This recording of Tchaikovsky's Iolanta was made live at the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory in Russia on March 13, 2002.
Notable Performances
The first performance of Iolanta outside Russia was in Hamburg on January 3, 1893, and was conducted by Gustav Mahler.
Composition History
Iolanta, Op. 69, is the last opera composed by Pyotr Tchaikovsky, with a libretto written by his brother Modest Tchaikovsky.
Critical Reception
Although the public reception for Iolanta was favorable, Tchaikovsky himself was disappointed, feeling he was repeating himself compared to his earlier work, The Enchantress.
Composition History
The opera's libretto is based on Henrik Hertz's Danish play Kong Renés Datter (King René's Daughter), a romanticized account of Yolande de Bar's life.
Composition History
Tchaikovsky began composing Iolanta in June 1891 and finished the composition in September, despite worrying about a loss of creative inspiration after completing The Queen of Spades.
Notable Performances
The world premiere of Iolanta took place on December 18, 1892, at the Mariinsky Theatre in Saint Petersburg, sharing a double bill with Tchaikovsky's last ballet, The Nutcracker.
