''Raymonda'' () is a grand ballet in three acts, four scenes with an

apotheosis Apotheosis (, ), also called divinization or deification (), is the glorification of a subject to divine levels and, commonly, the treatment of a human being, any other living thing, or an abstract idea in the likeness of a deity. The origina ...

, originally choreographed by

Marius Petipa Marius Ivanovich Petipa (; born Victor Marius Alphonse Petipa; 11 March 1818) was a French and Russian ballet dancer, pedagogue and choreographer. He is considered one of the most influential ballet masters and choreographers in ballet history ...

to the music of

Alexander Glazunov Alexander Konstantinovich Glazunov ( – 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 and 1928 and was instrumental i ...

(his

opus Opus (: opera Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera ...

57) and libretto by Lydia Pashkova. ''Raymonda'' was created especially for the

benefit performance A benefit performance is a type of live entertainment which is undertaken for a cause. In its original usage, benefit performances were opportunities for an actor to supplement his/her income. In its modern usage, benefit performances are given to ...

of the ''

prima ballerina A ballet dancer is a person who practices the art of classical ballet. Both females and males can practice ballet. They rely on years of extensive training and proper technique to become a part of a professional ballet company. Ballet dancers ...

Pierina Legnani Pierina Legnani (30 September 1863 – 15 November 1930) was an Italian ballerina considered one of the greatest ballerinas of all time. Biography Legnani was born in 1863, in Milan and originally studied with famous ballet dancer Caterina B ...

, and first presented by the

Imperial Ballet The Mariinsky Ballet () is the resident classical ballet company of the Mariinsky Theatre in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Founded in the 18th century and originally known as the Imperial Russian Ballet, the Mariinsky Ballet is one of the world's ...

at the

Imperial Mariinsky Theatre The Mariinsky Theatre (, also transcribed as Maryinsky or Mariyinsky) is a historic opera house in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Opened in 1860, it became the preeminent music theatre of late 19th-century Russia, where many of the stage masterpieces ...

on in

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

. Among the ballet's most celebrated passages is the ''Pas classique hongrois'' (a.k.a. ''Raymonda Pas de dix'') from the third act, which is often performed independently. Today ''Raymonda'' is performed by many ballet companies throughout the world with choreography that is derived primarily from the

Kirov Ballet The Mariinsky Ballet () is the resident classical ballet company of the Mariinsky Theatre in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Founded in the 18th century and originally known as the Imperial Russian Ballet, the Mariinsky Ballet is one of the world's ...

's 1948 revival as staged by

Konstantin Sergeyev Konstantin Mikhailovich Sergeyev (; – 1 April 1992) was a Soviet and Russian ballet dancer, ballet master, pedagogue and choreographer for the Kirov Theatre. When the Kirov Ballet returned to Leningrad from Perm (where it had been moved durin ...

. Sergeyev greatly altered, and in some cases changed entirely, Marius Petipa's choreography, particularly in the dances for the ''corps de ballet''. The choreography as revised by Sergeyev remains the traditional text for most of the world's productions of ''Raymonda'', among them

Rudolf Nureyev Rudolf Khametovich Nureyev (17 March 19386 January 1993) was a Soviet-born ballet dancer and choreographer. Nureyev is widely regarded as the preeminent male ballet dancer of his generation as well as one of the greatest ballet dancers of all ...

's version for the

Paris Opéra Ballet The Paris Opera Ballet () is a French ballet company that is an integral part of the Paris Opera. It is the oldest national ballet company, and many European and international ballet companies can trace their origins to it. It is still regarded a ...

and Anna-Marie Holmes's version for

American Ballet Theatre American Ballet Theatre (ABT) is a classical ballet company based in New York City. Founded in 1939 by Lucia Chase and Richard Pleasant. Through 2019, it had an annual eight-week season at the Metropolitan Opera House (Lincoln Center) in the spr ...

, respectively. The choreography and ''mise-en-scène'' of the Imperial Ballet's original production of ''Raymonda'' was recorded in 1905 in the method of Stapanov choreographic notation during rehearsals for performances starring the renowned Russian ballerina

Olga Preobrajenskaya Olga Iosifovna Preobrajenska (; born Preobrazhenskaya; – 27 December 1962) was a Russian ballerina of the Mariinsky Ballet, Russian Imperial Ballet and a ballet instructor. Biography She was born in Saint Petersburg as Olga Preobrazhensk ...

in the title role. Today, this notation is part of

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

Sergeyev Collection The Sergeyev Collection (officially Nikolai Sergeev Dance Notations and Music Scores for Ballets) is an assemblage of materials that document the repertory of the Imperial Ballet of St. Petersburg as it existed at the turn-of-the 20th century. The ...

