OVERVIEW
World Premiere
Choreography: Stanton Welch AM
Music: Alexander Glazunov
Generously Underwritten by Melza and Ted Barr
Stanton Welch’s opulent adaptation of Raymonda, inspired by the classic Marius Petipa, finds the lovely young Raymonda and her sisters destined to be betrothed to dukes from various countries, yet her heart already belongs to another. An evil plot by the queen’s trusted advisor may change the destiny of Raymonda and her one true love. Revel in Alexander Glazunov’s glorious and sensuous score alongside lavish set and costumes by acclaimed Italian designer Roberta Guidi di Bagno, whose long-standing partnership with Stanton Welch resulted in the breathtaking production Romeo and Juliet. Raymonda is sure to become a treasured classic amongst Houston Ballet’s illustrious repertoire.
SYNOPSIS
MAIN CHARACTERS
Raymonda
Jean
Vladimir
Duke of Ash
Queen
Jude
Lady in White
*CONTAINS STORY SPOILERS
ACT I
Scene I: The Birch Forest
On the outskirts of the palace, Princess Raymonda waits in the birch forest as her royal maid delivers a secret message to the army barracks. Moments later, Royal Officer Jean emerges, elated to see Raymonda, but approaching footsteps from the palace gates soon interrupt their secret reunion. Hiding, they watch as the Queen invites the army generals to the evening’s ball—flanked by her ever-looming advisor, Vladimir.
Once alone again, Raymonda and Jean share their excitement for the evening ahead. Before parting ways to prepare for the night’s festivities, Raymonda gives Jean a token of her love—unaware of a watchful eye in the distance. Back at the barracks, Jean’s comrades notice a quiet new glow about him, but he keeps the person behind it a secret.
Scene II: The Princesses' Dressing Room
Back at the palace, Raymonda’s sisters are getting ready for the ball. Distraught over her upcoming wedding, Jasmine, the eldest, accidentally reveals her reluctance to her future husband, the Duke of Vermillion. The Queen reminds her daughters of their royal duty—met with quiet hesitation from Raymonda.
Scene III: The Spring Ball
Discreetly advancing his political agenda, Vladimir arranges for the royal family to meet several influential dukes at the Spring Ball, but Raymonda cleverly redirects each duke steered her way to one of her sisters. With Vladimir’s patience wearing thin, she accepts the young Duke of Marigold’s companionship—until Jean arrives with the royal army.
As the night unfolds, the Dukes of Cobalt and Teal pair off with Raymonda’s sisters, Daisy and Lily, while their book-loving sister remains absorbed in her novel—oblivious to the Duke of Umber’s quiet pursuit, and he, in turn, blind to her younger sister’s secret crush. All revel in the festivities—except Vladimir, who watches Raymonda and Jean’s budding romance with growing unease. Sensing his grip slipping, he rashly orders the army to prepare for an impending attack, forcing the young lovers apart, but Jean promises to see Raymonda once more.
Scene IV: The Garden
While Raymonda and her sisters enjoy an afternoon in the palace garden, Vladimir introduces a new suitor—the Duke of Purpureus. Though intended for Raymonda, she quickly realizes he shares more in common with her sister Violet. As the two bond over their love of books, Jean, en route to battle, finds Raymonda alone in the garden and seizes the moment for a heartfelt farewell. But with only shadows as witnesses, Vladimir turns Jean’s fellow officer, Jude, into an unwitting pawn in his bid to retain control. Violet and the duke return, seemingly in love, while Raymonda remains distraught—her heart closed to the remaining suitors.
Scene V: The Bedroom/The Dream
Amongst a flurry of royal maids, Raymonda prepares for bed and dreams of her true love.
Scene VI: The Betrayal
Meanwhile, in a dark alley, when Jean and Jude are confronted by a mysterious cloaked figure, Jude’s loyalty turns into betrayal. Stabbed and left for dead, Jean is discovered by a convent guided by an ethereal Lady in White.
Scene VII: The Winter Ball
At the Winter Ball, Violet and the Duke of Purpureus celebrate their chance encounter turned romance, leaving Raymonda and her youngest sisters as the last eligible princesses. But the palace’s festive atmosphere quickly darkens when Jude arrives with news of a fallen soldier. When Vladimir smugly reveals the identity to Raymonda, her devastation over Jean’s death brings the ball to an abrupt end. As the guests depart, a mysterious cloaked man appears to meet Vladimir.
Scene VIII: The Sanitarium
Guided by the ethereal Lady in White, the nuns help Jean stand for the first time. It will take time, but he is healing.
INTERMISSION
ACT II
The Peacock Ball
Several years later, in a final bid to grow his power, Vladimir arranges for the Queen’s remaining daughters to be married at the Peacock Ball. Heather and Rose quickly pair off with the Duke of
Umber and the now-grown Duke of Marigold, leaving Raymonda to navigate the remaining suitors—until a mysterious new guest arrives: the Duke of Ash. As the dukes compete for her favor, Raymonda slowly finds her heart opening to love once again and makes her decision.
But shock ripples through the crowd as Jean, fully healed, appears and exposes Jude as one of his attackers. After Jude’s arrest, Raymonda and Jean rekindle their love, but the Duke of Ash, enraged, demands she honor her promise of marriage. He challenges Jean to a duel, but the Queen calls for peace. As the duke turns to leave, he flashes his cloak in an ultimate affront, revealing the truth. Recognition strikes Jean, and with fury reignited, the two men clash one last time before the duke is banished.
