The Magnificent, Overlooked Operas of Tchaikovsky

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Tchaikovsky’s operas are remarkable for their passion, characters, and their pure, elevated humanity His music has the quality of touching something deep in one’s heart, revealing profound aspects of the human experience in a lofty and beautiful way that transcends time and barriers.

Russian operas are not quite as well known as the operas of Puccini or Wagner, but they are being performed with increasing frequency in opera houses around the world. To be discovered in the operas of Russia are beautiful melodies and stirring stories, as well as emblems of Russian culture and heritage. Most are familiar with the instrumental works or splendid ballets of one of this country’s great composers; Tchaikovsky, but his lesser known operas are of great value, some becoming standard repertoire at esteemed opera houses including the Metropolitan. By examining Tchaikovsky’s life one can discover the inspirations for his operas, his artistic approach to characterization and emotive melodies, and how they appealed to the Russian spirit while being of an eclectic style.

Life

Tchaikovsky’s childhood certainly formed the composer he was to become in later years. He was born in the small town of Votkinsk. His father worked for the government and he had a musically gifted mother. From a young age Tchaikovsky showed a passion for music after hearing some Mozart songs from a music box. He began studying piano assiduously at the age of 6 and had a great love for learning: he insisted on a governess when he was only 4 years old. His youth at a boarding school in St Petersburg was troubled by homesickness, and later the death of his beloved mother. This tragedy caused a lifelong depression on his sensitive and impressionable nature.^[1]

Tchaikovsky continued his musical training while studying law, and he showed talent in improvising dance music. His father encouraged his musical ambitions despite criticism from other quarters of the family. He became a student of Anton Rubinstein, founder of the St. Petersburg Conservatoire, who was highly critical of Tchaikovsky’s early compositions. His brother Nicholas founded a conservatoire in Moscow and was a more encouraging friend and mentor to Tchaikovsky. The latter’s early works include a symphony entitled Winter Dreams, and an Overture based on the Danish National Anthem.^[2] In 1867, he began composing his opera The Voyevoda. He earned a comfortable income from teaching private lessons at the Moscow Conservatoire, and the eventual patronage of his close friend Nadezhda von Meck allowed him to dedicate his time more fully to composing. She would commission piano arrangements of his works for her to play and was also his confidant and advisor, though they never met in person.^[3] He was well-traveled through Europe and began forming his musical opinions of current composers, to which he hitherto had little exposure. For example, he greatly admired Grieg and Bizet but disliked Wagner and Brahms, about the latter he wrote “There is something dry, cold, vague, and nebulous in the music of this master which is repellent to Russian hearts […] the chief thing is lacking – beauty.”^[4] From this quotation we can see what Tchaikovsky wanted to achieve with his music. Though he was more eclectic in style than nationalistic, he understood the Russian heart and desired to appeal to it.

As a person Tchaikovsky was of a nervous, passionate, and sensitive temperament, but was also generous and open-minded. He loved nature, and when he grew older he lived a quiet life in the countryside, composing while taking walks.^[5] He was overly critical of his works, despite his strong belief in his destiny and abilities. He abhorred conducting and had a neurotic fear of his head falling off while directing the orchestra. During his American tour he was able to overcome this phobia.^[6] In 1868 Tchaikovsky became infatuated with the successful Belgian opera star Désirée Artôt. They were briefly engaged, until she abruptly married another singer.^[7] Presumably this marriage never came to fruition because of Tchaikovsky’s homosexual preferences. It is likely that he was attracted to her because of her musical prowess and additionally wanted to conceal his condition, though it was not until later in his life that he seemed to feel the pertinence of repressing the feelings that led him to immoral actions.^[8] Tchaikovsky later married in 1877 and had no children.

