Raymonda Variations
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''Raymonda Variations'', formerly titled ''Valses et Variations'', is a ballet choreographed by
George Balanchine George Balanchine (; Various sources: * * * * born Georgiy Melitonovich Balanchivadze; ka, გიორგი მელიტონის ძე ბალანჩივაძე; January 22, 1904 (O. S. January 9) – April 30, 1983) was ...
to excepts from
Alexander Glazunov Alexander Konstantinovich Glazunov; ger, Glasunow (, 10 August 1865 – 21 March 1936) was a Russian composer, music teacher, and conductor of the late Russian Romantic period. He was director of the Saint Petersburg Conservatory between 1905 ...
's score for the 1898 ballet ''
Raymonda ''Raymonda'' (russian: Раймонда) is a ballet in three acts, four scenes with an apotheosis, choreographed by Marius Petipa to music by Alexander Glazunov, his Opus 57. It was first presented by the Imperial Ballet at the Imperial Mariinsky ...
''. Instead of following the plot of the 1898 ballet, the Balanchine ballet is plotless. It premiered on December 7, 1961, at the
City Center of Music and Drama New York City Center (previously known as the Mecca Temple, City Center of Music and Drama,. The name "City Center for Music and Drama Inc." is the organizational parent of the New York City Ballet and, until 2011, the New York City Opera. and th ...
. ''Raymonda Variations'' was made for the
New York City Ballet New York City Ballet (NYCB) is a ballet company founded in 1948 by choreographer George Balanchine and Lincoln Kirstein. Balanchine and Jerome Robbins are considered the founding choreographers of the company. Léon Barzin was the company' ...
, with the two lead roles originated by
Patricia Wilde Patricia Wilde (July 16, 1928 – July 17, 2021) was a Canadian-born ballerina and dance instructor. She was a principal ballerina of New York City Ballet, where she danced every major role in the repertoire, many of them created especially for he ...
and Jacques d'Amboise.


Choreography

''Raymonda Variations'' is danced by two principal dancers, a man and a woman, and ensemble of twelve women. The ballet does not follow the plot of the 1898 ''Raymonda''. Balanchine explained, "The music itself, its grand and generous manner, its joy and playfulness, was for me more than enough to carry the plot of the dances." He described the ballet,
When the curtain goes up, twelve girls stand posing in an elegant garden. They dance for us and then the principals, another girl then a boy, join them. Next, the girl and the boy are alone for an adagio. This is followed by a series of nine variations, or solos, by five of the girls and the two principals. The ballet concludes with a coda and a finale by all the dancers.


Background and production

The 1898 ballet ''
Raymonda ''Raymonda'' (russian: Раймонда) is a ballet in three acts, four scenes with an apotheosis, choreographed by Marius Petipa to music by Alexander Glazunov, his Opus 57. It was first presented by the Imperial Ballet at the Imperial Mariinsky ...
'' featured choreography by
Marius Petipa Marius Ivanovich Petipa (russian: Мариус Иванович Петипа), born Victor Marius Alphonse Petipa (11 March 1818), was a French ballet dancer, pedagogue and choreographer. Petipa is one of the most influential ballet masters an ...
and a score by
Alexander Glazunov Alexander Konstantinovich Glazunov; ger, Glasunow (, 10 August 1865 – 21 March 1936) was a Russian composer, music teacher, and conductor of the late Russian Romantic period. He was director of the Saint Petersburg Conservatory between 1905 ...
. In the ballet, the titular character is engaged to Jean de Brienne, a French knight. However, while Jean leaves to fight at the
Crusades The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and sometimes directed by the Latin Church in the medieval period. The best known of these Crusades are those to the Holy Land in the period between 1095 and 1291 that were in ...
, Raymonda is abducted by
emir Emir (; ar, أمير ' ), sometimes transliterated amir, amier, or ameer, is a word of Arabic origin that can refer to a male monarch, aristocrat, holder of high-ranking military or political office, or other person possessing actual or cerem ...
Abderakhman, but was saved by Jean, who Raymonda soon marries. In his book ''Balanchine's Complete Stories of the Great Ballets'', the choreographer wrote that he had enjoyed the score since he was a student, and whilst studying at the
Imperial Ballet School The Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet is a school of classical ballet in St Petersburg, Russia. Established in 1738 during the reign of Empress Anna, the academy was known as the Imperial Ballet School until the Soviet era, when, after a brief hi ...
, he performed the ballet at the
Mariinsky Theatre The Mariinsky Theatre ( rus, Мариинский театр, Mariinskiy teatr, also transcribed as Maryinsky or Mariyinsky) is a historic theatre of opera and ballet in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Opened in 1860, it became the preeminent music th ...
, wearing the original costumes. In 1946, he and
Alexandra Danilova Aleksandra Dionisyevna Danilova (''Russian'': Александра Дионисьевна Данилова; November 20, 1903 – July 13, 1997) was a Russian-born prima ballerina, who became an American citizen. In 1989, she was recognized fo ...
staged a production of ''Raymonda'' for
Ballet Russe de Monte-Carlo The company Ballets Russes de Monte-Carlo (with a plural name) was formed in 1932 after the death of Sergei Diaghilev and the demise of Ballets Russes. Its director was Wassily de Basil (usually referred to as Colonel W. de Basil), and its a ...
. In 1955, he used excerpts from the music of ''Raymonda'' for his ballet ''Pas de Dix''. In fall 1961, Balanchine decided to make another ballet to musical excerpts from ''Raymonda'', with
Patricia Wilde Patricia Wilde (July 16, 1928 – July 17, 2021) was a Canadian-born ballerina and dance instructor. She was a principal ballerina of New York City Ballet, where she danced every major role in the repertoire, many of them created especially for he ...
and Jacques d'Amboise. This would become the last time Balanchine choreograph a ballet on Wilde, who by then was one of the most senior dancers at the
New York City Ballet New York City Ballet (NYCB) is a ballet company founded in 1948 by choreographer George Balanchine and Lincoln Kirstein. Balanchine and Jerome Robbins are considered the founding choreographers of the company. Léon Barzin was the company' ...
. Wilde had also danced in the 1946 ''Raymonda''. Balanchine began choreographing the ballet after the company's domestic tour that year, when Balanchine called Wilde to the studio, and choreograph a solo on her to music intended for a variation danced by Raymonda's companon Henriette. As Wilde did not know it was for a new ballet, she soon forgot about it. Weeks later, once rehearsals for the ballet officially started, Balanchine rechoreographed the solo. Balanchine also chose five young women in the company to dance other solos. The costumes were designed by
Karinska Varvara Jmoudsky, better known as Barbara Karinska or simply Karinska (October 3, 1886 – October 18, 1983), was the Oscar-winning costumier of cinema, ballet, musical and dramatic theatre, lyric opera and ice spectacles. Over her 50 year caree ...
, and the original lighting was by David Hays. The backdrop Horace Armistead designed for Tudor's ''
Jardin aux lilas ''Jardin aux lilas'' (''Lilac Garden'') is a ballet in one act choreographed by Antony Tudor to a composition by Ernest Chausson entitled ''Poème (Chausson), Poème'', Op. 25. With scenery and costumes designed by Hugo Stevenson, it was first pre ...
'' was reused. The ballet originally used the
working title A working title, which may be abbreviated and styled in trade publications after a putative title as (wt), also called a production title or a tentative title, is the temporary title of a product or project used during its development, usually ...
''Raymonda'', before premiering under the title ''Valse et Variations''. It was renamed ''Raymonda Variations'' in 1963.


