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| Tchaikovsky's '''''Iolanta''''' (Иоланта), a lyric opera in one act, [[Op.]] 69 ([[TH]] 11 ; [[ČW]] 11) <ref name="note1"/>, was his eleventh and last completed opera, written between July and December 1891, and based on a story by the Danish writer [[Henrik Hertz]] (1798–1870).
| | {{letterhead |
| | |Date=27 March/8 April 1892 |
| | |To=[[Pyotr Jurgenson]] |
| | |Place=[[Maydanovo]] |
| | |Language=Russian |
| | |Autograph=[[Klin]] (Russia): {{RUS-KLč}} (a{{sup|3}}, No. 2800) |
| | |Publication={{bib|1902/25|Жизнь Петра Ильича Чайковского ; том 3}} (1902), p. 533 (abridged)<br/>{{bib|1952/58|П. И. Чайковский. Переписка с П. И. Юргенсоном ; том 2}} (1952), p. 241<br/>{{bib|1979/112|П. И. Чайковский. Полное собрание сочинений ; том XVI-Б}} (1979), p. 68 |
| | }} |
| | ==Text and Translation== |
| | {{Lettertext |
| | |Language=Russian |
| | |Translator=Brett Langston |
| | |Original text={{right|''27 марта''}} |
| | {{centre|Милый друг!}} |
| | Посылаю тебе остальные части ''балета''. (Первые 6 нумеров находятся у С. И. Танеева). Сверху лежат недостающие нумера из 1-го действия: Увертюра, № 2 Марш, №№ 7, 8 и 9. |
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| ==Instrumentation==
| | 2-ое действие оставь пока у себя. Я очень боюсь пожара у Танеева и попрошу тебя выдавать ему партитуру не сразу всю. Итак, слава Богу, более чем годовую работу я кончил. Ужасно приятно! |
| The opera is scored for vocal soloists, mixed chorus, and an orchestra consisting of 3 flutes (3rd doubling piccolo), 2 oboes, English horn, 2 clarinets (in A, B-flat), 2 bassoons + 4 horns (in F), 2 trumpets (in A, B-flat), 3 trombones, tuba + 3 timpani + 2 harps, violins I, violins II, violas, cellos, and double basses.
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| There are ten singing roles:
| | Копию с нумеров сюиты, вошедшую в полную партитуру, мне прислали скверную, — пришлось с ней возиться. Надеюсь, что ты с своей стороны уже получил копию сюиты. Пожалуйста, не перепутай свою копию с моей, ибо ведь в сюите вошедшие в неё нумера не совсем согласны с подлинной партитурой. Одним словом, оставь все как есть. Быть может, дабы не терять времени, ты отдашь теперь партитуру (полную) 2-го действия списывать? Однако предупреждаю тебя, что при репетированье балета необходимо, чтобы в руках капельмейстера была подлинная партитура. Копиисты так нещадно врут! Притом у меня в партитуре имеются многие замечания для капельмейстера Дриго. Конечно, по миновании корректурных репетиций он возвратит тебе её. |
| * ''René'' (Король Рене), King of Provence — bass
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| * ''Robert'' (Роберт), Duke of Burgundy — baritone
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| * ''Count Vaudémont'' (Водемон), a Burgundian knight — tenor
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| * ''Ebn-Hakia'' (Эбн-Хакиа), a Moor physician — baritone
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| * ''Almeric'' (Альмерик), the King's armour-bearer — tenor
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| * ''Bertrand'' (Бертран), the door keeper at the palace — bass
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| * ''Iolanta'' (Иоланта), the King's blind daughter — soprano
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| * ''Marthe'' (Марта), Bertrand's wife — contralto
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| * ''Brigitte'' (Бригитта), Iolanta's friend — soprano
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| * ''Laura'' (Лаура), Iolanta's friend — mezzo-soprano.
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| ==Movements and Duration==
| | Я теперь на неделю еду в Петербург. Если что нужно, пиши или телеграфируй: ''Фонтанка, 24''. В понедельник на святой приеду в Москву, кажется, на целый месяц. В это время Алексей перевезёт моё добро на новое жительство. |
| Tchaikovsky's score consists of an Introduction and nine individual numbers. The titles of numbers in Russian (Cyrillic) are taken from the published score, with English translations added in bold type. Vocal incipits are given in the right-hand column, with transliterations below in italics.
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| {| class="wikitable"
| | Выдай, пожалуйста, Алексею ''500 р[ублей] сер[ебром]'' на домашние расходы. До свиданья! |
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| | {{right|Твой П. Чайковский}} |
| | '''Introduction''' (Интродукция)<br/>Andante quasi Adagio
| | Поручи Алексею же доставить к Танееву партитуру остальных частей 1-го действия. |
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| | width="8%" rowspan="2"|No. 1
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| | width="38%"|'''Scene''' (Сцена)<br/>Andante semplice
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| | width="32%"|Мой птенчик, Иоланта, ты устала?<br/>''Moy ptenchik, Iolanta, ty ustala?''
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| | '''Iolanta's Arioso''' (Ариозо Иоланты)<br/>Larghetto, a tempo molto rubato
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| | Отчего это прежде не знала ни тоски я<br/>''Otchego eto prezhde ne znala li toskya ya''
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| | rowspan="2"|No. 2
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| | '''Scene''' (Сцена)<br/>Adagio con moto
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| | Полно, не надо, родная, попусту душу томить!<br/>''Polno, ne nado, rodnaya, popustu dushu tomit!''
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| | '''Chorus''' (Хор)<br/>Allegro
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| | Вот, тебе, лютики, вот васильки<br/>''Vot, tebe, lyutiki, vot vasilki''
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| | rowspan="2"|No. 3
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| | '''Scene''' (Сцена)<br/>Moderato mosso
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| | Бринитта, это ты?<br/>''Brigitta, eto ty?''
