Anyuta

About

Vladimir Vasiliev’s ballet Anyuta, based on Anton Chekhov’s short story Anna on the Neck, premiered at the Mariinsky Theatre on 8 December 2023. First created as a teleballet in 1982 and adapted for the stage in 1986, the work returns with Valery Gavrilin’s memorable score whose recurring motifs mark character entrances and deepen the drama. The libretto explores the seduction of wealth and power set against family values and true love. Vasiliev’s choreography is unusually rich for a narrative ballet and demands strong acting alongside refined classical technique. The staging moves from an Orthodox funeral to an Imperial ballroom and lively Moscow streets, with period costumes and symbolic lighting creating an evocative world. Vasiliev stresses conveying the subtle goodness and beauty at the heart of Chekhov and Gavrilin, inviting the audience to look beyond material success to life’s essential truths.