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La Bayadère

The kingdom of the shades - Acte III

Premiere by the Ballet du Capitole on 28 November 2013

 

Music  Ludwig Minkus  

Arrangements  John Lanchbery 

Choreography and staging  Rudolf Noureev, adapted from Marius Petipa  Sets  Ezio Frigerio

Costumes  Franca Squarciapino 

Lighting  Vinicio Cheli, adapted by Patrick Méeüs

 

 

 

The evening of ballets will open with a hypnotic and eerie procession of the Shades from Act III of La Bayadère. This tribute to Rudolf Nureyev is symbolic in that he considered this act, The Kingdom of the Shades, to be the absolute masterpiece of Marius Petipa, his favourite choreographer. Furthermore, it was as the male lead of this ballet (Solor) and in this act, that he debuted on the stage of Palais Garnier on 19 May 1961 at the age of 23. And it was on that same stage that he attended the Première of his La Bayadère on 8 October 1992, which turned out to be his final ballet. He died three months later at the age of 54. With this La Bayadère marking the beginning and end of his career in the west, Rudolf Nureyev creates a synthesis of the transmission of ballet over several generations; the original by Marius Petipa (1877) was enhanced by numerous revisions added by the dancers and choreographers of the Maryinski, over the course of more than a century.

Sleeping Beauty

Pas de deux - Acte III

Premiere by the Ballet du Capitole on 28 November 2013

 

Music  Piotr Ilyitch Tchaïkovski 

Choreography  Rudolf Noureev, adapted from Marius Petipa

Costumes  Franca Squarciapino 

Lighting  Vinicio Cheli, adapted by Patrick Méeüs

The Sleeping Beauty is a key work in Nureyev's career, with him qualifying it as the "ballet of ballets": a huge success for Marius Petipa, it is also the ultimate expression of the classical style of the Maryinski in Saint Petersburg. The pas de deux in Act III between Aurora and Prince Désiré, also known as the Wedding pas de deux, is a concentrate of classical precision, virtuosity, technical sharpness and unsurpassable elegance.

Roméo and Juliette

Love scene - Acte I

Premiere by the Ballet du Capitole on 28 November 2013

 

Music  Sergueï Prokofiev 

Choreography  Rudolf Noureev 

Costumes  Ezio Frigerio and Mauro Pagano 

Lighting  Vinicio Cheli, adapted by Patrick Méeüs

 

The love scene in Act I of Nureyev's Romeo and Juliette corresponds to the traditional balcony scene. At the end of the ball, Romeo and Juliette meet at night in the Capulets' garden and exchange vows of love. Extremely lyrical, this scene is extenuating for dancers because of its extreme length and many steps that must be strung together almost without breathing.

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