Original cast

The principal dancers in the original cast were: *
Patricia Wilde Patricia Wilde (July 16, 1928 – July 17, 2021) was a Canadian-born ballerina and dance instructor. She was a principal ballerina of New York City Ballet, where she danced every major role in the repertoire, many of them created especially for he ...
* Jacques d'Amboise *Victoria Simon *
Suki Schorer Suki Schorer is an American ballet dancer, ballet mistress, teacher, and writer. She danced with George Balanchine's New York City Ballet from 1959 to 1972. Suki Schorer teaches at the School of American Ballet, the official school of the New Yor ...
*Gloria Govrin *Carol Summer *
Patricia Neary Patricia Neary (born October 27, 1942) is an American ballerina, choreographer and ballet director, who has been particularly active in Switzerland. She has also been an ambassador for the Balanchine Trust, bringing George Balanchine's ballets to ...


Performances

The ballet premiered on December 7, 1961, at the
City Center of Music and Drama New York City Center (previously known as the Mecca Temple, City Center of Music and Drama,. The name "City Center for Music and Drama Inc." is the organizational parent of the New York City Ballet and, until 2011, the New York City Opera. and th ...
. At the premiere, d'Amboise's variations were omitted as he was injured. They were added back to the ballet a month later. Other ballet companies that had perform ''Raymonda Variations'' include
Houston Ballet Houston Ballet, operated by Houston Ballet Foundation, is a professional ballet company based in Houston, Texas. The company, consisting of 59 dancers, produces over 85 performances per year. History Tatiana Semenova (1955–1967) Houston dev ...
,
Miami City Ballet Miami City Ballet is an American ballet company based in Miami Beach, Florida, led by artistic director Lourdes Lopez. MCB was founded in 1985 by Toby Lerner Ansin, a Miami philanthropist. Ansin and the founding board hired Edward Villella, f ...
,
Kansas City Ballet The Kansas City Ballet (KCB) is an American professional ballet company based in Kansas City, Missouri. The company was founded in 1957 by Russian expatriate Tatiana Dokoudovska. The KCB presents five major performances each season to include ...
, and
Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre The Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre (PBT) is an American professional ballet company based in the Strip District of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (USA). History 1969 - Founding The Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre was founded in 1969 by a Yugoslavian choreog ...
.


Critical reception

Following the premiere, ''
New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'' critic John Martin called the ballet a "an adorable confection, concocted of marzipan, diamonds, youth and nostalgia."


References


External links


''Raymonda Variations''
on the New York City Ballet website
''Raymonda Variations''
on the George Balanchine Trust website {{Balanchine ballets 1961 ballet premieres Ballets by George Balanchine New York City Ballet repertory