Onegin's Ballrooms.
The renowned opera singer Anna Netrebko is passionately committed to Tchaikovsky's little-known work. In this medieval tale, she embodies the title character Iolanta—a princess who grew up blind and is unaware of her disability. Only when her lover's life depends on her recovery does she begin to yearn to see. Netrebko performed this opera to great acclaim in Baden-Baden in 2009 and in Salzburg in 2011 before touring Europe with it to introduce it to a wider audience. In contrast to Tchaikovsky's more famous work, 'Eugene Onegin,' 'Iolanta' presents itself as a much more introspective and tender piece of music, devoid of the glitz and glamour of Onegin's ballrooms. The contemplative mood is beautifully established right from the start with a prelude for low strings.
Netrebko performed this opera to great acclaim in Baden-Baden in 2009 and in Salzburg in 2011 before touring Europe with it to bring it to a wider audience.