The ballet La Sylphide. Premieres in Paris (1832) and St. Petersburg (1835): peculiarities of artistic reception

Abstract

Only three years separated the premiere of La Sylphide in Paris and St. Petersburg. But the perception of the ‘choreographic manifesto of the Romantic era’ in Russia and France was different. Paris immediately and unconditionally accepted the ballet, seeing in it a consonance with the artistic ideas of Romanticism. In St. Petersburg, La Sylphide was perceived as an anacreontic ballet, viewed through the prism of mythological and historical-heroic productions, which formed a significant part of the repertoire of the St. Petersburg ballet company. Only Maria Taglioni's arrival in Russia two years later (1837) introduced the St Petersburg La Sylphide into the pantheon of the highest romantic achievements. The article explores the differences in the artistic reception of La Sylphide in Russia and France due to a number of objective factors: the organisation of theatre management, generational change, repertoire policy, the intensity of ballet premieres, and, of course, the individuality of the performer.