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| | '''Chorus''' (Хор)<br/>Moderato assai
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| | Спи, пусть ангелы крылами навевают сны<br/>''Spi, pust angely krylami navevayut sny''
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| | rowspan="2"|No. 4
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| | '''Scene''' (Сцена)<br/>Allegro semplice
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| | Призывный рог!<br/>''Prizyvny rog''
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| | ['''King René's Arioso''' (Ариозо Короля)]<br/>Andante
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| | Господь мой, если грешен я<br/>''Gospod moy, yesli greshen ya''
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| | rowspan="2"|No. 5
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| | '''Scene''' (Сцена)<br/>Allegro moderato
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| | Твоё лицо бесстрастно<br/>''Tvoye litso besstrastno''
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| | '''Ebn-Hakia's Monologue''' (Монолог Эбн-Хакиа)<br/>Adagio con moto
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| | Два мира: плотский и духовный<br/>''Dva mira: plotsky i dukhovny''
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| | rowspan="2"|No. 6
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| | '''Scene''' (Сцена)<br/>Allegro vivo
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| | Не торопись<br/>''Ne toropis''
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| | '''Robert's Aria''' (Ария Роберта)<br/>Allegro vivo
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| | Кто может сравниться с Матильдой моей<br/>''Kto mozhet sravnitsya s Matildoy moyey''
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| | No. 6a
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| | '''Vaudémont's Romance''' (Романс Водемона)<br/>Andante quasi Adagio
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| | Нет! Чары ласк красы мятежной<br/>''Net! Chary lask krasy myatezhnoy''
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| | rowspan="2"|No. 7
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| | '''Scene''' (Сцена)<br/>Allegro non troppo
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| | Однако где же мы?<br/>''Odnako gde zhe my?''
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| | '''Duet for Iolanta and Vaudémont''' (Дуэт Иоланты и Водемона)<br/>Moderato mosso
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| | Чудный первенец творенья<br/>''Chudny pervenets tvorenya''
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| | No. 8
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| | '''Scene''' (Сцена)<br/>Allegro vivo—Allegro agitato
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| | Иоланта! Иоланта! Иоланта!<br/>''Iolanta! Iolanta! Iolanta!''
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| | No. 9
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| | '''FInale''' (Финал)<br/>Allegro non troppo—Moderato assai
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| | Прости меня, я обманул тебя<br/>''Prosti menya, ya obmanul tebya''
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| |}
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| A complete performance of the opera lasts around 90 minutes.
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| ==Libretto== | | |Translated text={{right|''27 March''}} |
| The libretto was devised by the composer's brother [[Modest Tchaikovsky]] (1850–1916), after a translation by [[Vladimir Zotov]] (1821–1896) of the drama ''Kong Renés Datter'' (1845) by [[Henrik Hertz]] (1798–1870). [[Modest]] mistakenly attributed the translation to [[Konstantin Zvantsev]] (1823-1890) <ref name="note2"/>.
| | {{centre|Dear friend!}} |
| | I'm sending you the remaining part of the ''[[The Nutcracker|ballet]]''. (The first 6 numbers are with [[Sergey Taneyev|S. I. Taneyev]]). The missing numbers from the 1st act are on top: Overture, No. 2 March, Nos. 7, 8 and 9. |
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| As early as 1883–84, Tchaikovsky conceived the idea of writing an opera on the subject of ''Iolanta'' . The composer himself mentioned that in an interview given to the journal ''Petersburg Life'' (Петербургская жизнь): "Some eight years ago I came across an issue of ''The Russian Messenger'' <ref name="note3"/> that featured a one act play by a Danish writer [[Henrik Hertz]] translated by F. Miller, entitled ''King René's Daughter''. The story had charmed me by its poetry, originality, and an abundance of lyrical scenes. I then made up my mind to set it to music. Due to various obstacles, however, it was only last year that I could realise my decision" <ref name="note4"/>.
| | Keep hold of the 2nd act for now. I'm very worried about the fire in [[Taneyev]]'s office, and I ask you not to give him the whole score at once. So, thank God, I've finished more than a year's work. How terribly nice! |
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| Tchaikovsky was charmed not only by the "poetry, originality and abundance of lyrical scenes" in [[Henrik Hertz|Hertz]]'s play, but also by the concept of vitality, upon which the play is based. In 1891, [[Karl Valts]] suggested to him that a story of a Japanese fairy tale ''Watanabe'' be used as a plot for an opera-ballet. The composer had declined the suggestion on the grounds that it presented a further inconvenience for me in that the ''absence of light and of the sun'' plays a significant role in the plot, and this, as it happens, is the principal motif in the plot of my latest opera—the one I am composing now" <ref name="note5"/>.
