''Anastasia'' is a

ballet Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form of ...

created by

Kenneth MacMillan Sir Kenneth MacMillan (11 December 192929 October 1992) was a British ballet dancer and choreographer who was artistic director of the Royal Ballet in London between 1970 and 1977, and its principal choreographer from 1977 until his death. E ...

. The first version in one act was premiered in 1967 by the

Deutsche Oper Ballet Deutsch or Deutsche may refer to: *''Deutsch'' or ''(das) Deutsche'': the German language, in Germany and other places *''Deutsche'': Germans, as a weak masculine, feminine or plural demonym * Deutsch (word), originally referring to the Germanic v ...

. In 1971 MacMillan expanded the work to three acts for the

Royal Ballet The Royal Ballet is a British internationally renowned classical ballet company, based at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, London, England. The largest of the five major ballet companies in Great Britain, the Royal Ballet was founded in ...

; the original one-act version became the final act of the 1971 work."Anastasia (three acts)"
Royal Opera House Collections Online, retrieved 10 October 2014 The 1967 version uses Bohuslav Martinů's Symphony No. 6 (1953) and untitled electronic music by Fritz Winckel and Rüdiger Rüfer. The three-act version also used

Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky , group=n ( ; 7 May 1840 – 6 November 1893) was a Russian composer of the Romantic period. He was the first Russian composer whose music would make a lasting impression internationally. He wrote some of the most popu ...

's Symphony No. 1 and Symphony No. 3. The ballet is based on the story of

Anna Anderson Anna Anderson (born Franziska Schanzkowska, 16 December 1896 – 12 February 1984) was an impostor who claimed to be Grand Duchess Anastasia of Russia. Anastasia, the youngest daughter of the last Tsar and Tsarina of Russia, Nicholas II an ...

, who purported to be the

Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna of Russia Grand may refer to: People with the name * Grand (surname) * Grand L. Bush (born 1955), American actor * Grand Mixer DXT, American turntablist * Grand Puba (born 1966), American rapper Places * Grand, Oklahoma * Grand, Vosges, village and c ...

. After MacMillan's death, DNA tests showed that Anderson was unrelated to the Russian imperial family, but at the time the ballet was created many, including MacMillan, were inclined to accept that she might be the lost Grand Duchess. Anderson was confined for a time to a mental institution in Berlin in 1920. The 1967 ballet depicts her there, painfully attempting to recover her memory. The first two acts of the 1971 version show Anastasia's life (or Anderson's mental image of it) in her privileged surroundings before the Russian Revolution. MacMillan chose Tchaikovsky's music for these acts, to provide a dramatic contrast with the '' musique concrète'' and the edgy Martinů score in the third act. The first performance of the single-act version was given at the Deutsche Oper, Berlin on 25 June 1967. The title role of Anastasia/Anderson was danced by Lynn Seymour. The three-act version was premiered by the

at the

Royal Opera House The Royal Opera House (ROH) is an opera house and major performing arts venue in Covent Garden, central London. The large building is often referred to as simply Covent Garden, after a previous use of the site. It is the home of The Royal Ope ...

, Covent Garden on 22 July 1971.

Barry Kay Barry Kay (1932 – 1985) was an Australian stage and costume designer of international renown. After having studied painting at the Académie Julian in Paris and theatre design in Melbourne, he settled in London in 1956. In the course of h ...

designed costumes and scenery for both productions. After MacMillan's death the ballet was revived, with minor changes, under the supervision of his widow Deborah MacMillan in May 1996. New costumes and scenery were designed by

Bob Crowley Bob Crowley (born 10 June 1952) is a theatre designer (scenic and costume), and theatre director. He lives between London, New York and West Cork in the south west of Ireland. Career Born in Cork, Ireland on 10 June 1952, Bob Crowley is th ...