As the guards escort the duke out, Raymonda realizes the true architect of her turmoil: Vladimir. Cornered and desperate, he pulls a blade on the Queen, but with the help of a mysterious force, Jean and the royal army stop him just in time. With Vladimir arrested and peace restored, the Queen names Jean a duke, and he and Raymonda are finally wed, united as each other’s chosen loves.
INTERMISSION
ACT III
The Coronation
In a grand celebration, Raymonda is crowned queen, with Jean by her side—at last, love and peace reign.
ARTISTS
Stanton Welch AM
CHOREOGRAPHER, RAYMONDA
Stanton Welch was born in Melbourne to Marilyn Jones OBE and Garth Welch AM, two of Australia's most gifted dancers of the 1960s and 1970s. He joined The Australian Ballet, rising to the rank of leading soloist and performing various principal roles, before serving as Resident Choreographer. During his decades long career, Welch has choreographed over 100 works including audience favorites Madame Butterfly (1995), Clear (2001), and Divergence (1994). His work can be seen in the repertoire of The Australian Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, and Birmingham Royal Ballet, among others. In July 2003, Welch was appointed Artistic Director of Houston Ballet, America's fourth-largest ballet company. Welch has choreographed more than 40 works for Houston Ballet, including Marie (2009) and spectacular stagings of Swan Lake (2006), La Bayadère (2010), Romeo and Juliet (2015), Giselle (2016), The Nutcracker (2016), Sylvia (2019), and the upcoming Raymonda (2025). Developing Houston Ballet into a choreographic Eden, Welch has commissioned over 30 works from notable choreographers such as Mark Morris, Aszure Barton, Dwight Rhoden, Trey McIntyre, and Justin Peck, while expanding the company’s repertoire with works from internationally acclaimed choreographers including George Balanchine, William Forsythe, Jiří Kylián, Sir Kenneth MacMillan, John Neumeier, Twyla Tharp, and Jerome Robbins. Under Welch’s leadership, Houston Ballet has appeared across the globe including recent engagements in Tokyo, Dubai, Melbourne, New York City, and Washington, D.C. Welch continues to nurture the next generation of artists through the Houston Ballet Academy, a leading institution in dance education and training.
Alexander Glazunov
COMPOSER, RAYMONDA (1865-1936)
A Russian composer, director and teacher, born in 1865 at St. Petersburg, Alexander Glazunov was well-known for his conservative, classic compositions. He first studied music with Balakirev, and later with Rimsky-Korsakov. They both influenced and promoted his first successful symphony, Op.5, 1881, which he composed at age 16. "Little Glinka," as he was called, performed his first symphony for the second time in Moscow. Similarly, his second symphony-poem, Stenka Razin was successful. His various compositions led to his fame in Russia as well as in internationally by age 21. Glazunov, became a Professor of Instrumentation at the St. Petersburg Conservatory in 1899, and in 1905 became its Director. Some of his famous compositions are; The Seasons, which is a one-act ballet created for Petipa; Raymonda (1898), Les ruses d‘amour (1900), The Seasons (1900), Scenes de Ballet which he wrote as gift for Russian Opera Orchestra at St. Petersburg. He arranged Chopin's Les Sylphides and with Rimsky, completed Borodin's opera Prince Igor. He also composed a number of symphonies, orchestral choral works, violin and piano concertos. Much as he was well-known as a conservative composer, he is also well known for his sharp musical mind which allowed him to memorize pieces of music after only one hearing. He left Russia in 1928 for Paris. He died there in 1936. At his request, he was interred in the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral's cemetery in St. Petersburg.
HISTORY
RAYMONDA REPERTOIRE HISTORY
This is the world premiere of Stanton Welch’s Raymonda. This is the third collaboration between Stanton Welch and acclaimed Italian costume and scenic designer Roberta Guidi di Bagno for Houston Ballet. Giselle (2016) and Romeo and Juliet (2015) are the other two Welch ballets featuring Guidi di Bagno's designs in the Houston Ballet repertory.
RAYMONDA PRODUCTION DETAILS
CHOREOGRAPHER: Stanton Welch AM
GENRE: Classical Ballet
RUN TIME: Ballet with 3 Acts; approximately 2 hours and 45 minutes with two 20-minute intermissions
LOCATION: Brown Theater at the Wortham Theater Center in Houston, Texas
COMPOSER: Alexander Glazunov
SCORE: Raymonda
WORLD PREMIERE DATE: May 29, 2025 by Houston Ballet in the Brown Theater at the Wortham Theater Center in Houston, Texas.
COSTUME & SCENIC DESIGN: Roberta Guidi di Bagno
LIGHTING DESIGN: Lisa J. Pinkham
BALLET MASTERS (2025): Ian Casady, Amy Fote, Hayden Stark, Steven Woodgate
HOUSTON BALLET ORCHESTRA CONDUCTORS (2025): Simon Thew, Tara Simoncic
HOUSTON BALLET STAGE MANAGER (2025): Anna-Marie Monzon
SPECIAL PROGRAM NOTES (2025): Tara Simoncic is a guest conductor for Houston Ballet’s Raymonda.
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