Staged and performed by the English National Ballet 2022

“Raymonda is, in many respects, a story about the struggle to balance desire and duty.”

Direction & Choreography: Tamara Rojo & Marius Petipa
Music: Alexander Glazunov (edited & adapted by Gavin Sutherland & Lars Payne
Set & Costume: Antony McDonald
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Raymonda: Fernanda Oliveira
John de Bryan: Francesco Gabriele Frola
Abdur Rahman: Erik Woolhouse

One of my favourite things to do is to research all the new ballets that are about to be staged and performed by various different companies across the U.K. I am always looking for something I haven’t yet seen, whether that is a brand new production or something restored from the past.

In many ways, the ENB’s Raymonda ticked all of those boxes. Firstly, it was something I had never seen staged before, and yet it had always been top of my list of ballets that I wanted to see. I had seen all the pictures from my ballet books as a child and desperately wanted to see it in real life, only to find that it was never performed in full in the U.K.- much to my disappointment. Therefore, I am so grateful to the English National Ballet, for putting the time and effort to resurrect this ballet, that had been partly lost in time, so we could all benefit from experiencing it firsthand as a new audience.

However, the ENB took it one step further, updating the narrative of the ballet so it would have more meaning for modern audiences. For example, instead of it being set during the Crusades, it is set during the Crimean War. Before, our leading lady Raymonda was much more two dimensional with her main storyline being one of abduction and rescue. Now, Raymonda’s character (heavily influenced by Florence Nightingale), flees her privileged home to become a nurse in the war, before becoming entangled in what can only be described as a tenuous love triangle.

As you can see, although Raymonda was initially premiered in 1898, the ENB’s new version gently brings it into the modern world, without being too heavy handed. Everything has been so well-thought out and well-placed, it is hard to imagine that the story was ever any different, especially as the score fits so well with everything your see on stage. In fact, Glazunov’s score is so beautiful, he has fast become one of my new favourite composers. Two moments that stuck out to me included:

• The dream sequence in Act 1 where there is this lovely interaction between the nurses and the injured soldiers, surrounded by the glowing lights of lanterns.

• Raymonda’s solo in Act 3 accompanied by a beautiful Dulcimer, played live on stage. The dance is melancholic and pensive, as she is torn between the man she has married and the man she yearns to be with.

Overall, I think it was a hugely successful ballet, and definitely worth the wait- the English National Ballet and Tamara Rojo should be incredibly proud! It seemed to be a full house during the performance I attended and it was so refreshing to see everyone come together and enjoy the artform that we all know and love. Especially after having not seen a ballet live for the past two years, this was the perfect production for my return to the theatre. And I can’t wait to see what comes next!

Performance I attended: 2pm 23rd January 2022, London Coliseum