Although best known for his ballets, symphonies and symphonic poems, Tchaikovsky was also a significant composer of operas. Unfortunately, only two of them, i.e. Onegin and The Queen of Spades, are regularly performed in theaters. One of his lesser known operas is Mazeppa (prod. Moscow in 1884). This much underrated work is, in my opinion, comparable to Onegin, although it lacks the brilliance of the Queen of Spades in the almost Wagnerian use of the leitmotiv. The libretto is by Viktor Burenin (with contributions by the composer) and the story is based on historical events. To get some "flavor" of the opera, here is the finale. Valery Gergiev conducts the Kirov Orchestra at the Mariinsky Theater, St. Petersburg. Mazeppa: Nikolai Putilin. Maria: Irina Loskutova. Andrey: Viktor Lutsiuk.
