Princess Aurora: Alina Somova
Prince Désiré: Victor Caixeta
The Lilac Fairy: Maria Iliushkina
The Diamond Fairy: Valeria Martynyuk
Carabosse the Wicked Fairy: Elena Bazhenova
Princess Florine: Yekaterina Osmolkina
Bluebird: Alexei Timofeyev
Premiere: 3 January 1890, Mariinsky Theatre
Premiere of the revival: 30 April 1999, Mariinsky Theatre
Running time: 4 hours
The performance has three intervals
Ivan Vsevolozhsky, the Director of the Imperial Theatres, was the initiator of The Sleeping Beauty production and the landmark encounter between Pyotr Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. He wrote the libretto, created the costumes and became the co-author of the miracle born by the genius of two great masters in 1890. In the production, it was as if Vsevolozhsky, a brilliant connoisseur and enthusiast of Louis XIV, opened a window into his favourite period creating a feeling of an exuberant, almost masquerade-like extravaganza: in one scene, like at balls in Versailles, could come together ultramarine, lilac, scarlet and emerald costumes.
The pathos of respect for the French Golden Age (not just Aurora but the entire world woke up under the Sun King) was fundamental to the idea behind The Sleeping Beauty and determined the atmosphere of the ballet extravaganza. But, unfortunately, in the 20th century, the production got a makeover, was adapted to the tastes of different times.
After long decades of oblivion, the image of the production of the times of Petipa returned to the stage of the Mariinsky Theatre in 1999. The 1890 stage design was revived based on the sketches by Vsevolozhsky and the premiere decorative artists, while the choreographer Sergei Vikharev restored the structure of Marius Petipa’s creation drawing on the recordings of the ballet made in the early 20th century – with all the splendour of the spectacle, the ceremonious metering of dance and pantomime, and the atmosphere of celebration. And today the 21st century audience has the opportunity to see in action on stage the luxurious gesamtkunstwerk which in its day inspired Alexandre Benoi to venture Russian Seasons. Olga Makarova
The highlighting of performances by age represents recommendations.
This highlighting is being used in accordance with Federal Law N436-FZ dated 29 December 2010 (edition dated 1 May 2019) "On the protection of children from information that may be harmful to their health"