knees before her! ..
Is my hut so famous?
No, this is not good; then the sign of the fall;
Allegorically to me this dream
Her soul depicted haughtiness;
She is ashamed of misery; God
He gave her a wealth of beauty,
She is more generous than all our villagers
Blessed with wonderful gifts...
And sinful pride entered her soul;
And pride and angels died,
And with it the enemy catches nets in his nets.

Raymond.

But who is more modest, who is more immaculate in morals
Your humble Joan? Senior
She serves her sisters with a cheerful heart;
In our village, it is higher than all ... really!
But where can you find a more diligent worker?
Was she even disgusted with low labor?
You see, it's wonderful under her hand
Your flocks and harvests prosper;
On everything she touches, descends
An unfathomable blessing.

Thibault.

Unfathomable... so, really! Horror
It embraces with such a blessing.
Not a word; I am silent, I must be silent ...
Should I bring my child to trial?
I can only warn; I can pray
But guard my duty ... Leave this oak tree;
Don't be alone; not a swarm of roots at midnight;
Do not make up their drink from the juice
And do not draw magic signs in the sand.
It is easy for us to penetrate into the realm of spirits;
They are waiting for us and silently guarding
And, quietly listening, they fly out in storms.
Don't be alone: there is a tempter in the desert
Appeared before the creator himself.

The third phenomenon

Bertrand enters, helmet in hand.

Raymond.

Be quiet, Bertrand is coming; he returned
From the city. But what does he carry?

Bertrand.

You
Marvel that with such kindness I am to you
am?

Thibault.

Authentic; where did you get
Are you that helmet? What is the sign of troubles and death
Have you brought us to the dwelling of silence?

Joanna, who until now has not taken any part in what was going on around her, becomes more attentive and comes closer.

Bertrand.

And I can hardly explain myself
How did I get it. I bought
Ironwork in Vaucouleurs;
The square was crowded with darkness of people -
Around the fugitives who just came running
With bad news from Orleans;
The whole city was in an uproar; through the crowd
With an effort, I pushed through ... suddenly
A swarthy gypsy ran into me;
She had this helmet in her hands; she is,
Looking into my eyes,
Said, “You, I know, are looking for a helmet;
Here is a helmet, inexpensive, take it. - "For what?" -
I answered her. - “Go to the armored men;
I'm a farmer, I don't need a helmet."
But I couldn't answer.
“Take it, take it! She kept saying one thing. -
Now for the head steel roof
More comfortable than all the stone chambers.
And so from one street to another
She was chasing me with that helmet.
I looked: he was handsome and bright;
Was worthy of a knight's head;
I took it to get a closer look;
But meanwhile, as I stood in doubt,
She disappeared from my eyes like a dream:
She was carried away by a crowd of people ...
And this helmet remained in my hands.

John(grabbing onto it hastily).

Give me the helmet.

Bertrand.

For what? Such an outfit
Not a girl's assigned to the head.

John(pulling out his helmet).

Give it back, it's mine and belongs to me.

Thibault.

John, what's wrong with you?

Raymond.

Leave her;
Her soul is filled with courage,
And her military attire is decent.
Do you remember yourself how last spring
She defeated the wolf in the mountains here,
Terrible for flocks and shepherds.
One, one, soul lioness, maiden
The monster slew the lamb
Snatched from the bloody jaws.
Whose head this helmet would decorate,
But he is better for her.

Thibault.

Bertrand, what
Has the trouble happened yet? What did they say
Fleeing from Orleans?

Bertrand.

God,
Have mercy on the king and our people!
We are beaten in two great battles;
Enemies in the middle of France; everything is taken
To the very banks of the Loire; troops
From all sides converged near Orleans,
And a terrible siege began.

Thibault.

How! The whole north is already devastated,
And predators are not enough; rushing south
With war...

Bertrand.

Countless siege projectile
From all sides pushed to Orleans.
Like a swarm of bees in summer,
Fly down, buzzing around the hive,
Like locusts, on the fields with a dark cloud
Collapsed, boils boundlessly,
So Orleans countless peoples
Showered, in one crowded army;
From many multilingual tribes
The camp is filled with a deaf, indistinct noise;
And all his landlord duke
Burgundian put into operation with the aliens:
From Liedtich, from Genego, from Ghent,
Rich in velvet and silk,
From peaceful Brabant, from Namur,
From the cities of Zeeland seaside,
Shining cheerful neatness,
From the Dutch pastures, from Utrecht,
From the northern limits of Friesland,
Under the banner of mighty Burgundy
Regiments came together to destroy Orleans.

Thibault.

O woeful, fatal strife;
On France, the weapons of the French!

Bertrand.

And, covered with armor, Isabella,
Mother of the king, princes of the Bavarian tribe,
Rushed to the camp of enemies and inflames
Their cunning words to destruction
The one who took life under her heart.

Thibault.

Strike her down with a curse, Lord!
Apostate, you will die
As once Jezebel died.

Bertrand.

Carefully manages the siege
Wallbreaker, the terrible Salisbury;
With him is Lionel, a fighter with an animal soul;
And Chief Talbot, one fate of battles
Performing with a murderous sword;
They swore, in daring courage,
To betray all our virgins to shame;
Slay with the sword whoever meets the sword.
Four towers pushed up against the walls,
And, ruling the city menacingly,
From their height of murder with a greedy eye,
Invisible, says Salisbury,
On the streets of hasty pedestrians.
Too many bombs have fallen on the city; churches
In ruins, and himself magnificent
The Temple of Our Lady threatens to fall.
Countless tunnels under the walls;
All Orleans now stands above the abyss
And timidly waiting for her suddenly under him,
Thundering, will open and flare up.

Joanna listens with great, ever-increasing attention, and finally puts a helmet on her head.

Thibault.

But where is the Sanggraal? What happened to La Giram?
Where is Dunois, the hope of the fatherland?
With victory, the enemy strives forward, -
We don't know about them and we don't hear about them.
And what is the king? Is he indifferent
To the loss of cities, to the troubles of the people?

Bertrand.

The king is now with his court in Chinon;
There is nowhere to take people, all the shelves are broken.
What is a brave leader? What knights courage,
When there is no strength, when the whole army is in fear?
God will execute us; their terror
To the fearless sunk deep into the soul;
Everything is hidden; all calls are in vain;
How timid sheep run to the fences,
Hearing the terrible wolf howl,
So, having changed the ancient honor, the French
They rush to seek protection in strong castles.
As soon as one brave knight was found:
He gathered a weak regiment and to the king
Comes with sixteen banners.

John(hurriedly).

Who is this knight?

Bertrand.

Baudricourt; but it's hard
To hide from the search for the enemy:
Two armies are chasing him.

John.

