The Talisman (ballet)

The Talisman (AKA Le Talisman or Il Talismino) - Fantastic ballet in 4 Acts-7 Scenes, with choreography by Marius Petipa, and music by Riccardo Drigo.

The ballet was first presented by the Imperial Ballet on January 25/February 6 (Julian/Gregorian calendar dates), 1889 at the Imperial Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, Russia. Principal Dancers - Elena Cornalba (as Niriti, daughter of the Queen of the Gods), Sergei Litavki (as Vayou, the Wind God), and Pavel Gerdt (as Noureddin). This ballet gave rise to The Talisman Pas de Deux, which is today danced by many ballet companies.

Revivals/Restagings

• Revival by Marius Petipa for the Imperial Ballet, with Drigo revising his score. First presented on October 22/November 3 1895 at the Imperial Mariinsky Theatre. Principal Dancer- Pierina Legnani (as Niriti), Alexander Gorsky (as Vayou, the Wind God), and Pavel Gerdt (as Noureddin).

• Revival by Nikolai Legat (based on Petipa's original choreography) for the Imperial Ballet, with Drigo revising and reorchestrating his original score. First presented on November 29/12 1909 at the Imperial Mariinsky Theatre. Principal Dansers - Olga Preobrajenskaya (as Niriti), Vaslav Nijinsky (as Vayou, the Wind God), Nikolai Legat (as Noureddin), and Pavel Gerdt (as Akdar, the King of Dehli).

• Revival by Paul Chalmers for the Balletto al Teatro Filarmonica (AKA the Arena Ballet). First presented on March 16, 1997 at the L'Accademia Filarmonica (winter theatre of the Arena Opera and Ballet) in Verona, Italy. Principal Dancers - Carla Fracci (as Niriti), Alessandro Molin (as Vayou, the Wind God), and Stephane Fournial (as Nouriddin).

Notes

• This ballet took place in ancient India, and was a rather mediocre success upon its première. The principal attraction of the balletomanes and critics was Drigo's score, which caused a sensation, and even prompted Petipa to exclaim "I should have had the orchestra play on stage and the dancers perform in the pit!". The artist Alexander Benois told in his memoirs (titled Mémoirs) of his extreme delight with Drigo's score, which he said inspired a "short infatuation" in him as a young student at the Saint Petersburg State University - "It was Drigo's simple and charming music that had attracted both Valetchka (Walter Nouvelle - member of Mir iskusstva) and me to Petipa's 'The Talisman'. In fact we had been so delighted with it at the première that our noisy approval had attracted the attention, and seemed to shock, the then rather popular St. Petersburg General Governor Grösser...he turned round (from his permanent seat in the front row stalls), affecting a severe expression, and shook his finger at us. My enthusiasm was so great, however, that I could not stop applauding and even felt compelled to exclaim "Mais puisque, Excellence, c'est un chef d'oeuvre!" - upon which his Excellency deigned to bestow on me a fatherly smile."

• Petipa's revival of 1895 was a resounding success, and even proved to be more popular among the St. Petersburg public than his and Lev Ivanov's legendary revival of Swan Lake, which was presented for the first time earlier that same year.

• Nikolai Legat's revival of 1909, for which Drigo completely refurbished his original score, was very successful. The first performance was given in honor of the thirteenth wedding anniversary of Tsar Nicholas II and Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, who attended the première with the whole of the Imperial Family. The audience also included many members of the St. Petersburg nobility. Legat's revival remained in the repertory of the Imperial Ballet until just before the October revolution of 1917.

• In 1997, the choreographer Paul Chalmers' staged a revival of The Talisman for the Arena Ballet of Verona, Italy. It was mounted in order to coincide with a conference held in honor of the 150th anniversary of Riccardo Drigo's birth, and was also performed in his hometown of Padua.

The Talisman Pas de Deux

In 1955 the Balletmaster Pyotr Gusev of the Kirov/Mariinsky Ballet (the former Imperial Ballet) compiled various pieces of music from Petipa's The Talisman and created what is known today as The Talisman Pas de Deux, which in recent times has been included in the repertory of many ballet companies around the world.

The Talsiman Pas de Deux includes music from another composer as well - the male variation was taken by Gusev from Cesare Pugni's score for Petipa's The Pharaoh's Daughter, which is still included in the Pas de Deux today.

Gallery

• 
  Mathilde Kschessinskaya costumed as Niriti for the Grand Pas des Fleurs of Act II in Nikolai Legat's revival of Petipa's The Talisman, St. Petersburg, 1910
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  Vaslav Nijinsky as Vayou in Nikolai Legat's revival of Petipa's The Talisman, St. Petersburg, 1910