The Maid of Orleans
Nápravník became organist and assistant conductor at the Imperial theatres in 1863, second conductor in 1867, and chief conductor, succeeding Liadov, in 1869, holding the post until his death. He led the first performances of "Boris Godunov" in 1874, conducted five operas by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, including "The Maid of Orleans", "Mazepa" and "The Queen of Spades", and five by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, including "May Night", "The Snow Maiden" and "Christmas Eve". He also conducted concerts of the Russian Musical Society. In 1914, after a productive career in the service of Russian opera, he was forced to retire due to ill health.