But where is he? Tell me quickly, what do you hear?

Bertrand.

On crossing one from Vaucouleurs
He is encamped.

Thibault.

Shut up, John
You talk about things you don't understand.

Bertrand.

Convinced that the enemy is invincible,
And help from the king is not tea, -
To escape from the yoke of foreigners
And keep yourself legitimate power, -
The citizens of Vaucouleurs have decided
Mighty Burgundy to submit,
But in order for him to accept the agreement:
To return us to the ancient throne,
How soon the world will be between them again.

John(inspirational).

With whom is the contract? Not a word about obedience!
The Savior is alive; he is coming, he is coming in power! ..
A mighty enemy will fall at Orleans:
Fulfilled! He is ripe for the harvest!
The maiden armed herself with her sickle,
She will reap puffy hopes;
Rip off the impudent glory from heaven,
Raised by madmen to the stars...
Don't tremble! Forward! Will not turn yellow
Still on the field class and the circle of the moon
It won't happen in heaven yet -
And not a single British horse
Won't drink from clean waters Loire.

Bertrand.

Oh! There are no miracles these days.

John.

There are miracles!.. The dove will rise
And fly with the courage of an eagle
On the hawks tormenting the homeland;
And she will bring down this Burgundy,
The apostate, this Talbot,
Hundred-armed destroyer of heaven,
With the scoffer of the shrine of Salisbury;
And crowds of islanders will run,
Trembling like lambs before her...
The Lord will be with her! God Almighty War
Will send his trembling creature;
The creator of the earth himself in a humble maiden
Reveal to the earth ... for he is almighty!

Thibault.

What spirit prophesies in it?

Raymond.

John.

How! Shall the ancient throne fall? country,
Chosen glory, under the eternal sun
To the most beautiful, happy Eden,
To a country, kind to the creator, like an apple
His eyes, work to be a stranger? ..
Here the unfaithful force collapsed; here
Was the first cross, a sign of salvation, erected;
Here lies the ashes of Saint Louis;
Jerusalem conquered from here ...

Bertrand.

Do you hear? .. Where did it suddenly open
Such a light for her? .. Oh, a wonderful daughter,
Neighbor, God bless you.

John.

We do not have legitimate rulers,
Raised by the same sky with us?
For us our king must die,
Undying; plow protector,
Keeper of the herds, fruitful of the fields,
Giving freedom to slaves,
Crying before the throne of our cities,
A cover of impotence, a thunderstorm of villainy,
Exalted above the world without envy,
Both man and angel of comfort
On enemy soil?.. Throne of the lawful
Rulers and in their splendor
For the weak shelter; with him on guard
And power and mercy; afraid to stand before him
Guilty; right before him with hope
Goes into the face of the judge to look without fear ...
But the alien king, pet of a foreign country,
Before whom the sacred ashes of the fathers are not hidden
In our land, the land will not love ours.
Who was not a comrade to our young men,
To whom our tongue does not run into the soul,
Will he be our father in the crown?

Thibault.

May God protect the king
And France! We, peaceful villagers,
The sword is unfamiliar; us a scolding horse
Don't tame; we will wait patiently
Who will give us the lord of victory!
Battles of success are God's judgment.
Our king is the one who was chrismated
In sacred Reims, who took power
Above the ancient coffins of Saint-Denis...
Friends, it's time to work; remember everyone
Your immediate duty; let the princes of the earth
They take earthly power by lot!
And we look in silence at the destruction:
It will not touch the land that is submissive to us;
Let the fire burn our villages,
Let the horses trample our fields -
With a young spring, a young harvest will rise,
And low roofs will easily rise.

Everyone except Joanna exits.

The fourth phenomenon

John(stays in thought for a long time).

Forgive me, hills, native fields;
Shelter-peaceful, clear valley, I'm sorry;
You will never see Joanna again,
Forever she tells you: I'm sorry!
Meadow friends, trees, my pets,
Without me, you will bloom and bloom;
You, sweet valley voice, echo,
So often played with me here,
Cool grotto, my fleeting stream,
I am leaving you and will not come to you forever.
Places where everything was my delight,
From now on, you are separated from me;
My herds, I will not be your fence ...
Without a shepherd you are destined to wander;
I got to graze another flock
In the pastures of a bloody war.
Thus the Highest appointed the election;
It is not vain desire that aspires to me.
Who once, thundering and flaming,
He descended into the burning bush to the prophet,
Who raised Moses to be king,
Who strengthened the lad David -
And the shepherd became strong in battle without turning pale, -
Who has always favored pastors,
He here was broadcasting to me from the canopy of the tree:
“Come testify about me, maiden!
You must wear combat dates,
To shackle the labor of the young in iron;
Be afraid of hopes, do not know earthly love,
Wedding candles for you, do not light;
Do not be the soul of your family;
Do not caress a blooming baby ...
But in battles I will glorify your head;
I will put you above all the virgins of the earth.
When he begins to turn pale and bold in battle,
And the fateful hour will strike the fatherland -
You will take my oriflamme in your hand
And you will tear off the power of enemies, like a reaper class;
You put them on the verge of arrogant power,
Turn the victorious voice into crying,
Give honor to the military, give shine and strength to the throne,
And you will bring Charles to Reims to accept the crown.
I was promised heavenly notice;
It was fulfilled ... and this helmet was sent to them.
Like swearing Fire is his touch,
Courage is with him, like God's cherub...
In the seething battle, the aspiration carries the souls;
Like a storm, its ardor is indomitable ...
Behold the battle cry! Shelves with shelves have become!
The horses rose and the trumpets sounded!

(Exits.)

Act one

The first phenomenon

Headquarters of King Charles in Chinon.

Dunois. Du Chatel.

Dunois.

Not! I will not endure the share; time to leave
Us a king who himself ingloriously
Left himself. The blood rages in the veins
And I'm ready to cry out my whole soul,
Looking at the poor homeland ... God!
Robbers with the swords of the city,
Ancient dwellings of honor, divide
And give out their rusty keys
With obedience to the enemy ... and we, we are here
In inaction, we squander peace
Sacred Rescue Clock.
Only the news came that Orleans was under siege, -
I hasten to leave my Normandy,
I'm flying here in the hope that the king,
Ready for battle, buttocks already brought into the field ...
But what? He is surrounded by a crowd of jesters;
In the circle of his careless troubadours
Cares to solve riddles
And he gives only feasts to his Agnese.
As if everything is calm! .. Constable,
Having lost patience, I have already decided
To part with him ... and I, and I will part;
It's time for fate to betray him. Your hearing; there was still hope for us! But this king of yours without realm
He sent me a priceless treasure as a gift.

Dunois.

God forbid! Isn't it right to Naples?
Unfortunate gift! It has dropped in price
Since he tends his sheep.

