Ein Leben für den Zaren
"La Perle" was created as part of a lavish piece d'occasion for a gala given at the Bolshoi Theatre of Moscow in celebration of the coronation of Emperor Nicholas II and Empress Alexandra Fydorovna. The ballet was given after a performance of scenes from Mikhail Glinka's opera "A Life for the Tsar" on . The original cast of "La Perle" featured the highest ranking dancers from St. Petersburg and Moscow's imperial theatres.