Notre Dame de Paris Cathedral (Notre Dame Cathedral) is a legend in Paris. Notre Dame Cathedral Notre Dame de Paris musical symphonic version

Has been under the care of the gypsy baron Clopin since the death of his mother. After a gypsy camp tries to enter Paris and take refuge in Notre Dame Cathedral (“Les Sans-Papiers”), they are chased away by the royal soldiers (“Intervention de Frollo”) on the orders of Archdeacon Frollo. The captain of the skirmishers, Phoebus de Chateaupert, takes an interest in Esmeralda ("Bohémienne"). But he is already engaged to 14-year-old Fleur-de-Lys ("Ces Diamants-Là").

At the clownish feast, the hunchbacked, crooked and lame bell-ringer of Quasimodo Cathedral comes to look at Esmeralda, with whom he has fallen in love ("La Fête des Fous"). Because of his ugliness, he is elected King of Jesters ("Le Pape des Fous"). At this point, the guardian and mentor Quasimodo, the archdeacon of the cathedral, intervenes. Notre Dame of Paris Claude Frollo. He rips off his jester's crown and forbids even looking at the girl, accusing her of witchcraft, and then orders the hunchback to kidnap the gypsy and lock her in the tower of the cathedral ("La Sorcière").

At night, the poet Pierre Gringoire follows Esmeralda ("Les Portes de Paris") and witnesses an attempted kidnapping. But a detachment of Phoebus was guarding nearby, and he protects the gypsy ("Tentative d'Enlèvement"). Quasimodo is arrested. The captain appoints a rescued date in the cabaret "Shelter of Love".

Gringoire ends up in the Court of Miracles - the abode of tramps, thieves and other lumpen. Clopin decides to hang him because he, not being a criminal, went there. Only the consent of any of the women living there to take him as a husband can save the poet. Esmeralda, after a suggestion from her guardian, agrees to save Pierre ("La Cour des Miracles"). He promises to make her his muse, but the gypsy is consumed by thoughts of Phoebe. She asks the man about the meaning of her lover's name ("Le Mot Phoebus", "Beau Comme Le Soleil").

For attempting to kidnap Esmeralda, Quasimodo was sentenced to be broken on the wheel ("Anarkia"). Frollo is watching this. When the hunchback asks for a drink, the girl gives him water ("À Boire").

In the market square, all three - Quasimodo, Frollo and Phoebus - confess their love to her ("Belle"). In gratitude for the water, the first one shows her the Cathedral and the bell tower, inviting her to come in whenever she wants ("Ma maison, c'est ta maison").

Frollo pursues Phoebus and together with him enters the "Shelter of Love" ("L'Ombre", "Le Val d'Amour"). Seeing the gypsy with the captain ("La Volupté"), he stabs him with the gypsy's dagger, which Esmeralda lost in Quasimodo's attack, and flees, leaving the victim to die ("Fatalité").

Act II

Esmeralda is arrested and imprisoned in La Sante ("Où Est-Elle?"). Phoebus is cured and returns to Fleur-de-Lys, who asks him to swear that the lover will be punished ("La Monture", "Je Reviens Vers Toi").

Frollo judges and tortures Esmeralda. He accuses her of witchcraft, prostitution and an attempt on Phoebus. The gypsy states that she is not involved in this. She is sentenced to death by hanging ("Le Procès", "La Torture"). An hour before the execution, Claude descends into the dungeon of La Sante prison ("Visite de Frollo à Esmeralda"). He confesses his love to the prisoner and offers to save her in exchange for reciprocity, but Esmeralda refuses ("Un matin tu dansais"). The archdeacon tries to take her by force, but at this time Clopin and Quasimodo enter the dungeon. The jester stuns the priest and frees the stepdaughter ("Libérés"), who is hiding in Notre Dame Cathedral.

The inhabitants of the "Court of Miracles" come there to take Esmeralda. Royal soldiers under the command of Phoebus enter into battle with them ("L'Attaque De Notre-Dame"). Clopin is killed. The vagabonds are expelled ("Déportés"). Claude Frollo gives the gypsy Phoebe and the executioner. Quasimodo searches for her, but meets Claude, who confesses to him that he did it because he was refused ("Mon maître mon sauveur"). The hunchback throws the owner off the cathedral and dies himself with the body of Esmeralda in his arms ("Donnez-La Moi", "Danse Mon Esmeralda").

NOTRE DAME DE PARIS

NOTRE DAME DE PARIS is the most successful musical staged in Europe in the last five years. The musical "NOTRE DAME DE PARIS", based on the novel by Victor Hugo, premiered in Paris on September 18, 1998. The production became a real bestseller, receiving awards for best performance, best song and best selling album. "NOTRE DAME DE PARIS" was listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the best-selling musical. More than 7,000,000 French-language albums with the recording of the musical were sold in the world alone. World recognition came to the performers of the main roles in "NOTRE DAME DE PARIS".