His later years brought him fame and success. He toured America to a great reception and was awarded an honorary doctorate from Cambridge University and was generally lauded by music critics at home and abroad.^[9] He died at the age of 53 from cholera.^[10]

Eugene Onegin

Eugene Onegin is the most well-known of Tchaikovsky’s operas. He began working on it in 1877 at the suggestion of one of his colleagues.^[11] Based on a poetic novella by Pushkin, Eugene Onegin tells the story of a young country girl, Tatyana, who falls in love with the worldly, cynical dandy Onegin. Tatyana writes him a passionate love letter declaring her pure and ardent adoration. He responds coldly, yet honorably, and sermonizes to her on controlling her emotions. Years later, after having killed his best friend in a duel, he encounters Tatyana at a party; she is a refined, elegant woman, the wife of a prince. Her cool self-assurance and grace kindles a love he has never before felt. He finds her alone and declares his adoration, but she refuses him, putting her honor and her duty as a wife before her love for him.^[12] Tchaikovsky became passionately invested in his characters, which explains why the music seems to represent each character perfectly through the use of leitmotifs, especially Tatyana, with whom he was deeply sympathetic. The famous “letter scene” is alternately passionate, hesitating, and longing until the gloriously triumphant conclusion, when she resolves to put her fate in his hands.^[13] Though Tchaikovsky remained faithful to Pushkin’s work, certain changes had to be made to fit the drama an opera must have, such as the passionate duet that ensues at the finale when Tatyana strives to strengthen her resolve to send Onegin away, instead of immediately doing so.^[14]

Tragedy ensued in Tchaikovsky’s life partially as a result of this opera. During the time he was working on it, a young woman named Antonina Ivanova Milyukov began sending him letters, which he at first ignored until one threatened suicide. Feeling the poignant similarities between this situation and the opera that was filling his mind, he visited her to offer his friendship. She nevertheless persisted and Tchaikovsky, ever a fatalist, agreed to marry her. Perhaps it was pity or his extreme disdain for Onegin’s cold-hearted rejection of Tatyana. It took less than three months for them to realize their incompatibility and misery and they separated. This episode caused a nervous attack to descend on Tchaikovsky and he went abroad.^[15]

Aside from the letter scene, notable music from this opera includes Lensky’s Act III aria, a beautiful piece of longing, melancholy, expressive of the disenchantment of spoiled youthful hopes. The Polonaise from Act II is commonly played by orchestras and included in concerts. Despite Tchaikovsky’s fears about casting such elevated ideals as his characters embodied, and still writing that “the solos left much to be desired” to Madame von Meck,^[16] the opera was well received. Although he feared that the opera would not have much of a future, it has endured in today’s repertoire.

Eugene Onegin has become popular in the United States because of such beautiful productions from the Met and other opera houses that accentuate the humanity and tragedy of the story’s wistful characters. Eugene Onegin expresses the regret of poor choices and lost opportunities^[17] and creates a sympathetic situation in which the audience finds itself alternately charmed, pained, and moved.

The Queen of Spades

Tchaikovsky began assiduous work on The Queen of Spades in 1890, and it was produced and performed less than a year later.^[18] The libretto was written by his brother Modest, though Tchaikovsky made many of his own edits and rewritings.^[19]  The plot is based off of a short story by Pushkin which, despite its interesting and mysterious theme, is on its own not fit to dramatize due to its cynical nature and the lack of background and depth. Modest expertly provided the story with romance and tragedy. In the original, Hermann is desperate to win a fortune gambling. He hears a rumor that an elderly Countess learned when she was young what the three winning cards are.  He deceitfully professes love to her niece Lizaveta and gains access to the Countess’s room. He forces her to reveal the secret of the cards to him; but she dies of fear before she can tell him. After her funeral she visits him at night and discloses what the three winning cards are – three, seven, ace. He plays the first two cards and wins a great fortune but instead of the ace plays the queen of spades and loses everything.

Pushkin’s ironic conclusion has Hermann in an insane asylum and Lizaveta marries well.^[20] Modest’s adaptation removes irony and introduces tragedy in the way that Hermann, a brooding, Byronesque character, is genuinely in love with Liza who is engaged to a wealthy prince. He declares his love to her in the night and she, returning his feelings,  succumbs to him and calls off her engagement. Additionally there is a prophecy in Modest’s adaptation that a passionate man will force the countess to reveal the secret, the thought haunts Hermann and he becomes obsessed with the cards, desirous of obtaining fortune to be worthy of Liza. The rest of the plot continues similarly with the exception that Liza commits suicide and as does Hermann at the finale when he realizes everything he has lost.^[21]

