Raymonda Variations

Last updated

Raymonda Variations
Choreographer George Balanchine
Music Alexander Glazunov
PremiereDecember 7, 1961 (1961-12-07)
City Center of Music and Drama
Original ballet company New York City Ballet
Design Karinska
David Hays
Created for Patricia Wilde
Jacques d'Amboise

Raymonda Variations, formerly titled Valses et Variations, is a ballet choreographed by George Balanchine to excepts from Alexander Glazunov's score for the 1898 ballet Raymonda . 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. Raymonda Variations was made for the New York City Ballet, with the two lead roles originated by Patricia Wilde and Jacques d'Amboise.

Contents

Choreography

Raymonda Variations is danced by two principal dancers, a man and a woman, and ensemble of twelve women. [1] The ballet does not follow the plot of the 1898 Raymonda. [2] : 471  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." [2] : 471–472  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. [2] : 471 

Background and production

The 1898 ballet Raymonda featured choreography by Marius Petipa and a score by Alexander Glazunov. In the ballet, the titular character is engaged to Jean de Brienne, a French knight. However, while Jean leaves to fight at the Crusades, Raymonda is abducted by emir Abderakhman, but was saved by Jean, who Raymonda soon marries. [3]

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, he performed the ballet at the Mariinsky Theatre, wearing the original costumes. [2] : 411  In 1946, he and Alexandra Danilova staged a production of Raymonda for Ballet Russe de Monte-Carlo. [3] In 1955, he used excerpts from the music of Raymonda for his ballet Pas de Dix. [3]

In fall 1961, Balanchine decided to make another ballet to musical excerpts from Raymonda, with Patricia Wilde 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. Wilde had also danced in the 1946 Raymonda. [4] 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 companion 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. [4] Balanchine also chose five young women in the company to dance other solos. [4]

The costumes were designed by Karinska, and the original lighting was by David Hays. [5] The backdrop Horace Armistead designed for Tudor's Jardin aux lilas was reused. [6] The ballet originally used the working title Raymonda, before premiering under the title Valse et Variations. It was renamed Raymonda Variations in 1963. [5]

Original cast

The principal dancers in the original cast were: [5]

Performances

The ballet premiered on December 7, 1961, at the City Center of Music and Drama. [6] At the premiere, d'Amboise's variations were omitted as he was injured. They were added back to the ballet a month later. [4]

Other ballet companies that have performed Raymonda Variations include Houston Ballet, [7] Miami City Ballet, [8] Kansas City Ballet, [9] and Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre. [10]

Critical reception

Following the premiere, New York Times critic John Martin called the ballet a "an adorable confection, concocted of marzipan, diamonds, youth and nostalgia." [1]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New York City Ballet</span> American ballet company

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 first music director. City Ballet grew out of earlier troupes: the Producing Company of the School of American Ballet, 1934; the American Ballet, 1935, and Ballet Caravan, 1936, which merged into American Ballet Caravan, 1941; and directly from the Ballet Society, 1946.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jacques d'Amboise (dancer)</span> American dancer and choreographer (1934–2021)

Jacques d'Amboise was an American ballet dancer, choreographer, and educator. He joined the New York City Ballet in 1949 and was named principal dancer in 1953, and throughout his time with the company he danced 24 roles for George Balanchine. He also made film appearances, including Seven Brides for Seven Brothers and Carousel. He choreographed 17 ballets for the New York City Ballet and retired from performing in 1984.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Melissa Hayden (dancer)</span> Canadian ballerina (1923–2006)

Melissa Hayden was a Canadian ballerina at the New York City Ballet.

The Minnesota Ballet is a ballet company and school located in Duluth, Minnesota in the St. Louis County Depot. Founded in 1965 by Donna Harkins and Jan Gibson as the Duluth Civic Ballet, the company has since expanded into a touring company with seventeen professional artists. From 1992 to 2007 the Artistic Executive Director of the Minnesota Ballet was Allen Fields, who retired to become Artistic Director Emeritus. Fields acquired rights to works by choreographers including Agnes de Mille, Antony Tudor, and George Balanchine. He was succeeded by Robert Gardner. In 2019 Karl von Rabenau was appointed Artistic Director. The Minnesota Ballet entered its 54th season in 2019/20.

<i>Raymonda</i> Ballet choreographed by Marius Petipa and with music by Alexander Glazunov

Raymonda is a grand ballet in three acts, four scenes with an apotheosis, originally choreographed by Marius Petipa to the music of Alexander Glazunov and libretto by Lydia Pashkova. Raymonda was created especially for the benefit performance of the prima ballerina Pierina Legnani, and first presented by the Imperial Ballet at the Imperial Mariinsky Theatre on 19 January [O.S. 7 January] 1898 in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Among the ballet's most celebrated passages is the Pas classique hongrois from the third act, which is often performed independently.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nicholas Magallanes</span> Mexican-American ballet dancer

Nicholas Magallanes was a Mexican-born American principal dancer and charter member of the New York City Ballet. Along with Francisco Moncion, Maria Tallchief, and Tanaquil Le Clercq, Magallanes was among the core group of dancers with which George Balanchine and Lincoln Kirstein formed Ballet Society, the immediate predecessor of the New York City Ballet.

<i>Episodes</i> (ballet) Ballet by Martha Graham and George Balanchine

Episodes is a ballet choreographed by Martha Graham and George Balanchine, to compositions by Anton Webern. The ballet was a co-production between the Martha Graham Dance Company and Balanchine's New York City Ballet (NYCB). Though it was conceived to be a collaboration between Graham and Balanchine, leading choreographers in modern dance and neoclassical ballet respectively, they ultimately worked separately on the ballet's two halves. Episodes I was choreographed by Graham, for dancers from her company and four NYCB members, and depicts Mary, Queen of Scots remembering the events in her life before her execution. Episodes II, by Balanchine, is completely plotless, and made for members of the NYCB and Graham dancer Paul Taylor, who originated a solo. The ballet uses all seven orchestral compositions by Webern.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sara Mearns</span> American ballet dancer

Sara Ann Mearns is an American ballet dancer. She is a principal dancer at New York City Ballet.

Tschaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 2, also titled Ballet Imperial, is a ballet choreographed by George Balanchine to Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 2. Ballet Imperial was choreographed for American Ballet Caravan's 1941 South American tour, and was aimed at showing that the Americans were capable of the classical ballet traditions. The ballet pays tribute to Tchaikovsky, the classical ballet choreographer Marius Petipa, and Imperial Saint Petersburg, where Balanchine received his ballet training. The ballet featured academic steps and alludes to Imperial Russia through the costumes and scenery. Ballet Imperial premiered on June 25, 1941, at Teatro Municipal, Rio de Janeiro.

Mozartiana is a ballet choreographed by George Balanchine to Tchaikovsky's Orchestral Suite No. 4, Mozartiana. The current version of the ballet was made for New York City Ballet's Tchaikovsky Festival, and premiered on June 4, 1981, at the New York State Theater. It is considered Balanchine's last major work.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Dollar</span> American dancer, ballet master, choreographer and teacher

William Dollar was an American dancer, ballet master, choreographer, and teacher. As one of the first American danseurs nobles, he performed with numerous companies, including the Philadelphia Opera Ballet, the American Ballet, Ballet Caravan, Ballet Society, Ballet Theatre, and New York City Ballet.

Vienna Waltzes is a ballet choreographed by George Balanchine to music by Johann Strauss II, Franz Lehár and Richard Strauss, made as a tribute to Austria. It premiered on June 23, 1977 at the New York State Theater, performed by the New York City Ballet, and was an immediate success among the public.

<i>Who Cares?</i> (ballet) Ballet by George Balanchine

Who Cares? is a ballet choreographed by George Balanchine to songs by George Gershwin that were orchestrated by Hershy Kay. The ballet is split in two parts, the first danced by an ensemble, and the second focuses on four principal dancers. Who Cares? premiered on February 5, 1970, at the New York State Theater, danced by the New York City Ballet.

Ivesiana is a ballet choreographed by George Balanchine to compositions by Charles Ives. The ballet premiered on September 14, 1954, four months after Ives's death, at the City Center of Music and Drama, performed by the New York City Ballet. Balanchine made several changes to the ballet since, including adding and removing sections of the ballet, and the final version of Ivesiana consists of Central Park in the Dark, The Unanswered Question, In the Inn and In the Night.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patricia Neary</span> American ballet dancer, director

Patricia Neary 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 60 cities around the globe.

Patricia Wilde 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 her by George Balanchine. Following her retirement from NYCB, she became a famed ballet mistress and teacher. In 1982, she was appointed artistic director of Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre where she served until 1997. She is a recipient of the Dance Magazine Award and the 56th Inductee into the National Museum of Dance Hall of Fame. Her biography Wilde Times: Patricia Wilde, George Balanchine and the Rise of New York City Ballet, by Joel Lobenthal was published in 2015 by the University Press of New England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Francisco Moncion</span> Dominican-American ballet dancer

Francisco Moncion was a Dominican-born American ballet dancer and choreographer who was a charter member of the New York City Ballet. Over the course of his long career, spanning some forty years, he created roles in major works by George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, and others. He was also an amateur painter.

La Valse is a ballet choreographed by George Balanchine to Maurice Ravel's Valses Nobles et Sentimentales and La Valse. It premiered on February 20, 1951, at the City Center of Music and Drama, performed by the New York City Ballet. The ballet depicts dancers waltzing in a ballroom, during which a woman becomes attracted to a figure of death, and ultimately dies.

Divertimento No. 15 is a ballet choreographed by George Balanchine to Mozart's eponymous music. The ballet was made for the New York City Ballet. Balanchine first choreographed the score in 1952, for a ballet titled Caracole. In 1956, he planned to revive Caracole for a celebration of Mozart's bicentenary but made a new ballet to the same music instead. Divertimento No. 15 premiered on May 31, 1956, at the American Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford, Connecticut.

References

  1. 1 2 Martin, John (December 8, 1961). "Ballet: A Confection by Balanchine; 'Valses et Variations' Scores in Premiere Patricia Wilde and d'Amboise in Leads". New York Times.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Balanchine, George; Mason, Francis (1977). Balanchine's Complete Stories of the Great Ballets. ISBN   9780385113816.
  3. 1 2 3 Melik-Pashayeva, Karina L. (1998). "Raymonda". In Dorris, George E.; Cohen, Selma Jeanne (eds.). International Encyclopedia of Dance. ISBN   978-0-19-512308-1.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Lobenthal, Joel (2016). Wilde Times: Patricia Wilde, George Balanchine, and the Rise of New York City Ballet. ISBN   9781611689433.
  5. 1 2 3 Reynolds, Nancy (1977). Repertory in Review: 40 Years of the New York City Ballet. pp. 214–215. ISBN   9780803773684.
  6. 1 2 Taper, Bernard (1987). Balanchine: A Biography. ISBN   9780520060593.
  7. ↑ Brady, Louisa (April 30, 2016). "Houston Ballet Presents Spring Mixed Repertory Program Starting 5/26". BroadwayWorld.
  8. ↑ Dunning, Jennifer (April 28, 2008). "Bring It On: Feasting on Bonbons, Then Belting Down Scotch". New York Times.
  9. ↑ "Raymonda Variations - KC Ballet". Kansas City Ballet. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
  10. ↑ "Raymonda Variations - Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre". Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.