Anna Karenina
Maya Plisetskaya as Anna Karenina dances with Maris Liepa in a dramatic scene from the ballet adaptation of Anna Karenina. 2022. Commons
QUICK F A C T S
- ✦ Anna Karenina premiered in April 2005 and was choreographed by Boris Eifman, based on Leo Tolstoy’s famous novel published between 1875–1878.
✦ Eifman’s version is known for its intense psychological style and uses music arranged from works by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.
✦ The celebrated 1972 adaptation starred Maya Plisetskaya, who choreographed Anna’s solo scenes alongside Natalya Ryzhenko and Viktor Smirnov-Golovanov, who staged the ensemble scenes.
✦ Unlike Eifman’s ballet, the 1972 version used an original score by Rodion Shchedrin rather than music by Tchaikovsky.
✦ John Neumeier’s contemporary adaptation premiered with the Hamburg Ballet in 2017 and later received a major Bolshoi Theatre debut in 2018.
✦ Yuri Possokhov’s adaptation premiered in 2019 as a collaboration between the Joffrey Ballet and the Australian Ballet.
✦ Although several famous Anna Karenina ballets use Tchaikovsky’s music, he never composed a ballet specifically for the story.
Scene from a Soviet-era ballet production of Anna Karenina inspired by Leo Tolstoy’s novel, 1978. Photo: Olek Popov, Commons.
S U M M A R Y
Anna Karenina is one of the most famous novels ever written. Created by Leo Tolstoy, the story was first published in serial installments from 1875 to 1877 before appearing as a complete book in 1878. It follows Anna Karenina, a married woman whose passionate affair with Count Vronsky leads to scandal, heartbreak, and growing isolation from society. Alongside Anna’s tragic story is the gentler romance of Kitty and Levin, whose relationship grows into one built on honesty, love, and mutual respect. The novel eventually ends in tragedy for Anna, and its emotional depth has made it one of the greatest works of world literature.
Hungarian ballet dancer Szilárd Macher performs as Count Vronsky in a 2012 stage production of Anna Karenina. Photo: Macher Szilárd, Commons.
Steam locomotives transformed travel and society during the late nineteenth century, the same industrial world surrounding Anna Karenina.
Over the years, Anna Karenina has inspired countless adaptations for film, theater, opera, and ballet. One of the most famous ballet versions was created in 2005 by Boris Eifman. Premiering in Saint Petersburg on April 2, 2005, Eifman’s adaptation transformed the story into an intense psychological ballet using music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky along with excerpts from more than a dozen other composers. The production became known for its emotional intensity, dramatic staging, and modern theatrical style.
Several other major choreographers have also brought Anna’s story to the stage. In 1972, legendary ballerina Maya Plisetskaya choreographed and starred in her own ballet adaptation with music by her husband, Rodion Shchedrin. More recently, John Neumeier created a contemporary version for the Hamburg Ballet in 2017, while Yuri Possokhov partnered with the Joffrey Ballet for a visually immersive adaptation in 2019. More than a century after Tolstoy wrote the novel, Anna Karenina continues to inspire artists around the world.
Surviving frame from the 1914 Russian silent film adaptation of Anna Karenina, one of the earliest screen versions of Tolstoy’s novel.
E N C O R E
✦ On Today’s Stage
Boris Eifman’s emotionally intense 2005 adaptation remains one of the most recognized modern ballet versions of Anna Karenina. Contemporary productions by John Neumeier and Yuri Possokhov have also helped keep Tolstoy’s tragic story active on international stages.
✦ Iconic Interpreters
Maya Plisetskaya became legendary for her portrayal of Anna in the 1972 ballet adaptation choreographed alongside Natalya Ryzhenko and Viktor Smirnov-Golovanov. More recent interpreters include Diana Vishneva in Eifman’s production and Hamburg Ballet stars associated with John Neumeier’s version.
✦ Legacy
More than a century after Leo Tolstoy published the novel, Anna Karenina continues to inspire choreographers around the world. Its themes of love, obsession, isolation, and emotional collapse have made it one of literature’s most enduring ballet adaptations.