The music of The Queen of Spades is full of longing, passion, and psychological turmoil. The instrumental parts seem to narrate the thoughts of the characters. Hermann’s Act I aria is plaintive and grows in intensity as he describes his love. The ballad Polina sings is full of solemnity and gloom, foreshadowing the fate Liza is facing by loving Hermann. Liza’s following aria is tentative. She begins by desperately wondering why she is so unhappy and doesn’t love the perfectly worthy prince. Then with reckless abandon echoed in the music, she admits to herself the deep love she harbors for a stranger to whom she has never spoken. The aria ends on a tense build-up as Hermann appears on her balcony. The following duet is pleading and melancholic, the music is dynamic and changes with every idea expressed by the libretto. The Prince’s aria in Act II forms a stark contrast to the songs of Hermann: It is simple, artless, and pure as he declares to Liza that he desires to be her friend and confidant before all else and that he would do anything for her happiness. Liza’s suicide aria in Act III is introduced similarly to a funeral march, and the melodic line is simple but sorrowful and tragic. Hermann’s final aria at the card game is as confused and jolting as the workings of his mind.^[22]

Though Tchaikovsky was initially unmoved by the story, he became invested in his characters, particularly Hermann whom he saw as a sympathetic hero and even wept for his fate. An element that particularly inspired him was the potential for 18th-century musical mimicry, which can be seen in the Act I duet between Liza and Polina and the dramatic cantata in Act II, as well as the Countess’s aria taken from an opera by Gretry.^[23] The work was well received by the public and is one of the most frequently performed Russian operas. However, some critics claim that the Tchaikovsky’s version defiled Pushkin’s original story and that the long musical numbers, such as the pastoral cantata in Act II, detract from the drama. Rather, one finds that the story is made more touching by the alterations and the characters sympathetic to the audience, the action is artfully handled as there are breaks between climaxes, where tension once again builds.

Iolanta

Iolanta is a charming one act opera about a blind princess who has been protected by her father the king from any knowledge about her condition. She doesn’t know what sight is, yet she feels like something is missing from her world and sadness pervades her thoughts. She is engaged to marry a duke who has never met her and is also unaware of her blindness, and he comes to the castle to request her father to release him from the engagement because he loves someone else. However, when he stumbles upon Iolanta in the garden he is so charmed by her that he immediately falls in love. He discovers that she can’t see when he asks her to pick a red rose and she does not understand what he means, nor can she count how many roses he is holding without touching them. He does not hide the truth from her and she is overwhelmed by this new awareness, but also grateful to discover the reality of the world. Meanwhile, the king has sent for an African doctor who can cure blindness through therapy. He is sorrowful at the idea of having to cause her the pain of knowledge about her condition and when the king finds out that Iolanta already knows, he is furious and calls for the duke’s execution. Iolanta says that she will go through the therapy if he spares the man she loves. The therapy completely cures her, partially because of the power of true love, and the ending is perfectly happy.^[24] This opera is gradually being discovered by opera companies in America with great success.^[25]

This beautiful fairytale is truly splendid material for an opera. The happy ending provides satisfaction and joy to the audience; love, knowledge, and light dispel hatred, ignorance and darkness. Additionally the idea of a blind princess who does not even know there is a thing called sight is intriguing material. The importance of this simple, yet beautiful opera can be seen in the uniqueness of the story.^[26] In Eugene Onegin and the Queen of Spades, the heroes make poor decisions that change the course of their life. Their passions are self-indulgent and they act in selfishness instead of love. God is an entity they fight against in their desperation to alter His will, as Onegin tries in the final act, and Hermann throughout the entirety of the opera. In Iolanta, the hero combines love with truth at the risk of his own life; the passion is for goodness and beauty and the characters are virtuous.

The music is touching and mimics the varying emotions of Iolanta: melancholy, despair, fear, happiness, and finally ecstatic joy and wonder. The overture is similar to that of Eugene Onegin and the Queen of Spades, with a central mournful theme that expands in drama and force. A harp and strings gently open the scene onto the palace garden. Iolanta sings a pure, plaintive aria expressing the feeling of knowing something is wrong but being unable to define it. The king’s aria later on is equally touching as he sings to God of his willingness to do anything to make his daughter see again, even give up his life. He begs God to have pity on him. The foreign doctor’s aria has certain exotic elements to add to his mystery and mysticism. The orchestral build is powerful in the scene between Iolanta and the duke when he begins to discover that she is blind because she does not understand what a red rose is. In the proceeding duet between Iolanta and the duke he explains to her what light means, is both musically and lyrically poetic and exuberant. The motif used in this scene to describe the gift of light reappears in the finale when Iolanta gains her sight. ^[27]

