Iolanta was the final opera composed by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. This one-act lyric work premiered on 18 December 1892, just a year before the composer’s death. The libretto was written by his younger brother, Modest Tchaikovsky, who had previously collaborated with him on the much better-known The Queen of Spades two years earlier.
Based on Henrik Hertz’s Danish play King René’s Daughter, the opera tells the story of a blind princess who is unaware both of her royal status and of her blindness. Her devoted father chooses to keep her in ignorance of her condition until he can find a physician capable of restoring her sight.
She is kept secluded in an enclosed garden on the king’s estate, isolated from the outside world and cared for by nursemaids. Sleepwalking through life, in one particularly moving moment Iolanta asks, “Why do we have eyes? Only to weep?” One day, two knights wander in by chance. One of them falls in love with her at first sight, only later realizing that she cannot see. Unaware of the king’s command, Count Vaudémont opens Iolanta’s eyes to her blindness. With its theme of double blindness, Iolanta can be interpreted as an allegory — possibly reflecting Tchaikovsky’s own hidden sexual identity.
This production marks the opera’s first staging at the Tel Aviv Opera and was entrusted to Israeli director Shirit Lee Weiss. She chose a metaphorical approach, presenting the world as it might be perceived through Iolanta’s blind eyes. As a result, instead of the lush garden described by Count Vaudémont in the libretto, the stage is covered entirely in white sand. Whenever Iolanta disturbs the sand and reveals the reflective floor beneath, one of the maids quickly restores it, carefully covering the surface once again.
When the curtain rises, Iolanta is seen swinging above the orchestra pit, oblivious to the danger beneath her. She is surrounded by women dressed in angelic white robes, creating a soft, dreamlike atmosphere enhanced by the delicate lighting design. It is the most striking image in the whole production. Tension gradually builds as men dressed in black appear: first the king and the Moorish physician he has captured, followed by the two knights. When Count Vaudémont asks Iolanta to give him a red rose, she instead hands him black petals. By this point, however, the concept begins to feel overstretched, leaving the viewer longing for a touch of colour. The decision to end the opera in near darkness, with only a few light sources as Iolanta gains her eyesight, was a bold one — though not necessarily the right one.
The principal weakness of the opening night, however, lay in the singing of Turkish soprano Angelina Akhmedova. In her Tel Aviv stage debut, she revealed a voice of limited projection. While this fragility suited her portrayal of a young, naïve princess deprived of her own agency, it ultimately undermined the musical impact. By contrast, the remaining singers delivered noticeably stronger vocal performances. In the small role of Iolanta’s companion Brigitta, Russian soprano Veronika Odintsov displayed a clear, powerful voice that inadvertently highlighted the limitations of the leading performance.
Among the male singers, the standout was American-German bass Vazgen Gazaryan as the king. He delivered a commanding portrayal of a loving yet misguided patriarchal ruler. Also impressive was the ever-reliable Romanian baritone Ionuț Pascu as the physician who insists that Iolanta must be made aware of her blindness if she is to have any hope of recovery, linking her physical limitation to a spiritual one. Though the role is small, it is crucial, as the doctor articulates the central theme of the entire opera.
The two knights cut a dashing figure in their black boots and long dreadlocks. Israeli baritone Oded Reich was quite good as Iolanta’s intended groom, who wishes to be released from the engagement, though I have heard him to better effect. Russian tenor Alexey Dolgov was convincingly romantic as the man who draws Iolanta out of her blindness. Best of all was the women’s chorus: the lullaby they sang to Iolanta as they brought her flowers to soothe her spirit is probably the most beautiful music in the entire opera.
Conductor Dan Ettinger did a fine job bringing out the richness of Tchaikovsky’s score. All in all, this is an interesting and visually striking production — one that might have truly soared with a stronger lead performance and a little more generous use of colour.
The Israeli Opera Tel-Aviv-Yafo האופרה הישראלית תל-אביב-יפו
Opera
Music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Director: Shirit Lee Weiss
Set Designer: Adam Keller
Costume Designer: Ula Shevtsov
Conductor: Dan Ettinger
Sung in Italian with Hebrew and English surtitles
Cast includes Angelina Akhmedova, Alexey Dolgov, Vazgen Gazaryan, Oded Reich, Ionuț Pascu
Running time: 1 hour and 30 minutes
Photo credit: Yolanta B-Zwecker