King.

That is clear fun, a joke, a holiday,
Which he prepares for his soul:
Amidst the horrors of grim materiality
He created an innocent, pure world;
He has a royal, great plan:
Call back that time of old
Those days of love when love uplifted
The chest of the knights is great and beautiful,
When wives were present in court,
Harsh softening tender feeling.
In these times lives a gentle old man;
And in the beauty that they captivate
Us in grandfather's legends, in ancient songs -
Like a city of God on bright clouds,
He thinks to resettle them on earth.
He established Supreme Court love,
Where the knights' deeds will be judged,
Where pure women will be a holy kingdom,
Where pure love resurrect for us -
And he chose me as the king of love.

Dunois.

I'm not so much forgotten by nature,
To reject the dominion of love.
And in the fields of love is my legacy;
I am her son, she gave me a name
My father was the Prince of Orleans -
He did not meet adamant beauties,
But he did not know strong enemy castles either.
Do you want to be the king of love by right?
Be the bravest of the brave. In old books
I happened to read that they are inseparable
There was love and chivalrous vivacity;
Not shepherds, I heard, but heroes
They sat at the round table in ancient times.
Only the one whose chest is the protection of beauty,
Takes her award... Battlefield
Before you - fight for the throne of the heir;
Danger awaits - stand with the knight's sword
For the honor of the crown, for the glory of beautiful wives.
When, having broken the enemies, from their claws
You will boldly tear out the bloody crown -
Then it's your hour, then it's proper for the king
Decorate your forehead with a crown of love.

King(to the entering page).

What do you say?

Messengers from Orleans are waiting.

King.

The page leaves.

They came to ask for protection...
What to answer? And I myself am defenseless.

The official history of the life of the Virgin of Orleans exists since the time of the Great french revolution and detailed in school textbooks.

However, for a long time, the official version has been systematically disputed by some historians, pointing to certain incomprehensible moments in Jeanne's biography. Why do chroniclers hesitate in naming the date of the execution of the virgin? President Hainault, superintendent in the staff of Queen Marie Leszczynska, who had access to French chronicles, names the date of execution as June 14, 1431. The English chroniclers William Caxton and Polydorus Virgil assure that the execution took place in February 1432.

Many doubts are caused by the very strange and dizzying career of Jeanne. Medieval society was strictly estate and hierarchical. Each has its own place among
Oratores - those who pray;
Bellatores - those who fight, or
Aratores - those who plow.

Joan, in Chinon, was received by the mother-in-law of the king, Yolande of Anjou, the wife of Charles VII, Mary of Anjou, and the king himself. She was brought to the court at the expense of the treasury, accompanied by an armed escort, which consisted of knights, squires, and a royal messenger. Many nobles had to wait more than one day for an audience with the king, and the “peasant woman” was allowed to see him almost immediately.

Now we are talking about something else, about Jeanne's life after ... her official execution. To understand how Jeanne was able to avoid execution, it is worth referring to the description of this sad action: “In the Old Market Square (in Rouen), 800 English soldiers forced the people to make room ... finally, a detachment of 120 people appeared ... They surrounded a woman covered ... with a hood to the very chin…” According to historiographers, Jeanne's height was about 160 cm. Considering the double ring of soldiers around her, the cap on her face, it is not possible to say with certainty what kind of woman she was.
The opinion that another woman was burned instead of Jeanne was shared by many chroniclers and famous people, both Jeanne's contemporaries and those who lived later. One of the chronicles kept in the British Museum literally says the following: “In the end, they ordered it to be burned in front of all the people. Or some other woman like her." And the rector of the Cathedral of St. Thibaut in Metz writes five years after the execution: “In the city of Rouen ... she was raised to the stake and burned. So they say, but the opposite has since been proven."

Even more convincing that the Orleans maiden was not burned, the materials litigation. As early as the 16th century, the attorney-general Charles du Ly drew attention to the fact that in the documents and protocols of interrogations of the virgin there is no death sentence and an official act certifying the execution of the sentence.
But if the Virgin of Orleans was not burned at the stake, then what was her fate?
In 1436, five years after the fire in Rouen, an entry appears in the documents of the noble family des Armois: “The noble Robert des Armois was married to Jeanne du Lis, a virgin of France ... on November 7, 1436.” The surname du Lis was carried by the sons of Jeanne's official father.
And in the summer of 1439, the Maid of Orleans herself came to the city she had liberated. She now bore the name of her husband - des Armois. She was greeted by an enthusiastic crowd of citizens, in which there were many people who had seen her before. In the account book of the city, another noteworthy entry appeared about the payment of a large sum of money to Jeanne des Armois - 210 livres "for the good service rendered to the city during the siege." The heroine was recognized by those who knew her well four years ago - her sister and brothers, French Marshal Gilles de Rais, Jean Dunois and many others.
Jeanne died at the end of the summer - the beginning of the autumn of 1449 - the documents testifying to her death date from this period. Only after that, her "brothers" (meaning the sons of Jacques d'Arc) and official mother (Isabella de Vuton) began to be called "brothers of the late Jeanne the Virgin" and "Isabella, mother of the late Virgin."
This is what one of the most common today looks like alternative versions origin of the heroine of the Hundred Years War.

Another version says that Joan of Arc is Marguerite de Chandivert, the illegitimate daughter of King Charles VI and his last mistress Odette de Chandivert. The king raised his daughter as a warrior for self-defense, since his two sons in the struggle for the throne were destroyed by the supporters of Duke Louis of Orleans. And since Charles VII was an illegitimate son and could not claim the throne, a performance about the "intervention of God's forces" was needed.
This is how the myth is born. immaculate virgin that will save the country. This role was played by Marguerite de Chandiver. Later, the image of Joan of Arc and Margaret, and Charles VII began to interfere - the constant supremacy of women over the army was unnecessary. Therefore, a plan was developed for Jeanne's disappearance. Instead of Marguerite de Chandiver, a completely different woman was burned at the stake. And Marguerite - Jeanne lived a long life and was buried in the basilica of the temple of Notre-Dame-de-Clery near Orleans.
But both versions we mentioned are similar in one thing: Jeanne's life is much more complicated and interesting than they are trying to inspire us from the school bench.

P.S. then I will write why version 1 turned out to be erroneous. and why the relics of Jeanne found in the 19th century turned out to be an Egyptian mummy.

An opera in four acts by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky to a libretto by the composer, based on the romantic drama of the same name by F. Schiller, translated and with the preservation of many of V. Zhukovsky's poems.