. In 2011

Sergei Vikharev Sergei Vikharev (Russian: Сергей Геннадьевич Вихарев) (15 February 1962 – 2 June 2017) was a Russian ballet dancer, choreographer of reconstructions and historian. Biography Sergei Vikharev was born in Saint Petersburg ...

utilized the notation to stage a new version of ''Raymonda'' for the Ballet of the Teatro alla Scala. The production also restored the original décor and costumes from designs prepared for the first production of 1898.

History

Composition history

''Raymonda'' was the creation of

(the renowned '' Maître de Ballet'' to the St. Petersburg Imperial Theatres), the composer

, the director of the St. Petersburg Imperial Theatres

Ivan Vsevolozhsky Ivan Alexandrovich Vsevolozhsky (; 1835–1909) was the Director of the Imperial Theatres in Russia from 1881 to 1898 and director of the Hermitage from 1899 to his death in 1909. Vsevolozhsky ran the Imperial Theatres with a determination f ...

, and the author and columnist Countess Lidiya Pashkova.

Performance history

St. Petersburg Premiere (World Premiere)

*''Date'': *''Place'':

Mariinsky Theatre The Mariinsky Theatre (, also transcribed as Maryinsky or Mariyinsky) is a historic opera house in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Opened in 1860, it became the preeminent music theatre of late 19th-century Russia, where many of the stage masterpieces ...

St. Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea. The city had a population of 5,601, ...

*''Ballet master'':

*''Conductor'':

Riccardo Drigo Riccardo Eugenio Drigo (; 30 June 1846 – 1 October 1930) was an Italian composer of ballet music and Italian opera, a theatrical Conducting, conductor, and a pianist. Drigo is most noted for his long career as kapellmeister and Director of Mu ...

*''Scene Designers'': O. Allegri, K. Ivanov, Pyotr Lambin

Moscow Premiere

*''Date'': *''Place'':

Bolshoi Theatre The Bolshoi Theatre ( rus, Большо́й теа́тр, r=Bol'shoy teatr, p=bɐlʲˈʂoj tʲɪˈat(ə)r, t=Grand Theater) is a historic opera house in Moscow, Russia, originally designed by architect Joseph Bové. Before the October Revolutio ...

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

*''Ballet master'': Ivan Khlyustin, Aleksandr Gorsky *''Conductor'': Andrey Arends *''Scene Designers'': Karl Valts (Waltz), Lütke-Meyer, P. Isakov

1908 production

*1908, Moscow, Bolshoy Theatre, ballet master Gorsky, conductor Arends, décor by

Konstantin Korovin Konstantin (Constantin) Alekseyevich Korovin (; 11 September 1939) was a leading Russian Impressionist painter. Biography Youth and education Konstantin was born into a wealthy merchant family of Old Believers

Roles and original cast

Revivals

The full-length ''Raymonda'' has been revived many times throughout its performance history, the most noted productions being staged by

Mikhail Fokine Michael Fokine ( – 22 August 1942) was a Russian choreographer and dancer. Career Early years Fokine was born in Saint Petersburg to a prosperous merchant and at the age of 9 was accepted into the Saint Petersburg Imperial Ballet Sch ...

for the

Ballets Russes The Ballets Russes () was an itinerant ballet company begun in Paris that performed between 1909 and 1929 throughout Europe and on tours to North and South America. The company never performed in Russia, where the Russian Revolution, Revolution ...

(1909);

Anna Pavlova Anna Pavlovna Pavlova. (born Anna Matveyevna Pavlova; – 23 January 1931) was a Russian prima ballerina. She was a principal artist of the Imperial Russian Ballet and the Ballets Russes of Sergei Diaghilev, but is most recognized for creating ...

for her touring company (1914);

George Balanchine George Balanchine (; Various sources: * * * * born Georgiy Melitonovich Balanchivadze;, Romanization of Georgian, : April 30, 1983) was a Georgian-American ballet choreographer, recognized as one of the most influential choreographers ...

