Raymond Bolshoi Theater. Raymond's ballet at the Bolshoi Theater. Plot and characters

A. Glazunov ballet “Raymonda”

“Raymonda” is one of the most colorful and spectacular performances of the ballet theater. The romantic plot of the ballet is inspired by medieval legends about a girl waiting for her lover to return from a knightly campaign. For the ballet director Marius Petipa "Raymonda" was the last great job. For the composer Alexandra Glazunova , on the contrary, this was the first experience of turning to the ballet genre, which later turned out to be the most successful in his work.

The Middle Ages comes to life in the images of Raymonda, but thanks to the captivating music and bright choreography, the ballet characters are not perceived as frozen historical characters, but as living people, capable of selflessly rejoicing, deeply suffering and sincerely loving.

Summary Glazunov's ballet "" and many interesting facts Read about this work on our page.

Summary of "Raymonda"

The ballet takes place in medieval Provence. The lovely Raymonda, living in the castle of an elderly aunt, is betrothed to the Hungarian crusader knight Jean de Brien. But the girl’s happiness is overshadowed by separation - her betrothed, part of the army of the Hungarian ruler Andrew II, goes on a military campaign. One night, Raymonda has a dream that plunges her into complete confusion - instead of the groom she dreams of, a formidable Saracen sheikh comes to her, seeking her love. This dream deprives the girl of peace, and soon she will have to make sure that it turned out to be prophetic.

At a party held in honor of Raymonda's birthday, she is introduced to the Saracen knight Abderahman. Seized by forebodings, the girl tries to avoid his company, but Abderakhman, struck to the heart by Raymonda’s beauty, pursues her everywhere. He promises to throw all his power and the countless treasures he owns at her feet if she agrees to marry him, but Raymonda proudly rejects the formidable Saracen. The girl’s refusal infuriates him, and with the help of his retinue he tries to steal the object of his passion, but Jean de Brien, who has returned from a campaign, suddenly appears on his way. In a fair fight, he defeats Abderakhman and marries Raymond.

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Interesting facts:

• The first performer of the role of Raymonda was the famous Italian Pierina Legnani.
• On title page The author of the “Raymonda” score wrote that he dedicates his first ballet opus to the artists of the St. Petersburg ballet.
• Raymonda's part ballet world considered one of the most difficult to perform. She has as many as seven solo variations, so for ballerinas this role is “aerobatics.”
• A contemporary was considered unsurpassed by Raymonda Glazunov Elizaveta Gerdt. She had a truly regal bearing, characteristic of the image of Raymonda, and was so organic in this role that it seemed as if this ballet was written especially for her.
• There are several film adaptations of Raymonda. In 1973, a television version of the play staged by L. Lavrovsky was released. Exactly 10 years later, Yves Andre Hubert filmed full version performance in color for showing on French television. In 1989, the ballet “Raymonda” was filmed, revised by Y. Grigorovich, starring N. Bessmertnova, Y. Vasyuchenko and G. Taranda.
• Yuri Slonimsky, who wrote the libretto of “Raymonda” for Vainonen’s production, literally turned the original plot upside down. Raymonda's groom in Slonimsky's version is called Koloman, and it is he who is the treacherous traitor, while the Saracen knight Abderakhman appears as the embodiment of nobility.
• “Raymonda” became the swan song of the great choreographer Marius Petipa , who staged more than 40 performances during his life.

• The theater world started talking about 19-year-old Maya Plisetskaya after her performance in “Raymonda”. A photo of the ballerina in this role was published in the popular magazine Ogonyok in the victorious year of 1945.
• At the premiere of "Raymonda", staged in Bolshoi Theater Grigorovich, was present adopted daughter author of the ballet E. Glazunova-Gunther. The new interpretation of the famous ballet delighted the guest of honor. " This is the Russian “Raymonda”. It contains those deep thoughts that my father laid down in music", she concluded.
• Petipa's original production has not disappeared forever. The director of the Imperial Ballet Troupe, Nikolai Sergeev, thoroughly recorded it using a special system invented by his teacher. In 1917, Sergeev was forced to emigrate and in his luggage he took away unique manuscripts of ballets that he managed to record. Currently, this collection is the property of Harvard University.
• In 1999, a series of 6 commemorative coins dedicated to “Raymonda” was issued in Russia. It included three silver coins in denominations of 3, 10 and 25 rubles and three gold coins in denominations of 25, 50 and 100 rubles, which depict various fragments from Raymonda.

