RAYMONDA ballet Maria Khoreva Vladimir Shklyarov

Marius Petipa created Raymonda when he was in his eightieth year, and it was one of his late grand ballets. Its simple story, based on a medieval chivalrous legend, brought together everything that was the best of the best that Petipa had done in the course of his long career as a choreographer in Russia. Here there is a ballet and detective plot including dreams, kidnappings and joyous releases, a complex and varied ballerina role and a conflict between the male roles – the refined and classical Jean de Brienne and the passionate and pointedly typical oriental Abderakhman, the vast number of characters, meaning a similar number of dancers engaged in the ballet, the colourful character dances and, arguably, Petipa&main pride and glory – the fully-developed dance scenes of classical ensembles. Olga Makarova CREDITS Music by Alexander Glazunov Libretto by Lidia Pashkova and Marius Petipa based on a medieval legend Choreography by Marius Petipa (1898), revised version by Konstantin Sergeyev (1948) with choreographic fragments by Fyodor Lopukhov Set and costume design by Simon Virsaladze SYNOPSIS ACT I Scene 1 Preparations for Raymonda’s birthday celebrations are underway in a grand medieval castle. The seneschal announces the arrival of foreign nobles. René de Brienne from Hungary enters the hall together with other knights and armour-bearers. He asks for the fair Raymonda’s hand in marriage on his son’s behalf and presents her with a tapestry portrait depicting Jean de...