Mariinsky Theatre

A ghost and a French marquis wander through the Winter Palace in St Petersburg, encountering scenes from many different periods of its history.

This version of "The Nutcracker" gives the classic ballet a tragic spin, with Masha (instead of Clara) now the unloved, unappreciated daughter of the Town Council President. At a Christmas party, Masha is given a seemingly alive Nutcracker by her Uncle Drosselmeyer, and Masha instantly is enchanted with it. The toys come to life at midnight, and after Masha helps the Nutcracker defeat attacking mice, he takes her to his kingdom, where he is later revealed to be a handsome Prince. The Prince and Masha fall deeply in love, but their "happy ending" has a morbid twist not found in any other "Nutcracker".

A truly remarkable New Year’s Eve in St Petersburg’s fabled Mariinsky Theatre, with Valery Gergiev and the Mariinsky (ex-Kirov) Ballet. It was at the Mariinsky Theatre in St Petersburg that the ballet The Sleeping Beauty premiered in 1890, with a score by Tchaikovsky and choreography by Marius Petipa. This New Year’s Eve programme revolves around Act III, in which Princess Aurora is brought out of her long sleep by the prince of her dreams and marries him. In addition, prima ballerina Uliana Lopatkina dances Camille Saint-Saëns’ famous Dying Swan, first performed by Anna Pavlova. In conclusion the soloists of the Mariinsky Theatre’s Young Singers’ Academy perform the finale of Rossini’s Journey to Rheims in a joyous celebration of the coming of the New Year.

Valery Gergiev is widely recognised as the greatest modern interpreter of Tchaikovsky’s music and the Mariinsky holds a peerless reputation in the repertoire. Together they deliver definitive interpretations of Tchaikovsky’s most popular symphonies. These acclaimed performances were filmed at Salle Pleyel in Paris during January 2010, directed by Andy Sommer. The themes of fate and death pervade Tchaikovsky’s final symphonies. The composition of the Fourth Symphony coincided with the breakdown of Tchaikovsky’s marriage and a failed suicide attempt, yet he considered it to be his greatest. In contrast he believed his Fifth to be flawed and uninviting, yet today this heartfelt work is widely regarded as one of his finest. The subject of fate is further instilled in the Sixth Symphony, premiered shortly before Tchaikovsky’s death. It was posthumously entitled ‘Pathétique’ by his brother and is a deeply melancholic work, full of dynamic extremes and an inherent sense of finality.

One of history's most enduring love stories. Many people believe that Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet is the greatest ballet score ever written. The Mariinsky Ballet shows at its dramatic finest passionate choreography for Romeo and Juliet.  The ballet has become a true classic of the 20th-century ballet repertory. With its emotional choreography and Prokofiev’s famous score, this moving tale of star-crossed lovers that is sure to stay with you long after you leave the Mariinsky Theatre. Libretto – Lavrovsky, Prokofiev, Radlov, Piotrovsky Romeo and Juliet is a ballet by Sergei Prokofiev based on Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Music from the ballet was extracted by Prokofiev as three suites for orchestra and as a piano work.

In celebration of Verdi's anniversary year, the Mariinsky label presents a high-definition video recording of Verdi's Attila, led by maestro Valery Gergiev, produced by Arturo Gama and featuring acclaimed Russian bass Ildar Abdrazakov in the title role. A two-time GRAMMY Award winner for his Verdi readings, Abdrazakov has quickly established himself as one of opera's most sought-after basses. Since making his La Scala debut in 2001 at only 25, the Russian singer has become a mainstay at leading houses worldwide. Filmed in the Mariinsky Opera House, the DVD includes a stunning picture gallery of scenes from the performance. As is the case with many of Verdi's operas, Attila is imbued with the spirit of Risorgimento, the national liberation movement of the Italian people against foreign rule and for the unification of Italy. Looking ahead, Atilla is the first of four opera DVDs that are planned for release on the Mariinsky label in 2013.

The classic Mariinsky (Kirov) production of the greatest of all ballets. Filmed in the imperial splendor of the Mariinsky Theatre, St Petersburg. Starring Ulyana Lopatkina, Danila Korsuntsev and the breathtaking Mariinsky corps de ballet. Conducted by the great Russian maestro Valery Gergiev.

A spectacular special event edition of Swan Lake in 3-D starring Ekaterina Kondaurova and Natalia Vodianova, model, actress, and storyteller, was recorded and broadcast live from the historic Mariinsky Theatre St. Petersburg, Russia, the city where the world's most loved ballet was created. This was a 3-D live screening celebrating two hundred seventy-five years since Russian ballet started in the exquisite splendor of the Winter Palace.

The Little Humpbacked Horse is based on a Russian folk tale for children, but the latest adaptation for the stage by Ratmansky is fresh, fun and very creative, with a wide audience appeal. A perfect blend of "classical meets modern". This is a ballet to music (1956) by Rodion Shchedrin, whose works came in the repertoire of the Mariinsky Theatre in recent years. It was premierred at the Bolshoi Theatre in 1960. Current production was choreographed by Alexei Ratmansky in 2009. The choreographer Alexei Ratmansky is well-known to Russian and American audiences for his works staged at the Bolshoi and the Mariinsky Theatres, as well as in the famous American Ballet Theatre company.

The Mariinsky Theatre’s La Bayadère was filmed live at the annual Stars of the White Nights Festival in St. Petersburg and is an unmissable cinema event for ballet fans.

Despite its name, the ballet is not an adaptation of Miguel de Cervantes’ novel. Only one episode of the ingenious hidalgo’s many adventures serves as the basis for the story and the dancing scenes. It is a story about the failed wedding of the wealthy Camacho (Gamache in the ballet) to the fair Quiteria (Kitri in the ballet), who is also the object of affections of the villager Basil (Basilio).

It is a story in which the young heroine, dying from a broken heart, mysteriously hears the call of ghosts tempting her to join their round dance, and having become one of them she saves the lover who betrayed her.

Here there is a ballet and detective plot including dreams, kidnappings and joyous releases, a complex and varied ballerina role and a conflict between the male roles – the refined and classical Jean de Brienne and the passionate and pointedly typical oriental Abderakhman, the vast number of characters, meaning a similar number of dancers engaged in the ballet, the colourful character dances and, arguably, Petipa's main pride and glory – the fully-developed dance scenes of classical ensembles.