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Music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky | Iolanta, Opera in one act (1892), Libretto by Modest Tchaikovsky after Henrik Hertz’ King René’s Daughter | The Nutcraker, Ballet in two acts (1892), Libretto by Marius Petipa after E.T.A. Hoffmann, Choreography by Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Edouard Lock and Arthur Pita
The mysterious, unwavering chant of the English horn, punctuated by notes from the bassoon and the clarinet, follows its chromatic descent over twenty bars as if plunging into an unknown world. A world where Iolanta has lived in seclusion since her birth. She is unwittingly blind, since no one has the right to reveal the fact to her. This simple tale of collective denial at the court of Provence as narrated by the Danish writer Henrik Hertz in his play King René’s Daughter, was discovered by Tchaikovsky in 1883. However, moved beyond words by the presence of the young actress Elena Konstantinova Leshkovskaya in the title role, it would be another five years before the composer decided to transform it into an opera. The composer found inspiration for his opera in Danish playwright Henrik Hertz’s work recounting the romantic story of Iolanta, the blind daughter of King René. Protected by her father in his Provençal château, the princess ultimately regains her sight before marrying the gallant knight Vaudémont. The Nutcracker is based on a tale by Hoffmann adapted by Alexandre Dumas. This “fairy-tale ballet” recounts the adventures of young Clara one Christmas night, during which the nutcracker she has been given leads her into a magical world.
Iolanta : Alexander Tsymbalyuk (King René), Sonya Yoncheva (Iolanta), Arnold Rutkowski, Andrei Zhilikhovsky, Vito Priante, Roman Shulakov, Gennady Bezzubenkov, Elena Zaremba, Anna Patalong, Paola Gardina. | The Nutcracker : Etoiles, Premiers danseurs and Corps de ballet of the Paris Opera
Conductor : Alain Altinoglu | Stage Director : Dmitri Tcherniakov | Lighting design : Gleb Filshtinsky | Set design : Dmitri Tcherniakov | Costume design : Elena Zaitseva | Chorus master : Alessandro Di Stefano | Paris Opera Orchestra and Chorus, Maîtrise des Hauts-de-Seine / Paris Opera Children’s Chorus
Russian
English, French
Production compagny : Bel Air Media
Coproduction compagny : Opéra national de Paris, France Télévisions
Running Time : 1x190'
Production Year : 2016
Distribution compagny : Telmondis Distribution
Video Format : HDCAM