Mayerling (ballet)

Mayerling (ballet)


This article is about the ballet based upon the Mayerling Incident. For the village, see Mayerling . For other uses, see Mayerling (disambiguation).
Mayerling
Choreographed by Kenneth MacMillan
Date of premiere 1978
Place of premiere London
Original ballet company Royal Ballet
Setting Austria
Genre Neoclassical ballet
Type classical ballet

Mayerling is a ballet created in 1978 by Kenneth MacMillan for the Royal Ballet, London.

Contents

Synopsis

Characters from Kenneth MacMillan's Mayerling, via The Ballet Bag

Rudolf, Crown Prince of Austria is forced into a marriage of state with Princess Stéphanie of Belgium; Countess Marie Larisch von Moennich, the mistress of whom he is tiring, introduces him to the very young – but hardly inexperienced – Baroness Mary Vetsera who becomes his next mistress; they make a suicide pact. The Emperor, Franz Joseph, has a mistress, Katharina Schratt, whom the Empress Elisabeth officially acknowledges, giving her the post of "reader" – and giving a portrait of Schratt to the Emperor as an anniversary present; only his mother, the Archduchess Sophie objects. The Empress, known as "Sisi" since childhood (or "Sissi" as it is Anglicised), has a lover, the British Colonel "Bay" Middleton; only her son, Prince Rudolf, objects. Rudolf in turn has a former mistress, Larisch; a new mistress, Vetsera; and a "regular" mistress, that is to say, a commoner, Mitzi Caspar, variously described as an actress and as a high class prostitute; to all of whom the Emperor objects. Mitzi is a police informer and conducting an affair at the same time with the chief of police – which leaves Bratfisch, Rudolf's loyal private cab driver and a popular entertainer – apparently at a "notorious tavern". The ballet is framed with scenes of the Baroness Vetsera's uncles bearing her corpse to her final resting place, Heiligenkreuz Abbey.

Original production

Mayerling was first produced for the Royal Ballet in 1978, by the British choreographer Sir Kenneth Macmillan, with a scenario written by Gillian Freeman, scenery and costume designs by Nicholas Georgiadis and lighting design by David Hersey. Music for the ballet was composed by Franz Liszt, and was compiled from existing works arranged and orchestrated by John Lanchbery who also conducted the orchestra during the ballet's first season. The ballet was dedicated to the Royal Ballet's founder choreographer Sir Frederick Ashton, and premiered at the Royal Opera House, London, on 14 February 1978. The Royal Opera House collections have archive information from twelve performances of this ballet, including the premiere and subsequent revivals.[1][1][2]

Original Cast

Role Character Description Dancer
Crown Prince Rudolf Crown Prince of Austria-Hungary David Wall
Baroness Mary Vetsera Mistress of Crown Prince Rudolph Lynn Seymour
Princess Stephanie Wife of Crown Prince Rudolph Wendy Ellis
Emperor Franz Josef of Austria-Hungary Father of Crown Prince Rudolph Michael Somes
Empress Elisabeth Mother of Crown Prince Rudolph Georgina Parkinson[3][4]
Countess Marie Larisch Lady in waiting to Empress Elizabeth and former mistress of Crown Prince Rudolph Merle Park
Archduchess Sophie Mother of Emperor Franz Josef Julie Wood
Bratfisch Private cab driver to Crown Prince Rudolph, also a a popular entertainer Graham Fletcher
Mitzi Caspar A high-class prostitute and Crown Prince Rudolph's regular mistress Laura Connor
Colonel Bay Middleton Empress Elisabeth's lover David Drew
Katharina Schratt Friend of Emperor Franz Josef Bernadette Greevy
Alfred Grünfeld A pianist Anthony Twiner
Baroness Helene Vetsera Mother of Baroness Mary's Vetsera Gerd Larsen
Count Eduard Taafe Prime Minister of Austria-Hungary Leslie Edwards
Count Hoyos Friend of Crown Prince Rudolph Ross MacGibbon
Princess Louise Sister to Princess Stephanie Genesia Rosato
Prince Philipp of Coburg Husband to Princess Stephanie, also friend of Crown Prince Rudolph Derek Rencher
Princess Gisela Older sister of Crown Prince Rudolph Sally Inkin
Princess Valerie Younger sister of Crown Prince Rudolph Marguerite Porter
Princess Valerie (Child) Representation of Princess Valerie as a child Julie Rose
Mary Vetsera (Child) Representation of Mary Vetsera as a child Elizabeth Griffiths
Loschek Valet to Crown Prince Rudolph Anthony Conway
Count Larisch Husband to Countess Marie Larisch Robert Jude
Hungarian Officers Friends of Crown Prince Rudolf Michael Coleman
Derek Deane
Stephen Beagley
Michael Batchelor
Guests
Chambermaids
Whores
Gentlemen
Servants
Ladies in Waiting		 Roles that are not significant within the plot and are not named Artists of the Royal Ballet

New York City premiere, the Royal Ballet at the Metropolitan Opera House, April 1983

  • Sandra Conley Empress Elisabeth
  • Wayne Eagling Crown Prince Rudolf

Revivals

Royal Ballet, April 2007

Saturday, 7 April, open rehearsal

Monday, 9 April, matinee

Monday, 9 April, evening

  • Leanne Benjamin Baroness Mary Vetsera
  • Mara Galeazzi Countess Marie Larisch
  • Gemma Bond Princess Stéphanie
  • Cindy Jourdain Empress Elisabeth
  • Laura Morera Mitzi Caspar
  • Carlos Acosta Crown Prince Rudolf
  • Steven McRae Bratfisch

Tuesday, 10 April, evening

* substitute for Alexandra Ansanelli

Trivia

MacMillan died of a heart attack 29 October 1992, backstage at Covent Garden at a revival of Mayerling (the Birmingham Royal Ballet was dancing his Romeo and Juliet in Birmingham.)

Notes

  1. ^ a b http://www.rohcollections.org.uk/production.aspx?production=4585&row=0
  2. ^ "Ballet: Performance details". Rohcollections.org.uk. http://www.rohcollections.org.uk/performance.aspx?performance=11760&row=0. Retrieved 26 October 2011. 
  3. ^ "Daily Telegraph obituary of Georgina Parkinson, 20 December 2009". The Daily Telegraph. UK. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/culture-obituaries/dance-obituaries/6852508/Georgina-Parkinson.html. Retrieved 26 October 2011. 
  4. ^ Kisselgoff, Anna (18 December 2009). "NY Times obituary of Georgina Parkinson, 18 December 2009". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/19/arts/dance/19parkinson.html. Retrieved 26 October 2011. 

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