Central Themes

An element of Tchaikovsky’s operas that portrays the similarities between artistic movements in music, literature, and paintings is the way nature reflects the moods of characters and the scenes. This is especially evident in The Queen of Spades – in most productions there is a raging lightning storm while Hermann broods over the prophecy of the passionate man who will force the countess to reveal the secret cards. He then declares that nothing matters to him without Liza and vows to the lighting that he will die before he lets her marry the prince. Liza confesses her love for the dark stranger to the night, to which she compares Hermann. In Act III, Liza desperately realizes that all her hope and joy has been taken from her, as if a raging storm swept over her life. She drowns in the bay – she is erasing her life as suddenly as she was bereft of happiness. In Eugene Onegin there is also contrast between nature and situations and emotions. The opera begins in the peaceful country setting that reflects Tatyana’s simplicity and genuineness; she confesses her love during the night as Liza does. In Iolanta, the setting is full of beauty and peace, the roses reflect Iolanta’s innocence and purity.

Another crucial similarity between these three operas are the folkish peasant songs in the first act of each. In Eugene Onegin, Tatyana’s family looks on as the workers return from the fields and sing and dance to entertain them, In The Queen of Spades, after Polina concludes the melancholy aria about death in Liza’s salon, the ladies cheer themselves up by singing a traditional folk song, until they are reprimanded for their behavior by one of the countess’s ladies. In Iolanta, the ladies sing a chorus that is folklike in melody in order to comfort and soothe Iolanta. In each of these scenes, there is a nostalgia and yearning prevalent for the beauty and simplicity of the life of Russian peasantry. In each the songs and dances are emblems of joy and comfort and freedom.

In conclusion, while some criticize Tchaikovsky’s operatic works as being musically scattered and dramatically uneven, they are yet pinnacles of the genre. Tchaikovsky’s operas are remarkable for their passion, characters, and the pure, elevated humanity gracing every aspect of composition and libretto. Each phrase expresses a particular emotion or quality of the character involved, and the orchestration complements the feelings of the text perfectly. Tchaikovsky’s music has the quality of touching something deep in one’s heart, revealing profound aspects of the human experience in a lofty and beautiful way that transcends time and barriers. Whether it is an aria expressing adoration, regret, madness, fear, or hope, the music seems to be a part of every trace of the character and setting and the sentiments never fail to make themselves palpable. Tchaikovsky’s other works such as his symphonies and ballets are justifiably popular, but his operas too are glorious and not to be neglected.

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Works Cited

Evans, Edwin. Tchaikovsky. 2nd ed., J.M. Dent & Sons, London 1935.

Abraham, Gerald E.H. The Music of Tchaikovsky. 1st ed., W.W. Norton & Company, INC., New York, 1946.

Pushkin, Alexander. Eugene Onegin. Translated by James E. Falen, Oxford University Press Inc., New York, 1995.

Queen City Opera. “Tchaikovsky: Iolanta (Иоланта) Complete (English subtitles).” Youtube, 7 July 2018.

Gantz, Jeffrey. “An opera unfairly obscure, Tchaikovsky’s ‘Iolanta’ shines: Music Review.” Boston Globe, 22 May 2012, Proquest.

Rockwell, John. “MUSIC: TCHAIKOVSKY OPERA ‘IOLANTA’.” New York Times, 18 April 1982, Proquest.

Stähr, Susanne. “In the Light of Darkness: Peter Tchaikovsky’s last opera “Iolanta”.” Berliner  Philharmoniker..

May, Thomas. “Truth and Beauty.” The Metropolitan Opera, 2013.

Poznansky, Alexander. “Tchaikovsky: A Life.” Tchaikovsky Research, last edited 12 April 2023.

Pushkin, Alexander. “The Queen of Spades.” The Captain’s Daughter and Other Stories, translated by Paul Debreczeny, David Campbell Publishers Ltd., 1992, p. 341.

Eugene Onegin.  Conducted by Valery Gergiev, 24 Feb 2007, Metropolitan Opera, Met Opera On Demand.

The Queen of Spades. Conducted by Valery Gergiev, 15 April 1999,  Metropolitan Opera. Met Opera On Demand.

Kornhauser, Pavle. “The Cause of P.I. Tchaikovsky’s (1840-1893) Death: Cholera, Suicide, or Both?” 2010, Proquest.

