Lot Essay
RAYMONDA
A story of the crusader Jean de Brienne and his love for Raymonda. Raymonda receives the unwelcome attention of a Saracen knight, Abderakhman, before being rescued and married by Jean
ORIGINAL PRODUCTION
Composer: Alexander Glazunor
Choreographer: Marius Petipa
Designer: Oreste Allegri, Konstantin Ivanor and Peter Lambin
(sets); Ekaterina Ofizerova and Ivan Kaffi (costumes) Company: The Russian Imperial Ballet
Première: January 7 (19), 1898, Maryinsky Theatre, St. Petersbury
NEW PRODUCTION
Choreographer: Rudolf Nureyev, after Petipa
Designer: Beni Montressor (sets and costumes)
Company: The Royal Ballet
Première: July 10, 1964, Royal Ballet tour, Spoleto Festival,
Teatro Nuovo, Spoleto, Italy
NEW PRODUCTION
Designer: Ralph Koltai (set); Nadine Baylis (costumes)
Company: The Australian Ballet
Première: November 6, 1965, Hippodrome Theatre, Birmingham,
with Margot Fonteyn
NEW PRODUCTION
Designer: Nicholas Georgiadis (sets and costumes)
Company: Opéra de Zurich
Première: January 22, 1972, Zurich, with Marcia Haydée
NEW PRODUCTION
Designer: Nicholas Georgiadis (sets and costumes)
Company: The American Ballet Theater
Première: June 26, 1975, Jones Hall, Houston, Texas, with
Cynthia Gregory
Raymonda remained an almost forgotten work with ballet companies outside Russia until the young Nureyev staged a full production of the ballet in 1964. Much of the neglect was due to the somewhat convoluted and confusing scenario. The fact that Nureyev returned to the ballet in further successful productions of 1965, 1972 and 1975 shows just how much he relished the challenge of reorganising the ballet into a more readable form, just as much as he must have enjoyed working with the choreography of his much admired Marios Petipa, whose last true masterpiece this is.
A story of the crusader Jean de Brienne and his love for Raymonda. Raymonda receives the unwelcome attention of a Saracen knight, Abderakhman, before being rescued and married by Jean
ORIGINAL PRODUCTION
Composer: Alexander Glazunor
Choreographer: Marius Petipa
Designer: Oreste Allegri, Konstantin Ivanor and Peter Lambin
(sets); Ekaterina Ofizerova and Ivan Kaffi (costumes) Company: The Russian Imperial Ballet
Première: January 7 (19), 1898, Maryinsky Theatre, St. Petersbury
NEW PRODUCTION
Choreographer: Rudolf Nureyev, after Petipa
Designer: Beni Montressor (sets and costumes)
Company: The Royal Ballet
Première: July 10, 1964, Royal Ballet tour, Spoleto Festival,
Teatro Nuovo, Spoleto, Italy
NEW PRODUCTION
Designer: Ralph Koltai (set); Nadine Baylis (costumes)
Company: The Australian Ballet
Première: November 6, 1965, Hippodrome Theatre, Birmingham,
with Margot Fonteyn
NEW PRODUCTION
Designer: Nicholas Georgiadis (sets and costumes)
Company: Opéra de Zurich
Première: January 22, 1972, Zurich, with Marcia Haydée
NEW PRODUCTION
Designer: Nicholas Georgiadis (sets and costumes)
Company: The American Ballet Theater
Première: June 26, 1975, Jones Hall, Houston, Texas, with
Cynthia Gregory
Raymonda remained an almost forgotten work with ballet companies outside Russia until the young Nureyev staged a full production of the ballet in 1964. Much of the neglect was due to the somewhat convoluted and confusing scenario. The fact that Nureyev returned to the ballet in further successful productions of 1965, 1972 and 1975 shows just how much he relished the challenge of reorganising the ballet into a more readable form, just as much as he must have enjoyed working with the choreography of his much admired Marios Petipa, whose last true masterpiece this is.