Tchaikovsky and Petipa's fairytale ballet, considered the pinnacle of classical dance, in a version by Aaron S. Watkin and Marcelo Gomes: music and dance in their purest form!
Ballett in one prologue and three acts after Marius Petipa. Adapted by Marcelo Gomes.
Music by Pyotr I. Tchaikovsky
Premiere
28. June 2007
Dates & Cast
- Conductor Charlotte Politi
- Synopsis and choreography after Marius Petipa Aaron S. Watkin
- Adaptation Marcelo Gomes
- Music Pjotr I. Tschaikowsky
- Set & Video Arne Walther
- Costume Design Erik Västhed
- Lighting Design after Jan Seeger Fabio Antoci
- Dramaturgy Katharina Riedeberger
- Princess Aurora Elena Karpuhina (05., 07. April 2026), Svetlana Gileva (10., 16., 19. April 2026)
- Prince Florimund Moisés Carrada Palmeros (05., 07. April 2026), James Kirby Rogers (10., 16., 19. April 2026)
- Princess Florine Nastazia Philippou (05., 07. April 2026), Madoka Ishikawa (10., 16., 19. April 2026)
- Lilac Fairy Soomin Kim (05., 07. April 2026), Hyo-Jung Kang (10., 16., 19. April 2026)
- Carabosse Mira Speyer (05., 07. April 2026), Yazmin Verhage (10., 16., 19. April 2026)
- King Heinrich of Saxony Hannes-Detlef Vogel
- Queen Katharina Carola Schwab
- Fairy of Vivacity SeoHyeon Jeong (05., 07. April 2026), Anna Katherine McCoy (10., 16., 19. April 2026)
- Fairy of Beauty Madoka Ishikawa (05., 07. April 2026), Anastasiia Turianska (10., 16., 19. April 2026)
- Fairy of Musicality Simona Volpe (05., 07. April 2026), Gloria Todeschini (10., 16., 19. April 2026)
- Fairy of Generosity Evelyn Bovo (05., 07. April 2026), Ayaka Matsubara (10., 16., 19. April 2026)
- Bluebird Marco Giombelli (05., 07. April 2026), Filippo Mambelli (10., 16., 19. April 2026)
- Chief of Carabosse’s retinue Richard House
- Conductor Charlotte Politi
- Synopsis and choreography after Marius Petipa Aaron S. Watkin
- Adaptation Marcelo Gomes
- Music Pjotr I. Tschaikowsky
- Set & Video Arne Walther
- Costume Design Erik Västhed
- Lighting Design after Jan Seeger Fabio Antoci
- Dramaturgy Katharina Riedeberger
Generously supported by the Semperoper Foundation
In cooperation with the Palucca University of Dance Dresden
- Princess Aurora Elena Karpuhina
- Prince Florimund Moisés Carrada Palmeros
- Princess Florine Nastazia Philippou
- Lilac Fairy Soomin Kim
- Carabosse Mira Speyer
- King Heinrich of Saxony Hannes-Detlef Vogel
- Queen Katharina Carola Schwab
- Fairy of Vivacity SeoHyeon Jeong
- Fairy of Beauty Madoka Ishikawa
- Fairy of Musicality Simona Volpe
- Fairy of Generosity Evelyn Bovo
- Bluebird Marco Giombelli
- Chief of Carabosse’s retinue Richard House
- Conductor Charlotte Politi
- Synopsis and choreography after Marius Petipa Aaron S. Watkin
- Adaptation Marcelo Gomes
- Music Pjotr I. Tschaikowsky
- Set & Video Arne Walther
- Costume Design Erik Västhed
- Lighting Design after Jan Seeger Fabio Antoci
- Dramaturgy Katharina Riedeberger
Generously supported by the Semperoper Foundation
In cooperation with the Palucca University of Dance Dresden
- Princess Aurora Elena Karpuhina
- Prince Florimund Moisés Carrada Palmeros
- Princess Florine Nastazia Philippou
- Lilac Fairy Soomin Kim
- Carabosse Mira Speyer
- King Heinrich of Saxony Hannes-Detlef Vogel
- Queen Katharina Carola Schwab
- Fairy of Vivacity SeoHyeon Jeong
- Fairy of Beauty Madoka Ishikawa
- Fairy of Musicality Simona Volpe
- Fairy of Generosity Evelyn Bovo
- Bluebird Marco Giombelli
- Chief of Carabosse’s retinue Richard House
- Conductor Charlotte Politi
- Synopsis and choreography after Marius Petipa Aaron S. Watkin
- Adaptation Marcelo Gomes
- Music Pjotr I. Tschaikowsky
- Set & Video Arne Walther
- Costume Design Erik Västhed
- Lighting Design after Jan Seeger Fabio Antoci
- Dramaturgy Katharina Riedeberger
Generously supported by the Semperoper Foundation
In cooperation with the Palucca University of Dance Dresden
- Princess Aurora Svetlana Gileva
- Prince Florimund James Kirby Rogers
- Princess Florine Madoka Ishikawa(début)
- Lilac Fairy Hyo-Jung Kang(début)
- Carabosse Yazmin Verhage(début)
- King Heinrich of Saxony Hannes-Detlef Vogel
- Queen Katharina Carola Schwab
- Fairy of Vivacity Anna Katherine McCoy(début)
- Fairy of Beauty Anastasiia Turianska(début)
- Fairy of Musicality Gloria Todeschini
- Fairy of Generosity Ayaka Matsubara(début)
- Bluebird Filippo Mambelli(début)
- Chief of Carabosse’s retinue Richard House
- Conductor Charlotte Politi
- Synopsis and choreography after Marius Petipa Aaron S. Watkin
- Adaptation Marcelo Gomes
- Music Pjotr I. Tschaikowsky
- Set & Video Arne Walther
- Costume Design Erik Västhed
- Lighting Design after Jan Seeger Fabio Antoci
- Dramaturgy Katharina Riedeberger
Generously supported by the Semperoper Foundation
In cooperation with the Palucca University of Dance Dresden
- Princess Aurora Svetlana Gileva
- Prince Florimund James Kirby Rogers
- Princess Florine Madoka Ishikawa
- Lilac Fairy Hyo-Jung Kang
- Carabosse Yazmin Verhage
- King Heinrich of Saxony Hannes-Detlef Vogel
- Queen Katharina Carola Schwab
- Fairy of Vivacity Anna Katherine McCoy
- Fairy of Beauty Anastasiia Turianska
