Raymonda

Fashioned by famed choreographer Marius Petipa from a medieval legend, the libretto for Aleksandr Glazunov's 1898 ballet Raymonda is absurdly simple. A young countess named Raymonda—who is betrothed to knight Jean de Brienne (absent on crusade)—is visited during her birthday celebration by Saracen prince Abderahman, who has fallen madly in love with her. Abderahman's advances are cut short by the return of Jean, who dispatches his rival in a duel, and the final act consists of a festival of dances celebrating the nuptials. Accompanying this thin narrative is a score that lacks true melodic genius but is unfailingly easy on the ear. The music is expressively played in this 2011 performance by the Orchestra of Milan's Teatro alla Scala under the baton of Michail Jurowski, while the dancing by Olesia Novikova in the titular role, Friedemann Vogel as Jean, and Mick Zeni as Abderahman—along with the supporting soloists, and the corps de ballet—is superb. What sets this production apart is the fact that the staging by Sergej Vikharev reconstructs (insofar as possible) the original St. Petersburg premiere, drawing on archival materials to re-create not only Petipa's choreography but also the lavish sets and costumes. Because dancing styles have radically changed since the time of the Romanovs, the result here is refreshingly different from modern productions, and the creators deserve credit for putting so much effort into returning the work to its roots. Presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 and PCM stereo on DVD, and DTS-HD 5.1 and PCM stereo on Blu-ray, this is highly recommended. (F. Swietek)