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Mayerling is the name of the hunting lodge in which the heir to the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Rudolf, was found dead in 1889. Why did the son of Emperor Franz Joseph and Elisabeth (the famous Sissi) commit suicide in the company of his mistress, the young Mary Vetsera? Kenneth MacMillan’s ballet inspired by this mystery‑shrouded historic event was first performed in London in 1978 and entered the Paris Opera’s repertoire in 2022. Plagued by addictions and suicidal thoughts, a tormented character buffeted by history, Rudolf provides an opportunity for the choreographer to develop themes dear to him. Set to feverish music by Franz Liszt, Mayerling unfolds an immensely theatrical neo-classical choreography. Grandiose scenes are interwoven with intimate scenes in sumptuous costumes whose autumnal hues reflect the decline of a world destined to disappear.

Rudolf: Heir to the Austrian crown Mary Vetsera: Daughter of Baroness Helena Vetsera, Rudolf’s lover Mary Larisch: Countess, Rudolf’s former lover and chaperone of Mary Vetsera Stephanie: Princess, Rudolf’s wife Franz Josef: Emperor of Austria, Rudolf’s father Elisabeth: Empress of Austria, Rudolf’s mother Mitzi Caspar: Rudolf’s mistress Bratfisch: Rudolf’s coachman and friend Bay Middleton: Colonel, Empress’s lover

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2669_MAYERLING_Kenneth MacMillan_Dorothée Gilbert (Mary Vetsera) Hugo Marchand (Prince Rodolphe) (c) ann ray OnP

Mayerling

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Mayerling is the name of the hunting lodge in which the heir to the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Rudolf, was found dead in 1889. Why did the son of Emperor Franz Joseph and Elisabeth (the famous Sissi) commit suicide in the company of his mistress, the y

Kenneth MacMillan

Franz Liszt was a Hungarian composer and virtuoso pianist of nineteenth-century Romantic Europe, born in 1811. He grew up at the court of Prince Esterhazy, where his father was a cellist. From the age of ten, he studied piano in Vienna with Salieri, where he gave his first concert in 1822. He lived in Paris until 1835, where he composed his only opera for the Opéra Le Peletier in 1825, Don Sanche ou Le château de l'amour. It was in the salons of the capital that he made a name for himself with his ‘recitals’ and met Berlioz, Sand, Paganini, Chopin and Musset. In 1836, he toured Europe with Marie d'Agoult. Listz arrived in Weimar in 1842, where he conducted the Grand Duke's orchestra and wrote numerous pieces: the first of the nineteen Hungarian Rhapsodies (1846-1885), the Sonata in B minor and the Faust-Symphony (1857). His symphonic poems (1857-1882) are emblematic of this style. Marked by the revolutions of 1830 and 1848, he defined himself as a nationalist composer. He spent time in Rome and Paris and, unable to marry Princess Sayn-Wittgenstein, joined the Franciscans in 1865. He composed numerous religious works inspired by the Renaissance: the oratorio Christus in 1866, the Coronation Mass in 1867 for the new King Franz Joseph, and mystical pieces for piano such as Gondole lugubre, Csardas macabre and Bagatelle sans tonalité. This was a period when he was still travelling, particularly in Italy, where he composed his famous Jeux d'eau at the Villa d'Este (1877). He died in Bayreuth in 1886.

Gillian Freeman was born on 5 December 1929. She attended Francis Holland School in London and Lynton House School in Maidenhead during the Second World War. She graduated in English and Philosophy from Reading University in 1951. She then taught at an East End school and worked as an editor and journalist. The Liberty Man (1955) was Gillian Freeman's first book, written while she was working as literary secretary to the novelist Louis Golding. One of her best-known books is The Leather Boys (1961), published under the pseudonym Eliot George, after the novelist George Eliot, the story of a homosexual relationship between two young working-class men. Her essay The Undergrowth of Literature (1967) is a study of pornography. In 1978, she wrote a fictional diary, Nazi Lady: The Diaries of Elisabeth von Stahlenberg, 1938-48. Gillian Freeman also wrote screenplays for the cinema (Robert Altman's That Cold Day in the Park, 1969) and for dance: she collaborated with choreographer Kenneth MacMillan on the ballets Isadora and Mayerling. With her husband Edward Thorpe, novelist and dance critic for the Evening Standard, she wrote Ballet Genius (1988), a series of portraits of dancers. She died on 23 February 2019.