Characters:

CARL VII (tenor)
ARCHBISHOP (bass)
DUNOIS, French knight (baritone)
LIONEL, knight of Burgundy (baritone)
TIBO D "ARK, Joanna's father (bass)
RAYMOND, her fiancé (tenor)
BERTRAND, peasant (bass)
WARRIOR (bass)
JOHN D "ARK (soprano)
AGNES SOREL (soprano)
VOICE IN THE CHORUS OF ANGELS (soprano)
CAVALIERS AND LADIES OF THE COURT, FRENCH WARRIORS
AND ENGLISH, KNIGHTS, MONKS, GYPSIES AND GYPSIES,
Pages, jesters, dwarfs, minstrels, executioners, people.

Time of action: the beginning of the XV century.
Location: France.
First performance: St. Petersburg, Mariinsky Theatre, February 13 (25), 1881.

"The Maid of Orleans" appeared on the big stages in the same year as "Eugene Onegin": in the same - 1881 - year, when Moscow saw "Eugene Onegin" on the stage of the Bolshoi Theater (earlier, that is, in 1879, it was performed by students of the conservatory ), Petersburg met the Maid of Orleans on the stage of the Mariinsky Theatre. But if "Eugene Onegin", these "lyrical scenes", contrary to Tchaikovsky's expectations, had big success, then The Maid of Orleans, this grand opera, had - and also contrary to the author's expectations - little success.

The image of Jeanne (John) d "Arc, national heroine France, attracted the attention of many over a number of centuries. More than one generation of historians has sought to contribute to the study of the phenomenon of a simple peasant woman who managed to subjugate royalty and came out to save France. The most controversial assessments of this are known. mysterious phenomenon. Already among her contemporaries, mocking voices were heard, and with the initial admiration of the masses of the people for her, in the same masses she was considered a sorceress, and in the upper strata - a deceiver and deceived. Artists also showed interest in this mysterious person. But, as often happens in such cases, the truth of art is in many respects at odds with the truth of history. Voltaire, who wrote The Virgin of Orleans, distorted the image of Jeanne with his poetic but immoral work. Tchaikovsky, as is well known, had at his disposal a number of French works associated with the personality of Joan of Arc (Vallon, Barbier, Merme). But the main source for the libretto, which was written by the composer himself, was the tragedy of the same name by F. Schiller. Thus, a comparison may be of interest (for which, unfortunately, there is no place) of the course of the plot and the nature of the characters in the tragedy and in the opera. Here we note that one can only regret that Tchaikovsky abandoned the heroic apotheosis with which Schiller's tragedy ends, and painted the last picture in very gloomy tones. (According to the testimony of some persons close to Tchaikovsky , he wanted in later years to remake the finale of the opera, bringing it closer to how the tragedy ends with Schiller, but no composer's own statements on this subject have been preserved.)

INTRODUCTION

The Maid of Orleans is one of the most majestic opera creations by P.I. Tchaikovsky. It contains many monumental choral scenes and extensive ensembles, and at the same time expressive lyrical and psychological episodes. In accordance with this material, the introduction is built: it conveys the main features of Joanna's character: her shepherd's appearance, passionate intoxication with a dream, heroic determination.

ACT I

The curtain rises and we see the countryside; in front on the right side there is a chapel and in it the image of the Mother of God; on the left side is a tall, branchy oak on the bank of a stream. The girls decorate the oak tree with wreaths. Their choir sounds (“Until the last ray of the morning light has gone out in the sky”). They sing about how good it is to gather at this cherished oak until night falls, because at midnight this shelter is transformed and becomes scary: “From the forest, goblin comes, mermaids sing in unison here, and ghosts roam quietly!”

Enter Thibaud, Raymond, and Joanna. Old Thibaut, Joanna's father, is absorbed in thoughts about the future troubles of France, about the fate of his daughter. He would like her to have a protector, and thinks of Raymond, for whom he would like to marry Joanna. They perform tercet. Joanna, however, resists this desire of her father. Raymond, in turn, asks Thibaut not to force her to make a decision: "Let young life continue to bloom freely." Everyone sings about their feelings. John laments that she must deceive her father's hopes: "I am not destined to experience the vain passion of fate." In the end, she resolutely answers her father that a different fate is assigned to her and she is subject to the will of heaven. Thibaut harshly condemns his daughter. It is now clear to him why she comes at night to the oak, because he knows for sure that there is an unclean one there. Raymond stands up for her. He does not believe that these are the machinations of Satan; he is convinced that John is brought here by the miraculous face of the Most Pure Virgin. Their conversation is interrupted by the appearance of the glow of a fire in the background.

General confusion. Fire. Everything dies. Enemies are coming! A crowd of people runs in with children and belongings. Among them is the gray-haired old man Bertrand. Everyone is crying out for help, offering prayers to God. Bertrand talks about what troubles befell France, that the enemies are already in its center, that their troops converged near Orleans. At the same time, the rulers of France are inactive, and besides, there are traitors among them. At this moment, Joanna comes forward and inspiringly and prophetically addresses the crowd: she predicts a quick victory over the enemies. She calls on everyone to offer a prayer to the Creator and the first one begins: “King of the Highest Powers, You are our cover” (hymn). Everyone joins her, and in words: “Give peace again, give us victory over our enemy!” - the sound of the soloists, the choir and the orchestra reaches fff (huge sonority), and then on the words expressing humility (“Oh God, look at us!”) It reaches the same degree of fading (rrr).

The hymn is over, everyone except Joanna is gradually dispersing. Joanna sings her aria (“Forgive you, hills, dear fields”), towards the end of which complete darkness descends. This aria is one of the best numbers in the opera. John sadly says goodbye to his native places, feeling that he will not return here again. The intonations of this confession gradually develop into heroic motifs. They are fully established at the conclusion of this action, after the choir of angels performed female voices, in John's impassioned monologue "You hosts of heavenly angels."

ACT II

The second act begins with an orchestral introduction (intermission), in which the musical material of the anthem develops (No. 6 from the first act).

The curtain rises. The scene represents a hall in the Chinon Palace. The king sits on the left side on a dais. Next to him is Agnes. Both are thoughtful and sad. They are surrounded by several courtiers. Next to the king is Dunois. The minstrels sing, accompanying themselves on harps (“Years and days run in an unchanging succession”). The melody they sing is much more widely known from Tchaikovsky's Children's Album, where the piece in which it is used is called "Old French Song". (This is a genuine old French chant "Where have you gone?", which attracted the attention of the French composers themselves, in particular D "Anglebert, who used it as a gavotte in the Solve Minor Suite for harpsichord.)

The song of the minstrels seems too sad to the king, and he calls on the gypsies, dwarfs and buffoons to cheer him and Agnes Sorel, his beloved, with incendiary dances. Dances are performed - traditional in Russian opera (cf. starting with Ivan Susanin and then with Mussorgsky's Boris Godunov, Dargomyzhsky's Mermaid, finally with Eugene Onegin and Tchaikovsky's The Queen of Spades), as in French, inserted ballet episode.

