In 2024, honoring the centenary of Roland Petit, the Mikhailovsky Theatre presents one of the choreographer’s most famous ballets, “Notre-Dame de Paris”.
Roland Petit, inspired by Victor Hugo’s famous novel, created a truly grandiose piece about love and death, devotion and treachery. “I want the tragic meaning of Victor Hugo’s creation to become clear to the audience,” Roland Petit commented. The choreographer reduced the plot to the lines of the four main characters — Esmeralda, Quasimodo, Frollo, and Phoebus. The role of Quasimodo was performed by the choreographer himself.
The world premiere of the ballet took place in 1965 at the Paris Opera. Roland Petit’s amazing choreography, avant-garde music by Maurice Jarre, costumes by Yves Saint Laurent and magnificent sets by René Allio secured the stunning success of the ballet. “Notre-Dame de Paris” became one of the most stylish productions of its time.
In 2021, Luigi Bonino — the keeper of Roland Petit’s legacy, choreographer’s friend and assistant — staged the ballet in Novosibirsk, and this particular production of the Novosibirsk Opera and Ballet Theatre will be performed at the Mikhailovsky Theatre.
The main roles are rehearsed by Angelina Vorontsova, Prisca Zeisel, Anastasia Soboleva, Ivan Zaytsev, Victor Lebedev, Nikita Tchetverikov, Ernest Latypov, Danila Khamzin, Mikhail Batalov.