Photo: Marta Syrko

Dutch National Ballet

Stravinsky Fairy Tales

Alexei Ratmansky

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Dates

15-25 Jun 2024

Location

Dutch National Opera & Ballet, Main Stage

Running time

2:10, incl. 1 interval

Tickets

From € 27

The Ice Maiden and The Firebird

Besides being today’s most important classical ballet choreographer, Alexei Ratmansky (born in St Petersburg) is also one of the main criticasters of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Following the staging of his Giselle in The Hague last year, for the hastily founded United Ukrainian Ballet, Dutch National Ballet is now presenting two of his most successful and imaginative ballets: his dazzling Firebird and the European premiere of the poetic The Fairy’s Kiss. Both are set to the magisterial music of Igor Stravinsky.

Photo: Marta Syrko

The Ice Maiden and The Firebird

Ratmansky – who is artist in residence with American Ballet Theatre from 2009 – was enthralled by Stravinsky’s music from an early age. The Russian-American choreographer is a master in reinterpreting famous ballets, folk tales and fairy tales, including The Ice Maiden and The Firebird – fairy tales that previously inspired Stravinsky to write two wonderful scores: Le baiser de la fée en L’Oiseau de feu.

Icy kiss

Stravinsky’s Le baiser de la fée, composed in 1928 for Les Ballets Russes, is based on Hans Christian Andersen’s The Ice Maiden. During a snowstorm, a boy is saved by the kiss of a fairy. He grows into a handsome young man, but on the eve of his wedding, the fairy returns to claim him, sealing his fate with an icy kiss.

The legend of the firebird was the inspiration for Stravinsky’s L’Oiseau de feu from 1910. It tells the story of the tsar’s son Ivan, who captures a firebird in a magical garden. When she manages to escape, Ivan gets one of her feathers, which will save him in times of need.

Moving and passionate

Ratmansky has interpreted both fairy tales in dance in an extremely original way. In Ratmansky’s hands, The Fairy’s Kiss – with gorgeous sets and costumes by Jérôme Kaplan – becomes a moving story of a choreographer who cannot escape his fate. His passionate Firebird is a feast for the eyes, in which his firebird also stands for a force of nature that is difficult to evade.

Start of ticket sales

General ticket sales for Stravinsky Fairy Tales start on 24 August 2023 at 12.00 midday. Want to make sure you don’t miss this moment? Then sign up for the ticket alert, and we’ll send you a reminder as soon as ticket sales begin.

Credits

The Fairy’s Kiss
European premiere
Choreography Alexei Ratmansky
Music Igor Stravinsky

Firebird
Choreography Alexei Ratmansky
Music Igor Stravinsky

Musical accompaniment Dutch Ballet Orchestra conducted by Matthew Rowe

EUROPEAN PREMIERE OF THE FAIRY’S KISS

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General ticket sales start on 24 August 2023 at 12.00 midday.

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Alexei Ratmansky

19 June

Alexei Ratmansky is generally considered today’s most talented classical choreographer (...) His new work
is everywhere – Paris, Toronto, Amsterdam, Miami, as well as New York

12 February

Alexei Ratmansky’s latest ballet, The Fairy’s Kiss, feels like skilful, page-turning prose that opens in each scene into different forms of poetry

Fairy tales (2014)

Dutch Ballet Orchestra

Dutch Ballet Orchestra’s mission is ‘to inspire movement in dance’. Since its inception in 1965, the orchestra has been the proud musical partner of Dutch National Ballet and Nederlands Dans Theater. In every performance, the orchestra searches for inspiring synergy between music and dance, in order to give the audience a magical experience.

Dutch Ballet Orchestra

Led by principal conductor Matthew Rowe, Dutch Ballet Orchestra is the leading orchestra for dance in the Netherlands. The orchestra accompanies performances ranging from traditional ballet to modern dance, alongside its activities in music education and talent development.

Besides performances with Dutch National Ballet and Nederlands Dans Theater, Dutch Ballet Orchestra has a long tradition of innovative – and award-winning – family performances. For instance, Creatures (in collaboration with ISH Dance Collective) received the international Young Audiences Music Award, and the production Hansel and Gretel (in collaboration with Orkater) won various Musical Awards. In these productions, the musicians play from memory, without a conductor and in costumes, so that they form an integral part of the performance.

And finally, Dutch Ballet Orchestra has a long-term partnership with the Dutch National Ballet Academy. They are therefore involved in the music curriculum for pupils and students, facilitate student visits to orchestra rehearsals and provide music for the academy’s end-of-year performance, where possible.

hetballetorkest.nl/en