| | The copy with the numbers from the [[The Nutcracker (suite)|suite]], which I included in the full score, was sent to me badly — I had to fiddle about with it. I hope that you, for your part, have already received a copy of the suite. Please, do not confuse your copy with mine, because the numbers included in the suite don't entirely correspond to the original score. In short, leave everything as it is. Perhaps, in order not waste time, you can now hand over the (complete) score of the 2nd act for copying? However, I caution you that when rehearsing a ballet it is essential that the conductor has the original score in his hands. Copyists are such brazen liars! Moreover, the score contains many notes for the conductor [[Drigo]]. Of course, once the rehearsals and proofreading are done with, he'll return it to you. |
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| The composer's interest in the subject, stirred by his reading of [[Henrik Hertz|Hertz]]'s play in the early 1880s, continued. In April 1888 a series of debuts by young [[Moscow]] actors took place, and ''King's René's Daughter'' was staged for the debut of Yelena Leshkovskaya. Tchaikovsky attended this performance, which was produced at the Maly Theatre once only on 29 April/10 May <ref name="note6"/>. In 1925, in a letter to Vasily Fyodorov, Aleksandr Yuzhin wrote the following description of Leshkovskaya: "Although still a girl, she projected a manifestly tragic power, one of her debut performances being in ''Iolanta''. P. I. Tchaikovsky told me that he was indebted to her for his resolve to write an opera based on this story." "The only snag being", he added, "I doubt that anyone could sing my ''Iolanta'' as well as Leshkovskaya plays that part" <ref name="note7"/> . In April–May 1888, the Director of the Imperial Theatres [[Ivan Vsevolozhsky]] visited [[Moscow]] to attend the debut performances of the young actors. Presumably he would have met Tchaikovsky there, and discussed ''Iolanta'' with him <ref name="note8"/>.
| | I'm now going to [[Petersburg]] for a week. If you need to, write or telegraph to: ''Fontanka, 24''. On Easter Monday I'm coming to [[Moscow]], it seems for a whole month. During this time [[Aleksey]] will be removing my goods to a new residence. |
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| This is confirmed in a letter from Tchaikovsky to [[Désirée Artôt-Padilla]] of 25 February/9 March 1890: "I must definitely write a Russian opera, based on a poem which has been in my possession for two years already; and which I have given my word of honour to write" <ref name="note9"/>.
| | Please, give [[Aleksey]] ''500 silver rubles'' for household expenses. Until we meet! |
| | | {{right|Yours, P. Tchaikovsky}} |
| On 24 December 1890/5 January 1891, the composer informed [[Mikhail Ippolitov-Ivanov]] that the directorate of the [[Saint Petersburg]] Imperial Theatres had commissioned him to write a one-act opera and a two-act ballet (for the 1891/92 season) <ref name="note10"/>. The final negotiations with the management board were held at the end of January <ref name="note11"/> . The commissioned ballet was based on the fairy tale ''The Nutcracker'' by [[E. T. A. Hoffmann]], and the opera on the one-act play ''King René's Daughter'' by [[Henrik Hertz]]. According to [[Modest Tchaikovsky]], the composer did not like much the story of ''[[The Nutcracker]]''. As for the opera subject, however, "he chose it himself, but not having yet a libretto, he could not know to what degree he would be satisfied with it" <ref name="note12"/> .
| | Tell [[Aleksey]] to give [[Taneyev]] the score of the remaining parts of the 1st act. |
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| From January 1891 onwards Tchaikovsky urged his brother [[Modest]] to write the libretto for the opera: "Have you been thinking about the libretto for ''King René's Daughter''? It is conceivable that I should eventually travel to Italy to compose the opera. And by the end of January I must have the libretto in my hands" <ref name="note13"/> . But on 22 January/3 February, in a letter to [[Anatoly Tchaikovsky]], the composer wrote that he had decided "not to travel abroad, but to stay here [at [[Frolovskoye]]] for a couple of months to work well. In April though I will travel to America" <ref name="note14"/>.
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| On 31 December 1891/12 January 1892, while in [[Warsaw]], the composer wrote to [[Nikolay Konradi]]: "Incidentally, regarding the stories and [[Modest]], tell him that I have found out who is the author of ''King René's Daughter''. He is Danish, and his name is ''[[Henrik Hertz|Henrick Hertz]]'' [sic]. Ought we to write to him? Anyway, we shall discuss it upon my return" <ref name="note15"/> .
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| ===Synopsis===
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| The setting is a beautiful garden on the estate of King René of Provence, in the mountains of southern France, in the fifteenth century:
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| {{quote|Princess Iolanta, the King's daughter, has been blind from birth, and lives in a castle in isolated splendour. She has never been allowed to know that she is different from other people, or even that she is a princess. Her friends bring her flowers and sing her to sleep. Almeric, the King's armour bearer, announces the King's arrival and Bertrand, the palace gatekeeper, warns him not to speak of light in Iolanta's presence, or to tell her that her father is the King. Iolanta is betrothed to Robert, Duke of Burgundy, who does not know of her blindness. The King brings a Moorish doctor, Ebn-Hakia, who insists that Iolanta must learn of her disability and wish to see, before he can treat her. The King firmly refuses. At nightfall two knights arrive to the castle. One of them is Robert, and the other is his comrade in arms, Count Vaudémont. They stumble into Iolanta's garden, ignoring the signs warning them to keep out. Robert is in love with someone else, and hopes that the King will release him from his vow. Vaudémont sees Iolanta, and falls in love with her. Robert fears that she is a sorceress, and goes off to gather his troops. Iolanta picks flowers for Vaudémont, but gives him white ones when he asks for red. He realises she is blind and attempts to explain sight to her. They are discovered. Vaudémont swears he loves Iolanta, whether she is blind or not. Her desire to see is not strong enough, so the King threatens to execute Vaudémont if the treatment is unsuccessful. After the treatment has begun, the King releases Vaudémont, revealing that the threat was only an attempt to increase his daughter's desire to see. Robert arrives and admits that he loves another. The King releases him from his promise and gives Iolanta to Vaudémont. When the bandages are removed from her eyes, Iolanta can see her surroundings. General rejoicing <ref name="note16"/>. }}
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| ==Composition==
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| In February, Tchaikovsky began to compose ''[[The Nutcracker]]'', but he had still not commenced work on ''Iolanta'' before his departure for America: "I'll try to work on the steamer. Even on my way here I did a bit of writing on the ballet", the composer wrote on 8/20 March 1891 from [[Berlin]] to [[Anatoly Tchaikovsky]]. "The main thing being to get the ballet out of the way; the opera though is so captivating, and I like its story so much, that give me just a couple of weeks of peace and quiet and I'll almost certainly finish it on time" <ref name="note17"/> .
