Debuts in Prodigal Son

Scene from the Prodigal Son

Prodigal Son, first staged in 1929, is one of two surviving ballets created by the young George Balanchine for Sergei Diaghilev’s company. In this production, however, it is impossible to recognise the choreographer-to-be of plot-less dance symphonies, the trumpeter of the unity of music and “pure dance”. There is a plot in Prodigal Son – here the Biblical parable is told using the language of imagistic dance. In accordance with Diaghilev’s conventions, Balanchine was not the sole creator of the ballet – the scenario was written by Boris Kochno and the music composed by Sergei Prokofiev. The composer even claimed the success of the production to be entirely his own, disparagingly speaking of the merits of the young ballet master. It is, however, specifically thanks to the characters that come to life in Balanchine’s inventive choreography that Prokofiev’s music for Prodigal Son has been performed at the world’s great theatres for over eighty years now.

To create the images of the Biblical characters, the performers of this ballet need to be excellent actors as well as great dancers. On 5 April two acclaimed dancers will be making their debuts in Prodigal Son. Maxim Zyuzin will be performing the iconic role of the Prodigal Son for the first time, while Anastasia Kolegova, who has all the right qualities to create the image of the seductive and treacherous diva, is making her debut as the Siren.

The same evening sees seven debuts in Pétrouchka, a ballet by Igor Stravinsky with choreography by Michel Fokine. Oxana Marchuk will be appearing as the Ballerina for the first time. The roles of the Wet-Nurse and the Coachman will be performed by Galina Rusina and Yevgeny Konovalov. Olga Gromova and Irina Tolchilshchikova will be dancing as the Gypsies and Nikolai Naumov as the Merchant. Nikolai Leontiev will be making his debut as one of the Grooms.