BOSTON, MA – April 4, 2012 – Boston Ballet presents Rudolf Nureyev’s Don Quixote, April 26 – May 6, at The Boston Opera House, continuing the 2012 spring season of dance. The vibrant, lavish masterpiece, last presented in 2006, was first staged by Nureyev for Boston Ballet in 1982 when he danced the leading role of Basilio.
“Rudolf Nureyev’s Don Quixote is a classic with depth and complexity as well as spirit and vibrancy to its choreography,”said Boston Ballet Artistic Director Mikko Nissinen. “Audiences will be treated to several all-star casts, a combination of comedy and romance, and anabundance of exquisite dancing.”
Boston Ballet’s production of Don Quixote is staged by Maina Gielgud, former principal with London Festival Ballet and Sadler’s Wells Royal Ballet as well as an international guest artist. Gielgud directed The Australian Ballet and the Royal Danish Ballet. She currently freelances staging both classical and contemporary works. Gielgud was assisted by Amanda Eyles who has staged works for The Royal Ballet, English National Ballet, Scottish Ballet, and Pacific Northwest Ballet, among others. Monique Loudières, a former ètoile with Paris Opera Ballet and current Artistic and Pedagogical Director of the Ecole Supérieure de Danse de Cannes, has also acted as guest teacher and coach for the company.
The up coming production will feature all-star casts with several principals and soloists making debuts in the featured roles. Principal casting includes, in the roles of Kitri and Basilio, Lorna Feijóo and Nelson Madrigal, Erica Cornejo and Paulo Arrais, Misa Kuranaga and Jeffrey Cirio, Kathleen Breen Combes and James Whiteside, and Lia Cirio and Lasha Khozashvili. All casting is subject to change.
Rudolf Nureyev first choreographed his version of Don Quixote in Vienna in 1966 and it would later become one of his major successes. Nureyev’s Don Quixote is based on the Marius Petipa-Alexander Gorsky production familiar to him from his days with the Kirov Ballet. The production is danced to the score by Ludwig Minkus, arranged by John Lanchbery with sets and costumes by Nicholas Georgiadis.
The focus is not on Miguel de Cervantes’ hero but on the romance between two of the novel’s minor characters, Basilio and Kitri. Basilio is a barber and Kitri, the daughter of an inn keeper who is intent on marrying her off to the wealthy Gamache.
The Don Quixote story has roots back to1602 when Miguel de Cervantes began writing the work. The first part of the work was published in 1605, with the second portion published ten years later. Don Quixote is often referred to as the first modern novel and was viewed as a parody of one of the most popular themes of the period: chivalry. In the ensuing 400 years, opinions of the book evolved and, by the twentieth century, Don Quixote was recognized for its astute observations on the human condition.
The first known ballet based on Cervantes’ novel was choreographed by Franz Hilverding in Vienna in 1740. In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, productions were mounted in Vienna, Milan, St. Petersburg, London, Berlin, and Turin. Each of the early productions was danced to different scores, but all drew inspiration from the novel. The first known production to have focused on Kitri and Basilio – characters from the comic chapters in part two – was staged at the Paris Opera by Louis Milon in 1801 and was titled Les Noces de Gamache.
Marius Petipa wrote his own libretto for his 1869 production of Don Quixote for the Bolshoi Theatre and focused on Kitri and Basilio as well. His four-act ballet featured a score by Minkus. He staged a second production of Don Quixote for the Mariinsky in 1871. Later staged by Alexander Gorsky for both theatres, Don Quixote has remained a favorite in Moscow and St. Petersburg ever since. The ballet has since been re-staged by Mikhail Baryshnikov in 1978 and a version was choreographed by George Balanchine in 1965.
2011-2012 Season Tickets
Individual tickets, subscriptions, and Group Sales tickets are on sale now. Subscriptions and individual tickets are available online 24 hours a day at www.bostonballet.org, by phone at 617.695.6955, and in person at the box office at 19 Clarendon Street, Boston, Mon–Fri, 9:30am-5pm. Tickets start at $25 for season ballets. Group Sales tickets for parties of 10 or more are available through the box office at 617.695.6955.
About Boston Ballet
Since 1963, Boston Ballet has been one of the leading dance companies in the world on stage, in the studio and in the community. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Mikko Nissinen and Executive Director Barry Hughson, the Company maintains an internationally acclaimed repertoire and the largest ballet school in North America, Boston Ballet School.
Boston Ballet maintains a repertoire of classical, neo-classical and contemporary works, ranging from full-length story ballets to new works by some of today's finest choreographers. Boston Ballet's second company, Boston Ballet II, is comprised of dancers who gain experience by performing with the Company and independently, presenting special programs to audiences throughout the Northeast.
Boston Ballet School, the official school of Boston Ballet, has a long-standing dedication to providing excellence and access to dance education. It reaches more than 10,000 students, ages 9-months to adult each year through its four core programs: Children’s Program, Classical Ballet Program, Adult Dance Program and Pre-Professional Program. Boston Ballet’s award-winning community outreach initiatives include Citydance, Taking Steps, and Adaptive Dance. The wide array of dance programs are held at three studio locations in Boston, Newton, and Marblehead with additional programs throughout New England, as well as at community centers and in the Boston Public Schools.
Boston Ballet gratefully acknowledges the following institutional partners:
State Street Corporation, 2011 Presenting Sponsor, TheNutcracker
The BostonFoundation
Massachusetts Cultural Council
National Endowment for the Arts
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