Dutch National Ballet

Stravinsky Fairy Tales

Alexei Ratmansky

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Dates

15-25 June 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 is also one of the main criticasters of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Following the staging of his Giselle in The Hague (2022), for the hastily founded United Ukrainian Ballet, Dutch National Ballet is now presenting in Stravinsky Fairy Tales 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.

Dutch National Opera & Ballet recommends that children be at least 8 years old for this performance.

The Ice Maiden and The Firebird

Ratmansky – artist in residence with New York City Ballet – 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 and 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.

Credits

The Fairy’s Kiss
European premiere
Choreography Alexei Ratmansky
Music Igor Stravinsky – The Fairy’s Kiss (1928)
Set and costume design Jérôme Kaplan
Lighting design Jim Ingalls

Firebird
Choreography Alexei Ratmansky
Music Igor Stravinsky – The Firebird (1910)
Set design Simon Pastukh
Costume design Galina Solovjeva
Lighting design Brad Fields

Musical accompaniment Dutch Ballet Orchestra conducted by Matthew Rowe

School matinees
One performance of Firebird will be given especially for schools.

More information

Alexei Ratmansky

European premiere of the Fairy's Kiss

Ticket prices

Check out the ticket prices per price category via the link below.

Ticket prices

We offer discounts for specific groups in order to make our performances accessible to everyone. Check this page to see if you are eligible for a discount.

Price category	Standard	CJP \| City Pass \| Youth up to 16
Premium	€ 98,00	€ 83,00
1st	€ 84,00	€ 74,00
2nd	€ 69,00	€ 59,00
3rd	€ 51,00	€ 41,00
4th	€ 34,00	€ 24,00
5th	€ 27,00	€ 23,00

Dutch National Opera & Ballet works with a system of dynamic pricing: during the booking period the ticket prices may increase, depending on demand. Prices exclude € 2,00 booking fee per ticket.

Student discount and Student Alert
Students can take advantage of discounted tickets for performances at Dutch National Opera & Ballet. From 13.00 on the day of the performance, if it is not sold out, you can buy a ticket online for only € 19 (including booking fee). Have your valid student ID card or proof of enrolment ready to show at the door.

For some performances, we are already giving students the opportunity to book with student discounts. Want to stay up to date with our student offers? Sign up for the Student Alert and receive the latest news about offers in your mailbox.

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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

19 June

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

12 February

Fairy tales - Firebird (2014)

Firebird (2014)

Firebird - HNB 2012 | Photo's: Altin Kaftira

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

Rehearsal Firebird - Stravinsky Fairy Tales (2024) | Jacopo Tissi and Riho Sakamoto | Photos: Altin Kaftira

Rehearsal Firebird - Stravinsky Fairy Tales (2024) | Maia Makhateli and Giorgi Potskhishvili | Photos: Altin Kaftira

Group rehearsal Stravinsky Fairy Tales - DNB (2024) | Photo's: Altin Kaftira

Introduction

An introduction will take place 45 minutes before the start of this performance, during which an expert will give background information and offer interesting perspectives on the performance, allowing you to get even more out of your theatre visit. The introductions are given in Dutch. They can be visited for free and without reservation, by showing your ticket for the performance.

Introduction Stravinsky Fairy Tales by: Lin van Ellinckhuijsen
Location: Souterrain