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| However, Tchaikovsky failed to finish the opera and the ballet on time for the 1891/92 season. Conscious of the complete impossibility of finishing the work he had commenced on time, while on the concert tour to America, the composer asked [[Ivan Vsevolozhsky]] if he could postpone the completion of the opera and ballet scores until the spring of the following year <ref name="note18"/> . The composer wrote about the subject of the opera in this letter: "this subject is splendid for the music, and warms me and inspires me to such a level that I have no doubt of its success, so long as this opera should not be a product of stress and haste". And Tchaikovsky asked for permission "to turn over… in the spring of next year the scores of the ''opera'' and ''ballet'', fulfilling all the expectations you have of me. I should complete my tour of America without experiencing torments, doubts and apprehensions; return home restful and relaxed after the plethora of emotions I experienced in [[Paris]] and America, and start working quietly with love, writing two ''masterpieces'' (pardon my immodesty)" <ref name="note19"/>.
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| In a letter to [[Modest Tchaikovsky]] of 3/15 April 1891, the composer complained that he was "...tormented by an awareness that it is totally impossible to complete ''well'' the work I have engaged myself to do", because the characters from ''[[The Nutcracker]]'' and ''King René's Daughter'' had transformed for him "into some sort of horrific, feverish nightmares… By now I have reached a state that I hate even ''King René's Daughter''. But the whole point is that I should love it!!! … I feel though that I can make a masterpiece out of ''King René's Daughter'' — but not while I'm in this state" <ref name="note20"/>.
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| Responding to a letter from his alarmed brother [[Modest]], the composer wrote: "You misunderstood my letter… I'm in love more than ever with the subject of ''Iolanta'', and your libretto is quite perfect. But when in [[Rouen]], coming up with musical pictures of gingerbread, soldiers, dolls, etc., I saw that I still had to do a lot of work on the ballet before I could take care of the opera. When I had realised that I would not be able to work on the way to America, or while I was there, or on the return journey — then I became engulfed in despair, feeling a complete inability to fulfil my commitment as required. At that very moment I stopped loving ''Iolanta,'' and so that I might regain my passion I decided to renounce her. Only after renouncing her, could I ''fall in love'' with her again. Oh yes, I will write an opera such that the audiences will weep — but only in the 1892/93 season" <ref name="note21"/>.
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| On 9/21 May Tchaikovsky left [[New York]], arriving in [[Saint Petersburg]] on 20 May/1 June. On 29 May/10 June he returned to [[Maydanovo]], and the following day began work on Act II of ''[[The Nutcracker]]'' <ref name="note22"/>. Tchaikovsky wrote to his brother [[Ippolit]] from [[Maydanovo]]: "Although I was given an excellent reception in [[New York]], and I saw a lot of interesting things in America, I was longing to come home. And I cannot express how happy I was to find myself back in Russia. Now I will be hard at work; carrying out my promise to write an opera and a ballet for the 1892/93 season; besides that I have to write several long-postponed compositions" <ref name="note23"/>.
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| Finishing the sketches for the ballet on 24 June/5 July, Tchaikovsky wrote that he intended to "devote three days to correcting various arrangements and old scores that are being republished, and on the 28th, the eve of my saint's day, I shall get away to [[Petersburg]], where I intend to spend three days. On my return I will set about "''King Rene's Daughter''". We shall see how it goes" <ref name="note24"/>.
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| On 27 June/9 July, he wrote: "... a strong doubt had crept into my mind on whether my creative abilities are sufficient, and this doubt torments me and causes depression. The ballet I wrote with an effort, sensing a decline in my visualization ability. We shall see how I would get on with the ''opera''. If I see that it turns out poorly, despite an excellent and very appealing story, then perhaps I shall give up writing. I am living through some kind of a crisis. Either I shall overcome it and continue to use up music notepaper for a few more years, or I will lay down my weapons" <ref name="note25"/> .
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| On 8/20 July the composer wrote to [[Anatoly Tchaikovsky]]: "As soon as I have replied to all my letters, I shall start working zealously on the opera. If all goes smoothly I hope to complete the draft within a month…" <ref name="note26"/>.
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| And so the composition of the music for ''Iolanta'' began only in early/mid-July. By the composer's own admission, the work initially progressed "very sluggishly and with much difficulty", with a feeling that he was about to repeat himself <ref name="note27"/>. Another commitment had also caused some distraction: proof-reading the new edition of ''[[Yevgeny Onegin]]'', which Tchaikovsky finished on 19/31 July <ref name="note28"/>.
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| According to chronological notes among the manuscripts of the sketches, the composer did the most prolific work on ''Iolanta'' on 23 July/4 August and 24 July/5 August.
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| On 22 July/3 August, while at [[Maydanovo]], the composer wrote to [[Vladimir Davydov]]: ”Everything depends on "''Iolanta''". Until now it has been progressing slowly and sluggishly, mainly because of the fact that alongside this I had some intolerably tedious work — proof-reading the full score of "Yevgeny Onegin", which [[Jurgenson]] is republishing. This required the corrections of many of my own mistakes and oversights, and a far greater multitude of [[Jurgenson]]'s; this task poisoned my life. Finally I completed it, took the score to [[Moscow]], and I've now returned so that I can devote all my time to the opera. By the way, tell [[Modest]] that the more I immerse myself in composing the music to "Iolanta", the greater admiration I have for the quality of his libretto. It is excellently done, and the poetry is sometimes very, very beautiful. And so when I've enjoyed my fill of composition without disturbance, or when I've pushed it forward to such a point that I can rest easily — God willing — in around three weeks I will go to [[Kamenka]], calling at [[Nikolay Ilyich]]'s on the way, where I'm eagerly awaited" <ref name="note29"/>.