• Some of the most striking fragments of the ballet are the “Oriental Suite”, heard in the second act, and the Hungarian Grand Pas - the famous dance of the four gentlemen.
• J. Balanchine considered the music of “Raymonda” one of the best ballet scores. He was so impressed by her that he created one act ballet to the music of Glazunov “Variations on Themes of Raymonda”. It included a corps de ballet waltz, an adagio and 7 female variations.

Popular numbers from the ballet “Raymonda”

Hungarian Grand Pas (listen)

Exit Saracen (listen)

Spanish dance(listen)

The history of the creation of "Raymonda"

The libretto of “Raymonda” was born from the imagination of the St. Petersburg journalist and writer Lidia Pashkova. True, her works could not boast of the depth and originality of plot twists. Here's to the future Russian masterpiece ballet stage Initially, I wasn’t very lucky with the plot; it turned out to be confusing and contradictory. But, despite the obvious weakness of the script, the director of the St. Petersburg Imperial Theaters I. Vsevolozhsky, who was concerned about the expansion ballet repertoire, made a fateful decision: the play was going to happen. He personally finalized the libretto and in the spring of 1896 ordered Alexander Glazunov music for the new ballet. The composer had to cope with the task in a very short time - the premiere of the ballet was scheduled for the 1897/1898 season. Glazunov was working on the Sixth Symphony, but he agreed to take on “Raymonda” - the theme of the Middle Ages and chivalry interested him with teenage years. Without waiting until he received the libretto, Glazunov in his thoughts already began to build the first numbers of the future ballet. In the summer, the young composer went abroad. In Aachen, he completed the symphony and plunged headlong into work on Raymonda. The next resort where he went was Wiesbaden, where the first two acts of the ballet were born.

Parallel work on the symphony explains the originality of the music of “Raymonda”. The ballet's score is distinguished by an abundance of orchestral palette and a special breadth of sound inherent in symphonic works.

Glazunov worked closely with the patriarch of Russian ballet and future director of Raymonda, Marius Petipa, carefully listening to the advice of the famous choreographer. Petipa tried to further enliven the libretto, making the dramatic lines of the ballet more complete and expressive. Two talented masters managed to create a bright, expressive choreography and its brilliant musical embodiment for an absolutely unremarkable plot.

Productions

The premiere of "Raymonda" became a real event in theater world St. Petersburg. It took place on January 7, 1898. That evening, the Italian Pierina Legnani shone on the stage of the Mariinsky Theater, her partners were famous dancers Sergei Legat and Pavel Gerdt. The premiere performance turned out to be a triumph for the ballet's creators. The composer was presented laurel wreath winner, and the artists read out a congratulation written in his honor.

Two years later, “Raymonda” was transferred to the Moscow stage by A. Gorsky. Initially, he used Petipa's choreographic discoveries, but in 1908 he presented an original production of the ballet with Ekaterina Geltser in the main role.

In 1938, the choreographer V. Vainonen and the famous theater figure Yu. Slonimsky took up the task of updating “Raymonda” on the stage of the Mariinsky, who completely reworked the plot of the ballet. In this edition, the performance entered the repertoire of the famous Galina Ulanova and Natalia Dudinskaya, their stage partners in the new “Raymonda” were Konstantin Sergeev and Vakhtang Chabukiani.

On April 7, 1945, the Bolshoi Theater presented to the audience Glazunov's ballet, revised by L. Lavrovsky, who used the choreographic discoveries of his predecessors - Petipa and Gorsky.