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 f ...

for the Ballet Russe de Monte-Carlo (1946);

for the

(1948);

for

(1975) and for the

Paris Opera Ballet The Paris Opera Ballet () is a French ballet company that is an integral part of the Paris Opera. It is the oldest national ballet company, and many European and international ballet companies can trace their origins to it. It is still regarded a ...

(1983);

Yuri Grigorovich Yury Nikolayevich Grigorovich (; 2 January 1927 – 19 May 2025) was a Soviet and Russian ballet dancer, ballet master, choreographer, and pedagogue who dominated the Russian ballet for 30 years, especially as artistic director of the Bolshoi B ...

for the

Bolshoi Ballet The Bolshoi Ballet is an internationally renowned classical ballet company based at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, Russia. Founded in 1776, the Bolshoi is among the world's oldest Ballet company, ballet companies. In the early 20th century, it ca ...

(1984, DVD ArtHaus 100719); Anna-Marie Holmes (in a 2-act reduction) for the

Finnish National Ballet Finnish National Ballet (Suomen Kansallisbaletti) is a professional ballet company at the Finnish National Opera, in Helsinki, Finland. The company was founded in 1922 and it currently employs 73 dancers. It is the only Finnish company that regular ...

(2004), a version which was then staged for American Ballet Theatre (2004) and the

Dutch National Ballet The Dutch National Ballet ( Dutch: Het Nationale Ballet) is the official and largest ballet company in the Netherlands. Its forerunners were Ballet Der Lage Landen, Ballet of the Nederlandse Opera, Amsterdam Ballet, and Netherlands Ballet (Nederl ...

(2005). There have been many productions around the world of only extracts from the full-length ''Raymonda'', for the most part taken from the ''Grand Pas Classique hongrois'' from the third act, which is considered to be among Marius Petipa's supreme masterpieces. The most noted of these productions have been staged by George Balanchine 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's fir ...

(1955, 1961, 1973); Rudolf Nureyev for the Royal Ballet Touring Company (1964); and

Mikhail Baryshnikov Mikhail Nikolayevich Baryshnikov ( rus, Михаил Николаевич Барышников, p=mʲɪxɐˈil bɐ'rɨʂnʲɪkəf; ; born January 27, 1948) is a Latvian and American dancer, choreographer, and actor. He was the preeminent male ...

for American Ballet Theatre (1980, 1987). In 2005 the

Australian Ballet Company The Australian Ballet (TAB) is the largest classical ballet company in Australia. It was founded by J. C. Williamson Theatres Ltd and the Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust in 1962, with the English-born dancer, teacher, repetiteur an ...

performed a modern version of ''Raymonda'' set in the 1950s, where Raymonda is a Hollywood star who has filmed her last film before marrying a European prince. It was choreographed by Stephen Baynes and bears no resemblance to the original ballet. In January 2022, the

English National Ballet English National Ballet is a classical ballet company founded by Dame Alicia Markova and Sir Anton Dolin as London Festival Ballet and based in London, England. Along with The Royal Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet, Northern Ballet and Scott ...

presented a new version of this ballet choreographed by

Tamara Rojo Tamara Rojo Order of the British Empire, CBE (born 17 May 1974) is a Spanish ballet dancer. She was the English National Ballet's artistic director and a lead principal dancer with the company between 2012 and 2022. She was previously a principa ...

at the London Coliseum. Rojo has relocated the story to the 19th-century Crimean War, drawing on the figure of Florence Nightingale to create a Raymonda who redefines the role of women in wartime and society. This Raymonda is not content to stay at home and sew, so she hot-foots it from England across the Black Sea to Sevastopol. There, she tends to injured soldiers, and is reacquainted with John de Bryan, a family friend, who has joined the Light Brigade. As he leaves for battle, he persuades Raymonda to accept his hand in marriage. His friend, Abdur Rahman, an ally from the Ottoman army, promises to take care of Raymonda until de Bryan returns.

Synopsis

Act I

''Scene 1: Raymonda's feast'' At the castle of Doris, preparations are under way for the celebrations of the young countess Raymonda's name day. Countess Sybille, her aunt, chides those who are present, including Raymonda's two friends Henrietta and Clémence, and the two troubadours Béranger and Bernard, for their idleness and their passion for dancing, telling them of the legendary White Lady, the protector of the castle, who warns the Doris household every time one of its members is in danger and casts punishment on those who do not fulfil their duties. The young people laugh at the countess's superstitions and continue to celebrate. The seneschal of the Doris castle announces the arrival of a messenger, sent by Raymonda's fiancé, the noble crusader knight, Jean de Brienne, bearing a letter for his beloved. Raymonda rejoices when she reads that King

Andrew II of Hungary Andrew II (, , , ; 117721 September 1235), also known as Andrew of Jerusalem, was King of Hungary and King of Croatia, Croatia between 1205 and 1235. He ruled the Principality of Halych from 1188 until 1189/1190, and again between 1208/1209 and ...