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| By 24 July/5 August, the seventh and a part of the eighth scenes were written. In a letter to [[Modest Tchaikovsky]] of 25 July/6 August the composer wrote: "The libretto is splendid. There is one shortcoming, which has nothing to do with you. I find that between the duet about ''light'' and the end we hear too little music — it's all explanation of the action. I'm afraid this might be boring. Yet it's possible that I'm mistaken. I started not from the beginning, but from the scene between ''Iolanta'' and ''Vaudémont''. You did an outstanding job on this scene, and the music could have been magnificent, but it seems to me that I did not do it particularly well. The most awful thing is that I have a tendency towards repeating myself, and a lot in this scene has turned out similar to ''[[The Enchantress]]?!!'' But we shall see. I am doubting myself more and more. But perhaps this stems from a more general depression, and I should temporarily set aside the theatre and write symphonies, piano pieces, quartets, etc. I'm tired of writing operas and ballets, but haven't yet run completely out of steam. At least I hope that's the case. Strangely enough while I was writing the ballet, I thought that it wasn't important, and I would display all my colours when starting work on the opera, and now it seems to me that the ballet is good, while the opera is not turning out particularly well. Although you know from experience that during the creative process, authors can be mistaken in the evaluation of their creations, and things which appear to be bad, sometimes are particularly good" <ref name="note30"/>.
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| On the same day he complained in a letter to [[Anatoly Tchaikovsky]] that the writing of the opera was progressing "in a sluggish and deplorable way". Then there had been a decisive new phase in the work: "Suddenly my work is progressing well. I know now that ''Iolanta'' shall not disgrace herself" <ref name="note31"/> .
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| On 7/19 August he wrote to [[Modest Tchaikovsky]]: "The time for me to leave for [[Ukolovo]] and [[Kamenka]] is approaching, but in the meantime ''Iolanta'' is far from finished. I shall probably delay its completion until my return … Still, very little remains. Now I'm already writing the scene between the ''King'' and ''Ebn-Hakia''. Than I only have to write the scene where Robert and Vaudémont enter and wake up Iolanta. The duet and everything else are already written. Over the past few days my work has progressed steadily, writing with ease and pleasure. I've altered the words here and there, because the rhythm did not match your verses" <ref name="note32"/>. The composer believed that the girls chorus 'Here you have buttercups' "has turned out to be extraordinary successful". "The lullaby has also been a success. I'm generally quite pleased with myself" <ref name="note33"/>.
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| On 13/25 August Tchaikovsky left [[Maydanovo]] for [[Moscow]], then to [[Ukolovo]] and [[Kamenka]], while the opera was not fully finished <ref name="note34"/>. Having returned to [[Maydanovo]] on 2/14 September, on 5/17 September, he informed [[Modest Tchaikovsky]]: "Yesterday I ''completely finished'' the opera. Tomorrow I will set about the instrumentation of ''[[The Voyevoda (symphonic ballad)|The Voyevoda]]''" <ref name="note35"/>. The orchestration of the ballad was completed on 22 September/4 October, after which the orchestration of the opera was commenced. "The instrumentation of the opera is coming along, but not especially quickly. This one-act opera is actually enormous, and requires a great deal of attention", Tchaikovsky wrote on 12/24 October 1891 to [[Vladimir Davydov]] <ref name="note36"/>.
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| In a letter to [[Modest Tchaikovsky]] dated 20 October/1 November, we read: "Despite all my care, I am far from finishing ''Iolande'' (by the way, take into consideration that "''Iolanta''" is incorrect — it should be ''Iolande'' because it comes from French, and in French this name is ''Iolande'')" <ref name="note37"/>.
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| The greater part of the orchestration was completed by 25 October/6 November: "The full score is completely ready (i.e. that which I have sent to you), with the exception of ''tempi'', ''metronome marks'', and also the precise designation of the numbers", Tchaikovsky wrote to [[Sergey Taneyev]]. He promised to put all those instructions later on into the full score, as well as into the piano score being prepared by [[Taneyev]] <ref name="note38"/>. Tchaikovsky indicated the date he finished work on the manuscript of the full score of ''Iolanta'': "20 November 1891, [[Maydanovo]] village". In a letter to [[Pyotr Jurgenson]] of 15/27 November 1891, Tchaikovsky wrote:" I'm finishing off the instrumentation of ''Iolanta''" <ref name="note39"/>. On 9/21 December he asked [[Taneyev]] to send him the full score of ''Iolanta'', so that he could insert the tempi. However, the overture seems not to have been orchestrated at that time, since on 14/26 December 1891 from [[Maydanovo]] he informed [[Modest Tchaikovsky]]: "here I've orchestrated the introduction to ''Iolanta'' and altered the ''draft'' of the sextet" <ref name="note40"/>. On 15/27 December he spent the whole day with [[Taneyev]], "tidying up ''Iolanta'', which is by now completely finished" <ref name="note41"/>.
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| Between 7/19 and 12/24 October 1892, Tchaikovsky, responding to a request by [[Nikolay Figner]], wrote an additional aria (romance) for the part of ''Vaudémont'' ("No, the charm of caresses...") <ref name="note42"/> . [[Modest Tchaikovsky]] had sent him the words for this aria in a letter written back on 29 July/10 August 1892 <ref name="note43"/>. On this very letter from [[Modest]], the composer made the first note of a theme for the second part of the aria, having adapted his own words: "Oh come, illustrious apparition...".
