Leo Tolstoy’s famous classical novel in the choreographic interpretation by modern dance master John Neumeier is a joint production of the Bolshoi Theatre and the Hamburg Ballet set to the music of Pyotr Tchaikovsky, Alfred Schnittke, and Cat Stevens (aka Yusuf Islam).
The ballet "Anna Karenina" is full of inner psychological energy and strikingly exact in its emotional impact. Choreographer John Neumeier has attentively read Leo Tolstoy’s novel and thoroughly studied the characters. This thoroughness shows him as a great connoisseur and admirer of Russian literature.
The 3-hour-long ballet “Anna Karenina” has definitely not enough time for all the events of the novel. But that is enough to understand: the stage director has aimed at a global perspective of the classical source.
Having removed all the secondary plotlines of Leo Tolstoy’s novel, the choreographer concentrated on the love triangle "Anna - Karenin - Vronsky".
He used the body plasticity in dance to convey the tragedy of a woman, whose "basic instinct" and desire drive her to a crime against social norms to the point of suicide. A woman driven by passionate sensual attraction is ready to sacrifice anything...
The ballet based on the famous novel by Leo Tolstoy premiered in Hamburg in the summer of 2017. The Bolshoi Theater and the National Ballet of Canada coworked on the stage production. 

Choreographer John Neumeier emphasized that his ballet was inspired by the book of Leo Tolstoy, but in no way was it a retelling of the novel in the language of the ballet. The events of the play take place in the modern times. The choreographer points out that his version of Anna Karenina is about the present day, and not about the past epoch: timeless emotions of the story and direct parallels with reality cannot leave contemporary viewers indifferent.
The highest level of the troupe's performing mastery and choreography convey all the psychological vicissitudes of Tolstoy's novel.

The ballet is accompanied with music by composers of different eras. The music by Pyotr Tchaikovsky connects the play with the 19^th century. Among other compositions, there is "Andante cantabile" from the First Quartet, listening to which used to touch Leo Tolstoy to tears. Music by Alfred Schnittke immerses the heroes in the space of dark premonitions, fears and mental turmoil. Levin stands out against the general background by the fact that the scenes of his rural life are accompanied with modern music by Cat Stevens.

The main advantage of the ballet is the level of its performance. Everybody, from episodic midwives to the main characters, is perfect in dancing. The troupe of the Bolshoi Theatre draws the ballet “Anna Karenina” to the level of Neumeier's original concept - to stage a ballet not about the adultery of the 19^th century, but about people and their problems. At all times. Everywhere.
When: from 7 pm on October 12 and 13
Where: the Bolshoi Theatre at the address 1, Teatralnaya Square, next to metro stations Okhotny Ryad and Teatralnaya, Moscow.