, for whom Jean de Brienne has fought, is returning home in triumph and Jean de Brienne will arrive at the Doris castle the next day for their wedding. Suddenly, the celebrations are interrupted when the seneschal announces the arrival of an uninvited Saracen knight, Abderakhman and his entourage, who have stopped at the castle seeking shelter for the night. Captivated by Raymonda's beauty, Abderakhman falls in love with her at once and resolves to do anything to win her. The party lasts late into the night and, left alone and exhausted by the day, Raymonda lies down on a couch and falls asleep. As she sleeps, she begins to dream that the White Lady appears illuminated by the moonlight and, with an imperious gesture, orders Raymonda to follow her. ''Scene 2: The Visions'' The White Lady, without making a sound, advances along the terrace. Raymonda follows her in a state of unconsciousness. At a signal from the White Lady, the garden is wrapped in mist. A moment later, the mist vanishes and Jean de Brienne appears. Overjoyed, Raymonda runs into his arms and they are surrounded by glory, knights and celestial maidens. The garden is illuminated by a fantastic light and Raymonda expresses her joy to the White Lady, who interrupts her enthusiasm with a vision of what awaits her. Raymonda wants to return to her fiancé, but instead, she finds Abderakhman, who has taken Jean de Brienne's place. Abderakhman declares his passionate love for her, but Raymonda, though confused and upset, is quick to reject him. Imps and elves appear from everywhere surrounding Raymonda, who begs the White Lady to save her and Abderakhman tries to take Raymonda by force. Raymonda cries out and falls to the ground in a faint. The frightful vision disappears along with the White Lady. Raymonda-act-1-1898

Act II

''The Courtyard of the Castle'' The feast in honour of Jean de Brienne's arrival is taking place. Raymonda welcomes her guests, but cannot hide her uneasiness caused by Jean de Brienne's delay. Abderakhman approaches her repeatedly and reveals his passion for her, but remembering the warnings of the White Lady, Raymonda rejects him with contempt. Abderakhman becomes even more insistent and realises the only way to possess Raymonda is by force. He calls his slaves to dance for her, after which he summons his cup bearers and they pour a potion into everyone's cup, causing all the guests to become drunk. Seizing his chance, Abderakhman grabs Raymonda in an attempt to abduct her, but luckily Jean de Brienne arrives just in time, accompanied by King Andrew II and his knights. Jean de Brienne saves Raymonda from the hands of the Saracens and tries to seize Abderakhman. The King commands the two rivals to put an end to the matter in a duel, during which the White Lady appears on the castle tower. Abderakhman is dazed and dies, slain by Jean de Brienne's sword. Raymonda joyfully embraces her fiancé and the two reaffirm their love as the King joins their hands.

Act III

''The Wedding'' Raymonda and Jean de Brienne are finally married and King Andrew II of Hungary gives the newly wedded couple his blessing. In his honour, everyone at court is dressed in Hungarian fashion and perform a range of Hungarian-style dances, ending in an Apotheosis where everyone comes together in a knightly tournament.