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| On 2/14 August he wrote to [[Modest]]: "Just now I have received your letter with the text of the additional aria for Figner. It has turned out very well and I shall certainly write the music for it in any case — but not now: only when I finish my proof-checking" <ref name="note44"/> .
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| ==Arrangements==
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| The vocal-piano reduction was arranged by [[Sergey Taneyev]], and completed in late January/early February 1892 <ref name="note45"/>.
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| ==Performances==
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| The first performances of ''Iolanta'' and ''[[The Nutcracker]]'' took place on 6/18 December 1892 in [[Saint Petersburg]] on the stage of the Mariinsky Theatre. [[Eduard Nápravník]] conducted the opera, and [[Riccardo Drigo]] the ballet. The soloists in ''Iolanta'' were Konstantin Serebryakov (''René''), Leonid Yakovlev (''Robert''), [[Nikolay Figner]] (''Vaudémont''), Arkady Chernov (''Ebn-Hakia''), Vasily Karelin (''Almeric''), Yalmar Frey (''Bertrand''), Medea Figner (''Iolanta''), [[Mariya Kamenskaya]] (''Marthe''), Aleksandra Runge (''Brigitte'') and Mariya Dolina (''Laura'').
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| The next day Tchaikovsky wrote: "The opera and ballet had great success yesterday. The opera in particular was to everyone's liking... Both were staged magnificently" <ref name="note46"/>. Three days later he told [[Anatoly]] about the unfavourable response of the press. "I am however quite indifferent to all that, it is not for the first time. And I know that at the end I will rise above it. Once again I am not embittered by such criticism. Nevertheless, I have been in a loathsome spirit, as I usually am, incidentally, in such circumstances. When one lives for a long time, preoccupied by the anticipation of an important event, then when the expected occurs it brings with it some sort of apathy and revulsion towards work, and a feeling of emptiness and futility in all our aspirations" <ref name="note47"/>.
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| Shortly after its premiere in [[Saint Petersburg]], ''Iolanta'' was performed in the German cities of [[Hamburg]] and Schwerin. "Although the latter is not a large city", the composer later reported, "the theatre there is enormous and beautiful; its troupe—exemplary. In both of these cities the opera was a complete success, and I received many telegrams" <ref name="note48"/>. The opera was performed in a German translation at the [[Hamburg]] Opera Theatre on 26 August/7 September 1893, in a production conducted by [[Gustav Mahler]], with soloists including: Heinrich Wigand (''René''), Sigmund Songeri (''Robert''), Gustav Zeidel (''Vaudémont''), Friedrich Lissman (''Ebn-Hakia''), Leopold Landau (''Almeric''), Marte Lorent (''Bertrand''), Kati Bettak (''Iolanta'') and Chedi Felden (Marthe'').
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| In [[Moscow]] the first complete performance did not take place until after Tchaikovsky's death — on 11/23 November 1893 at the Bolshoi Theatre, conducted by [[Ippolit Altani]], with soloists: Stepan Trezvinsky (''René''), [[Bogomir Korsov]] (''Robert''), Lev Klementyev (''Vaudémont''), Stepan Vlasov (''Ebn-Hakia''), Moysey Tolchanov (''Almeric''), Vasily Tsetekov (''Bertrand''), Margarita Eichenwald (''Iolanta''), Lidiya Zviagina (''Marthe''), Yelena Muravyeva (''Brigitte'') and Olga Danilchenko (''Laura'') <ref name="note60"/>.
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| The first complete performance of ''Iolanta'' in the United States took place at the Garden Theatre in Scarborough-on-Hudson on 10 September 1933. The earliest known production in Britain was during the Camden Festival on 20 March 1968 at St. Pancras Town Hall in [[London]].
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| ==Publication==
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| On 6/18 March 1892, Tchaikovsky sent [[Pyotr Jurgenson]] a letter containing the details of the title page for the piano score of ''Iolanta'' <ref name="note49"/>. On 6/18 April he informed [[Mikhail Ippolitov-Ivanov]] that ''Iolanta'' was being engraved <ref name="note50"/> . From mid/late April, checking was commenced on [[Jurgenson]]'s proofs of the opera ''Iolanta'' and the ballet ''[[The Nutcracker]]'', which took a great deal of Tchaikovsky's time <ref name="note51"/> .
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| The vocal-piano reduction of ''Iolanta'' was first published in late April/early May 1892 <ref name="note52"/>, but Tchaikovsky was dissatisfied with this edition. He was equally unhappy with an arrangement for solo piano made by [[Eduard Langer]] <ref name="note53"/> . Writing to [[Pyotr Jurgenson]] on 13/25 July, the composer asked him to send over the piano score "to mark up whatever needs to be corrected for the next edition”. On 16/28 July he wrote to [[Mikhail Ippolitov-Ivanov]]: "I am currently staying home, proof-reading the opera and ballet in all their forms, commencing with their respective full scores. All this requires tremendous haste… I think that over the next month and a half at least, I would be busy doing nothing but this unbearably tormenting work" <ref name="note54"/>.
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| [[Pyotr Jurgenson]] was simultaneously printing the scores of the opera ''Iolanta'' and the ballet ''[[The Nutcracker]]'', and also their various arrangements, while the composer undertook almost all the proof-reading himself. "Just imagine", the composer wrote to [[Sergey Taneyev]] on 11/23 August 1892, "that I am currently: 1) checking all three sets of proofs of the full scores of the opera and ballet; 2) amending and correcting [[Langer]]'s awful two-hand arrangement; 3) making a simplified arrangement of the ballet; 4) correcting your arrangement of the ballet. As a result I have developed such a hatred, such a revulsion towards my both creations, that I do not imagine I shall ever be rid of these feelings!". In August he wrote, "...there is one more set of proofs, i.e. a ''foreign'' edition of ''Iolanta''" <ref name="note55"/>.
