RAYMONDA ballet PIZZICATO variation (Maria Khoreva, Mariinsky Theatre)

Ballet Raymonda, Mariinsky Theatre. PERFORMERS Conductor: Gavriel Heine Raymonda: Maria Khoreva Jean de Brienne: Vladimir Shklyarov Abderakhman: Alexander Romanchikov Clemence: Anastasia Lukina Henrietta: Renata Shakirova Marius Petipa created Raymonda when he was in his eightieth year, and it was one of his late grand ballets. Its simple story, based on a medieval chivalrous legend, brought together everything that was the best of the best that Petipa had done in the course of his long career as a choreographer in Russia. Here there is a ballet and detective plot including dreams, kidnappings and joyous releases, a complex and varied ballerina role and a conflict between the male roles – the refined and classical Jean de Brienne and the passionate and pointedly typical oriental Abderakhman, the vast number of characters, meaning a similar number of dancers engaged in the ballet, the colourful character dances and, arguably, Petipa’s main pride and glory – the fully-develop