The enigmatic Raymonda

There has never been a ballet as endearing as Raymonda. She is celebrated around the world by all leading ballet companies. Romantic settings for the nineteenth century ballets made some attempts at historical accuracy and Raymonda is one of them. Dotted with Knights and Saracense and court ladies and dressed in costumes that resemble the type of clothes at the time of the Crusades. But tradition and requirements of the classical techniques, require the ballerina to wear pointed shoes and in the 'pas de deux' to wear the traditional tutu and her knight change to ballet slippers and silk tights.

It is a fairy tale any way;

Danced to glorious music of the Russian composer, Glozounov, Raymonda is a romantic tale surrounding knights and Saracens set in mediaeval Hungary. As the ballet unfurls, Raymonda is engaged to a Christian knight called Jean de Brienne who is away at war. But at her birthday celebrations a Saracen knight, Abderam arrives laden with rich gifts with hopes of declaring his love for her.

He stages a lavish entertainment for her and attempts to kidnap her but just in time, Jean de Brienne arrives and saves her from the abduction.

The ballet concludes with yet another dazzling display that includes Hungarian National dances that builds up to a spectacular classical 'pas de deux'.

Raymonda's glorious classical ballet staged at the historic Kirov Theatre in Leningrad with Irina Kolpakova in the title role when she was a young dancer at the Kirov and married to company's leading dancer, Vladilen Semenov who had much success in London and New York on tour throughout the USA as well as in Russia.

Irina who is very attractive with her natural blonde hair, delicately built and appear fragile but she has a brilliant and strong technique she had acquired from her training at the Kirov School and from constant daily practice since her graduation into the company.

Because it contains so much of wonderful dancing, it has managed to survive and still an all-time favourite.

Raymonda has wondrous scores very typical Russian though the story revolves around Hungary. French choreographer, Marius Petipa was responsible for debuting the first version of Raymonda at St Petersburg in 1898 and many versions of his ballet have been seen mounted in Russia. At that time the ballet was less popular in the West partly due to the story being overcrowded with complicated scenes, dream sequences and especially the White Ghostly Lady which I cannot explain here. Sir Fredrick Ashton had other ideas in mounting Raymonda with different scores especially for the 'pas de deux' that was spectacular by all standards, for Margot Fenteyn and Michael Somes and later for Svetlana Beriosova and Donald Mac Leary, all for the Royal Ballet.

Many modern choreographers find the ballet too much of a risk due to the never ending change of scenes but the plucky ones take it in their stride and come out unscathed. This is due to them being more focussed on the dancers rather than on than its story value. Which is how a ballet should be other than the ones on Shakespeare plays.

History of Raymonda

This ballet in 3 acts and 4 scenes was originally what Lydia Pashkova and M Petipa who also choreographed it, brought on stage to the score of Glazunov. It was debuted at the Maryinsky Theatre, St Petersberg in 1898. The ballet has been constantly revived in the USSR and is still held in the repertory in the most ambitious costumes.

It saw light in the West in the production of N Zverev mounted for the National Ballet of Lithuania, performed in London in 1935. The first USA production was by Danilova and Balanchine who did an abbreviated version for Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo in 1946.

A complete production was staged by Rudolf Nureyev for the touring Royal Ballet but this was confined only to Spoleto and Baalbek Festivals. Thereafter, Nureyev mounted the complete version for Australia Ballet in 1965, in Zurich Opera Ballet in 1972 and for The American Theatre Ballet in 1975. T Gsovsky made his version with the first and second acts while Beriozoff's version with the third act for the German Opera Ballet, Berlinin 1975.

In most of these versions the music was from blalet 'Pas de dix' in 1955 and from the Grand pas hongrois' that were Raymonda Variations in 1961 to a different set of musical scores and 'Cortge Hongrois' in 1973.