“Raymonda” occupies a special place in the work of the modern master of choreography Yu. Grigorovich. Former chief choreographer Bolshoi turned to this ballet twice - in 1984 and 2003. For the performance he created not only his own choreography, but also his own libretto. He treated Petipa's choreographic heritage with care, but shortened the plot, replacing pantomime scenes, of which there were quite a lot in Petipa's ballet, with dance scenes. The scenographic design of both performances belongs to the artist S. Virsaladze. If in the 1984 production the costumes and scenery were dominated by white, then in a later version the design of “Raymonda” is designed in blue tones. Because of this, in the ballet community the names “white” and “blue” were assigned to the two editions.

In the mid-20s of the last century, “Raymonda” gained fame abroad. Famous choreographer J. Balanchine showed the New York public some numbers from Glazunov's ballet. But the ballet gained real popularity among foreign audiences thanks to Rudolf Nureyev. “Raymonda” became his first big work on the Western stage. In 1964, Nureyev began working with the English Royal Ballet on “Raymonda” for a festival showing of the ballet in Italy.

First of all, he tried to find the original literary opus of librettist Pashkova, but failed. The famous dancer and choreographer had no choice but to rely on his own memory and experience - at the very beginning of his career he danced a knight of the royal retinue in Vainonen’s “Raymonda”. The rest was completed by the artist’s imagination. In 1965, the premiere took place, at which Nureyev brilliantly danced the role of de Brien. The following year he transferred Raymonda to the stage of the Australian Ballet, in 1972 he staged it for the Zurich ballet troupe, and in 1975 he presented a slightly modified version of Glazunov’s masterpiece at the American Ballet. Ballet theater in Boston. In 1983, Nureyev was invited to the post of director of the Paris Opera Ballet. He began his staging activities at the Paris Opera with “Raymonda”.

In October 2012, at Milan's La Scala theater, director Sergei Vikharev, in close collaboration with archival research coordinator Pavel Gershenzon, attempted to restore Petipa's Raymonda to its original form, based on the notes of director Nikolai Sergeev. The performance turned out to be not only one of the most successful, but also one of the most expensive in history. ballet performances. Its budget was a million dollars.

"and today remains one of the most difficult performances for any ballet troupe. Its intense choreography requires virtuosity and physical endurance from all performers. For artists, this is an opportunity to show all facets of classical dance technique. For the audience to enjoy the impressive spectacle of ballet mastery. For this, “Raymonda” is appreciated by ballet fans all over the world. The music of "Raymonda" is included in the treasury of Russian masterpieces musical art. The struggle between good and evil, the victory of beauty and fortitude over the dark sides human nature bring a life-affirming element to the ballet, and the colorful fireworks of the brightest dance numbers leaves in the soul of every viewer a jubilant feeling of celebration.

Video: watch the ballet “Raymonda” by Glazunov

Act I
Young Raymonda, niece of Countess Sibylla de Doris, is betrothed to knight Jean de Brienne. The knight comes to the castle to say goodbye to his bride. He must go on a campaign against the infidels, led by the Hungarian King Andrew II.
Raymonda says goodbye to her groom, and he leaves her.
Night. A magical garden of dreams appears in front of Raymonda. In the girl's dreams - Jean de Brien. Happy lovers are together again. Suddenly Jean de Brienne disappears. Instead, Raymonda sees an unknown eastern knight who turns to her with a passionate declaration of love. Raymonda is confused. She falls unconscious. The mirage disappears.
Dawn is coming. Raymonda realizes that her night vision is prophetic, it was sent to her from above as a sign of fate.

Action II
There is a celebration at Doris's castle. Among the other guests is the Saracen knight Abderakhman, accompanied by a magnificent retinue. Raymonda fearfully recognizes him as the mysterious hero of her nightly dreams.
Abderakhman offers Raymond power, wealth and power in exchange for her hand in marriage. Raymonda rejects her uninvited suitor. Enraged, he tries to kidnap her.
Suddenly, knights returning from a campaign appear. Jean de Brien is with them.
King Andrew II invites Jean de Brienne and Abderakhman to try their luck in a fair fight. Jean de Brien defeats Abderakhman. And the lovers are reunited.

Action III
King Andrew II blesses Raymonda and Jean de Brien. In honor of the King of Hungary, the wedding celebration ends with a large Hungarian dance.

