The Eifman Ballet will return to Israel this coming September with a new work, Crime and Punishment, based on the classic novel by Fyodor Dostoevsky. This tour will mark the 17th time that the company has performed in Israel, where the talented company is always received with enthusiasm. Six performances of Crime and Punishment will take place at the Israeli Opera House in Tel Aviv, from September 8 – 13, 2025.
Russian culture and literature has always been an inspiration to Eifman in creating works for ballet. Dostoevsky in particular has had a strong appeal for the choreographer, and Crime and Punishment marks his third work based on the author’s novels, following the ballet The Idiot created in 1980, and a 1995 interpretation of The Brothers Karamazov. Crime and Punishment premiered in Saint Petersburg on September 17, 2024.
Eifman commented on his creative methods: “I turn to literary masterpieces not so much in search of plotlines, but rather in a quest to enrich the production with philosophical and intellectual ideas – those that do not lie on the surface of the text, but reveal themselves upon a deep dive into the essence of the work.”
The works Eifman creates that are inspired by literature are not illustrative of those works, but rather interpret the psychological and emotional aspects of those works through the expression of dance. It is an exploration through dance of eternal questions about the nature of humanity.
Eifman’s comments on Crime and Punishment: “Fyodor Dostoevsky’s creations serve as an endless source of wisdom, capable of brightening the darkest corners of existence with the light of innermost truth…Crime and Punishment marks the beginning of the author’s series of “big” novels, and it is to this work that I have been drawn throughout my conscious life, at times approaching it as if it were an impregnable citadel, and at other times retreating in doubt and indecision.
Our production does not recount the storyline of the book; rather, it interprets through dance the emotional and conceptual universe of Dostoevsky’s central characters. Each of them is a microcosm, brimming with transcendent passions and facing insoluble metaphysical contradictions.”
The novel focuses on Raskolnikov, a young man who has dropped out of the university and lives in Saint Petersburg. Miserable, poor, and aimless, he comes to believe that he is an extraordinary person, and as such, he is above the moral laws that bind others. He believes he has the right to commit murder, if that is a path to achieve other goals, and decides to kill an old woman who is a moneylender in order to prove his theory. However, once he has committed the murder, he is tortured by feelings of guilt as he confronts the consequences of his actions. Ultimately, he confesses to the crime and embarks on the long journey to redemption.
Performances will take place at the Tel Aviv Opera House: Monday, September 8th at 20:00; Tuesday, September 9th at 20:00; Wednesday, September 10th at 13:00; Thursday, September 11th at 20:00; Friday, September 12th at 13:00; Saturday, September 13th at 18:00.
Tickets may be ordered on the Israeli Opera website, or call 03-6937777.
Crime and Punishment
A ballet by Boris Eifman
Based on the novel by Fyodor Dostoevsky
Music: Gustav Mahler, Boris Tishchenko
Sets: Zinovy Margolin
Costumes: Olga Shaishmelashvili
Light: Gleb Filshtinsky, Boris Eifman