The king expresses satisfaction; he orders to present each of the dancers with a golden chain. Dunois reasoned with him, saying that there was absolutely nothing left in the royal treasury, that even the army had nothing to pay with. The king is perplexed: “But don’t we have money left?” Even Agnes is ready to sacrifice everything she has for the honor of the throne. The brave knight Dunois reproaches the king for his indecisiveness in defending France and calls for the troops to be sent to defend Orleans as soon as possible, otherwise, if Orleans falls, all of France will perish. The king admits that the love passion (for Agnes Sorel) swallowed up all his thoughts and hid from his eyes the disasters of the fatherland. And now he remembers that he is a knight, and is ready to be a hero. He is determined to go into battle.

A noise is heard behind the stage: the door opens and Lore enters, accompanied by three warriors. Their clothes are in disarray, their weapons are broken. Lore is wounded, bloodied; he is holding a sword. The King and Dunois stop in amazement. Several courtiers run into the noise. Lore reports that the king's troops are defeated. Having managed to say only this, he dies. The king does not feel the strength to resist and intends to flee. Dunois refuses to serve the king and wants to go to Orleans and, if necessary, die there. The king is left alone, amazed by everything that has happened. Exhausted, he sits up, covering his face with his hands. Agnes enters; she has a chest of jewels in her hands - these are all her riches. She asks the king to have all her gold melted into coins. The king tells her that it is too late, they have lost the battle. Heartbroken, he cries. Agnes consoles him with gentle caresses. She is ready to share with him all the vicissitudes of fate and promises him her love. Their love duet ends in each other's arms.

Trumpets are heard offstage. The choir of the people (behind the scenes) greets the virgin savior with jubilation. The king is surprised: "What does the sound of the trumpet mean?" Dunois hurriedly enters, and after him the gentlemen and ladies of the court enter the hall. He joyfully reports that in the battle that took place near Orleans, the French won. The Archbishop enters. He confirms Dunois' message. The archbishop tells the king wonderful details: the battle was already lost when a maiden appeared “from the depths of a dense oak grove” (“her eyes shone with an unearthly light”) and called the French into battle, snatching a banner from the hands of the standard-bearer and leading the army forward. The king asks who is she, this maiden? She calls herself a prophetess, a messenger from God,” the archbishop replies. The sound of bells and noise offstage is heard. The choir again praises the warrior maiden. Dunois steps forward to meet Joanna. The king mingles with the crowd of courtiers.

Joanna enters, accompanied by many knights and a crowd of people who entered the castle after her. With majesty she steps forward and examines the coming ones one by one. Dunois addresses her, but Joanna, demonstrating her visionary gift, tells him that he is not in his place (that is, that he is not a king), and resolutely approaches the king, recognizing him in the crowd, kneels before him, then gets up and takes a few steps back. The king is left alone in the middle of the stage. He himself is amazed that Joanna, seeing him for the first time, found out that he was the king. Joanna approaches the king and mysteriously tells him what prayers he offered to God that night. There were three of them: for God to pour out on him the whole cup of punishment for his people; so that He would deprive him of his parental throne. She is ready to convey the third prayer of the king, but he stops her: he recognizes her miraculous power, because he understands that not a single person can know what she knows. Everyone admits that the Almighty is with her. The archbishop asks Joanna who is she, who and where are her parents? Joanna's story sounds: "Holy Father, my name is Joanna." Everyone is shocked by her story about how visions appeared to her, forcing her to change the shepherd's staff for a military sword. Everyone is deeply moved, many in tears. The king gives John his sword and entrusts his army. But Joanna declares that she knows another sword - "the chosen one." It is located in the ancient city of Fierbois, in the cemetery of St. Catherine. The king orders the delivery of this sword. The Archbishop blesses John. All - the people and the court - rejoice.

ACT III

Picture 1. The British have not yet left French soil. A short orchestral introduction to this picture depicts the battle. The curtain rises. The scene depicts the area near the battlefield. A burning English camp is visible on the heights. A knight runs in with his visor down, followed by John. They enter into battle, and it soon becomes clear that this warrior is Lionel. Joanna guesses that he is not British. And indeed - he is a Burgundian knight who betrayed his homeland along with his duke. Joanna intends to kill him. They get into a duel. Joanna knocks the sword out of Lionel's hands. During a further struggle, she rips off his helmet. The beam of the moon falls on his face. Struck by the youth's beauty, Joanna is unable to deliver the final blow to him. The sacred vow is broken - for the first time John spared the enemy. Lionel is subdued by the spiritual nobility and beauty of Joanna. He urges John to follow him, to leave her deadly sword. John for the first time in confusion, she feels that she is not worthy to wear it: “Ah, why did I give my staff for a warlike sword and you, mysterious oak, were you enchanted?” she exclaims. Their love duet culminates when they suddenly see the light of torches. This is the approaching detachment under the leadership of Dunois. Joanna urges Lionel to run, but he remains: "I am your protector," he declares decisively. Dunois appears with a detachment. Lionel grabs the sword lying on the ground, goes to Dunois and, kneeling, gives him his sword. He repents that hitherto he was a traitor, but God put him on the right path. Dunois receives a repentant traitor. He informs Joanna that they have won a victory and "Reims has opened the gates!" Joan, exhausted, falls into the arms of Dunois (she is wounded). The curtain is slowly lowering. Joanna staggers away, supported by Dunois and Lionel.

Picture 2. This is the climax of the drama, embodied in the sound of large choral masses. The picture is built on a bright contrast between the initial solemn march and the choir, praising the king and the warrior maiden. The scene is a square in front of the cathedral in Reims, the city where all the kings of France were crowned. The author's remark gives an idea of the majesty and luxury of the ceremony: “People are standing on the stage, waiting for the procession. And so it begins. The musicians come first. Behind them are children in white dresses, with wreaths in their hands. Behind them are two heralds. Next come: a detachment of warriors with halberds; officials in full dress; two marshals with batons; Dunois with a sword; Lionel with a scepter; other nobles with a crown, power, royal rod; behind them are knights in order clothes; singers with censers; two bishops with vessels of anointing; archbishop with a cross; behind them is John with a banner, she walks at a slow pace, bowing her head; behind Joanna the king under a canopy carried by the barons; behind the king court ranks; then a detachment of warriors; the procession enters the church. During this whole procession, a solemn march and choir sound.

From the crowd left on the stage after the procession entered the church, Thibault and Raymond emerge. Thibault is dejected by the sight of Joanna, who walked timidly, "with a distressed and pale face." Thiebaud is sure that the forces of hell have taken possession of Joanna, and now he passionately desires "to return her by force to the rejected God." Raymond tries to stop Thibaut, but he is determined to carry out his plan, and for this he arrived in Reims.