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Raymond Ballet is a colorful and incredibly romantic performance staged by Marius Petipa and presented to the public for the first time in 1898. The libretto is based on a knightly legend of love. The action takes place in a medieval castle, where the birthday of the beautiful young Ramonda is celebrated. On the eve of the celebration, the girl receives news that her beloved knight Jean de Brienne is about to return from a campaign.

At the same time, the Saracen knight Abderakhman is also going to the castle for a visit, wanting to see Raymonda with his own eyes, rumors about whose captivating beauty are circulating in the area.
At the ball dedicated to Raymonda's name day, instead of the expected knight Jean de Brien, Abderakhman appears with his retinue. Ordering his subordinates to entertain those present, the uninvited guest attempts to kidnap the hero of the occasion. However, it is at this moment that de Brien appears. He enters into a duel with the kidnapper and, with the help of otherworldly forces, defeats him.

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It is not for nothing that the Baymonda ballet is considered a classic and is constantly present in the Bolshoi Theater repertoire. Fanfare and solemn marches with gentle waltzes, dreamy variations with an ancient Romanesque are successfully intertwined here.
In the 2003 edition of Yuri Grigorovich, the ballet gained freshness and novelty, while preserving the beauty of classical choreography. The exquisite beauty of the performance continues to attract audiences to the ballet today.

At the Bolshoi Theater the performance lasts just over three hours and includes two intermissions. You can also watch the ballet at the Bolshoi Theater if you take advantage of the opportunity to order tickets for Raymonda with us.

Alexander Konstantinovich Glazunov (life: 1865-1936) created the ballet “Raymonda”. The summary presented in this article demonstrates the composer's interest in the romantic theme of the Middle Ages. The ballet consists of 3 acts with an apotheosis. Its premiere took place at the Mariinsky Theater on January 7, 1898. The best ballet performers of that time took part in the production: Pierina Legnani, Sergei Legat, Pavel Gerdt and many others. The success with which the premiere took place was stunning. One of the advantages that distinguishes the ballet "Raymonda" is the libretto. The summary with which the audience is introduced helps to understand the music of the original composer.

The beginning of the action

Countess Sibylla, who appeared with the court ladies, is indignant. She doesn't like the fun of young people. She finds her entertainment not interesting and dynamic enough.

Elements of mysticism

The Seneschal enters. He reports the arrival of a messenger who brought good news from Raymonda's fiancé, knight Jean de Brienne. Tomorrow he should arrive at Doris's castle.

And the Seneschal comes again. He reports that the Saracen king Abderakhman has arrived, and news of Raymonda’s extraordinary beauty has reached him. He came to congratulate the beauty.

The vassals appear and greet Raymonda.

Conflict

Captivated by Raymonda's beauty, Abderakhman decides to kidnap her. Thus, a conflict based on a classic love triangle is introduced into the content of the ballet "Raymonda".

The holiday is over. Everyone leaves. When darkness falls, only the troubadours and her friends remain with Raymonda. A girl plays a romanesque on a lute, to which two couples dance. When Raymonda's turn comes, she dances, holding a white light scarf in her hands.

At night, Raymond, having fallen asleep, sees in a dream the appearance of a White Lady, illuminated by the light of the moon. The lady calls Raymonda to follow her into the garden, which is covered in fog at the sign of the White Lady. The trees are covered with a ghostly veil. The fog is gradually dissipating. Raymonda notices the figure of her fiancé. Raymonda is happy. The girl rushes into de Brienne's arms. Suddenly he disappears, and Raymonda comes face to face with Abderakhman, who passionately confesses his love to her. Raymonda rejects him indignantly. Visions surround her on all sides. Raymonda faints and falls. Abderakhman mysteriously disappears.

At dawn, Raymonda's pages and servants run onto the castle terrace. They are trying to bring her to her senses.

Castle Doris. Courtyard. Gentlemen, knights, troubadours, and owners of neighboring castles who were invited to the holiday come here.

