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44 FOUR SEASONS BREEZE | DECEMBER 2025 On Dec. 12 and 19, the Four Seasons Opera Club will re-create the Dec. 18, 1892 double-bill premiere at the Mariinsky eatre in St. Petersburg of Tchaikovsky's last opera, Iolanta and e Nutcracker. Whereas everyone knows e Nutcracker, Iolanta is little known outside of eastern Europe. It is a fairy tale opera of a beautiful young princess blind from birth. She is unaware of her condition and has been brought up in rigorous isolation to prevent her from knowing that she has a defect. e opera is based on a Danish play which tells of Yolande de Bar, the 15th century Duchess of Lorraine. Yolande was not blind at all, and Piotr's brother and librettist, Modest, took further artistic privileges for the opera. In Modest's libretto, Iolanta has been betrothed to Robert, Duke of Burgundy. Robert travels to King Rene's court to fulll his duty to marry, but he is in love with someone else. Robert is accompanied by his friend, Count Vaudemont. e Count is ahead of Robert and comes upon a small building. inking it a garden folly he investigates and realizes that it is a detached residence when he nds Iolanta asleep within. He falls instantly in love. e King arrives with his physician to nd the Count with Iolanta and threatens the Count to death for his transgressions. e moorish doctor can cure Iolanta, but she must truly desire sight for the cure to work, otherwise, the King will execute her as well. Iolanta declares her desire to see and the treatment begins. e King condes in the Count that all death threats are meant to encourage Iolanta's desire to sight. e treatment has worked, Iolanta can see! e King nullies Robert's marriage contract and gives Iolanta to the Count. e perfect fairy tale ending. We will present the 2015 Metropolitan Opera production of Iolanta on Dec. 12, featuring the Russian soprano, Anna Netrebko as Iolanta and the Polish tenor, Piotr Beczala, as Count Vaudemont. e opera will be sung in Russian and there will be English sub-titles. Our 2017 Mariinsky Ballet Nutcracker follows a week later on the 19th. Both performances are under the baton of the incomparable Russian conductor, Valery Gergiev. Seat reservations are advised and may be requested via email to the email address below. See you at the opera! ~ Harvey Toyama, admin@fsbopera.org, (951) 524-3765 Opera Club Mariinsky Ballet Nutcracker Anna Netrebko as Iolanta