Joseph Mazillier in St. Petersburg (1851 – 1852): New documents and facts

Abstract

French dancer and choreographer Joseph Mazillier, author of the famous romantic ballets “Paquita”, “Satanilla”, “Diable a quatre”, devoted a significant part of his creative life to the Paris Opera. But in his career there was also a “Russian period”: one season, 1851-1852, he spent in the service of the Directorate of the Imperial theaters in St. Petersburg. During this time, he composed two new ballets (“La Jolie de Cand” and “Ver-Vert”), staged dances in A. Rubinstein’s debut Opera “The Battle of Kulikovo” and edited his works, which were already being performed on the St. Petersburg stage. However, Mazillier mentioned only in passing and with a condescending tone. An attempt to restore the Russian ballet to its name was made by Vladislav Ivanov, who published the book “Unknown Mazillier” in 2015, which became the first monograph about this bright figure of European romantic ballet. In the years since its publication, new documents related to Mazilye’s activities in St. Petersburg have been discovered; they have allowed us to supplement, correct and clarify the information contained in V. Ivano’s book. The author uses archival materials — service cases, correspondence between officials of the Imperial Theater Directorate, contracts stored in the Russian State historical archive, and updated materials of the Russian periodical press of the 19th century.