The finale of this action is a huge ensemble - a septet with a choir. It begins with the sound of a choir in the church, crying out to the Creator for a blessing. The king in the crown and purple comes out of the church, followed by John, Agnes, Dunois, Lionel, the archbishop and the rest of the procession. The king goes to the throne prepared on the dais. Joanna and other close associates stand beside him. On the other side, people are crowding. Fanfare sounds. At the beckoning of the king, the heralds give a sign, and everyone is silent. The king introduces their savior John to the people. He informs her that an altar will be erected to her here. The people rejoice. The king appeals to Joanna with an appeal: "Be transformed, let us see your bright, immortal appearance." General silence. Everyone is looking at John. Thibaut steps forward from the crowd and stands directly in front of Joanna. Embraced by religious fanaticism, he exposes his daughter. “Do you think,” he addresses the king, “the power of heaven saved you? You, sir, are deceived! People, you are blinded, you are saved by the art of hell! .. ”And to the question of her father, does she consider herself holy and pure, John is silent and stands motionless: she has sinned, changed her vow, having fallen in love with Lionel. All eyes are fixed on her. In a huge septet of the main characters, sounding along with the choir, each expresses his attitude to what happened. The people cry out in confusion: "O God, enlighten our eyes." Everyone joins this call. There is a strong thunderclap. Everyone backs away from Joanna in horror. Again, demanding an answer, the father turns to John: “Answer, say that you are innocent, expose your father in slander!” There is a new, even stronger thunderclap. With the same question, whether she is innocent, the archbishop addresses Joanna. No answer. Another thunderclap, stronger than before. John remains motionless all the time, bowing his head to his chest. Three thunderclaps are perceived by everyone as the wrath of the Lord. “Death is doomed to her soul,” the choir and soloists exclaim (hence, in this huge ensemble number, Tchaikovsky admits a cut). In the end, the king, Agnes, the archbishop, Dunois, Thibaut, the whole court and the people leave. John remains in the same motionless position. After a while, when she is already completely alone, Lionel approaches her. He offers her his protection. Joanna looks up, recognizes him and retreats in horror. She drives him away in desperation, considering him her hated enemy - he ruined her soul. Joanna runs away. Lionel follows her.

ACT IV

Picture 1. As the curtain rises after the orchestral introduction, the scene depicts a wooded area. Here Joanna sits deep in thought. She is tormented by mental anguish: how can she dare to give the soul promised to the Creator to a mortal? But she herself has no more doubts: her soul is burned by a criminal flame. Do not run away from fatal passion. Enter Lionel; he recognizes Joanna and quickly approaches her. They embrace each other and remain motionless for a long time. Their love duet sounds (“Oh, wonderful sweet dream!"). But the moment of boundless joy is short: John hears the voices of angels. They affirm her sinfulness and predict her punishment on earth as atonement and bliss in heaven. Joanna shudders and, escaping from the arms of Lionel, listens to the angelic singing, looking up at the sky. She wants to run away from Lionel, but at that moment a crowd of armed English soldiers appears. They surround Lionel and Joanna. Lionel tries to protect Joanna, but is overwhelmed. John rushes towards him, but he last words: "I'm sorry ..." - dies. Enemies take John away.

Picture 2. A square in Rouen, a city belonging to the Burgundian duchy, which at that time fought on the side of the British. On both sides there are places for spiritual and secular honorary persons of the city. At the back of the stage is a fire. The stage is filled with people. The executioner is ready for execution.

There is a funeral procession. The people are sympathetic to John. A priest walks next to Joanna; followed by soldiers and monks. The people are huddled. The soldiers push him away. The Pater raises John to the stake. The executioner ties her to a post. Soldiers and some monks throw logs on the fire. The fire flares up. But Joanna does not feel pain: she hears a choir of angels - she is forgiven! In a passionate outburst with the words: “The sky has opened, suffering is over!” - she is dying.

A. Maykapar

History of creation

The glorious feat of the heroine of the French people, Joanna (Joan) d'Arc, as a plot for an opera, interested Tchaikovsky in 1878. This interest did not arise by chance.

Schiller's romantic drama The Maid of Orleans, staged for the first time with great success in Leipzig in 1831, enjoyed, thanks to the translation of Zhukovsky (1817-1821), great popularity in the progressive circles of Russia. This popularity increased even more during the years of social upsurge of the 70s-80s. But Schiller's play was banned from stage performance at that time. Nevertheless, the great Russian tragic actress M. N. Ermolova often read monologues from The Maid of Orleans at evenings organized by student youth. The image of a girl-heroine, selflessly imbued with the idea of liberating the motherland, inflamed the hearts of a democratic audience. However, Yermolova managed to stage Schiller's tragedy on the stage of the Moscow Maly Theater only in 1884, three years after the premiere of Tchaikovsky's opera on the same plot.

The folk-patriotic content of the tragedy first of all attracted the attention of the composer to it: the peasants and knights of France, animated by personal courage and the fiery appeal of a peasant girl, defeat the British in the so-called Hundred Years War. The decisive battle took place at Orléans; hence the name of Jeanne - Maid of Orleans. Slandered, by the verdict of a Catholic court, she is burnt at the stake (executed on May 30, 1431).

There was, however, another reason that prompted Tchaikovsky to turn to Schiller's play. After the lyrical scenes of "Eugene Onegin", he wanted to create a theatrical work of a more monumental plan, where the lyrics would be combined with the stage-decorative manner of writing. Schiller's tragedy provided grateful material in this respect. In addition, the composer could use the excellent text of Zhukovsky's translation.

At the end of 1878, Tchaikovsky began to realize his plan, simultaneously compiling a libretto and composing music. In January 1879 he wrote: “I am very pleased with my musical work. As for the literary side, that is, the libretto ... it's hard to convey how weary I am. How many feathers will I gnaw out before I draw a few lines out of myself! How many times do I get up in complete despair because the rhyme is not given, or does not come out known number stop, that I don’t understand what this or that person should be talking at this moment. Tchaikovsky set himself a difficult task: he not only reduced or partially supplemented the text of the drama by Schiller-Zhukovsky, but also, after reading some historical research, and also using the play by J. Barbier "Jeanne d'Arc", he introduced a number of new plot and stage motivations, which mainly touched on the finale.

Despite these difficulties, the opera in sketches was completed by the end of February and the score in August 1879. In total, work on such a monumental work took Tchaikovsky only nine months. The piano score was published in 1880. Later, the composer made some changes to it.

