Mazeppa is a blood-thirsty tale of crazy love, abduction, political persecution, execution, and vengeful murder. The action takes place in Ukraine at the beginning of the 18th century. The protagonists are the historical figures Ivan Stepanovych Mazeppa (c. 1640–1709), the Hetman of the Ukrainian Cossacks, and Vasyl Leontiyovych Kochubey (c.1640–1708), a very prosperous Ukrainian nobleman and statesman.

Librettist Victor Burenin (Based on Pushkin's poem "Poltava")
Date of composition 1883 (1881-1883)
Premiered 1884, February 15th (Bolshoy Theatre) in Moscow, Russia
First published 1883 in Moscow, Russia
Type Opera
Approx. duration 150 minutes
Spoken language Russian
Instruments Orchestra
Voice (Baritone) - Ivan Mazepa, hetman
Voice (Baritone) - Kochubey
Voice (Mezzo-Soprano) - Lyubov, Kochubey's wife
Voice (Soprano) - Mariya, Kochubey's daughter
Voice (Tenor) - Andrei
Voice (Bass) - Orlik, henchman
Voice (Tenor) - Iskra, a friend of Kochubey
Voice (Tenor) - A drunken Cossack
Chorus/Choir - Cossacks, women, guests, Kochubey's servants, monks, henchmen
Autotranslations beta Piotr Ilitch Tchaïkovski: Mazeppa
Pëtr Il'ič Čajkovskij: Mazeppa
Pjotr Iljitsch Tschaikowski: Mazeppa