Fiametta

Marfa Muravieva as Fiametta in the Saint-Léon/Minkus The Flame of Love or The Salamander (AKA Fiametta or Néméa), Paris, 1864

The Flame of Love or The Salamander (AKA Fiametta or Néméa) is a fantastic ballet in 4 acts/4 Scenes. Choreography by Arthur Saint-Léon. Music by Léon Minkus. First presented by the Ballet of the Moscow Imperial Bolshoi Theatre on November 12/24, 1863 (Julian/Gregorian calendar dates), at the Moscow Imperial Bolshoi Theatre, Moscow, Russia. Principal Dancers - Marfa Muravieva (as Fiametta).

Restaging by Arthur Saint-Léon under the title Fiametta or The Devil In Love for the Imperial Ballet, with Minkus revising his score. First presented on February 13/25, 1864 at the Imperial Bolshoi Kamenny Theatre, St. Petersburg, Russia. Principal Dancers - Praskovia Lebedeva (as Fiametta)

Restaging by Arthur Saint-Léon under the title Néméa ou l'Amour Vengé (Nemea or The Avenged Love) in 2 Acts/4 Scenes for the Ballet of the Académie Royale de Musique, with Minkus revising his score. First presented on July 11, 1864 at the Académie Royale de Musique in Paris, France (For this production Saint-Léon changed the name of the names of the pricipal characters of Fiametta and Count Fiedrich to Néméa and Count Molder). Principal Dancers - Marfa Muravieva (as Néméa), Eugénie Fiorcre (as Cupid), Louis Mérante (as Count Molder).

Restaging by Arthur Saint-Léon under the title Fiamma d'amoure for the Ballet of the Teatro Communal, with Giuseppe Camorano revising Minkus' score. First presented on March 15, 1868 in Trieste, Italy. Principal Dancers - Adèle Grantzow (as Fiametta).

Revival by Marius Petipa under the title Fiametta for the Imperial Ballet in 4 Acts, with Minkus making additions and revising his score. First presented on December 6/18, 1887 at the Imperial Mariinsky Theatre, St. Petersburg, Russia. Principal Dancers - Elena Cornalba (as Fiametta), Alexandre Shiraev (as Cupid), and Pavel Gerdt (as Count Fiedrich).

Lithograph of rehearsals at the Paris Opera of the Saint-Léon/Minkus The Flame of Love or The Salamander (AKA Fiametta or Néméa), Paris, 1864

Saint-Léon's 1864 staging of this work for the Imperial Ballet was the first Russian production of a ballet to make use of such stage devices as shadow effects with the aid of convex mirrors, and electric lighting.

An andante for solo cello (the Adagio from the Grand Pas d'action) from Minkus' score for this ballet was a staple of the soloist repertory in Imperial Russia, and is still occasionally heard.