Raymonda is looking forward to the arrival of her fiancé Jean de Brienne. Suddenly, Abderakhman and his retinue appear in his place. Raymonda does not want to see a guest who is unpleasant to her. Countess Sibylla insists on observing the rules of hospitality. Abderakhman admires Raymonda. He's in once again confesses his love to her, wanting to make her his wife. Raymonda is outraged.

Climax and resolution of action

At this time, Abderakhman's retinue, on his orders, entertains Raymonda with the guests. The guests' cups are filled with wine. In the midst of dancing and feasting, Abderakhman tries to kidnap Raymonda with the help of his slaves. Suddenly Jean de Brienne appears. King Andrew is with him. The knight fought under his banner. Having freed Raymonda, de Brienne rushes at Abderakhman. By order of the king, a duel is arranged. Suddenly, the ghost of the White Lady appears at the top of the tower, blinding Abderahman with her light. Jean mortally wounds Abderakhman with a blow of his sword.

Epilogue

The hands of the happy young people - Jean de Brienne and Raymonda - are joined by King Andrew. Thus, the content of the ballet "Raymonda" embodies the triumph of love and goodness.

The wedding feast takes place in the garden of the castle of the Knight of Brienne. In honor of the king, who is present at the celebration, a divertissement is given. It consists of Polish and Hungarian dances.

The ballet "Raymonda" is an example of the unsurpassed skill of composer Alexander Glazunov. The rhythms and intonations of oriental, Slavic and Hungarian dances create the extraordinary color and originality of the sound of "Raymonda", which rightfully belongs to the highest achievements of Russian classical music. Contents of the ballet "Raymonda" by Glazunov - shining example construction of dramaturgy in the art of that time.

(Teatralnaya Square, 1)

Ballet in 3 acts (3h15m)
A. Glazunov

Libretto by Yuri Grigorovich based on the script by Lydia Pashkova based on medieval knightly legends

Choreographer - Yuri Grigorovich (edition 2003)
Fragments of choreography by Marius Petipa and Alexander Gorsky were used
Artist - Simon Virsaladze
Stage conductor - Pavel Sorokin
Lighting designer - Mikhail Sokolov
Assistant choreographer - Natalia Bessmertnova

Duration: 3 hours 15 minutes, with one intermission

Characters and performers:

