Glazunov Raymonda : Petipa, Gergiev, Mariinsky

This year's Mariinsky Ballet Raymonda, with Viktoria Tereshkina, conducted by Valery Gergiev on arte.tv until February.  This is the full three act version of the ballet, choreographed by Marius Petipa in 1898, when he was eighty.  It was to be his last production, but it was the work throygh which Alexander Glazunov made his name. Though the version seen here is the 1948 re-creation by Konstantin Sergeyev, it's a glimpse into the world of late 19th century Russian ballet.  
Raymonda is a beauty courted by a Christian prince Jean de Brienne, but a Saracen, Abderakhman, enters the party.  Raymonda falls asleep and dreams of the Saracen.  Modern audiuences won't have a problem understanding the connectioin between dreams and the subconcious, or forbidden lust.  So Raymonda falls asleep and dreams she's been captured by the sexy stranger.  In the second act, Abderakhman declares his love and offers Raymonda wonderful treasures.  But this cannot be : Jean de Brienne kills the intruder, and Raymonda lives happily ever after in safe wedded bliss. Because this is a ballet, the story is told, not through narrative, but through a series of vignettes for dancers to do their thing, solo, in groups and in larger ensemble. Dance is "abstract" theatre !  Lots of opportunities for staged symbolism : scenes lit by moonlight,"arabic"set pieces, children, some dressed as blackamoors and  music to match, combining western lyricism (lovely solo violin doubling the prima donna).  "Dreaminess" is an illusioin. Though the dancers strike graceful poses, their feet are on the ground even when they perch en pointe or leap through the air.  Being a dancer means having muscles and physical stamina. Not for nothing many end up with injuries and retire young. Nothing romantic about that !  So the music allows for rest periods, for changes of pace and so on, and grand moments when the orchestra takes over, though the basic pulse remains firm and energetic.