| Mayerling | |
|---|---|
| Choreographed by | Kenneth MacMillan |
| Date of premiere | 1978 |
| Place of premiere | London |
| Original ballet company | Royal Ballet |
| Setting | Austria |
| Genre | Neoclassical ballet |
| Type | classical ballet |
Mayerling is a ballet created in 1978 by Kenneth MacMillan for the Royal Ballet, London.
Contents |
Rudolf, Crown Prince of Austria is forced into a marriage of state with Princess Stéphanie of Belgium; Countess Marie Larisch von Moennich, the mistress of whom he is tiring, introduces him to the very young – but hardly inexperienced – Baroness Mary Vetsera who becomes his next mistress; they make a suicide pact. The Emperor, Franz Joseph, has a mistress, Katharina Schratt, whom the Empress Elisabeth officially acknowledges, giving her the post of "reader" – and giving a portrait of Schratt to the Emperor as an anniversary present; only his mother, the Archduchess Sophie objects. The Empress, known as "Sisi" since childhood (or "Sissi" as it is Anglicised), has a lover, the British Colonel "Bay" Middleton; only her son, Prince Rudolf, objects. Rudolf in turn has a former mistress, Larisch; a new mistress, Vetsera; and a "regular" mistress, that is to say, a commoner, Mitzi Caspar, variously described as an actress and as a high class prostitute; to all of whom the Emperor objects. Mitzi is a police informer and conducting an affair at the same time with the chief of police – which leaves Bratfisch, Rudolf's loyal private cab driver and a popular entertainer – apparently at a "notorious tavern". The ballet is framed with scenes of the Baroness Vetsera's uncles bearing her corpse to her final resting place, Heiligenkreuz Abbey.
Mayerling was first produced for the Royal Ballet in 1978, by the British choreographer Sir Kenneth Macmillan, with a scenario written by Gillian Freeman, scenery and costume designs by Nicholas Georgiadis and lighting design by David Hersey. Music for the ballet was composed by Franz Liszt, and was compiled from existing works arranged and orchestrated by John Lanchbery who also conducted the orchestra during the ballet's first season. The ballet was dedicated to the Royal Ballet's founder choreographer Sir Frederick Ashton, and premiered at the Royal Opera House, London, on 14 February 1978. The Royal Opera House collections have archive information from twelve performances of this ballet, including the premiere and subsequent revivals.[1][1][2]
| Role | Character Description | Dancer |
|---|---|---|
| Crown Prince Rudolf | Crown Prince of Austria-Hungary | David Wall |
| Baroness Mary Vetsera | Mistress of Crown Prince Rudolph | Lynn Seymour |
| Princess Stephanie | Wife of Crown Prince Rudolph | Wendy Ellis |
| Emperor Franz Josef of Austria-Hungary | Father of Crown Prince Rudolph | Michael Somes |
| Empress Elisabeth | Mother of Crown Prince Rudolph | Georgina Parkinson[3][4] |
| Countess Marie Larisch | Lady in waiting to Empress Elizabeth and former mistress of Crown Prince Rudolph | Merle Park |
| Archduchess Sophie | Mother of Emperor Franz Josef | Julie Wood |
| Bratfisch | Private cab driver to Crown Prince Rudolph, also a a popular entertainer | Graham Fletcher |
| Mitzi Caspar | A high-class prostitute and Crown Prince Rudolph's regular mistress | Laura Connor |
| Colonel Bay Middleton | Empress Elisabeth's lover | David Drew |
| Katharina Schratt | Friend of Emperor Franz Josef | Bernadette Greevy |
| Alfred Grünfeld | A pianist | Anthony Twiner |
| Baroness Helene Vetsera | Mother of Baroness Mary's Vetsera | Gerd Larsen |
| Count Eduard Taafe | Prime Minister of Austria-Hungary | Leslie Edwards |
| Count Hoyos | Friend of Crown Prince Rudolph | Ross MacGibbon |
| Princess Louise | Sister to Princess Stephanie | Genesia Rosato |
| Prince Philipp of Coburg | Husband to Princess Stephanie, also friend of Crown Prince Rudolph | Derek Rencher |
| Princess Gisela | Older sister of Crown Prince Rudolph | Sally Inkin |
| Princess Valerie | Younger sister of Crown Prince Rudolph | Marguerite Porter |
| Princess Valerie (Child) | Representation of Princess Valerie as a child | Julie Rose |
| Mary Vetsera (Child) | Representation of Mary Vetsera as a child | Elizabeth Griffiths |
| Loschek | Valet to Crown Prince Rudolph | Anthony Conway |
| Count Larisch | Husband to Countess Marie Larisch | Robert Jude |
| Hungarian Officers | Friends of Crown Prince Rudolf | Michael Coleman Derek Deane Stephen Beagley Michael Batchelor |
| Guests Chambermaids Whores Gentlemen Servants Ladies in Waiting |
Roles that are not significant within the plot and are not named | Artists of the Royal Ballet |
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Saturday, 7 April, open rehearsal
Monday, 9 April, matinee
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Monday, 9 April, evening
Tuesday, 10 April, evening
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* substitute for Alexandra Ansanelli
MacMillan died of a heart attack 29 October 1992, backstage at Covent Garden at a revival of Mayerling (the Birmingham Royal Ballet was dancing his Romeo and Juliet in Birmingham.)
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