On November 20, 21, and 22, 2025, the Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre will host three evenings dedicated to the centennial anniversary of Maya Plisetskaya, one of the greatest ballet dancers of the twentieth century.
During the celebration dedicated to the outstanding prima ballerina, the Ballet Company of the Primorsky Stage will present two concert programmes and the legendary ballet Carmen Suite, as well as Konyok-Gorbunok (The Little Humpbacked Horse), whose score composer Rodion Shchedrin dedicated to Maya Mikhailovna.
The Ballet Evening programme is structured as a dialogue of eras and styles. It includes both the pieces created specifically for Plisetskaya, and some new choreographic compositions that inherit her approach: virtuosic, daring, and deeply dramatic.
The evening will open with the Grand pas from Alexander Glazunov’s Raymonda. When Maya Plisetskaya was 19, she performed the title part in this ballet, and this brought her widespread acclaim. The choreography for this number was set by Marius Petipa and Konstantin Sergeyev, and later revised by Eldar Aliev, Ballet Artistic Director of the Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre. The part of Raymonda will be performed by the principal dancer Anna Samostrelova, Honored Artist of Russia; the Ballet Company’s soloist Alexei Golubov will perform the part of Jean de Brienne.
One of the evening’s numbers will be Plisetskaya’s signature piece, The Dying Swan, to the music by Camille Saint-Saëns. The ballerina followed Michel Fokine’s choreography, but interpreted the dance as a strong being’s struggle for life, thus imbuing it with a tragic power never seen before. On the Primorsky Stage, the part of the Swan will be performed by Anastasia Baluda.
The highlight of the evening will be Carmen Suite by Georges Bizet – Rodion Shchedrin, created especially for Maya Plisetskaya by choreographer Alberto Alonso. The ballerina, captivated by the image of Bizet’s heroine, was inspired by the winter tour of the Ballet Nacional de Cuba. Once, during interval, she approached choreographer Alberto Alonso with a request to stage Carmen for her.
The stage set, transforming the space into a bullfighting arena, was designed by her cousin, theater artist Boris Messerer. Plisetskaya asked Shostakovich to compose the music, but he suggested that she turn to her own husband. Rodion Shchedrin created a rehearsal draft overnight, cutting down on the music from Bizet’s opera. Within another 20 days, he completed the arrangement for strings and percussion. In four months, a true choreographic masterpiece was born, bearing the profound imprint of all its creators. On November 20, 2025, the principal dancer Irina Sapozhnikova will perform the part of Carmen at the Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre, with the principal dancer Razmik Marukyan performing the part of José. The following day, November 21, 2025, the principal dancers Anna Samostrelova and Sergei Umanetc will perform the same parts.
During the Ballet Evening, the Mariinsky Orchestra of the Primorsky Stage will be conducted by Dušan Vilić, Vitaly Shevelev, and Pavel Smelkov.
On November 21, 2025, an hour before the start of the Ballet Evening, a Scenic Introduction meeting will be held in the foyer on the 4th floor of the Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre. The attendance will be free for all spectators.
On November 22, 2025, the Primorsky Stage will host a performance of Konyok-Gorbunok (The Little Humpbacked Horse) ballet, based on the fairy tale by Pyotr Yershov and music by Rodion Shchedrin, which he wrote during his student years. The part of Ivan the Fool will be performed by the principal dancer of the Primorsky Stage Sergei Umanetc, and the part of The Little Humpbacked Horse will be performed by the principal dancer Shizuru Kato. The part of the Tsar-Maiden will be performed by the principal dancer Irina Sapozhnikova. Dušan Vilić will take the conductor’s console.
