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DEATH OF IVAN ILYCH
ORLANDO MUSEUM OF ART
FRIDAY | February 19 at 7:30 p.m. | SOLD OUT
SUNDAY | February 21 at 5 p.m. | SOLD OUT
Music by John Young with a libretto by Alan Olejniczak
Based on the novella by Leo Tolstoy
World premiere production in partnership with Thompson Street Opera Company.
Sung in English.
Estimated run time is one hour and 15 minutes with no intermission.
Pre-show drinks and appetizers included, as well as post-show drinks and dessert to accompany a talk-back with the cast and creative team after each performance.
Age Advisory - G
This event is neither sponsored nor endorsed by the Orlando Museum of Art.
Purchase tickets now for this world premiere chamber opera. Both performances are currently SOLD OUT.
Due to CoVid-19, seating is limited for this production. Additional restrictions and protocols may also be implemented closer to the show to insure the safety of the audience, cast, and crew.
CAST
CREATIVE TEAM
PRODUCTION TEAM
Opera Orlando premieres this one-act opera adaptation of the Leo Tolstoy novella of the same name in partnership with Thompson Street Opera Company. The opera is a poignant meditation and exploration of life and death, performed onsite in the Orlando Museum of Art Grand Gallery Hall with pre-show drinks and light appetizers, as well as a post-show dessert reception with an opportunity to meet the cast and musicians.
SYNOPSIS
The opera begins at the end; Pyotr Ivanovich arrives at the wake of Ivan Ilych to pay his respects to Praskovya Fedorovna, his widow. Social pleasantries give way to the cause of Ivan Ilych’s death. The doctor admits sadly he could not diagnose the ailment, nor prescribe a cure. They agree it’s a shame that Ivan Ilych died so young.
The scene shifts and flashes back to the Ilych family at dinner. Ivan Ilych complains of having no appetite and everything tastes off. Praskovya asks her husband to see a doctor and Ivan Ilych reluctantly agrees. Praskovya continues to fuss over her husband, who appears ungrateful for her help. Once gone, Ivan Ilych wonders aloud why he ever became a judge, a position that has brought him no joy.
Ivan Ilych is alone with his thoughts. He considers the larger world and the ineffability of life. He hangs his head and recalls his childhood. He believes his life is like a falling stone, “flying further and further towards its terrible end.” Ivan Ilych, knowing he has not been a loving husband starts a process of atonement.
Praskovya is alone with the doctor. He tells her Ivan Ilych's death is a certainty and both must accept this irrefutable fact. Surrounded by family, Ivan Ilych calls for death and finds light in the end. He dies with joy.