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| On 27 August, while sending the first edition of the vocal-piano reduction of ''Iolanta'' to [[Mikhail Ippolitov-Ivanov]], Tchaikovsky wrote that: "this edition still has errors—there will be another" <ref name="note56"/>.
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| A second edition of the vocal-piano reduction of ''Iolanta'' (with words in Russian and German <ref name="note57"/>) was brought out simultaneously with the full score in September 1892 <ref name="note58"/>. [[Eduard Langer]]'s arrangement for piano (two hands) appeared in November 1892.
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| On 28 August/9 September 1892, the composer wrote to [[Vladimir Davydov]]: "But tomorrow, at last, I should have finished everything I have to do ... While I was staying with you at [[Vichy]] I could never have imagined the torment that I would have to face. I could not have foreseen it, because never before have the scores of my operas and ballets been published prior to their staging" <ref name="note59"/>.
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| Tchaikovsky's full score of ''Iolanta'', and [[Sergey Taneyev]]'s arrangement for piano duet, were published in volumes 10 and 42 respectively of Tchaikovsky's ''[[Complete Collected Works]]'', edited by V. D. Vasilyev (1953).
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| ==Autographs==
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| Tchaikovsky's autograph of Vaudémont's Romance (No. 6a) is now preserved in the Central Music Library of the Mariinsky Theatre in [[Saint Petersburg]] (VII.1.4.154), while a manuscript copy of the same excerpt with Tchaikovsky's annotations is held at the scientific music library of {{RUS-SPk}} {{TOW2|iolanta|(No. 6203)}}.
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| Tchaikovsky's manuscript of the rest of the opera is held at the {{RUS-Mcm}} in [[Moscow]] {{TOW2|iolanta-liricheskaya-opera-v-1-m-deystvii|(ф. 88, No. 12)}}.
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| ==Recordings==
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| {{reclink}}
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| ==External Links==
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| * {{imslpscore|Iolanta,_Op.69_(Tchaikovsky,_Pyotr)|''Iolanta''}}
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| ==Notes and References==
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| <references>
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| <ref name="note1">Entitled 'Iolanthe' in [[ČW]].</ref>
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| <ref name="note2">See {{bib|1902/25|Жизнь Петра Ильича Чайковского ; том 3}} (1902), p. 556. However, it was established by [[Vasily Yakovlev]] that the libretto is based on the revision of the drama made by [[Vladimir Zotov]].</ref>
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| <ref name="note3">{{und|Русский вестник}}, February 1883.</ref>
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| <ref name="note4">See ''[[A Conversation with P. I. Tchaikovsky]]''. Fyodor Bogdanovich Miller (1818–1881) was a well-known Russian translator and poet of German origins.</ref>
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| <ref name="note5">[[Letter 4415]] to [[Karl Valts]], around 18/30 June–19 June/1 July 1891.</ref>
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| <ref name="note6">The version by [[Vladimir Zotov]] was used in this production of the play.</ref>
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| <ref name="note7">Letter from Aleksandr Yuzhin to Vasily Fyodorov, 18 June 1925—published in A. I. Yuzhin-Sumbatov, {{und|Воспоминания. Записи. Статьи. Письма}} ([[Moscow]], 1941), p. 530.</ref>
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| <ref name="note8">See «Театр и музыка» in the newspaper {{und|Новости дня}}, 30 April 1888.</ref>
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| <ref name="note9">[[Letter 4050]] to [[Désirée Artôt-Padilla]], 25 March/9 February 1890.</ref>
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| <ref name="note10">[[Letter 4279]] to [[Mikhail Ippolitov-Ivanov]], 24 December 1890/5 January 1891.</ref>
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| <ref name="note11">See [[Letter 4312]] to [[Modest Tchaikovsky]], 22 January/3 February 1891.</ref>
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| <ref name="note12"> {{bib|1902/25| Жизнь Петра Ильича Чайковского ; том 3}} (1902), p. 427.</ref>
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| <ref name="note13">[[Letter 4283]] to [[Modest Tchaikovsky]], 1/13 January 1891. See also [[Letter 4291]], 6/18 January 1891, in which Tchaikovsky asked [[Modest]] to bring a copy of the drama ''King René's Daughter'' with him to [[Frolovskoye]]. Writing on 5/17 January 1891, [[Modest]] informed the composer that he had commenced work on the libretto — [[Klin]] House-Museum Archive.</ref>
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| <ref name="note14">[[Letter 4312]] to [[Anatoly Tchaikovsky]], 22 January/3 February 1891.</ref>
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| <ref name="note15">[[Letter 4588]] to [[Nikolay Konradi]], 31 December 1891/12 January 1892. [[Henrik Hertz]] died in 1870.</ref>
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| <ref name="note16">From {{bib|2002/22|The Tchaikovsky Handbook, vol. 1}} (2002), p. 88.</ref>
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| <ref name="note17">[[Letter 4343]] to [[Anatoly Tchaikovsky]], 8/20 March 1891.</ref>
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| <ref name="note18">See [[Letter 4363]] to [[Ivan Vsevolozhsky]], 3/15 April 1891.</ref>
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| <ref name="note19">[[Letter 4363]] to [[Ivan Vsevolozhsky]], 3/15 April 1891.</ref>
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| <ref name="note20">[[Letter 4364]] to [[Modest Tchaikovsky]], 3/15 April 1891.</ref>
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| <ref name="note21">[[Letter 4379]] to [[Modest Tchaikovsky]], 29 April/11 May 1891.</ref>
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| <ref name="note22">See [[Letter 4388]] to [[Yuliya Shpazhinskaya]], 29 May/10 June 1891.</ref>
