Photos by Khalid Al Busaidi
Alexander Glazunov's 1898 ballet score for "Raymonda" lacks nothing of Tchaikovsky's brilliant orchestration and the gift of tuneful melodies, his near contemporary, and was enjoyed by three packed houses at The Royal Opera House Muscat last weekend. ROHM was honored by a visit from the internationally renowned Bolshoi Theatre of Russia, and after a quiet period, Muscat audiences thronged to watch the Ballet in Three Acts in the last successful creation by ballet master Marcus Petipa. This production was a superb synthesis of Petipa’s original 1898 choreography, Gorsky’s re-creation of the early 20th century, and Yuri Grigorovich’s 1984 re-imagining of the medieval “Knight’s Legends” source.
The evening opened with a mood-setting Overture from the splendid Bolshoi Orchestra, conducted by maestro Pavel Sorokin. Influences of Glazunov's teacher, Rimsky-Korsakov, were clear throughout in the accessible musical language of Russian Romanticism, including his strong use of brass and percussion sections. The curtain rose to reveal a slow, stately Court dance at the Provençal castle of noblewoman Countess Sybil de Daurice. The huge backdrop of lush, blue sweeping velvet drapes and period costumes was designed on a grand scale by Georgian Simon Virsaladze for his 1984 collaboration with choreographer Grigorovich – still Bolshoi Ballet Master aged 97!
On Friday evening, the Countess’ niece Raymonda was danced by young Prima Ballerina Alyona Kovalyova in a superb interpretation of the role, opposite her betrothed, Jean de Brienne, performed by Ballet Master Artemiy Belyakov. In their Pas de Deux, the chemistry was palpable and brilliantly communicated, while the Corps de Ballet in neo-classical style were faultlessly synchronized throughout the three-hour production. Night fell, and gauze rose to reveal an atmospheric ‘Enchanted Garden of Dreams’ under a full moon bathed in an unearthly green hue. A love scene ensues between the couple - nearly always in white to emphasize their moral purity. The music then is motivic romanticism; strings and woodwinds, an impossibly high violin solo with a tender harp in the duets building to a rich climax, contrasting with more robust female ensemble passages. Petipa’s choreography was precise, and virtuoso techniques such as extended sections on points were often demanded.
A syncopated, triumphant moment is dashed as Brienne disappears, and Raymonda is overtaken by foreboding; brass and percussion hail the brief appearance of Abderakhman (sic) in purple. He is less villain than an exotic, wild, frightening, beguiling seducer. Act Two brings the narrative to an outside courtyard. A fanfare heralds guests to the castle. Abderakhman, a Turkish-Arabic hybrid character, brings a magnificent entourage to the festivities. They perform a sort of Sino-Turkish pastiche in a 19th-century interpretation of what lies beyond Russia’s Eastern borders, mixed with an expression of oriental exoticism. There are short, humorous vignettes while Abderakhman himself is at his most passionate, attractive, and effective as he shows off his prowess in leaps and wheels like a possessed Dervish. Most convincing was the Spanish parody in flowing flamenco dresses and castanet rhythms, while pseudo-Arab satire gained Abderakhman huge audience appreciation. Tragically, he is overcome by Brienne, and in his defeat, reaches a brief moment of pathos, achieving empathy only in his downfall.
Act Three was an indulgent extravaganza, an excuse for light-hearted entertainment for the marriage, beginning with an ovation for maestro Sorokin. The Mazurka was realized in black and white dresses against the blue castle backdrop, with Countess and King of Hungary looking on. The Hungarian Dance conjured emotions of nationalism for the King, as richly colorful costumes swirled in the stylized folk dance. In the Grand Pas, eight couples returned with a Classical Waltz, like white swans, with Raymonda in blue. ‘Four Cavaliers’ Variation’, an intense and dazzling show of high leaps and strength, followed. Raymonda’s captivating, mesmerizing solo Arabesque to haunting piano and pizzicato strings accompaniment contrasted with Jean’s onstage control and bravado as he spun through a flamboyant solo Czardas cadenza in a final tour de force. Glazunov’s splendid orchestration provided a rousing conclusion to a wonderful Night at the Opera, as soloists and Corps de Ballet took many curtain calls until finally allowed to leave – to return to Moscow.
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