Résumé of scenes and dances

Once the score for ''Raymonda'' was completed per Marius Petipa's meticulous instructions, Glazunov sent the manuscript to his publisher M.P. Belaieff. This occurred some time before Petipa was finished with the staging, a process which invariably required some editing and fine-tuning to be made to the score of any ''Grand ballet''. Since Glazunov prematurely sent the score off for publication, any revisions Petipa required were not reflected in the score as issued by M.P. Belaieff. Even the titles of the various scenes and dances differ from those Petipa intended as reflected in the program for Pierina Legnani's benefit performance of 1898 and all subsequent performances at the Mariinsky Theatre. The most significant of these revisions are listed below. ''Act I (scene 1) — La fête de Raymonde'' *No. 01 ''Introduction'' *No. 02 ''Jeux et danses —'' ::—a ''Jeux'' ::—b. ''La traditrice'' *No. 03 ''Entrée de Raymonde'' *No. 04 ''Scène'' *interpolation: ''Entrée d'Abdéràme'' *No. 05 ''Entrée des vassaux et des paysans'' *No. 06 ''Pas d'ensemble —'' ::—a. ''Valse provençale'' ::—b. ''Pizzicato–Variation de Raymonde'' (Mlle. Legnani) ::—c. ''Coda'' (reprise de la valse) *No. 07 ''Départ des invités'' *No. 08 ''La romanesque'' *No. 09 ''"Une fantaisie"–Variation de Raymonde'' (Mlle. Legnani) *No. 10 ''Clémence joue du luth'' *No. 11 ''L'apparition de la Dame Blanche'' *No. 12 ''Entr'acte symphonique'' ''Act I (scene 2) — Visions'' *No. 13 ''Scène du rêve'' *No. 14 ''Grand pas d'action —'' ::—a. ''Grand adage'' ::—b. ''Valse fantastique'' ::—c. ''Variation'' (Mlle. Rhykliakova) ::—d. ''Variation'' (Mlle. Geltzer) ::—e. ''Variation de Raymonde'' (cut by Petipa from the original production) ::—interpolation: ''Variation pour Mlle. Legnani'' (arranged by Glazunov from the ''Valse'' of his 1894 ''Scènes de Ballet'', op. 52) ::f. ''Grande coda'' *No. 16 ''Scène dramatique'' *No. 17 ''Ronde des follets et des farfadets'' ''Act I (scene 3) — L'aurore'' *No. 18 ''Scène finale'' ''Act II — Cour d'amour'' *No. 19 ''Ouverture'' *No. 20 ''Marche'' *No. 21 ''Entrée d'Abdéràme'' *No. 22 ''Pas d'action —'' ::—a. ''Grand adage'' ::—b. ''Variation d'Henriette'' (Mlle. Preobrajenskaya) ::—c. ''Variation de Clémence'' (Mlle. Kulichevskaya) ::—d. ''Variation de Béranger'' (Mons. Legat) ::—e. ''Variation de Raymonde'' (Mlle. Legnani) ::—f. ''Grande coda'' *No. 23 ''Scène'' *''Grand divertissement —'' ::—no.24 ''Pas des esclaves sarrasins'' ::—no.25 ''Pas des mariscos'' ::—no.26 ''Danse sarrasine'' ::—no.27 ''Pandéros'' ::—no.28 ''Les échansons'' (originally conceived by Petipa as a ''Danse orientale'', being a variation for Pierina Legnani) ::—no.29 ''Bacchanale'' *No. 30 ''L'arrivée de Jean de Brienne et du Roi André II'' *No. 31 ''Le combat et dénouement'' *No. 32 ''Finale—Hymne'' ''Act III — Le festival des noces'' *No. 33 ''Entr'acte'' *No. 34 ''Grand cortège hongrois'' *No. 35 ''Rapsodie'' *No. 36 ''Palotás'' *interpolation: ''Mazurka'' (Insertion from Glazunov's 1894 ''Scènes de Ballet'', op. 52) *No. 37 ''Pas classique hongrois —'' ::—a. ''Entrée'' ::—b. ''Grand adage'' ::—c. ''Variation'' (Mlle. Johanssen) ::—d. ''Variation'' (cut by Petipa from the original production) ::—e. ''Variation pour quatre danseurs (Messrs. Legat II, Kyaksht, Legat III & Gorsky)'' ::—f. ''Variation de Raymonde'' (Mlle. Legnani) ::—interpolation: ''Variation'' (interpolation by Konstantin Sergeyev for his performance as Jean de Brienne, 1948. Originally the ''Variation de Béranger'' from the ''Pas d'action'' of Act II) ::—g. ''Grande coda'' *No. 38 ''Galop général'' *No. 39 ''Apothéose – Tourney''

External links

* '' Ramonda'': Scores at the

International Music Score Library Project The International Music Score Library Project (IMSLP), also known as the Petrucci Music Library after publisher Ottaviano Petrucci, is a subscription-based digital library of public-domain music scores. The project uses MediaWiki software, and ...

{{Authority control Ballets by Marius Petipa Ballets by Alexander Glazunov Ballets designed by Konstantin Korovin 1897 compositions 1890s ballets 1898 works Ballets premiered at the Mariinsky Theatre