For tickets and access click here
Raymonda Act III, to music by Alexander Glazunov, was choreographed by Rudolf Nureyev reproducing almost exactly Marius Petipa’s original 1898 choreography, which he had danced in Russia.
It is a sequence of divertissements set in designer Barry Kay’s sumptuous castle hall, complete with chandeliers and large hanging images of Russian Orthodox icons. Glittering costumes in white and gold denote the celebrations of Raymonda’s wedding to the crusader Jean de Brienne after a series of complicated plot developments in Acts I and II, which we don’t need to know to enjoy the spectacle of Act III.
Often performed on its own, Raymonda Act III, with its famous pas classique hongrois for eight couples, offers a combination of character ensemble work and a series of classical solo variations; and a regal pas de deux for the central couple, danced in this 2019 recording by the virtuoso principals Vadim Muntagirov and Natalia Osipova.
Here's Osipova at her most regal
And if that doesn't whet your appetite....
| What | Raymonda Act III, The Royal Ballet Online |
| Where | Online | MAP |
| When |
12 Feb 21 – 14 Mar 21, First streamed at 19:00 Available on demand until 14 March |
| Price | £3 |
| Website | Click here to access |
