La Bayadère

Act I

Scene 1. The Sacred Forest, outside the temple

Warriors

returning from the great tiger hunt are joined by Solor, the noblest

warrior in the land. He asks to be left alone to pray before the Sacred

Fire, but once the warriors have departed, he calls for the head Fakir,

Magdaveya, and asks him to arrange a rendezvous for him with the

bayadère, Nikiya. They are interrupted by the arrival of the priests and

the High Brahmin who orders Magdaveya to gather the other Fakirs to

prepare the Sacred Fire for the coming celebration. The bayadères

appear, and among them is Nikiya, who has been chosen to be consecrated

their leader. The High Brahmin is overwhelmed by her beauty and tells

Nikiya of his love for her. Nikiya, however, rejects his attentions for

he is a man of God. The High Brahmin is deeply hurt by her reaction to

his declaration of love. As the celebration begins, the temple dancers

bring water to the Fakirs, and Magdaveya informs Nikiya of Solor’s

message. Nikiya agrees to meet him, but not before the High Brahmin has

seen her with Magdaveya and becomes suspicious. The ceremony ends and

the celebrants return to the temple. Magdaveya calls for Solor and tells

him to hide in the forest until Nikiya returns to meet him. She soon

appears, and when Solor joins her they swear eternal love over the

Sacred Fire. Unbeknown to Solor and Nikiya, the High Brahmin has been

watching them from within the temple, and after an uneasy Magdaveya

separates the lovers, the High Brahmin emerges in a fury and invokes the

gods to help him kill Solor.

Scene 2. A room in the palace

Warriors

have been invited to the palace to honour Solor. The Rajah announces

that Solor’s reward for his valour will be marriage to Gamzatti. He

presents his daughter to Solor, and when he lifts her veil, Solor is

overcome by her beauty. Even though he has sworn eternal love to Nikiya,

he cannot resist Gamzatti’s attractions or refuse the Rajah’s wishes.

Entertainment is provided for the betrothed couple, which ends with the

arrival of the High Brahmin. He asks to speak privately to the Rajah,

and informs him of Nikiya’s and Solor’s love. He had hoped that the

Rajah would kill Solor, but the Rajah instead decides that Nikiya must

die, to the dismay of the High Brahmin. Gamzatti overhears their

conversations and summons Nikiya to her rooms. She tries to bribe her to

leave Solor by offering her jewels and gifts, but Nikiya refuses. In

desperation, she tries to stab Gamzatti, but is stopped by her

attendant, Aya. As Nikiya runs out of the room, Gamzatti, like her

father, determines to kill her.

Scene 3. The garden of the palace

Festivities

are presented in honour of the betrothal of Gamzatti and Solor. The

High Brahmin brings Nikiya to dance for the ceremony. She cannot accept

the engagement and expresses her sadness in dance. Aya gives her a

basket of flowers which she says are from Solor, and Nikiya’s spirits

brighten. However, a poisonous snake is hidden among the flowers, which

were actually sent by the Rajah and Gamzatti. The snake bites Nikiya as

she lifts the basket to smell the flowers. The High Brahmin offers her

an antidote to the poison, but the moment before she drinks it, Nikiya

sees Solor being led away by the Rajah and Gamzatti, and she decides to

die.

Act II

Scene 1. Solor’s tent

Despondent and depressed by Nikiya’s death, Solor smokes opium, given to him by agdaveya to deaden his grief.

Scene 2. The Kingdom of the Shades

Solor

hallucinates and conjures a vision of the dead Nikiya. She appears in

the Kingdom of the Shades, and her vision is multiplied by the corps de

ballet. Solor reminisces about her dance of love by the Sacred Fire.

Scene 3. Solor’s tent

As

the warriors enter his tent to prepare Solor for the wedding to

Gamzatti, the vision of Nikiya continues to haunt and confuse him.

Act III

The temple

In the shadow of the Great Buddha, a bronze idol dances as the High Brahmin and the priests prepare for the wedding of Gamzatti and Solor. The betrothed couple enter, and the bayadères perform a ritual candle dance round them, reminiscent of the Sacred Fire burning outside the temple. The Rajah, Gamzatti and Solor dance, but Solor is haunted by the vision of Nikiya, which is visible only to him. During the dance, a basket of flowers identical to the one given to Nikiya mysteriously appears, and Gamzatti, terrified and consumed with guilt, urges her father to complete the wedding ceremony. The High Brahmin performs the ceremony on the steps of the altar, but Solor cannot force himself to say the vows. The infuriated gods destroy the temple and bury everyone under its ruins. The spirits of Nikiya and Solor are reunited in eternal love.