Iermola

In a secluded corner of Wolhynian Poland, life clings to the customs of the 16th‑and‑17th‑century nobility. The story opens with vivid sketches of yellow‑painted dwors, modest peasants, and a landscape where the only news arrives in bundled almanacs or on the shoulders of a lone, ragged messenger. This world is both timeless and on the brink of change, its residents balancing ancient modesty with the faint stirrings of modern ideas that drift in on the occasional newspaper or foreign pamphlet.

Against this backdrop, the narrative follows the everyday rhythms of the people—livestock breeding, bark‑shoe making, and quiet conversations about distant monarchs—while hinting at the personal hopes and anxieties that begin to surface. As the first act unfolds, listeners will feel the gentle tension between tradition and the promise of something new, setting the stage for the characters’ quiet yet compelling journeys.