Conductor-Pavel Sorokin
Countess Sibylla de Doris-Elena Bukanova, Maria Volodina, Elena Dolgaleva
Raymonda, niece of Countess Maria Allash, Nina Ananiashvili, Anna Antonicheva, Nadezhda Gracheva, Galina Stepanenko
Andrew II, King of Hungary - Alexey Barseghyan, Alexey Loparevich, Andrey Sitnikov
Knight Jean de Brien, Raymonda's fiancé Alexander Volchkov, Ruslan Skvortsov, Andrei Uvarov, Sergei Filin, Nikolai Tsiskaridze
Abderakhman, Saracen knight - Rinat Arifulin, Dmitry Belogolovtsev, Yuri Klevtsov, Mark Peretokin, Dmitry Rykhlov
Clémence and Henriette, Raymonda's friends Maria Alexandrova, Maria Allash, Elena Andrienko, Anastasia Goryacheva, Nina Kaptsova, Svetlana Lunkina, Marianna Ryzhkina, Irina Semirechenskaya, Olga Stebletsova, Ekaterina Shipulina
Bernard, Beranger, troubadours - Karim Abdullin, Yuri Baranov, Andrey Bolotin, Alexander Voytyuk, Alexander Volchkov, Alexander Vorobyov, Yan Godovsky, Victor Klein, Ruslan Pronin, Denis Savin, Ruslan Skvortsov
Seneschal-Alexey Loparevich-Andrey Sitnikov, Alexander Fadeechev
Two knights - Victor Alekhine, Georgy Geraskin
"Raymonda's Dreams" - Yulia Grebenshchikova, Yulia Efimova, Maria Zharkova, Nelly Kobakhidze, Natalya Malandina, Nuria Nagimova, Victoria Osipova, Anna Rebetskaya, Irina Semirechenskaya, Olga Stebletsova, Oksana Tsvetnitskaya
First variation - Maria Allash, Anna Antonicheva, Nina Kaptsova, Nelly Kobakhidze, Elena Kulaeva, Svetlana Lunkina, Irina Semirechenskaya, Olga Stebletsova, Irina Yatsenko
Second variation - Elena Andrienko, Alesya Boyko, Anastasia Goryacheva, Nina Kaptsova, Ekaterina Krysanova, Anna Leonova, Natalya Malandina, Irina Fedotova, Ekaterina Shipulina, Irina Yatsenko
Saracen dance - Yulia Lunkina, Ksenia Sorokina, Anna Nakhapetova, Anastasia Yatsenko, Sergey Antonov. Vasily Zhidkov, Pyotr Kazmiruk, Denis Medvedev, Alexander Petukhov
Spanish dance - Anna Balukova, Ekaterina Barykina, Maria Zharkova, Maria Isplatovskaya, Kristina Karaseva, Anna Koblova, Nuria Nagimova
Mazurka-Anna Antropova, Maria Isplatovskaya, Maxim Valukin, Georgy Geraskin, Alexander Somov
Hungarian dance - Anna Antropova, Lyudmila Ermakova, Yuliana Malkhasyants, Anna Rebetskaya, Lyubov Filippova, Yuri Baranov, Vitaly Biktimirov, Maxim Valukin, Alexander Somov, Timofey Lavrenyuk
Big classical dance - Svetlana Gnedova, Anna Grishonkova, Yulia Efimova, Maria Zharkova, Olga Zhurba, Nelly Kobakhidze, Svetlana Kozlova, Natalya Malandina, Victoria Osipova, Svetlana Pavlova, Anna Rebetskaya, Irina Semirechenskaya, Olga Stebletsova, Olga Suvorova and others
Variation-Maria Bogdanovich, Anastasia Goryacheva, Nina Kaptsova
Summary
Act I

Young Raymonda, niece of Countess Sibylla de Doris, is betrothed to knight Jean de Brien. The knight comes to the castle to say goodbye to his bride. He must go on a campaign against the infidels, led by the Hungarian King Andrew II.

Raymonda says goodbye to her groom, and he leaves her.

Night. A magical garden of dreams appears in front of Raymonda. In the girl's dreams - Jean de Brienne. Happy lovers are together again. Suddenly Jean de Brienne disappears. Instead, Raymonda sees an unknown eastern knight who turns to her with a passionate declaration of love. Raymonda is confused. She falls unconscious. The mirage disappears.

Dawn is coming. Raymonda realizes that her night vision is prophetic, it was sent to her from above as a sign of fate.

Act II

There is a celebration at Doris's castle. Among the other guests is the Saracen knight Abderakhman, accompanied by a magnificent retinue. Raymonda fearfully recognizes him as the mysterious hero of her nightly dreams.

Abderakhman offers Raymond power, wealth and power in exchange for her hand in marriage. Raymonda rejects her uninvited suitor. Enraged, he tries to kidnap her.

Suddenly, knights returning from a campaign appear. Jean de Brien is with them.

King Andrew II invites Jean de Brienne and Abderakhman to try their luck in a fair fight. Jean de Brien defeats Abderakhman. And the lovers are reunited.

Act III

King Andrew II blesses Raymonda and Jean de Brien. In honor of the King of Hungary, the wedding celebration ends with a large Hungarian dance.

"Raymonda" returns to the Bolshoi
The Bolshoi Theater has resumed the ballet "Raymonda" staged by Yuri Grigorovich. "Finance." visited the scene of the murder of a Saracen knight and spied what the young countesses dreamed of...
Yulia Gordienko

The young maiden is graceful, fragile and sophisticated. The beautiful knight is captivated by her sublime purity and airy smoothness of movements. They are engaged and almost happy, but separation prevents them from merging into a harmonious duet: Jean de Brien, as befits medieval knights, goes on a campaign. Meanwhile, his dreamy bride is dreaming strange dream...