Born on 11 December 1929 in Dunfermline, Scotland, Kenneth MacMillan studied dance at the Sadler's Wells Ballet School (now the Royal Ballet) before joining the company in 1946. His career really began when he was recruited by Ninette de Valois for Sadlers' Wells Theatre Ballet. An excellent dancer but suffering from stage fright, MacMillan preferred to turn to choreography. His first ballet, Danses concertantes (1955, entered the repertoire of the Ballet de l'Opéra in 1984), set by Nicholas Georgiadis - soon to be his favourite collaborator - revealed his great creativity. In 1965, his Romeo and Juliet marked a significant evolution in the tradition of grand ballets, an essential element of the Royal Ballet of which he was resident choreographer. MacMillan, deeply affected by Covent Garden's refusal to stage his ballet to Gustav Mahler's Song of the Earth, took over the direction of the West Berlin Opera Ballet. In 1965, his colleague and friend John Cranko, director of the Stuttgart Ballet, asked him to programme the creation of Le Chant de la terre (which entered the Opera Ballet repertoire in 1978), which was a triumph. In 1970, he returned to London to take over the direction of the Royal Ballet. His new creations received a lukewarm reception, including L'Histoire de Manon (1974), which entered the Opera Ballet repertoire in 1990. He resigned in 1977 to devote himself to choreography. Associate Director of the American Ballet Theatre from 1984 to 1989, then Artistic Associate of the Houston Ballet from 1989 until his death in 1992, he also created Métaboles and remounted Les Quatre Saisons (1978) and Danses concertantes (1984) for the Ballet de l'Opéra national de Paris. Kenneth MacMillan died on 29 October 1992.

2007 : After winning the First Prize at the CNR (national conservatory) in Nantes, he enters the Paris Opera Ballet School.
2011 : He joins the Paris Opera Corps de ballet.
2014 : Promoted to "Coryphée". Bronze medal at the Varna International Dance competition.
2015 : Promoted to "Sujet". Cercle Carpeaux Prize. AROP Dance Prize. Nominated for the Benois de la Danse Prize.
2016 : Promoted to "Premier danseur".
2017 : Benois de la Danse Prize, "best dancer" category. 2018 : Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe: Arts & Culture.

Following a performance of La Sylphide (Lacotte, after Taglioni) in which he perfoms the role of James on the stage of the Bunka Kaikan in Tokyo (Japan) on March 3rd 2017, he is named "Étoile".As part of the Paris Opera Ballet’s official tours, he has performed in Spain (Madrid/ 2019), the United States (New York/ 2017), Japan (Tokyo/ 2017 and 2020).

Hugo Marchand

2005 : Enters the Paris Opera Ballet School.

2008 : Joins the Corps de ballet.

2014 : Becomes a “Coryphée”. She receives the Prix AROP de la Danse.

2015 : She is made a “Sujet”.

2016 : She is promoted to “Première danseuse”. On Decembre 31st 2017, Léonore Baulac is made an « Étoile » following a performance of Swan Lake (Noureev) in which she performed the role of Odette / Odile.

Léonore Baulac (c)James Bort OnP

Studies dance at the Kishibe Ballet Studio (Tokyo) and the Australian Ballet School.
2009: Lausanne Prize.

2013: Joins the Paris Opera Corps de Ballet.

2014: Promoted to "Coryphée". Silver medal at the Varna Competition. Prix du Cercle Carpeaux.

2015: Promoted to "Sujet".

2016: Promoted to "Première danseuse". Prix Benois de la Danse. 2023: Hannah O'Neill is named "Danseuse Étoile" on March 2nd 2023, following the performance of Ballet impérial (George Balanchine) in which she performed the first principal soloist.

Hannah-O'Neill-james-bort-nb (c) James Bort OnP

2002:&nbsp;Enters the Paris Opera Ballet School.

2008:&nbsp;Joins the Paris Opera Corps de Ballet.

2011:&nbsp;Promoted to Coryphée. Prix du Cercle Carpeaux

2012:&nbsp;Promoted to Sujet.

2020:&nbsp;Promoted to Première danseuse.

SAINT-MARTIN_Silvia-105

2000
 Enters the Paris Opera Ballet School.

2007
 Joins the Corps de Ballet.

2009 

She is named Coryphée.

