The Israeli Opera will present a new, original production of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Iolanta, directed by Shirit Lee Weiss and conducted by Dan Ettinger. Performances will take place from January 18 – 28, 2026. The opera will be sung in Russian.
The last opera composed by Tchaikovsky, Iolanta has never before been performed on the stage of the Israeli Opera. A lyric opera in one act, the libretto was written by the composer’s brother, Modest Tchaikovsky. A romantic opera with intriguing psychological aspects, the plot revolves around Iolanta, the daughter of King René. Blind from birth, she has been brought up in a secluded, hidden garden on the palace grounds, attended to by Bertrand the groundskeeper and his wife Martha. Iolanta does not know that she is blind and does not know that she is the daughter of a king. King René has arranged a marriage for his daughter to Duke Robert but has concealed her blindness from her betrothed as well.
A physician arrives at the palace, Ibn-Hakia, who promises that there exists a cure for Iolanta’s blindness, but it will only work if she is aware that she is blind. In this sense, the opera is also a coming-of-age story, as Iolanta comes into greater awareness and knowledge of herself and the world. Ultimately, it will be Iolanta’s decision whether to undertake the treatment offered by Ibn-Hakim, although, since we’re at the opera, not without some manipulation by King René.
Iolanta is very much an opera not only for aficionados of the Romantic Period, but of romance itself. Duke Robert is perhaps somewhat of a disappointment, as he has fallen in love with another woman and wants to call off the engagement – as well as other things viewers will discover that he does over the course of the opera. But he arrives at the palace with his friend Vaudémont, and together they wander into Iolanta’s secluded garden. For Vaudémont, it is love at first sight. When he realizes that Iolanta is blind, he shares with her his knowledge of the world, of light and color. The course of true love is never smooth, especially at the opera, but this is one of the rare exceptions in which love reigns supreme.
The renowned Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840 – 1893) is well known for his works for the ballet – Swan Lake and The Nutcracker, as well as the opera Eugene Onegin. Iolanta was his final opera, composed in 1891, two years before his death. The libretto is based on the Danish play Kong Renés Datter (King René’s daughter) by Henrick Hertz, a fictionalized account of the life of Yolande de Bar (1428 – 1483). There is no historical evidence that Yolande was blind. Iolanta premiered in 1892 in St. Petersburg, on a double bill with The Nutcracker.
Shirit Lee Weiss has directed many productions at the Israeli Opera, including Hanoch Levin – the Opera and Mothers. She stated: “My Iolanta is trapped in an emotional space beyond which only darkness exists, an endless cycle of search and despair. Iolanta lives within herself. She is wild, childish, and full of unrealized desire. The stage is like an emotional space, pale, full of holes, upward and downward slopes, and beneath the surface are black wounds that represent memories, traumas and fears, that the women who surround Iolanta try to hide, in an endless Sisyphean task. Only with the inevitable revelation of the wound will awareness and light be let in. Knowledge, the ability to make her own decision, and freedom are withheld from Iolanta. Her father and the male world who exist beyond her emotional space invade and wound her soul, they watch her, they hide the truth from her – and by doing so, they control her.
The source of light is internal; it does not depend on vision. Iolanta’s decision regarding her fate upon discover the inner truth and confronting it despite the pain, brings about the essential change in her body and soul. The desire of a free woman. Iolanta is actually a psychological opera, that leads to femininity and sexuality, to confrontation and liberation. And on our stage, as in our souls, white and black are volatile and complex, and the source of light is misleading.”
Soloists in Iolanta will be: Iolanta (Soprano) – Ani Yorentz/Angelina Akhmedova; Vaudémont (Tenor) – Alexey Dolgov/Pavel Valuzhin; King René (Bass) – Alexander Tsymbalyuk/Sava Vimic; Robert (Baritone) – Oded Reich/Semyon Antakov; Ibn-Hakia (Bass/Baritone) – Balint Szabo/Ionut Pascu; Almeric (Tenor) – Adi Ezra/Pavel Valuzhin; Bertrand (Bass) – Yuri Kissin; Marta (Mezzo-Soprano) – Shay Bloch/Edna Prochnick; Brigitta (Soprano) – Shlomit Leah Kovalski/Veronika Odintsov; Laura (Mezzo-Soprano/Soprano) – Anat Czarny/Tamara Nishri.
Performances will take place: Sunday, January 18th at 20:00; Monday, January 19th at 19:30; Tuesday, January 20th at 20:00; Thursday, January 22nd at 20:00; Friday, January 23rd at 13:00; Saturday, January 24th at 20:00; Monday, January 26th at 18:00; Wednesday, January 28th at 18:00.
Tickets may be purchased online from the Israeli Opera website.