Despite censorship obstacles, The Maid of Orleans was staged at the Mariinsky Theater on February 13 (25), 1881. A year and a half later, it premiered in Prague. During the life of Tchaikovsky, however, it was not often staged. Only in Soviet time came to her full recognition.

Music

The Maid of Orleans is one of Tchaikovsky's most monumental operatic creations. Written in a broad decorative manner with the use of large choral masses and extended ensembles, it is at the same time marked by the lyrical and psychological depth characteristic of the composer's work. Against the background of the choral massifs, the appearance of main character, truthfully outlined in the variety of spiritual conflicts inherent in it. This image dominates the entire opera: its development determines the development of the stage action in the musical dramaturgy of the work.

In accordance with this plan, the music of the orchestral introduction (introduction) is intended to convey the main features of Joanna's character: her simple shepherd's appearance, passionate intoxication with a dream, heroic determination.

A pastoral choir of girls opens the first act. In the tercete of Thibault, Raymond and Joanna is brewing psychological conflict, which is interrupted by a large choral scene of popular confusion, where Bertrand's excited story stands out. John captivates everyone with her prayer “King of the Highest Powers, you are our protection, our hope!” The choir picks up the hymn tune, which embodies the strength and power of the people. Left alone, having made a decision, Joanna pours out the feeling of sadness that gripped her in the aria “Forgive me, you hills, dear fields.” The intonations of this confession, touching with its spontaneity, are mournfully concentrated, but heroic traits are already clearly breaking through in the lyrics. They are fully affirmed at the conclusion of the act, after the choir of angels, performed by female voices, in the passionate monologue of Joanna "You hosts of heavenly angels."

In the orchestral introduction to the second act, the theme of the anthem is developed. It is contrasted by intermedia scenes that characterize the environment of the king. The choir of minstrels stylized in the French spirit is replaced by the incendiary dance of gypsies, and the dance of pages and dwarfs (first in the nature of a minuet, then - animated) - by a grotesque dance of jesters and buffoons. The duet of Charles and Dunois ends with a courageous oath, while the duet of Agnes with Karl is marked by pampered features. The dramatic center of the act is a mass scene expressing the pinnacle of the triumph of the Maid of Orleans. Joan's exit is preceded by a marching theme. Her story "Holy Father, my name is Joanna" is lyrically penetrating and at the same time heroic; here the theme of the choir of angels from the previous act is musically processed. The finale is an extended ensemble with a choir: the people glorify their chosen one - John will lead the troops to victory.

A short orchestral introduction to the first scene of the third act depicts the battle. Against this tense background, the initial episodes of the meeting between Joanna and Lionel take place. The whole picture is full of dramatic conflict, which marks a turning point in the fate of John. The music reaches its utmost expressiveness in the words "Ah, why did I give my staff for a warlike sword."

The next picture of the third act is built on a dynamic opposition of the initial triumphant march and the chorus of praise of the warrior maiden with Thibault's denunciations. This is the climax of the drama, embodied in the sound of large choral masses. Particularly impressive is the final septet with a chorus, which opens with Thibaut's words "Answer me". In the undulating, all the time upward movement of the melody, the content of this amazing scene, huge in size, is revealed: its participants, struck by the silence of John, turn their eyes to heaven.

In the first picture of the fourth act, other aspects of the appearance of the Maid of Orleans are more fully revealed. Here, in a duet with Lionel, she appears hot loving woman. Lyrically enthusiastically sounds music to the words "Oh wonderful, sweet dream." The intoxication with passion is conveyed in the orchestral episode that precedes the duet.

The unity of a gloomy funeral mood pervades the final scene of the last act (second scene). An ominous funeral march is carried out, steadily growing, in an orchestra. Against this background - the cries of the soldiers, the mournful cries of the people. As if the flames are captured in the orchestral sound when a fire flares up on the stage. At the same time, the singing of angels, and the funeral of monks, and the curses of soldiers, and the passionate calls to heaven of Joanna are heard.

M. Druskin

Shortly after the end of Onegin, Tchaikovsky again begins to look for a plot for the opera, rereading a series of literary works and asking for help from their friends and acquaintances. As a result, he stops at Schiller's tragedy "The Maid of Orleans" in the Russian translation of Zhukovsky. The historical plot from the era of the so-called Hundred Years War between France and England in the 14th-15th centuries required broad operatic forms and a bright decorative manner of musical writing for its embodiment. In this respect, the "Maid of Orleans", replete with large spectacular crowd scenes, extended ensembles, pictures of magnificent processions, battles and duels, is a sharp contrast to the modest intimate "lyrical scenes" according to Pushkin's novel in verse.

What prompted the composer, who just a few months before the start of work on The Maid of Orleans, wrote that he needed a plot where “there are no kings, no marches, there is nothing that is a routine part of a big opera,” to turn to this kind of task? There were several reasons. One of them is the natural desire to expand and enrich the means of his operatic writing, to try his hand at a new figurative-thematic sphere that has not yet been touched upon. Tchaikovsky also had a certain share of conscious calculation, caused by the desire to "take revenge" for the cold reception of "The Blacksmith Vakula" and the lack of hope for the stage viability of "Eugene Onegin". It seemed to him that it was precisely such an opera as The Maid of Orleans that could be a success with a wide theatrical audience. “I don’t think,” he admitted, “that The Maid of Orleans was the best and most heartfelt of all my writings, but it seems to me that this is exactly the thing that can make me popular.”

But there were other, deeper motives for choosing this particular plot. The author's assessment refers to the time when The Maid of Orleans was basically written and the composer could calmly and objectively judge the result of his work; he approached it with ardent interest and enthusiasm. Tchaikovsky was especially worried about the tragic image of the main character - a simple peasant girl Joan of Arc, who at a difficult moment for her homeland took the lead French troops, leading him to victory, but then unjustly condemned and betrayed by a cruel execution.

When compiling the libretto, written by the composer himself, without outside help, he relied, in addition to Schiller's tragedy, on a number of other sources, both literary and historical. Trying to preserve the original text of Schiller-Zhukovsky to the maximum extent, where it corresponded to his plan, Tchaikovsky made at the same time quite significant changes in the interpretation of some events and in the characteristics of the main actors. The most important of these is the rejection of the heroic apotheosis that ends the "Maid of Orleans" by Schiller: contrary to the historical truth of John (Zhukovsky gives a Russian transcription French name Zhanna. Tchaikovsky adheres to the same transcription.) does not die at the stake, but is captured by the English, but breaks the chains in which she is shackled, and, rushing back into battle, finds death on the battlefield. Such an end introduces into the characterization of Joanna an element of the miraculous, the supernatural and to some extent comes to terms with her death. For Tchaikovsky, such an ending was unacceptable, for all the greatness of the feat she accomplished, the heroine of his opera remains a living “human woman” and her painful death causes him anger and horror. When reading the French historian Wallon's book on Joan of Arc, he was especially shocked by the descriptions of the trial and execution. “I started reading your book,” he wrote to von Meck, who sent him this work, “and when I got to last days Joanna, her torment, execution and the abjuration (renunciation) that preceded her, where her strength was changed and she recognized herself as a sorceress - I felt so much pain and pity for humanity in her face that I felt completely destroyed " (According to the testimony of some people close to Tchaikovsky, in later years he wanted to remake the finale of the opera, bringing it closer to Schiller's. But the composer's own statements on this subject have not been preserved.).