2010
 

She is named Sujet. Prix du Cercle Carpeaux

2011 AROP Dance Prize

2019
 She is named Première danseuse.

BOURDON_Heloise-8261

2007: Enters the Paris Opera Ballet School
2013: Joins the Paris Opera Corps de Ballet.
2015: Promoted to Coryphée.
2017: Prix Carpeaux.
2018: Promoted to Sujet.
2020: Arop Dance Award. 2022: Promoted to Première Danseuse.2024 : Roxane Stojanov is named « Danseuse Étoile » on 28 December 2024, following the performance of Paquita (Pierre Lacotte).

SITE_INTERNET_Opera-roxane-stojanov-james-bort6_ROXANE-STOJANOV-(c)-James-Bort-OnP

2007 Entre à l’École de Danse de l’Opéra national de Paris.2013 Est engagé dans le Corps de Ballet de l’Opéra national de Paris.2016 Promu « Coryphée ».2018 Promu « Sujet ».2020 Promu « Premier danseur ».

LEGASA_Pablo-101

2004 Entre à l’École de Danse de l’Opéra national de Paris.2011 Engagé dans le Corps de Ballet de l’Opéra national de Paris.2013 Promu « Coryphée ».2014 Médaille de Bronze au Concours international de Danse de Varna.2015 Promu « Sujet ».2016 Prix du Cercle Carpeaux.2022 Promu « Premier Danseur ».

LOUP-Quer Jeremy-8267

2004-2012: Studies at the Brisbane Academy of Dance.2012-2015: Studies with Janine Mcgrath.2015: Finalist at the Lausanne International Dance Competition. Enters

the "2nd division" class of the Paris Opera Ballet School.2017: Joins the Paris Opera Ballet.2018: Promoted to “Coryphée”. Awarded the 2nd Prize (junior category) at the 28th Varna International Dance Competition. Cercle Carpeaux award.2019: Promoted to “Sujet”. AROP Dance award.2025: Promoted to "First Soloist", from January 1st, 2026.

SCUDAMORE_Bianca-123

Born in Greece, Nicholas Georgiadis graduated from the Slade School of Fine Arts in London, where he later became a professor of set design. He created his first sets in 1955 for Kenneth MacMillan's Danses concertantes, and went on to collaborate with the choreographer on a regular basis. From 1957 onwards, he designed theatre and opera sets for stages in London, Athens and Frankfurt. From 1964, he collaborated with Rudolf Nureyev, designing the sets and costumes for Swan Lake (at the Vienna Opera), The Nutcracker (at the Royal Ballet in London, then at La Scala in Milan and the Berlin Opera), Sleeping Beauty (at La Scala in Milan and for the National Ballet of Canada, then for the London Festival Ballet), Raymonda (at the Zurich Opera and the American Ballet Theatre), Don Quixote for the Operas of Vienna, Milan, Berlin, Zurich, the Royal Ballet of London, the National Ballet of Canada, the London Festival Ballet and the American Ballet Theatre. He worked on Michel Cacoyannis's film Les Troyennes (1971) and reconstructed the sets and costumes by Bakst, Benois and Röhrich for Herbert Ross's film Nijinsky (1979). In 1982 he received the Evening Standard Ballet Award, the first time this had been awarded to a set designer. In 1989, he was made a Commander of the British Empire. At the Opéra national de Paris, he designed the sets and costumes for Rudolf Nureyev's productions of Don Quixote (1981), Raymonda (1983), The Nutcracker (1985), Sleeping Beauty (1989), the costumes for Washington Square (1985), and those for L'Histoire de Manon (MacMillan), which entered the repertory in 1990. He died in 2001.

Jacopo Pantani studied stage design at the Florence Academy of Fine Arts. He has worked as a lighting designer for major international theatres, including the Sydney Opera House with Giancarlo del Monaco for Luisa Miller, the NCPA in Beijing with Giancarlo Del Monaco for L'Italiana in Algeri, the Royal Opera House at Covent Garden in London for Kenneth McMillan's L'Histoire de Manon, the Teatro San Carlo in Naples with Fabio Sparvoli for Les Pêcheurs de Perles, the Mariinsky Theatre with Shen Wei, the Royal Opera House in Muscat with the Caracalla Dance Company, and the Théâtre du Capitole with Nicolas Joel. He has collaborated with Ezio Frigero on several opera and ballet productions at the Astana Opera in Kazakhstan. He has worked at Tokyo's Bunka Kaikan and at the Seoul Art Center with Alessandro Talevi on Tosca and Rigoletto.

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