The authors of such a successful production were the composer Richard Cocciante and the creator of the original version, Luc Plamondon. The latter is widely known as the lyricist of Celine Dion, as well as the author of the libretto of the famous musical "Starmania". Richard Cochante, composer of music, is incredibly popular not only as a composer, but also as a singer, performing his own works in four languages.

The idea of ​​creating a musical originated with Luc Plamondon. In 1993, he began to search for a plot for a new musical performance in French literature. “I turned to various characters and did not even pay attention to Esmeralda. I headed straight for the letter "K" - and stopped at Quasimodo. It was then that Notre Dame Cathedral became a reality for me,” he recalls. "This is good famous story which speaks for itself and requires no explanation. That is why a dozen films have appeared on the plot of Victor Hugo's novel, starting from the time of silent films and ending with Disney cartoons. The more I watched various dramatic and ballet interpretations of the novel, the more I became convinced that I was on the right track. Rereading the novel, Plamondon makes sketches for thirty songs. Then the composer Richard Cochante joins the work. “Richard had some really great tunes that he didn't want to use on his albums. He played me motives, which later became "Dance, my Esmeralda", "Belle", "It's time for cathedrals." They were worthy to enter the musical, and that was their strength,” recalls Luke. We can say that the history of the musical began with the song "Belle".

After the successful premiere of "NOTRE DAME DE PARIS" in Paris, the musical began its journey around the world.

The plot of the musical Notre Dame de Paris

Quasimodo loves Esmeralda, who loves Phoebe. He is married to Fleur-de-Lys, but is infatuated with a gypsy. Frollo is a witness to all this action, he himself is trapped. Carnal desire, rejected from childhood, breaks out like a volcano in front of a beauty. Gringoire pushes him into "the abyss of conscience". Frollo is even going to kill Phoebus in order to achieve the love of Esmeralda. And it is she who is accused of attempting to kill Phoebus.

Quasimodo rescues Esmeralda from prison and closes her in the tower of Notre Dame. Clopin and a gang of vagabonds break into the cathedral to free Esmeralda. Phoebus and his army are tasked with putting down the rebellion. Clopin is killed in the skirmish. Gringoire becomes a voluntary poet, thereby becoming a herald of vagabonds.

A helpless Quasimodo allows Phoebus to take Esmeralda, believing that the latter has come to rescue her. Phoebus, on the contrary, came to announce to Esmeralda that she would be hanged. Quasimodo throws Frollo off the tower of Notre Dame and arrives too late at the place of execution at Place Greve. He asks the executioner to hand over the body of Esmeralda to die with her in the chains of Montfaucon.

“Several years ago, while inspecting Notre Dame Cathedral, or, to be more precise, examining it, the author of this book found in a dark corner of one of the towers the following word inscribed on the wall: ANAGCH.

These Greek letters, darkened by Time and rather deeply cut into the stone, certain signs characteristic of Gothic writing, imprinted in the shape and arrangement of the letters, as if indicating that they were drawn by the hand of a man of the Middle Ages, and, in particular, a gloomy and fatal meaning. contained in them deeply impressed the author.

And now nothing remains of either the mysterious word carved into the wall of the gloomy tower of the cathedral, or of that unknown fate that this word so sadly denoted - nothing but the fragile memory that the author of this book dedicates to them. A few centuries ago, the person who wrote this word on the wall disappeared from among the living; the word itself disappeared from the wall of the cathedral; perhaps the cathedral itself will soon disappear from the face of the earth. This word gave birth to a real book.

Victor Hugo. From the preface to the book "Notre Dame Cathedral"

With this introduction, a novel begins that has generated so much controversy, discussion, fans, video, animation and musical productions. This article will focus on one of the most famous French musicals, after which the French "comedy musical" gained incredible popularity and gave rise to a whole wave of other musical productions.

« NOTRE DAME DE PARIS is the most successful musical staged in Europe in recent years. Premiere musical"NOTRE DAME DE PARIS", based on the novel by Victor Hugo, took place in Paris on September 18, 1998. The production became a real bestseller, receiving awards for best performance, best song and best selling album. " NOTRE DAME DE PARIS» was listed in Guinness Book of Records as the best-selling musical. More than 7,000,000 French-language albums with the recording of the musical were sold in the world alone. World recognition came to the performers of the main roles in "NOTRE DAME DE PARIS".

The composer (Richard Cocciante) and the creator of the original version (Luc Plamondon) were the authors of such a successful production. The latter is widely known as the lyricist of Celine Dion, as well as the author of the libretto of the famous musical "Starmania". Richard Cochante, composer of music, is incredibly popular not only as a composer, but also as a singer, performing his own works in four languages.

The idea of ​​creating a musical originated with Luc Plamondon. In 1993, he began to search for a plot for a new musical performance in French literature. “I turned to various characters and did not even pay attention to Esmeralda. I headed straight for the letter "K" - and stopped at Quasimodo. It was then that Notre Dame Cathedral became a reality for me,” he recalls. “This is a well-known story that speaks for itself and needs no explanation. That is why a dozen films have appeared on the plot of Victor Hugo's novel, starting from the time of silent films and ending with Disney cartoons. The more I watched various dramatic and ballet interpretations of the novel, the more I became convinced that I was on the right track. Rereading the novel, Plamondon makes sketches for thirty songs.

