At the end of the 19th century, the composer A. Glazunov wrote “Raymonda” (ballet). Content borrowed from a knightly legend. It was first staged at the Mariinsky Theater in St. Petersburg.
History of creation
Raymonda is a spectacular performance with a romantic plot, beautiful music and vivid choreography. He is one of the most famous and beloved Russian ballets. The author of the music is Alexander Glazunov. He wrote it by order of I. Vsevolzhsky, who at that time was the director of the Imperial Theaters. The composer was given very little time to write music for this ballet. Raymonda became the first ballet written by A. Glazunov. The composer worked enthusiastically and with pleasure, he liked the plot, the theme of the Middle Ages and chivalry vividly interested him since childhood.
As already mentioned above, the libretto of the ballet Raymond was founded on a knight's legend. A summary of it will be presented in this article. The authors of the libretto were I. Vsevolzhsky and M. Petipa. The script was written by L. Pashkova. The choreography of the performance was created by the brilliant M. Petipa. This was his last major production. The main character's party is one of the most difficult to perform. Raymond danced by such great ballerinas as M. Plisetskaya, G. Ulanova, N. Dudinskaya, N. Bessmertnova, L. Semenyaka and others.
The plot and the characters
Ballet characters:
- Raymond.
- White lady.
- Countess Sibylla.
- Knight Jean de Brienne.
- Abderahman.
As well as the castle manager, girlfriends of Raymond, pages, troubadours, retinues, knights, vassals, ladies, servants, soldiers, moors, heralds.
Summary of the ballet "Raymond". The main character is a young beautiful girl. She has a groom - the crusader Jean, whom she is waiting for from the campaign. Abderakhman arrives at the celebration of the name day of Raymond and asks for the girl's hand. But she refuses Saracen. Then he tries to abduct her. But the bridegroom who returned on time saves the girl and kills Abderakhman in a duel. The action is being downloaded with a wedding feast.
First act
We begin to describe the content of Raymond’s ballet: Act I. The scene is a medieval castle. His mistress is Countess de Doris. Her niece Raymond has a name day, and on this occasion celebrations are held in the castle. Youth dancing and having fun. The countess is unhappy with the general idleness. She scares young people with a White Lady. The girls only laugh at the fact that the countess is so superstitious. The White Lady is the patroness of the house de Doris, and she appears when one of the family members is in danger. A messenger arrives at the castle with the news that Raymond's fiancé will arrive tomorrow. Soon, Saracen appears, who heard a lot about the beauty of the girl and decided to pay her a visit. Abderahman admires Raymond.
After the holiday, guests leave, only close friends of Raymond remain in the castle. The night for her is the White Lady. She calls Raymond into the garden. There, the White Lady first shows her her fiance. Raymond throws himself into his arms, but at that moment the vision disappears, and Abderakhman appears in his place. The girl falls without feelings.
Second act
The content of the ballet "Raymond" (Act II). Once again, the scene is the castle of the countess. Knights, vassals, neighbors, troubadours gather for the holiday. Raymond is waiting for the bridegroom to return. Soon, Saracen appears. The girl does not want to accept him, but her aunt persuades her to be hospitable. Abderahman offers Raymond to become his wife, but is refused. Then Saracen tries to kidnap the beauty. At this moment, Jean - Raymond's bridegroom appears in the castle. He saves his beloved and challenges Saracen to a duel. During the battle, the White Lady appears and blinds Abderahman with light. Jean kills Saracen.
Third act
Contents of the ballet "Raymond" (Act III): after the successful outcome of the fight, the king blesses his faithful knight and Raymond. The ballet ends with a wedding feast.
Performances in various theaters
The first to discover the content of Raymond's ballet was the audience of the Mariinsky Theater in 1898. The performance was first shown at the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow in 1900. In 1973, the ballet was filmed. In 2003, choreographer Yu. Grigorovich created his own choreography and his own libretto for the play. Thanks to J. Balanchine and R. Nuriev, ballet gained fame abroad. Now Raymond is known and loved all over the world.