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Published on November 24, 2007

"The Mariinsky Ballet Company's performance in Bangkok was initiated by Her Majesty the Queen", said Dr Chirayu Isarangkun na Ayuthaya, Grand Chamberlain of the Royal Household and director of the Crown Property Bureau.

"During her state visit to Russia in July, Her Majesty was impressed by the company's performance and suggested bringing them to Thailand as part of the celebrations of the King's 80th birthday.

He said the performance on December 7 would be for a Royal audience, while those on December 6 and 8 will be for the general public. All proceeds from the ticket sales will go to the Anandamahidol Foundation.

Established in St Petersberg in 1783 by the order of Empress Catherine II, the Mariinsky Ballet Company has had the finest dancers in the world, from Anna Pavlova to Rudolf Nureyev and Mikhail Baryshnikov. Its current great soloists, including Uliana Lopatkina, Irma Nioradze and Danila Korsuntsev, will be performing in Bangkok.

The programme for all three days begins with "Chopiniana", a one-act ballet inspired by the music of Frederic Chopin and choreographed by Mikhail Fokine.

This will be followed by "Divertissement", consisting of six separate pieces of which the highlight is "Love Story" - created from His Majesty the King's composition "Kinnaree Suite", and choreographed by Alexey Miroshnichenko.

The other pieces are "Talisman", "La Rose Malade", "Auber's Grand Pas Classique", "The Dying Swan" and "Pas de Deux".

The final performance would be  "Scheherazade", adapted from "Arabian Nights" by Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov and choreographed by Mikhail Fokine, which has been hailed for its spectacular dancing and costumes.

Accompanying the performances will be the Ekaterinberg Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Mikhail Agrest.

All the performances start at 7.30pm. Tickets are Bt3,000, Bt2,000, Bt1,000 and Bt300 and are available at www.thaiticketmajor.com.

The Nation