Then the composer Richard Cochante joins the work. “Richard had some really great tunes that he didn't want to use on his albums. He played me motives, which later became "Dance, my Esmeralda", "Belle", "It's time for cathedrals." They were worthy to enter the musical, and that was their strength,” recalls Luke. We can say that the history of the musical began with the song "Belle".

After a successful premiere NOTRE DAME DE PARIS in Paris, the musical began its journey around the world.

The plot of the musical Notre Dame de Paris

loves Esmeralda who loves Phoebe. He is married to fleur-de-lis, but is infatuated with a gypsy. Frollo witness to all this action, he himself is trapped. Carnal desire, rejected from childhood, breaks out like a volcano in front of a beauty. Gringoire pushes him into "the abyss of conscience." Frollo is even going to kill Phoebus in order to achieve the love of Esmeralda. And it is she who is accused of attempting to kill Phoebus.

Frollo visits her in prison to offer her to give herself to him in exchange for freedom. She refuses. He will take revenge on her.

Quasimodo rescues Esmeralda from prison and closes her in the tower of Notre Dame. Clopin and a gang of vagabonds break into the cathedral to free Esmeralda. Phoebus and his army are tasked with putting down the rebellion. Clopin is killed in the skirmish. Gringoire becomes a voluntary poet, thereby becoming a herald of vagabonds.

A helpless Quasimodo allows Phoebus to take Esmeralda, believing that the latter has come to rescue her. Phoebus, on the contrary, came to announce to Esmeralda that she would be hanged. Quasimodo throws Frollo off the tower notre dame and arrives too late at the place of execution in the Place Greve. He asks the executioner to hand over Esmeralda's body to die with her in the chains of Montfaucon...

About the novel

Victor Hugo one of the greatest French writers 19th century. He was born in 1802 and, of course, all historical events that took place in France at the beginning of the century, influenced his development as a person and as a writer. Most famous works Hugo: Les Misérables, Toilers of the Sea and 1993.

His most popular novel "Notre Dame Cathedral"(NOTRE DAME DE PARIS) was published in February 1831.

The July Revolution of 1830 shook the whole of France. The insurgent people overthrew the power of the Bourbons. The royalist nobles were replaced by representatives of the French bourgeoisie. Undoubtedly, the revolutionary upsurge and the revolution itself can explain the appearance of the largest of all the works of Hugo. The book brought the writer worldwide fame.

The plot, and indeed the whole narrative of the novel, is typically romantic: extraordinary characters acting in extraordinary circumstances, random encounters, the beautiful and the ugly coexist side by side, love and hate are intertwined and come into conflict with each other.

The cathedral is the heart of medieval Paris, all the threads of a romantic plot are tied here. NOTRE DAME, severe, gloomy and beautiful at the same time, like a mirror, reflects all the features of the heroes of the novel.

However, romantic excesses, which today seem a little sham, are only a necessary background in order to show the life of Paris at that time, to raise the theme of "outcasts", the theme of kindness, love and mercy.

This is the main theme in the novel, because only these qualities, according to the author, can save the world.

The writer believed that “every person is born kind, pure, fair and honest… If his heart became cold, it was only because people put out his flame; if his wings are broken and his mind is struck, it is only because people have constrained him in a narrow cage. If he is mutilated and terrible, it is because he was thrown into such a form from which he came out criminal and terrible.. Only love, the transforming power of which is miraculous, is capable of making it “kind, pure, just and honest” again.

This is what the novel "Notre Dame Cathedral" tells about. This is what the heroes of the musical have been singing about for the second decade. NOTRE DAME DE PARIS…

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- Canadian musical based on the novel "Notre Dame Cathedral" by Victor Hugo. Composer - Riccardo Coccante, libretto - Luc Plamondon. The musical debuted in Paris on September 16, 1998. The musical entered the Guinness Book of Records as having the biggest success in its first year of operation.

The original version of the musical toured Belgium, France, Canada and Sweden. In French theater"Mogador" in 2000 debuted the same musical, but with some changes. These changes were followed by the Italian, Russian, Spanish and some other versions of the musical.

That same year, a shortened American version of the musical started in Las Vegas and an English version in London. In the English version, almost all the roles were played by the same artists as in the original.

Plot

In 2008, the Korean version of the musical premiered, and in 2010 the musical started in Belgium.

In February 2016, it became officially known that the premiere of the renewed version of the original French production of the musical will take place in November 2016 at the Palais des Congrès in Paris.

actors

France (original line-up)

  • Noah, then Helen Segara - Esmeralda
  • Garou - Quasimodo
  • Daniel Lavoie - Frollo
  • Bruno Pelletier - Gringoire
  • Patrick Fiori - Phoebe de Chateaupert
  • Luc Merville - Clopin
  • Julie Zenatti - Fleur-de-lis

North America

  • Janien Masse - