Mayerling

Royal Opera House (Covent Garden), Main Stage, London, Great Britain

Scene 1 from the ballet "Mayerling", photo 2

Scene 2 from the ballet "Mayerling", photo 3

Scene 4 from the ballet "Mayerling", photo 4

Scene 5 from the ballet "Mayerling", photo 5

Scene 6 from the ballet "Mayerling", photo 6

Scene 7 from the ballet "Mayerling", photo 7

Scene 8 from the ballet "Mayerling", photo 8

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7:30 PM

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US$ 102

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Important Info

Type: Ballet

City: London, Great Britain

Starts at: 19:30

Acts: 3

Intervals: 2

Duration: 3h

Ticket delivery: E-Tickets

E-tickets: Print at home or at the box office of the event if so specified. You will find more information in your booking confirmation email.

Can I choose my seats?

Cast

Performers

Orchestra: Orchestra of the Royal Opera House

Ballet company: The Royal Ballet

Conductor: Martin Georgiev

Creators

Composer: Franz Liszt

Choreographer: Kenneth MacMillan

Writer: Gillian Freeman

Overview

When all-consuming passion becomes a royal scandal.

An intoxicating mix of dangerous desires, family secrets and political intrigue spirals into a royal disaster in Kenneth MacMillan’s psychologically thrilling ballet, inspired by real life events.

Crown Prince Rudolf is tormented by dark obsessions, fixated by the idea of his own death. He cannot find solace in friends and family, except for one person: the young and beautiful Baroness Mary Vetsera. She too, shares his morbid interests. Stifled by the oppressive conventions and pageantry of the Austro-Hungarian court, Rudolf and Mary start meeting in secret. As fervent desire combines with a fascination for death, what begins as a clandestine love affair hurtles towards tragedy.

A masterpiece of storytelling

Kenneth MacMillan’s 1978 ballet draws upon the gripping real-life series of events surrounding the murder-suicide scandal of Crown Prince Rudolf and his mistress Mary Vetsera, also known as the ‘Mayerling incident’ or the ‘Mayerling affair’. A signature of The Royal Ballet repertory, Mayerling has all the hallmarks of a MacMillan ballet. Ensemble scenes show off the Company at its dramatic finest, while the lead roles – portraying the searing inners depths of the human psyche – offer abundant interpretative opportunities for the Company’s Principals.

Tragic and transcendent music

Conductor and arranger John Lanchbery ‘at once thought of Franz Liszt’ when MacMillan enlisted his help to create a score for Mayerling. Liszt, a Hungarian composer, hailed from the same period and geographical area as the protagonists in the Mayerling incident. His music too, abounds in elements of drama and melodrama – much like the story of Mayerling that MacMillan wanted to portray. To Lanchbery, Liszt proved to be the natural choice as a source for the score. Some of Liszt’s works in Lanchbery’s arrangement include his Faust Symphony, his Mephisto Waltz No. 1 and his Transcendental Etudes.

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.

History

Premiere of this production: 14 February 1978, Royal Opera House, London

Mayerling is a ballet created in 1978 by Kenneth MacMillan for the Royal Ballet, London. The original production was, in general, well received by critics, however there were some reservations. Many reviewers found the ballet overly long and the historical background of the story difficult to follow. However, Mary Clarke in the Guardian defended the complexity of the work: "Easy, after one or two viewings, to say this or that scene must go. But patience and understanding bring rewards; every scene tells something about Rudolf and the Court of Vienna in his time."

Synopsis

Prologue: The cemetery at Heiligenkreuz before dawn

Act I
Scene 1: The ballroom at the Hofburg Palace, Vienna

A ball to celebrate the marriage of Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria-Hungary and Princess Stephanie of Belgium is in full swing. Rudolf flirts shamelessly with Stephanie's sister, Princess Louise, offending both his new bride and his parents, Emperor Franz Josef and Empress Elisabeth. Rudolf meets Countess Marie Larisch, a former mistress, and Baroness Vetsera. The Baroness introduces her 17-year-old daughter Mary Vetsera. Four Hungarian officers, friends of Rudolf, enter and forcefully argue the separatist cause of their country. Countess Larisch tries to rekindle her relationship with Rudolf. The pair are discovered by the Emperor, who demands that Rudolf return to his wife.

Scene 2: The Empress’s apartments at the Hofburg

Having retired from the ball, Empress Elisabeth is being attended by her ladies-in-waiting. Rudolf visits his mother, on his way to his new bride. He expresses his deep unhappiness at being pressured into marriage. Desperate for maternal affection he tries to embrace the Empress, only to be coldly rebuffed.

Scene 3: Rudolf’s apartments at the Hofburg

Princess Stephanie is getting ready for her wedding night. Rudolf enters and threatens Stephanie with a revolver before forcing her.

Act II
Scene 1: A notorious tavern

Rudolf and Stephanie enter the tavern in disguise. They are accompanied by Rudolf's driver Bratfisch, who attempts to lighten Stephanie's spirits. Prostitutes compete for the men's attention and Stephanie flees the tavern in disgust. Rudolf turns his attention to his Hungarian friends and his regular mistress, the courtesan Mizzi Kaspar. The police burst in and Rudolf, Mitzi and the Hungarian officers hide. The police arrest several people before leaving. In a despairing mood, Rudolf proposes a suicide pact to Mitzi. The Prime Minister Count Taaffe enters the tavern, looking for Rudolf. Rudolf hides again but Mitzi tells the Count where he is hidden. The Count and Mitzi leave together.

Scene 2: Outside the tavern

Countess Larisch, ostensibly chaperoning Mary, presents the young girl to Rudolf as he leaves the tavern.

Scene 3: The Vetsera house

Countess Larisch calls on her friend Baroness Vetsera. She finds Mary absorbed by a portrait of Rudolf. Countess Larisch tells Mary's fortune using a pack of cards and informs her that her romantic dreams will come true. Mary gives the Countess a letter to deliver to Rudolf on her behalf.

Scene 4: The Hofburg

During the Emperor's birthday celebrations Count Taaffe confronts Rudolph over an incriminating political pamphlet on the Hungarian cause. Colonel 'Bay' Middleton hands the Count a joke cigar, to Rudolf's intense amusement. The Empress presents the Emperor with a portrait of his 'friend' Katherina Schratt. A firework display distracts everyone except the Empress and 'Bay.' Rudolf notices their amorous exchange and becomes bitterly resentful. Countess Larisch produces Mary's letter and teases Rudolf with it.

Scene 5: Rudolf’s apartments at the Hofburg

Mary and Rudolf meet in secret for the first time.

Act III
Scene 1: A royal shoot in the countryside

During a hunting expedition, Rudolf unaccountably shoots wildly. He kills a member of the court, narrowly missing his father.

Scene 2: Rudolf’s apartments at the Hofburg

The Empress discovers Countess Larisch and Rudolf alone together and angrily dismisses the Countess, unaware Mary is waiting outside. Mary enters after the Empress has left. Rudolf asks her to commit suicide with him.

Scene 3: The hunting lodge at Mayerling

Rudolf shares a drink with Count Hoyos and Prince Philipp of Coburg, attended by his valet Loschek. He asks them to leave, saying he is unwell. Bratfisch enters with Mary. Rudolf instructs Bratfisch to entertain him and Mary. Bratfisch, soon realizing he has lost their attention, leaves. In a mounting frenzy Rudolf makes love to Mary. He injects himself with morphine to calm his nerves and embraces Mary for the last time. He shoots her. Loschek, Hoyos and Philipp rush in, having heard the shot. Rudolf reassures them and instructs them to leave. Alone, he shoots himself. His friends rush in again, and collapse in despair when they find Rudolf's dead body.

Epilogue: The cemetery at Heiligenkreuz before dawn

Venue Info

Royal Opera House (Covent Garden) - London
Bow St, Covent Garden

The Royal Opera House (ROH) is an opera house and major performing arts venue in London and Great Britain. It is the home of The Royal Opera, The Royal Ballet, and the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House.

The large building is often referred to as simply "Covent Garden", after a previous use of the site of the opera house's original construction in 1732. It is the home of The Royal Opera, The Royal Ballet, and the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House. Originally called the Theatre Royal, it served primarily as a playhouse for the first hundred years of its history. In 1734, the first ballet was presented. A year later, Handel's first season of operas began. Many of his operas and oratorios were specifically written for Covent Garden and had their premieres there.

The current building is the third theatre on the site following disastrous fires in 1808 and 1856. The façade, foyer, and auditorium date from 1858, but almost every other element of the present complex dates from an extensive reconstruction in the 1990s. The main auditorium seats 2,256 people, making it the third largest in London, and consists of four tiers of boxes and balconies and the amphitheatre gallery. The proscenium is 12.20 m wide and 14.80 m high. The main auditorium is a Grade I listed building.

The Royal Opera, under the direction of Antonio Pappano, is one of the world’s leading opera companies. Based in the iconic Covent Garden theatre, it is renowned both for its outstanding performances of traditional opera and for commissioning new works by today’s leading opera composers, such as Harrison Birtwistle, Mark-Anthony Turnage and Thomas Adès.

The Royal Ballet is one of the world’s greatest ballet companies. Under the directorship of Kevin O’Hare, the Company unites tradition and innovation in world-class performances at our Covent Garden home.

The Company’s extensive repertory embraces 19th-century classics, the singular legacy of works by Founder Choreographer Frederick Ashton and Principal Choreographer Kenneth MacMillan and a compelling new canon by Resident Choreographer Wayne McGregor and Artistic Associate Christopher Wheeldon.

The Orchestra performs in concerts of their own, including performances at the Royal Opera House with Antonio Pappano. They have also performed at venues worldwide including Symphony Hall (Birmingham), Cadogan Hall, the Vienna Konzerthaus and on tour with The Royal Opera.

Members of the Orchestra play an active role in events across the Royal Opera House, including working with the Learning and Participation teams. The Orchestra accompanies performances that are streamed all over the world, including through cinema screenings and broadcasts. They appear on many CDs and DVDs including Pappano’s acclaimed studio recording of Tristan und Isolde with Plácido Domingo and Nina Stemme.

The Orchestra of the Royal Opera House was founded in 1946 when the Royal Opera House reopened after World War II.

Important Info

Type: Ballet

City: London, Great Britain

Starts at: 19:30

Acts: 3

Intervals: 2

Duration: 3h

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