This  month saw the Maltese premiere of the first-ever ‘ballet on ice’ to be performed in Malta. Jesters’ Wedding, a story based on real-life events at the royal court in 18th-century Russia, bewitched the audience with live musicians, an ostentatious set and costume design, and world-class figure skating.

An outdoor ice show is probably not the first thing that might come to mind when considering events to see in Malta - even in December.

So it was with some degree of curiosity that I arrived at the Independence Parade Grounds in Floriana to watch Jesters’ Wedding, an on-ice adaptation of Crystal Palace, a modern ballet featuring music by American-Maltese composer, Alexey Shor.

Upon entering the Parade Grounds, the first thing that struck me was the stage design. A far cry from the more minimalist staging sometimes seen in modern productions, this representation of the famous - some may say infamous - ice palace built by the niece of Tsar Peter the Great, Empress Anna Ioannovna (Ekaterina Bobrova), announced itself boldly, every inch the regal landmark it set out to recreate.

The jewel at the centre of the stage, a revolving throne room designed in the shape of a Fabergé egg and flanked by large red jester hats, grand arches and silver gates stage-right, marked the focal point for the palace and the world-class figure skating yet to come.

“The central part of the set is Ioannovna’s crown, designed like a Fabergé egg… it serves as a symbolic association with St Petersburg and, together with the revolving platform, is used to mark the change of scenes in the show. At the same time, the crown that opens and closes with Ioannovna inside, like a puppet, is an interpretation of the image of the Empress trapped by her own power,” says Nina Kobiashvili, set designer for Jesters’ Wedding and graduate of Central Saint Martin’s Arts and Design College, UK.

Tatiana Totmyanina and Maxim Marinin

The sense of anticipation in the air was palpable, with fur-coated figures who wouldn’t have seemed out of place in St Petersburg itself huddled excitedly at the barrier in front of the stage; the glittering mirror image of the lights and scenery reflecting on the glass-like surface of the ice adding a sense of other-worldy mystique reminiscent of Hans Christian-Andersen. The stage was set, the audience had arrived and the show was ready to begin.

The plot takes inspiration from real-life events that took place in the winter of 1739-40, when Empress Anna was inspired to build an ice palace for the hosting of celebrations that marked the end of Russia’s war with the Ottoman Empire from 1735 to 1739.

Although the story of the ice show diverges somewhat from the original narrative of that winter in its more sympathetic treatment of the Empress’s character in the first act, this can easily be forgiven due to the additional character development and performance variety it allows for.

The title of the production derives from the main indignation inflicted on Prince Golitsyn (Maxim Marinin), who angers the Empress and, as a result, is coerced into ‘playing the fool’ as a court jester, before being forced to marry the Empress’s favourite female jester, Dunka (Tatyana Totmyanina).

After their marriage, the couple are paraded around the palace trapped in a cage atop an elephant, accompanied by a mocking procession of animals and circus performers.

The quality of the performance both in execution and production were first rate

The final insult comes when the newlyweds are forced to sleep in the ice palace bedchambers, the kindness of the jester Balakirev (Alexey Yagudin) saving Dunka and the Prince from the freezing temperatures as he covers the pair with his sheepskin coat.

Though the ill-treated couple’s wedding can scarcely be called a happy occasion, I’m pleased to say that the performance inspired by the events of that harsh winter was a joyous celebration of world-class figure skating and musical performance, engaging stage direction and a rich musical score.

That the performance included so many national, world and Olympic champions was testament to the technical and artistic prowess of the evening. The cast dazzled the crowd with feats that hardly seemed possible to the uninitiated.

Alexey Yagudin

Virtuosic solos, beautifully choreographed duets and ensemble acts of military precision marked the evening, with magnificent performances by Bobrova, Totmyanina and Marinin to name but a few.

Even the unfavourable weather that began the evening’s proceedings did not interrupt the performance nor deter the audience from the spellbinding presentation. The performers shrugged off the wind and rain with controlled, professional ease. Graceful lifts, energetic pirouettes and daring leaps punctuated the performance; the choreography was exhilarating and impressive.

The attention to detail of the set design and props is also worthy of mention. The wedding procession was faithfully and imaginatively recreated, featuring a swan carriage and even a large prop depicting the real-life elephant present at the festivities, with decorated sides portraying the animal and a cage seated above securing the unhappy couple. The costumes too were artfully designed, paying homage to the baroque pageantry that provided the setting for the show.

“When working on the costumes for the Jesters’ Wedding ice show in Malta, the key thing for us was to create the historical context,” say Vadim Volya and Olga-Maria Tumakova, costume designers and Golden Mask award winners.

“We depict the age of Ioannovna and we need the audience to understand it. We used paintings as our inspiration.”

New York-based composer  Alexey Shor composed the music, the performance of which also included live contributions from members of the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra and Bolshoi Theatre of Russia opera singer Anna Aglatova.

Though a composition born of modern times, the writing clearly pays homage to the traditions of the late-Romantic Russian composers such as Tchaikovsky and Glazunov. Rising harp arpeggios, idiomatic use of percussion, soaring melodies and the boundless energy so often prevalent in ballet scores from this era were used to great effect, however, they never detracted from the originality of the music.

In conclusion, the evening proved to be an entertaining and impressive one, the quality of the performance both in execution and production being first rate. Should the ice palace open its gates once more, I would have no hesitation in recommending this production to anyone who did not get the opportunity this time around.

This production of Jesters’ Wedding was made possible by the European Foundation for Support of Culture (EUFSC) represented by the President Konstantin Ishkhanov together with the Ilya Averbukh Production Company, with the support of the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra and media support of the Arts Council Malta, the Public Broadcasting Services Limited and the showshappening.com.