Ballet Evening. Carmen Suite

The Mariinsky Theatre is holding celebrations to commemorate the centenary of Maya Plisetskaya’s birth. Her image, her impeccable technique, fiery temperament, and profound dramatic expressiveness still continue to inspire and excite, forever remaining an eternal standard of creative energy and beauty. In honor of Maya Plisetskaya, the Primorsky Stage will host a ballet night, a musical tribute to the memory of one of the greatest ballerinas of the 20^th century.

The concert program is structured as a dialogue of eras and styles, reflecting the multifaceted legacy inspired by Plisetskaya’s art. The audience will see masterpieces of world choreography from her repertoire, as well as some works that carry on the traditions of virtuoso performance.

The ballet night will open with the Grandpas from Alexander Glazunov’s Raymonda. The part of Raymonda, one of the most complicated, was a debut one for the 19-year-old Plisetskaya, having become a true “birth of a ballerina”. Her impeccable technique and regal bearing made the audience believe that a true countess honored them with her presence. She made the most difficult and sophisticated dance moves appear simple, graceful, and effortless.

The Dying Swan to the music of Camille Saint-Saëns was Plisetskaya’s signature piece; her remarkable talent elevated this miniature to a “solo ballet”. 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.

The highlight of the evening will be Carmen Suite by Rodion Shchedrin, created especially for Maya Plisetskaya a manifesto of her boundless, daring art. The ballerina, captivated by the image of Bizet’s heroine, was inspired by the Cuban Ballet’s winter tour. Once, during intermission, she approached choreographer Alberto Alonso with a request to stage Carmen for her. Inviting a foreign choreographer was a difficult undertaking back then, but Plisetskaya achieved her goal. The stage set, transforming the space into a bullfighting arena, was created by her cousin, scenic designer 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 twenty days, he completed the arrangement for strings and percussion. Thus, in four months, a true choreographic masterpiece emerged, bearing the profound imprint of all its creators. The part of Carmen became the most striking reflection of the great dancer’s creative image, combining a bold character and the courage of provocative plasticity, a temperamental nature and an impeccable precision of performance.

Oleg Maryash