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| <ref name="note23">[[Letter 4386]] to [[Ippolit Tchaikovsky]], 29 May/10 June 1891.</ref>
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| <ref name="note24">[[Letter 4420]] to [[Vladimir Davydov]], 25 June/7 July 1891.</ref>
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| <ref name="note25">[[Letter 4429]] to [[Sergey Taneyev]], 27 June/9 July 1891.</ref>
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| <ref name="note26">[[Letter 4439]] to [[Anatoly Tchaikovsky]], 8/20 July 1891.</ref>
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| <ref name="note27">See [[Letter 4440]] to [[Vladimir Davydov]], 11/23 July 1891.</ref>
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| <ref name="note28">See [[Letter 4442]] to [[Vladimir Davydov]], 22 July/3 August 1891.</ref>
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| <ref name="note29">[[Letter 4442]] to [[Vladimir Davydov]], 22 July/3 August 1891.</ref>
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| <ref name="note30">[[Letter 4448]] to [[Modest Tchaikovsky]], 25 July/6 August 1891.</ref>
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| <ref name="note31">[[Letter 4447]] to [[Anatoly Tchaikovsky]], 25 July/6 August 1891. See also [[Letter 4450]] to [[Vladimir Davydov]], 1/13 August 1891.</ref>
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| <ref name="note32">[[Letter 4452]] to [[Modest Tchaikovsky]], 7/19 August 1891.</ref>
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| <ref name="note33">[[Letter 4452]] to [[Modest Tchaikovsky]], 7/19 August 1891.</ref>
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| <ref name="note34">See [[Letter 4456]] to [[Anatoly Tchaikovsky]], 10/22 August 1891.</ref>
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| <ref name="note35">[[Letter 4469]] to [[Modest Tchaikovsky]], 5/17 September 1891.</ref>
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| <ref name="note36">[[Letter 4508]] to [[Vladimir Davydov]], 12/24 October 1891.</ref>
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| <ref name="note37">[[Letter 4517]] to [[Modest Tchaikovsky]], 20 October/1 November 1891.</ref>
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| <ref name="note38">See [[Letter 4525]] to [[Sergey Taneyev]], 25 October/6 November 1891.</ref>
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| <ref name="note39">[[Letter 4556]] to [[Pyotr Jurgenson]], 15/27 November 1891.</ref>
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| <ref name="note40">[[Letter 4574]] to [[Modest Tchaikovsky]], 14/26 December 1891. The "sextet" was the ''[[Souvenir de Florence]]''.</ref>
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| <ref name="note41">See [[Letter 4578]] to [[Modest Tchaikovsky]], 16/28 December 1891.</ref>
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| <ref name="note42">See [[Letter 4781]] to [[Anatoly Tchaikovsky]], 7/19 October 1892, and [[Letter 4784]] to [[Modest Tchaikovsky]], 12/24 October 1892.</ref>
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| <ref name="note43">Letter from [[Modest Tchaikovsky]] to the composer, 29 July/10 August 1892 — [[Klin]] House-Museum Archive.</ref>
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| <ref name="note44">[[Letter 4744]] to [[Modest Tchaikovsky]], 2/14 August 1892.</ref>
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| <ref name="note45">See [[Letter 4611]] to [[Pyotr Jurgenson]], 31 January/12 February 1892.</ref>
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| <ref name="note46">[[Letter 4819]] to [[Anatoly Tchaikovsky]], 7/19 December 1892.</ref>
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| <ref name="note47">[[Letter 4820]] to [[Anatoly Tchaikovsky]], 10/22 December 1892.</ref>
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| <ref name="note48">From the interview ''[[With P. I. Tchaikovsky]]'', published in the newspaper {{und|Одесский лиситок}}, 13 January 1893 {{OS}}.</ref>
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| <ref name="note49">[[Letter 4634]] to [[Pyotr Jurgenson]], 6/18 March 1892.</ref>
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| <ref name="note50">[[Letter 4657]] to [[Mikhail Ippolitov-Ivanov]], 6/18 April 1892.</ref>
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| <ref name="note51">See Tchaikovsky's correspondence with [[Pyotr Jurgenson]], April–November 1892, and with [[Sergey Taneyev]], July–August 1892.</ref>
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| <ref name="note52">Passed by the censor on 25 April/7 May 1892. See [[Letter 4668]] to [[Modest Tchaikovsky]], 20 April/2 May 1892.</ref>
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| <ref name="note53">See [[Letter 4725]] to [[Pyotr Jurgenson]], 13/25 July 1892.</ref>
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| <ref name="note54">[[Letter 4729]] to [[Mikhail Ippolitov-Ivanov]], 16/28 July 1892.</ref>
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| <ref name="note55">[[Letter 4750]] to [[Sergey Taneyev]], 11/23 August 1892. See also [[Letter 4753]] to [[Vladimir Davydov]], 14/26 August 1892.</ref>
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| <ref name="note56">[[Letter 4759]] to [[Mikhail Ippolitov-Ivanov]], 27 August/8 September 1892.</ref>
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| <ref name="note57">The first edition of the piano score had Russian text only.</ref>
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| <ref name="note58">Both scores were passed by the censor on 22 May/3 June 1892. There is also a posthumous edition of the piano score of the opera which is identical to the second edition, except for some alterations to the title page.</ref>
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| <ref name="note59">[[Letter 4761]] to [[Vladimir Davydov]], 28 August/9 September 1892.</ref>
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| <ref name="note60">At the 12th RMS symphony concert in [[Moscow]] on 18/30 March 1893, Leonid Yakovlev had performed Robert's Aria (No. 6), with [[Vasily Safonov]] conducting.</ref>
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| </references>
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| [[Category:Operas]]
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