In addition to a radical change in the finale, Tchaikovsky significantly developed the motive of Joanna's sudden flare-up of love for the Burgundian knight Lionel, which only occasionally occurs in Schiller, which gives her image warmer lyrical features. In the soul of Joanna, who violated her sacred vow not to know earthly love, a tragic internal discord arises, which becomes the cause of her death.

Unlike other characters in the opera, who receive a more or less one-dimensional characterization (the weak pampered King Charles VII, his faithful friend Agnes, the valiant knight Dunois, the fanatical old peasant Thibaut, Joanna's father), her image is given in development, enriching itself in the course of action and acquiring new features. Its exposition is a large aria from the first act “Forgive me, fields, dear hills”, which sounds sadness of parting with a peaceful rural life and shyness before what awaits it. The elegiac melody of the aria, with an emphasis on the fourth raised step and the subsequent chromatically descending movement of the hidden voice, bears some resemblance to Tatyana's sequences from Eugene Onegin.

Only in the middle section of the aria do decisive moves of the melody appear along the steps of the ascending major hexachord, expressing Joanna's determination to the feat. The finale immediately adjoins the aria - John and the choir of angels, calling her to fulfill her military duty and save the motherland. The theme of the choir, based on the persistent repetition of one short melodic turn in the range of a minor third, acquires further leitmotif significance as inner voice reminding John of her high calling.

In the second act, she appears at the royal court already as a victorious warrior-maiden fanned with glory. Remarkable in its expressiveness is her story about herself (“Holy Father, my name is Joanna”), in which the declamatory vocal part is supported by orchestral accompaniment, strict in color, with elements of modal harmony and colorful tonal shifts that set off certain moments of the narrative. (A. A. Alshvang draws attention to the similarities in this monologue with Shuisky's story about the murdered Tsarevich Dimitri in Boris Godunov. Note that Cui also saw in some pages of The Maid of Orleans "imitation of Mussorgsky.). The light transparent sound of woodwinds, strings and harp seems to surround Joanna with a flickering light. The dramatic intonations in the two scenes with Lionel in the third and fourth acts express her internal struggle between the consciousness of one's highest duty and the emerging new feeling of love. But the beautiful lyrical duet in the first scene of the fourth act still violates the integrity of the image, the elegant romance melody seems too refined in the mouth of a brave warrior maiden.

In general, The Maid of Orleans, despite a number of successful dramatic expressive moments associated mainly with the image of the main character, turned out to be an uneven, artistically contradictory work. Large ensembles with a choir in the first act (the invasion scene and a hymn with a plea for salvation), in the finals of the second and third acts, and finally, the picture of the public execution of the slandered Joanna, which ends the opera, are masterfully written, broadly and effectively, but do not make the impression that they expected Tchaikovsky. The premiere of the opera, which took place on the stage of the Mariinsky Theater on February 13, 1881, was a success, but, as the composer's biographer notes, "the noisy success of The Maid of Orleans at the first performance was not repeated at the next." Did not bring her wide popularity and individual successful productions that took place in the future.

Y. Keldysh

Discography: CD - Teldec. Conductor Lazarev, Joanna (Rautio), Charles VII (Kulko), Agnes Sorel (Gavrilova), Dunois (Krutikov), Lionel (Redkin).

"Warriors" url="https://diletant.media/history_in_culture/voit/review/28852598/">

Opera by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in 4 acts, 6 scenes, to his own libretto based on the drama of the same name by Friedrich Schiller, translated by V. A. Zhukovsky, J. Barbier's drama "Joan of Arc" and based on the libretto of the opera "The Maid of Orleans" by O. Merme.

Elena Obraztsova Joanna's Aria from the opera The Maid of Orleans. Recording from a solo concert in the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory. 1972 Piano part - Alexander Erokhin. Music - P. Tchaikovsky, lyrics - F. Schiller, translation - V. Zhukovsky:

History of creation

The glorious feat of the heroine of the French people, Joanna (Joan) d'Arc, as a plot for an opera, interested Tchaikovsky in 1878. This interest did not arise by chance.

Schiller's romantic drama The Maid of Orleans, staged for the first time with great success in Leipzig in 1831, enjoyed great popularity in the progressive circles of Russia, thanks to the translation of Zhukovsky (1817-1821). This popularity increased even more during the years of social upsurge of the 70s and 80s. But Schiller's play was banned from stage performance at that time. Nevertheless, the great Russian tragic actress M. N. Ermolova often read monologues from The Maid of Orleans at evenings organized by student youth. The image of a girl-heroine, selflessly imbued with the idea of liberating the motherland, inflamed the hearts of a democratic audience. However, Yermolova managed to stage Schiller's tragedy on the stage of the Moscow Maly Theater only in 1884, three years after the premiere of Tchaikovsky's opera on the same plot.

The folk-patriotic content of the tragedy first of all attracted the composer's attention to it: the peasants and knights of France, animated by personal courage and the fiery appeal of a peasant girl, defeat the British in the so-called Hundred Years War. The decisive battle took place at Orléans; hence the name of Jeanne - Maid of Orleans. Slandered, by the verdict of a Catholic court, she is burnt at the stake (executed on May 30, 1431).

At the end 1878 year, Tchaikovsky began to implement his plan, simultaneously compiling a libretto and composing music. In January 1879 he wrote: “I am very pleased with my musical work. As for the literary side, that is, the libretto ... it's hard to convey how weary I am. How many feathers will I gnaw out before I draw a few lines out of myself! How many times do I get up in utter despair because a rhyme is not given, or a certain number of feet do not come out, that I am perplexed that this or that person should be speaking at this moment. Tchaikovsky set himself a difficult task: he not only shortened or partially supplemented the text of the drama by Schiller-Zhukovsky, but also, after reading some historical research, as well as using the play Joan of Arc by J. Barbier, introduced a number of new plot and stage motivations, which mainly touched the final.

Despite these difficulties, the opera in sketches was completed by the end of February, and the score in August 1879. In total, work on such a monumental work took Tchaikovsky only nine months. The piano score was published in 1880. Later, the composer made some changes to it.