About the work
The Enchantress is an opera in four acts by Pyotr Tchaikovsky after the drama of the same name by Ippolit Shpazhinsky, who also wrote the libretto. The composer himself conducted the premiere on 1 November 1887 at the Mariinsky Theatre in St Petersburg.
Plot
In fifteenth-century Nizhny Novgorod, the innkeeper Nastasya, known as Kuma, enchants Prince Nikita Kurlyatev. When his son Yury also falls in love with her, the jealous Princess and the Prince conspire against the couple; Nastasya is ultimately poisoned and dies.
Cultural significance
The premiere failed with audiences, yet Tchaikovsky later called it his “best opera.” He nonetheless refused to revise it, saying the wounds of its failure were still too fresh; the work required substantial cuts before further performances.