. In that, and later revivals, the title role was performed by Viviana Durante,

Leanne Benjamin Leanne Faye Benjamin (born 13 July 1964) is a retired Australian ballet dancer who was a principal dancer with the Royal Ballet in London. Early life and training Benjamin was born in Rockhampton, Queensland, to Jill and Bernie Benjamin. Be ...

, Gillian Revie, Mara Galeazzi,

Lauren Cuthbertson Lauren Louise Cuthbertson (born 11 June 1984) is an English ballerina and a principal dancer with the Royal Ballet in London. Early life and education Lauren Cuthbertson was born in Devon in 1984. She began studying dance at a local dance sch ...

Laura Morera Laura Morera is a Spanish ballet dancer who was a principal dancer with The Royal Ballet until 2023. Early life and training Morera was born in Madrid. She started going to London to attend Royal Academy of Dance's summer programme when she was ...

, and

Natalia Osipova Natalia Petrovna Osipova (russian: Наталья Петровна Осипова; born 18 May 1986) is a Russian ballerina, currently a principal ballerina with The Royal Ballet in London. Early life and training Born in Moscow, Osipova began ...

Original cast (one-act version)

Deutsche Oper, Berlin, 25 June 1967 * Lynn Seymour * Rudolf Holz * Vergie Derman * Gerhard Bohner

Original cast (three-act version)

Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, 22 July 1971: * Lynn Seymour *

Svetlana Beriosova Svetlana Nikolayevna Beriosova (russian: Светла́на Никола́евна Берёзова; 24 September 1932 – 10 November 1998), also spelled Beriozova or Beryozova, was a Lithuanian-British prima ballerina who danced with The Royal B ...

Antoinette Sibley Dame Antoinette Sibley (born 27 February 1939) is a British prima ballerina. She joined the Royal Ballet from the Royal Ballet School in 1956 and became a soloist in 1960. She was celebrated for her partnership with Anthony Dowell. After her ...

* Derek Rencher *

Anthony Dowell Sir Anthony James Dowell (born 16 February 1943) is a retired British ballet dancer and a former artistic director of the Royal Ballet. He is widely recognized as one of the great ''danseurs nobles'' of the twentieth century. Early life and tra ...

Gerd Larsen Gerd Larsen born Gerd Elly (19 February 1921 – 4 October 2001) was a Norwegian ballerina who performed frequently with England's Royal Ballet, in a career lasting over fifty years up until her seventy-fifth birthday. In her later years she wa ...

* Vergie Derman *

Jennifer Penney Jennifer Penney (born 1946) is a Canadian ballerina and a former principal dancer with the Royal Ballet. Jennifer Penney was born in 1946 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. She studied there with Gweneth Lloyd and Betty Farrally, and then at ...

* Lesley Collier * Marilyn Trounson * David Wall * Michael Coleman * Adrian Grater

Videography

The 2016 production, starring

Marianela Nuñez Marianela may refer to: People * Carmen Barros (born 1925), Chilean actress and singer nicknamed Marianela * Marianela De La Hoz (born 1956), Mexican painter * Marianela González (born 1978), Venezuelan actress * Marianela Huen (born 1960), Venezu ...

Federico Bonelli Federico Bonelli (Genoa, 1978) is an Italian ballet dancer and was a principal dancer with the Royal Ballet in London, England. He became the artistic director of Northern Ballet in May 2022. Biography Federico Bonelli was born in Genoa, Italy ...

, Edward Watson, Thiago Soares, Christina Arestis and Christopher Saunders was released on a DVD. In light of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic and it's impacts on the performing arts, the Royal Opera House released the recording online.

Notes

References

* {{cite book , last=Parry , first=Jann , year=2010, origyear=2009 , title= Different Drummer, location=London , publisher=Faber and Faber , isbn=978-0-571-24303-7 Ballets by Kenneth MacMillan 1967 ballet premieres 1971 ballet premieres Ballets created for The Royal Ballet Ballets based on actual events Cultural depictions of Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna of Russia

Original cast (one-act version)

Original cast (three-act version)

Videography

See also

Notes

References