Schiller’s image of Joan of Arc on the 19 <sup>th</sup> century opera stage
The article examines works based on The Maid of Orleans by F. Schiller. The first section is dedicated to the operas by Italian composers, whose circle is complemented by operas based on the story of Joan of Arc created in the 19 <sup>th</sup> century Italy. It is emphasized that in Italy the story of Giovanna d`Arco had a strong patriotic component in the first half of the 19 <sup>th </sup>century (Risorgimento). Compared with the interpretation of Joan of Arc`s image in the French operas, the Italian authors form a different image of Joan of Arc, given in the tragedy by Friedrich Schiller, according to whom, Joan of Arc is the embodiment of maiden warrior, ruthless Amazon, succumbed to the charms of love. As a consequence of changes in the image of Joan of Arc, some changes were made in selecting the voice for the main character - its range, tessitura and performing techniques. The analysis of the operas Giovanna d`Arco by Z. Volkonskaya (set in Rome), G. Pacini and N. Vaccai concludes that the voices of Italian Giovannas are somewhat “darker” than of the French heroines. Vocal parts are filled with virtuoso coloraturas di bravura ( di forza, di slancio, di sbalzo ). Giovanna’s parts in the Italian operas part with tessitura en travesti with difficulty. Particular attention is paid to the opera Giovanna d`Arco by G. Verdi. Despite the fact that the author of the libretto of this opera T. Soler borrowed a series of scenes from the The Maid of Orleans by Schiller, in Verdi’s opera a feature new for the Italian image of Giovanna was clearly shown - her devotion to God which could not be ignored in characteristics of the musical language and the choice of the singer’s voice. Verdi in the Giovanna d`Arco returns to the style of bel canto, and gives the title role to E. Frezzolini whose voice was remarkable for its “paradise tenderness”, at the same time possessing the power and fluency (canto d`agilita). The second section of the article is focused on the opera The Maid of Orleans by P. Tchaikovsky, also based on the tragedy by Schiller. However, according to the author, some French sources had a certain influence on the conception of the opera - operas by O. Mermet and dramas by J. Barbier. The article examines how the selected sources influenced on the formation of Joan of Arc’s image. It also notes some changes in the original image of the protagonist in connection with the transposition of the vocal part and a number of proofs made by the composer in the second version of the opera.