This is how the ballet “Raymonda” begins, which has long been listed in the register of Russian ballet classics. Monumental, majestic music by Alexander Glazunov and innovative for late XIX century choreography by Marius Petipa ensured the resounding success of the 1898 premiere. Since then, the story of love and rivalry, the struggle between a noble knight and a passionate Saracen sheikh for the right to possess the beautiful Countess Raymonda, has been rewritten more than once. The libretto underwent the most revision: written not by a professional, but by an amateur librettist Lidia Pashkova, it was distinguished by its uncomplicated simplicity and poverty storylines.

The current production by Yuri Grigorovich is a complete remake of the 1984 play, which left the Bolshoi repertoire just a couple of years ago. The choreographer retains fragments of Petipa's choreography, mixing them with inserts from Alexander Gorsky's later version, and adds his own episodes, trying to give the action greater drama and oriental character. Grigorovich shortens numerous pantomimes, strengthens the corps de ballet and enlarges the dance parts of the soloists.

The first act is rather sluggish. The music, which requires either the finest, transparent lyrics, or dramatic tension, seems to call on Maria Allash (Raymonda) and Alexander Volchkov (Jean de Brien) to be emotional, to have meaningful fullness of images. But for some reason it feels like the dancers have not yet warmed up, have not immersed themselves in the role, but are floating on the surface. Thus, the dream scene in which main character sees a passionate eastern knight, frightening her with ardent declarations of love. In this climax of the first act, only the synchronicity of the corps de ballet is perfect: the extras are wonderfully good and resemble a flock of startled birds flying from one end of the stage to the other. But Raymonda remains inhibited and lethargic, which, however, is quite forgivable for a sleeping girl.

Everything changes in the second part, when the Saracen knight Abderakhman, played by Dmitry Rykhlov, arrives at the castle. He adds so much lacking dynamics to the action; he dances a bright, strong, desperate man. His jumps are sharp and angular, and there is a sense of physical power about him that is almost mesmerizing. Abderakhman tries to win the love of the charming Raymonda, offers countless treasures and even tries to kidnap the intractable countess. The returning groom stands up for the bride, tired of the harassment of the hot Saracen, and after a short duel throws him at the feet of his beloved, at which he, in fact, dies. This is the most plot-rich part of the ballet, after which nothing will happen: the third act - the happy reunion of lovers - carries a purely aesthetic, but little substantive load.

One of the intrigues of the current production is the roles of Raymonda’s friends performed by two Bolshoi principals, Maria Alexandrova and Ekaterina Shipulina. They are flawless and easy and seem to go on stage saying: we didn’t get the title role due to a pure misunderstanding. However, Maria Allash completely dances away by the middle of the ballet: she undoubtedly succeeds in the famous scene with the gauze scarf, which she performs in one breath. Raymonda seems to be a muse, a nymph, a white dove, a poetic line. Alexander Volchkov enlivens the third act. Against the backdrop of the long and slightly boring Hungarian and large classical dance he literally shoots out two solo parts, almost hanging in the air for a moment.

The set design of the performance looks somewhat dull. Simon Virsaladze's set - gloomy dark blue drapery and columns almost touching the ceiling - evokes a feeling of anxiety and somehow does not fit with the pomp of the palace scenes. But the costumes are simply fabulous. They shine with airy whiteness and shimmer with gold; they create a mood - light, relaxed, sparkling. True, the length of capes and trains sometimes turns out to be excessive: dancers get tangled in them and risk losing their balance.

So was it worth restoring the performance, which was still fresh in the memory of Bolshoi regulars? The beaming face of Yuri Grigorovich, who came out to the audience for the final bow, said that the efforts were not entirely in vain. The delight of the large public, fairly fueled by the cries of the clackers, confirmed this. And if some parts of the ballet seemed too long and inexpressive, this was smoothed out by the impeccable playing of the orchestra, conducted by Pavel Sorokin. The soulful piano solo of Vera Chasovennaya, the magical shimmer of Alla Levina’s harp, the gentle chirping of violins and the cor anglais solo were sometimes more captivating than the development of the relationship between the noble de Brienne, the frantic Abderakhman and the fragile feminine Raymonda.