BOLSHOI BALLET, RAYMONDA, COLISEUM, LONDON, JULY 19 & 21, 1999

Raymonda, a late Petipa work created in St. Petersburg in 1898, is replete with a marvelous series of dances deliciously underlined by Glazunov's melodious score. It is a wonderful vehicle for a ballerina with the personality, technique and stamina required by it. But for its problematic scenario, it would probably be better appreciated outside Russia, where it has been kept alive by both the Kirov and Bolshoi companies. In the West, it is best known today through Rudolf Nureyev's sumptuous production for the Paris Opera Ballet, and Balanchine's adaptations, Raymonda Variations and Cortège Hongrois.

The original story fashioned by Pashkova is so confusing and improbable that even with the improvements wrought by Gorsky and later, Grigorovich, viewers--not to mention writers--are still not sure whether the heroine is supposed to be Hungarian--or French (or at least, Provençal). But only those who are not already balletomanes would quibble in the face of such a wealth of exquisite dancing on offer throughout its three generous acts. Raymonda is a connoisseur's ballet--it's delights are subtle and cumulative. The eponymous heroine, in particular, must execute stunningly complex footwork--- involving many quick changes of direction--- with clarity and refinement in endlessly exquisite variations throughout the evening. There are no thirty-two fouettés, no showy feats of balance, but the sum of its parts can be just as awesome as some of Tchaikovsky's more famous creations.

For the record, the current Bolshoi scenario (as summarized by the eminent ballet critic Clement Crisp, for the Bolshoi's recent London season at the Coliseum) firmly places the ballet at the Chateau de Doris in Provence at the time of the Crusades. Raymonda, the niece of the Countess Sybil de Doris, is betrothed to the knight Jean De Brienne, whom she loves.

In Act I, Jean De Brienne arrives at the castle to bid farewell to Raymonda; he is leaving for a Crusade to be led by the King of Hungary, Andrew II. (In the original libretto, De Brienne is supposed to be the brother of the King.) When he leaves, Raymonda remains on the terrace with her friends, among them Clemence and Henrietta, and as night falls, she sees a vision of the White Lady, the protector-spirit of the castle, whose statue graces the great hall. The apparition leads Raymonda into an enchanted garden where De Brienne "appears" and the lovers dance joyfully. Suddenly, however, the knight disappears and in his place, a strange Saracen warrior arrives, who makes passionate avowals of love to her. Horrified, Raymonda faints. As the visions disappear, she recovers and realizes that these may be omens of things to come.

Act II takes place in the great hall of the Chateau de Doris, where festivities are underway. A Saracen warrior, Abderakhman, arrives with his retinue and is immediately struck by Raymonda's beauty. He pays court to her---but she rejects him. Undaunted, he proceeds to abduct her, but just then a party of Crusaders, De Brienne and the King of Hungary among them, arrive. Abderakhman and De Brienne agree to a single combat to settle the matter, and De Brienne kills the Saracen.

Act III, once again in the Chateau de Doris, is a celebration of the wedding of Raymonda and De Brienne, with Raymonda and her friends dancing Hungarian divertissements in honor of the King.

In the two performances viewed by this Friend of Nina, Sergei Filin proved an ideally valiant knight to Nina's impeccable Raymonda. Previously having seen Nina only in excerpts from this ballet (during the Bolshoi's 1987 visit to New York--when I somehow missed her complete performance with Andris Liepa), I long had wished to see her in it. My long wait was rewarded well beyond even my great expectations. Nina was simply born to dance this role, and now, at the peak of her remarkable technique and artistry, her sovereignty over this role is astounding. And to have seen her with the current Bolshoi company, brimming with youthful talent and energy, was a further revelation. Another plus was the excellent Bolshoi Theatre Orchestra-- led expertly by resident conductor Alexander Sotnikov in these performances.

Virsaladze's elegantly majestic sets, with sweeping draperies and silver and blue tints, have worn well---framing the dancers and the ballet in a fairytale world. With Nina as Raymonda, it is no surprise that although at her first entrance she is preceded by a group of her lovely friends, they are immediately eclipsed when she arrives onstage, her beautiful face and figure radiating an aura of warmth and grace as she bourrées toward her enraptured fiancé. Her first variation consists of a series of piqué steps that ends with hops on point. De Brienne's features a thrilling series of jumps with his legs swinging à la seconde. One can see Grigorovich's hand in this and other choreography for the men in this version of the ballet. The first act sees De Brienne and his companions in a bold "farewell" ensemble that shows off their elegant lines and the big sweep of their arms and legs. Filin's De Brienne exuded both elegance and power, but he was also a tender lover, especially convincing in a "signature" pose for the lovers: kneeling before Raymonda, who extends her arms to him, De Brienne rests his head on her hands in homage. After a quietly passionate pas de deux, which starts with gentle swaying motions and ends with a waist-high circling lift, he gives Raymonda a gossamer scarf as a keepsake. 

When the knights leave, the pensive Raymonda tarries on the terrace, playing a harp while her friends Clemence (Nina Speranskaya) and Henrietta (Anna Antonicheva) dance. She joins them in a series of languorous swaying steps that recall her duet with De Brienne. Left alone, she sees a vision of the White Lady who leads her to an enchanted garden where apparitions dance. (Mariya Alexandrova was a particularly appealing first vision, followed by Natalia Malandrina in a well executed second variation.) De Brienne suddenly appears and the reunited lovers share an ecstatic adagio pas de deux characterized by partnered turns in alternating directions, giving rise to gentle lifts. At its culmination, Nina inflects the final supported turn with a breathtakingly gradual and precisely timed elevation of her working leg from ankle to full attitude height ; the ensuing series of swift pirouettes in place in the opposite direction is simply icing on the cake. 

The Idyll (including an ensemble piece for the "spirit maidens" that shows much kinship with the dance of the Snowflakes from The Nutcracker) is interrupted by the arrival of a Saracen warrior, who pursues the terrified Raymonda. The spell ends as she faints.

Act II brings on the "real" Abderakhman, the Saracen of Raymonda's "dream." He arrives at the chateau in the midst of some festivities, and is immediately attracted by Raymonda's beauty. Abderakhman's character is danced sharply; subtlety is not his forte. He stalks Raymonda around the stage as she dances with her friends, grabbing opportunities to partner her. She is repulsed--but at least in Nina's interpretation--not particularly alarmed, and perhaps subconsciously curious. Her ambiguous feelings are revealed in an exquisite variation showing off her strength and refinement in hops on both points. He tries to impress her with a series of Moorish and Spanish-flavored dances performed by his retinue. Mark Peretokin (July 19) and Dmitri Belogolotsev (July 21) were explosive Abderakhmans, the latter showing a bit more nuance in his pursuit of Raymonda--- within the boundaries of the choreography.

As though the first two acts were not rich enough, we are treated to a third--with the famous Hungarian divertissements that are often excerpted from the whole. Here we are once more delightfully reminded of the scope of Nina's talent and artistry. Until now we have only seen the charmingly demure, introspective side of her aristocrat; in this act, she shows us the fire that lies under the porcelain skin of her Raymonda. In her solo in the Grand Pas Hongrois, her expansively expressive arms and steely but delicate points, combined with her thrilling musicality, leaves the viewer breathless with wonder. You leave the theater after such a performance thinking you have died and gone to heaven!