- Fairy of Musicality Gloria Todeschini
- Fairy of Generosity Ayaka Matsubara
- Bluebird Filippo Mambelli
- Chief of Carabosse’s retinue Richard House
- Conductor Charlotte Politi
- Synopsis and choreography after Marius Petipa Aaron S. Watkin
- Adaptation Marcelo Gomes
- Music Pjotr I. Tschaikowsky
- Set & Video Arne Walther
- Costume Design Erik Västhed
- Lighting Design after Jan Seeger Fabio Antoci
- Dramaturgy Katharina Riedeberger
Generously supported by the Semperoper Foundation
In cooperation with the Palucca University of Dance Dresden
- Princess Aurora Svetlana Gileva
- Prince Florimund James Kirby Rogers
- Princess Florine Madoka Ishikawa
- Lilac Fairy Hyo-Jung Kang
- Carabosse Yazmin Verhage
- King Heinrich of Saxony Hannes-Detlef Vogel
- Queen Katharina Carola Schwab
- Fairy of Vivacity Anna Katherine McCoy
- Fairy of Beauty Anastasiia Turianska
- Fairy of Musicality Gloria Todeschini
- Fairy of Generosity Ayaka Matsubara
- Bluebird Filippo Mambelli
- Chief of Carabosse’s retinue Richard House
In brief
Pyotr I. Tchaikovsky’s fairy-tale ballet The Sleeping Beauty premiered at the Mariinsky Theatre in St Petersburg in 1890, and has been considered one of the most challenging action ballets up to now. In 2007, Aaron S. Watkin staged this famous story in the tradition of Marius Petipa’s legendary choreography. For its revival in the 2023/24 season, Marcelo Gomes stages an adaptation of this classic, by adding some nuances of his own individual aesthetic style, and drawing on the essence of the popular fairy-tale: Princess Aurora's development from a child to a young woman. This includes the royal baptism in the circle of the good fairies, interrupted by demoniac fairy Carabosse, the attenuated fulfilment of her curse in the form of a hundred-year slumber and Aurora’s final reawakening after a prince’s kiss.
Storyline
Prologue: At the court
After waiting for a child for a long time, King Heinrich’s wife, Queen Katharina, has given birth to a baby, who is to be named Aurora. To celebrate her baptism, the royal couple has invited (almost) all the fairies of their kingdom to bestow the most precious gifts on the girl. However, their blessings are rudely interrupted by an unexpected guest – the fairy Carabosse. Enraged at having been excluded from the festivities, she casts a devastating curse on Aurora: „On her 16th birthday, the princess shall prick herself on a spindle and die!“ Fortunately, the Lilac Fairy, who has not blessed Aurora yet, manages to mitigate this fatal curse by turning it into a long and deep period of sleep. This spell is to include the entire court and can only be broken by the sincere love for Aurora by a prince.
Act 1: In the courtyard garden–about 16 years later
The court is pompously celebrating Aurora’s 16th birthday in the palace garden, and numerous guests have come. Although King Henry has banned all spinning tools from his kingdom, the evil fairy gains access to the royal garden party in disguise – and manages to sneak a spindle among the crowd… Thus, the unavoidable happens: Aurora stabs herself on the spindle, followed by Carabosse revealing herself. Nevertheless, the Lilac Fairy’s promise is stronger: when the court party sets off in a great procession to lay Aurora out, the second part of the spell is also fulfilled as all the people gradually fall into a deep slumber. The castle grounds are soon overgrown by a dense rose hedge, whose sharp thorns are not to let anyone enter the castle in the coming decades...
Act 2: In the charmed forest–99 years later
By now, everyone knows the legend of the Sleeping Beauty in a forest, including Florimund, a prince from a neighbouring kingdom. One day, while out hunting, he comes unsuspectingly close to the enchanted castle. As Carabosse fears he might thwart her plans, she appears to him as a seductive huntress to distract and trap him. When he falls asleep at night, exhausted, the Lilac Fairy sends him into Aurora’s dreams where he finds her surrounded by nymphs. This vision encourages the prince and renews his hope of finding his beloved, so that he continues his search – secretly guided by Aurora’s godmother.
On his journey to find his destined princess, Florimund has to pass several trials and overcome malevolent obstacles until he reaches his goal – precisely 100 years after the fairies’ spells had come into effect. Spurred on by his love for Aurora, the prince weakens Carabosse’s magic powers and is able to step through the thorn hedge. In the end, Florimund fulfils the Lilac Fairy’s promise by awakening the Sleeping Beauty with a kiss, after which they mutually declare their eternal love for each other. This sincere affection finally causes the mitigated curse to be broken as the evil fairy loses her magic power.
Act 3: At court
Princess Aurora and Prince Florimund have married and swear eternal allegiance to their now united kingdoms. Heinrich and Katharina bless the couple. The Lilac Fairy, and further special guests of honour, are invited to pay homage to the young lovers.
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The Sleeping Beauty
