Mikhail Fokine was the great reformer of the Russian ballet in the early 20th century and the first of Serge Diaghilev's choreographers. He occupies a vitally important role in the history of the Kirov, who perform six of his ballets in two programmes at the Royal Opera House. Fokine's Petrushka, the tragic tale of a puppet's unrequited love, is set in a bustling fairground in the decadent days of pre-communist St Petersburg. The gaudy art deco sets and costumes designed by the Russian artist Alexandre Benois dazzled audiences at its Parisian premiere in 1911, and they are equally fantastic in this new production - the stage looks almost like an animated art exhibition.
What is interesting about this ballet is the synthesis of mime, Russian folk dance and classical ballet that creates a theatrical spectacle rather than a display of dance steps. This emphasis on dramatic content was radical for its time, as were the ballet's depictions of ordinary Russian people. The other puppets - a pert ballerina and her object of desire, the rich but stupid Moor - outrage the jealous, impotent Petrushka, who is killed when he aggravates them both. The three solo parts are brilliantly danced, although Andrian Fadeyev as Petrushka performs the puppet's characteristic inverted positions and floppy leaps with too much cool technical expertise and not enough soul.
Schéhérazade (1910), based on one of the tales from The Arabian Nights, was a risqué ballet for its time, depicting as it does an orgy that takes place within the harem of Sultan Shakhriar. This sensual ballet, lavishly designed by Léon Bakst, is full of billowing drapes, swaying lanterns and women wearing transparent trousers - the very image of the white man's fantasy of the orient, full of exotica, of carnal delights and savage behaviour. While the sultan's back is turned the women of the harem let in the male slaves and all hell breaks loose. The star is the Golden slave danced by the impressive Faroukh Ruzimatov, whose dramatic presence and passionate interpretation give the sultan's favourite wife - danced by Altynai Asylmuratova - every reason to be unfaithful. These two outshone the rest of the cast, staying in their dramatic roles even throughout the curtain call.
