Despite the conglomerate of French and Hungarian influences in a slightly confusing libretto, the ballet “Raymonda”, set in a Middle age castle, is a decidedly Russian work of art. Vaganova Today first witnessed this balletic masterpiece in 2007 when prima ballerina Uliana Lopatkina reprised the leading role twice in the three-night block. Nearly 20 years later, a handful of new faces have renewed “Raymonda”, infusing new talent into the old ballet.
* * *
Maria Iliushkina led the four-night run alongside Even Capitaine, the local Frenchman who is her frequent partner. In addition to exquisite positions and precision technique, Iliushkina infused her Raymonda with radiance and soulful warmth, adding a human element and infusing her character with love. Not a single misstep – from the quick retire passé section, to the tricky dance with the long white tulle shawl—occurred in her expert delivery, but more intriguing is Iliushkina’s complete embodiment of the character. Gentleness overshadows regal bearing. She is less the unattainable princess and more the well-bred, soft-mannered girl taken aback by the rough, uncouth mannerisms of Abderakhman who attempts to gain her hand by any means possible, even violence. For this performance, Roman Belyakov performed an aggressive bloodthirsty Abderakhman easily killed by de Brienne. Belyakov excels at romantic roles (his recent “Romeo” proved excellent), but this performance proved his talent in character roles as well.
In Mr. Capitaine’s debut, he portrayed a noble, regal Jean de Brienne, a true “knight on a white horse”. While his onstage presentation seems decidedly French, it is nonetheless marked with accents of Russian training that, especially in this ballet, proved quite fitting. His partnering proved reliable and his princely bearing matched Iliushkina’s refined manner.
On March 14th, Nail Enikeev, who debuted in the Act 3 Mazurka alongside Alisa Rusina, drew attention for his electric energy and bravado presentation.
On the 16th of March, the longtime audience favorite Olesya Novikova performed the leading role alongside Evgeny Konovalov who debuted as Jean de Brienne (see our interview with Mr. Konovalov here). Although Novikova is now an established and polished professional ballerina in every sense of the word, Konovalov appeared no less polished alongside her. Blessed with pliant arches and considerable ballon, his cabrioles soared and partnering sequences provided smooth transitions.In the choreographically awkward “knee on shoulder” lift repeated twice in the duet with Raymonda, he added a rélèvé prior to bringing her down from his shoulder, making a potentially awkward shift not just smooth but accented with a virtuosic note.
For this performance, Nail Enikeev reappeared in the Act 3 Panaderos with as much vigor as he gave to the Mazurka two nights prior. Roman Malyshev shined brightly in the Act 3 Hungarian Dance alongside Olga Belik – both dancers added plenty of épaulement and panache to this lively section.
One of the most engaging portions of this entire ballet is the Act 3 male quartet. The four gentlemen perform a series of jumps followed by double tours in cannon. Of the two nights, the cast on March 16th proved superior: Ramanbek Beyshenaliev, Kian Magnis, Danil Zinoviev and Ivan Sotnikov offered tight double tours, while upholding the musicality of the section.
“Raymonda” is rarely performed on the Mariinsky stage, despite the large number of dancers in the troupe today. It’s an inherently Russian production, perhaps old-fashioned in terms of sets and libretto, but one that gives us a glance backwards in time to what the audiences in 1898 first viewed on this sacred stage.
Photo credit (above): Olesya Novikova with Evgeny Konovalov in “Raymonda” by Natasha Razina. Photo below: Maria Iliushkina with Even Capitaine, by Natasha Razina. Both photos (c) Mariinsky Theatre 2025.