The centuries-long dialogue between Spanish folk dance and high culture stage dance reached its zenith in the ballet „Don Quixote“, which was premiered in 1869 in Moscow. For his ballet, Frenchman Marius Petipa drew inspiration from episodes in the legendary novel by Cervantes. The music was composed by Austrian Ludwig Minkus. In the East a fixture in the repertoire since its première, in the West „Don Quixote“ became part of the international repertoire only following the adaptation by Rudolf Nureyev for the Vienna State Opera. From Vienna the ballet went around the world and now returned to the opera house on the Ring after an extended absence. “A Don Quixote to love … Legris and company can count the evening a total success” (Die Presse);
The Nureyev Box
Three of the most popular ballets in the original versions created by the world-famous ballet genius Rudolf Nureyev, with the Wiener Staatsballett, one of the greatest companies in the world. “A masterly performance in every respect.” (Die Presse about Swan Lake); “No version of The Nutcracker that we have ever seen has been more potently dramatic; few have displayed so sharp an imprint of personal style.” (Clive Barnes); “Elegant, romantic, delightful” (Die Presse); “Outstanding soloists.” (Der Standard); “A Don Quixote to love … Legris and company can count the evening a total success.” (Die Presse); As for the two principals, Maria Yakovleva and Denys Cherevychko as Kitri and Basil, no praise was high enough: “both are technically brilliant.” (Wiener Zeitung)
Rudolf Nureyev’s Don Quixote
Don Quixote was created by the master choreographer Marius Petipa, together with the composer Ludwig Minkus, for the Imperial Bolshoi Ballet in Moscow in 1869. Marking the 400th anniversary of Cervantes’s death, Don Quixote is here seen in the revised version by Rudolf Nureyev which the French choreographer Manuel Legris – once a noted Basil
himself in his days as an “étoile” in Nureyev’s Paris troupe – devised for the Wiener Staatsballett. “A Don Quixote to love … Legris and company can count the evening a total success” (Die Presse). As for the two principals, Maria Yakovleva and Denys Cherevychko as Kitri and Basil, no praise was high enough: “both are technically brilliant” (Wiener Zeitung).
Don Quichot
Don Quichot – an audience favourite of prestigious companies worldwide – is a dazzling display of high spirits, virtuosity and Spanish temperament. The flamboyant leaps, dizzying pirouettes and crisp pointe work that are standard features of the production give the performers every opportunity to show off their technical prowess. But at the same time, the comic story based on Cervantes’ masterpiece makes strong demands on the dancers’ acting abilities. The leading Russian choreographer Alexei Ratmansky has drawn inspiration for his production from the libretto of the first version of Don Quichot by Marius Petipa, created in 1869. The former artistic director of the Bolshoi Ballet and Artist in Residence of the American Ballet Theatre now has also added his own new elements and choreography to the ballet. The modern designs for the ballet, by the renowned French designer Jérôme Kaplan, refer to the times of Cervantes.
Sylvia
Léo Delibes’ Sylvia, created in 1876 at the Opéra Garnier, is an absolute masterpiece for its choreographic and musical richness. Manuel Legris, star of the Paris Opera, brings to Milan a new Sylvia that will delight the audience with its sumptuous choreography. This version of Sylvia focuses primarily on heterogeneous possibilities for the development of pure dance and thus also gives a wide scope to the picturesque moments that are once again decorated in great detail by Luisa Spinatelli.