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12+
Iolanta
About the performance

Tchaikovsky received the commission for Iolanta and The Nutcracker from the directorship of the Mariinsky Theatre. It is considered that the idea to combine a one-act opera and a two-act ballet in one evening belonged to the director of the Imperial Theatres, Ivan Vsevolozhsky. In July 1891, the composer started working on the opera. In September, the vocal score was completed, and the orchestration was finished in December.

In Autumn 1892, the rehearsals began in the Mariinsky Theatre. The opera was conducted by Eduard Nápravník while Riccardo Drigo conducted the ballet. On the 5th of December 1892 the general rehearsal took place in the presence of Alexander III. “The Sovereign was delighted, invited me to the box and spoke many sympathetic words. The production of both is stunning, and is even too magnificent in ballet, the eyes get tired of the splendour”, as the composer wrote. On the 6th of December 1892 the premiere was a great success. Despite the enthusiastic reception by the audience, the critics took a rather cool attitude to the new creations.

Premiered on October 28, 2015.

Presented without interval.

Libretto by Modest Tchaikovsky after King René’s Daughter by Heinrich Hertz

Scene:
New Stage
Auditorium
Run time:
2 hours 35 minutes
Language:
Russian

Sung in Russian with English surtitles

Bolshoi opera official sponsor is Payment System Mir
A scene from the performance.

Photo by Pavel Rychkov.

Anna Nechaeva as Iolanta.

Photo by Elena Fetisova.

Elena Guseva as Iolanta.

Photo by Damir Yusupov.

Dinara Alieva as Iolanta.

Photo by Damir Yusupov.

Evgenia Segenyuk as Marta.

Photo by Damir Yusupov.

Elena Razgulyaeva as Iolanta. Elena Novak as Marta.

Photo by Damir Yusupov.

Vyacheslav Pochapsky as King Rene.

Photo by Damir Yusupov.

Edem Umerov as Ibn-Hakia.

Photo by Elena Fetisova.

Albina Latipova as Brigitta. Ekaterina Vorontsova as Laura. Valery Alexeyev as Ibn-Hakia.

Photo by Damir Yusupov.

Mikhail Kazakov as King Rene.

Photo by Damir Yusupov.

Igor Golovatenko as Robert. Oleg Dolgov as Vaudemont.

Photo by Damir Yusupov.

Nazhmiddin Mavlyanov as Vaudemont.

Photo by Damir Yusupov.

Konstantin Shushakov as Robert.

Photo by Damir Yusupov.

Andrey Zhilikhovsky as Robert.

Photo by Damir Yusupov.

Ilya Selivanov as Vaudemont.

Photo by Damir Yusupov.

Vasily Ladyuk as Robert. Sergei Skorokhodov as Vaudemont.

Photo by Damir Yusupov.

Dinara Alieva as Iolanta.

Photo by Damir Yusupov.

Ekaterina Morozova as Iolanta.

Photo by Damir Yusupov.

Anna Nechaeva as Iolanta. Oleg Dolgov as Vaudemont.

Photo by Pavel Rychkov.

Dinara Alieva as Iolanta.

Photo by Damir Yusupov.

Elena Guseva as Iolanta. Ilya Selivanov as Vaudemont.

Photo by Damir Yusupov.

Ekaterina Shcherbachenko as Iolanta. Oleg Dolgov as Vaudemont.

Photo by Pavel Rychkov.

Anna Nechaeva as Iolanta. Arnold Rutkowski as Vaudemont.

Photo by Elena Fetisova.

Nazhmiddin Mavlyanov as Vaudemont.

Photo by Damir Yusupov.

Dinara Alieva as Iolanta. Oleg Dolgov as Vaudemont.

Photo by Damir Yusupov.

A scene from the performance.

Photo by Damir Yusupov.

Cast
09 May
2024

Thursday, 19:00

08 May
2024

Wednesday, 19:00

07 May
2024

Tuesday, 19:00

18 February
2024

Sunday, 14:00

17 February
2024

Saturday, 19:00

19 December
2023

Tuesday, 19:00

17 December
2023

Sunday, 14:00

16 December
2023

Saturday, 19:00

16 December
2023

Saturday, 12:00

15 December
2023

Friday, 19:00

11 June
2023

Sunday, 14:00

10 June
2023

Saturday, 19:00

10 June
2023

Saturday, 12:00

26 March
2023

Sunday, 14:00

25 March
2023

Saturday, 19:00

25 March
2023

Saturday, 12:00

20 November
2022

Sunday, 14:00

19 November
2022

Saturday, 19:00

19 November
2022

Saturday, 12:00

18 November
2022

Friday, 19:00

30 June
2022

Thursday, 19:00

29 June
2022

Wednesday, 19:00

23 March
2022

Wednesday, 19:00

22 March
2022

Tuesday, 19:00

23 January
2022

Sunday, 14:00

22 January
2022

Saturday, 19:00

22 January
2022

Saturday, 12:00

19 December
2021

Sunday, 19:00

11 November
2021

Thursday, 19:00

Full cast list
Select date
Please note that cast is subject to change
Synopsis

Iolanta, the blind daughter of the King of Provence, is telling her nurse, Martha, that she is full of some unknown longing. Iolanta's friends, Brigitte and Laura, try to cheer her up by singing songs and bringing her flowers. Martha also tries to comfort Iolanta by singing her favorite lullaby. This sends Iolanta to sleep.

Enter Alméric, King René's sword-bearer. He informs the castle porter, Bertrand, that very soon the King will be arriving with a famous Physician who, it is hoped, will cure Iolanta's blindness. The trumpets sound, announcing the arrival of the King. King René enters accompanied by the Moorish Physician, Ibn-Hakia. The King explains that Iolanta has been betrothed from infancy to Robert, Duke of Burgundy, and is soon to marry him, but the Duke does not know that his future wife is blind. Indeed, Iolanta herself is totally unaware of her misfortune. Iolanta has been brought up by her father in this remote castle. He surrounded her with loyal retainers and forbade them on pain of death to tell her the truth. Ibn-Hakia says that the only hope for Iolanta is to inform her of her disability and then, so long as she passionately wishes to recover her sight, she will do so. King René is full of doubts and fear for his daughter's future.

Schedule and tickets
Date
Tickets
Price
Time
7 May
Tuesday
0
0
19:00
8 May
Wednesday
0
0
19:00
9 May
Thursday
0
0
19:00
General partner of the Bolshoi Theatre — insurance company «Ingosstrakh»
Privileged sponsor of the Bolshoi Theatre — Tinkoff Bank
Privileged partner of the Bolshoi Theatre — GUM