Love, War and Destiny, Raymonda Reimagined by Tamara Rojo and SF Ballet

The love story of Raymonda amid the backdrop of Crimean war unfolded on stage on March 1 at the War Memorial Opera House. Complex, daring and arresting, the North America premiere by San Francisco Ballet is Artistic Director Tamara Rojo’s labor of love as her adaptation of the original Raymonda, a masterpiece created by Marius Petipa, the “father of classical ballet”, for the Imperial Mariinsky theatre in 1898.

Rojo’s adaptation, centered on the Crimean war (1853-56), brings a contemporary perspective and cultural resonation to Petipa’s original and classic creation. The reimagination of Raymonda with a new and fresh depth is based on the women pioneers like Florence Nightingale who dedicated her life to saving lives of wounded soldiers with nursing care at the frontline warzone. The storyline is centered on the heroin’s journey from self-discovery of desire to the emotional conflict and eventual action taking to her ambition of saving the world, a much more relevant connection to the modern era, compared to the original but medieval Crusades plot in which the fragile fiancée helplessly waits to be rescued by her hero. Rojo ambitiously intertwines the elements of history, social conventions and cultures, with the emotional struggles of a love triangle romance, to highlight a determined young woman’s complex struggles with her personal choices in a turbulent time, her sense of duty and ambition to fulfill a professional destiny.

The dynamic narrative is matched with abundance of on-stage characters of John de Bryan, Abdur Rahman, sister Clemence, Henriette, the Baroness de Bryan, as well as Ottoman soldiers and British soldiers and nurses. The vibrant character dances by Choreographer Vadim Sirotin celebrate cultural diversity and highlight the historical context of the Crimean war. The demanding choreography incorporate plenty of traditional Hungarian and Middle Eastern influenced dance movements that are precisely executed by expert dancers with solid and refined classic technique. The ensemble dances by the Ottoman soldiers as well as nurses emphasize not only cultural identities but also human connection and cultural alliance during a wartime.

The original 19 th -century Raymonda premiered shortly after Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker and Sleeping Beauty at the Imperial Theatre in Russia, with its original scores written in the same extravagant style by Alexander Glazunov. It is uniquely exciting to hear the cimbalom in Act III, a Hungarian music instrument that is rarely played today. Glazunov was the teacher of SF Ballet’s Music Director Martin West’s conducting teacher Ilya Musin. It is especially exciting for West to conduct the orchestra to play the many captivating melodies as a tribute to the teaching legacies.

An ambitious production of a classic reimagined, Raymonda has a vibrant story with a fearless heroin and highlights multicultural diversity with vibrant choreography. Human struggles of choices and calling of duty during a wartime are all played out with breathtaking melodies evoking complex emotions and thoughts. Raymonda is a must-see of SF Ballet’s second season under Artistic Director Tamara Rojo, March 1–8 at the War Memorial Opera House.