“Tchaikovsky: Conflicted, Neurotic, Brilliant.” California Symphony.

Brown, Steven. “AN OPERA THAT BEAT THE ODDS TCHAIKOVSKY ONCE REJECTED ‘THE QUEEN OF SPADES.’ NOW IT IS ONE OF THE FEW RUSSIAN WORKS TO WIN THE HEARTS OF THE WESTERN WORLD.” Orlando Sentinel, 17 Nov 1991, Proquest.

Notes:

^[1]. Evans, Edwin. Tchaikovsky. 2nd ed., J.M. Dent & Sons, London 1935, p. 1-6.

^[2].  Ibid., p. 8-20.

^[3]. “Tchaikovsky: Conflicted, Neurotic, Brilliant.” California Symphony.

^[4]. Evans, Edwin. Tchaikovsky. 2nd ed., J.M. Dent & Sons, London 1935, p. 46-47.

^[5]. Ibid., p. 44.

^[6]. “Tchaikovsky: Conflicted, Neurotic, Brilliant.” California Symphony.

^[7]. Evans, Edwin. Tchaikovsky. 2nd ed., J.M. Dent & Sons, London 1935, p. 28-31.

^[8]. Poznansky, Alexander. “Tchaikovsky: A Life.” Tchaikovsky Research, last edited 12 April 2023.

^[9]. Ibid.

^[10]. Kornhauser, Pavle. “The Cause of P.I. Tchaikovsky’s (1840-1893) Death: Cholera, Suicide, or Both?” 2010, Proquest.

^[11]. Abraham, Gerald E.H. The Music of Tchaikovsky. 1st ed., W.W. Norton & Company, INC., New York, 1946, p. 147.

^[12]. Pushkin, Alexander. Eugene Onegin. Translated by James E. Falen, Oxford University Press Inc., New York, 1995.

^[13]. Eugene Onegin.  Conducted by Valery Gergiev, 24 Feb 2007, Metropolitan Opera, Met Opera OnDemand.

^[14]. Abraham, Gerald E.H. The Music of Tchaikovsky. 1st ed., W.W. Norton & Company, INC., New York, 1946, p. 148-149.

^[15]. Evans, Edwin. Tchaikovsky. 2nd ed., J.M. Dent & Sons, London 1935, p. 39-40.

^[16]. Ibid., p. 73

^[17]. May, Thomas. “Truth and Beauty.” The Metropolitan Opera, 2013.

^[18]. Abraham, Gerald E.H. The Music of Tchaikovsky. 1st ed., W.W. Norton & Company, INC., New York, 1946, p. 172.

^[19]. Evans, Edwin. Tchaikovsky. 2nd ed., J.M. Dent & Sons, London 1935, p. 174.

^[20]. Pushkin, Alexander. “The Queen of Spades.” The Captain’s Daughter and Other Stories, translated by Paul Debreczeny, David Campbell Publishers Ltd., 1992, p. 341.

^[21]. The Queen of Spades. Conducted by Valery Gergiev, 15 April 1999,  Metropolitan Opera. Met Opera On Demand.

^[22]. Ibid.

^[23]. Abraham, Gerald E.H. The Music of Tchaikovsky. 1st ed., W.W. Norton & Company, INC., New York, 1946, p. 176-177.

^[24]. Queen City Opera. “Tchaikovsky: Iolanta (Иоланта) Complete (English subtitles).” Youtube, 7 July 2018.

^[25]. Gantz, Jeffrey. “An opera unfairly obscure, Tchaikovsky’s ‘Iolanta’ shines: Music Review.” Boston Globe, 22 May 2012, Proquest.

^[26]. Stähr, Susanne. “In the Light of Darkness: Peter Tchaikovsky’s last opera ‘Iolanta‘.” Berliner  Philharmoniker..

^[27]. Queen City Opera. “Tchaikovsky: Iolanta (Иоланта) Complete (English subtitles).” Youtube, 7 July 2018.

The Imaginative Conservative applies the principle of appreciation to the discussion of culture and politics—we approach dialogue with magnanimity rather than with mere civility. Will you help us remain a refreshing oasis in the increasingly contentious arena of modern discourse? Please consider donating now.

The featured image is “Eugene Onegin and Vladimir Lensky’s duel” (1899) by Ilya Repin, and is in the public domain, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.