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Scene from: The Maid of Orleans

Composer: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Conductor: Alexander Lazarev

The Maid of Orleans is famous for its magnificent crowd scenes, processions, court ceremony and battle scenes. With a libretto by the composer, the opera is based on Zhukovsky's Russian version of Schiller's tragedy.

The story is set against the background of France's struggle to avoid defeat at the hands of the invading English army. Joan's father, Thibaut, has chosen a suitor (Raymond) for her, but Joan has her mind on other things. She prophesies the victory of the French and the death of the English leader, Salisbury. Thibaut thinks she is possessed by the devil but then Salisbury's death is announced and, on the advice of heavenly voices, Joan decides to join the French troops.

After leading the French to victory, news of Joan's success reaches the King who then places her at the head of the army. Joan falls in love with Lionel, a Burgundian who has chosen to go over to the side of the English, but she chooses her vocation over love. The King declares Joan "Saviour of France" but her father maintains that she is possessed by evil spirits. She is tried by the French people and found guilty of evil influences. Joan and Lionel are briefly reunited in the woods before Joan is captured and burnt at the stake.

This all-Russian cast is further enhanced by the outstanding talent of soprano, Nina Rautio, whose reputation has led to many engagements in leading opera houses around the world since her first performance in the West in 1991. Her interpretations are notable, not only for her exceptional voice, technique and great emotional commitment, but also for her exquisite musicianship, as befits her early training as a concert pianist. Recorded at the Bolshoi Theatre, Moscow, in June 1993.

Cast:
Joan Of Arc: Nina Rautio
King Charles VII: Oleg Kulko
Agnes Sorel: Maria Gavrilova
Thibaut: Viacheslav Pochapsky
Raymond: Arkady Mishinkin
Dunois: Mikhail Krutikov
Bertrand: Maxim Mikhailov
Lionel: Vladimir Redkin
The Archbishop: Gleb Nikolsky

Catalogue: 4509941912

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