Ruth Leon recommends….. The Enchantress – Tchaikovsky
Ruth Leon recommendsThe Enchantress – Tchaikovsky
Unless you are a Tchaikovsky expert you may never have heard, or have heard of, The Enchantress, the opera he composed between September 1885 and May 1887 in Maidanovo which was first performed in Saint Petersburg in 1887. This was, “the greatest tragedy ever written by Tchaikovsky ” — in his own opinion — and it is performed here by the Frankfurt Opera, with Asmik Grigorian in the title role of The Enchantress!
Rarely performed today, Tchaikovsky’s seventh opera is notable for its multi-stranded plot, combining amorous jealousy and political intrigue, human drama and religious intervention. The story revolves around the fascinating Nastasia who finds herself caught in a love triangle: her interest in Prince Yuriy is unrequited, though Yuriy’s royal father is enamoured with her, much to the chagrin of his wife. The plot thickens when the old deacon Mamyrov accuses Nastasia of being a witch, which leads to violent and unpredictable consequences…
This is no misogynistic love story: Tchaikovsky himself wrote of the title character, in a letter to soprano Emiliya Pavlovskaya, “[Nastasia’s] is a strong feminine nature; she can fall in love only once and for all, and for the sake of that love she is capable of surrendering everything.” About the spurned princess, he continued, “My princess will also be a strong character … She is jealous not on account of her husband, but, rather, on account of her princely dignity” — an attribute which the excellent Claudia Mahnke brings out with assurance and aplomb. Romance and religion meet political intrigue in this rarely heard masterpiece.
The conductor is Valentin Uryupin and the stage director is Vasily Barkhatov . In addition to Asmik Grigorian, the production stars the impeccable Iain MacNeil as the Prince and Claudia Mahnke as the Princess.
Yes, The Enchantress is a wonderful work, shot through with Tchaikovsky’s genius. we could do with a really good modern recording.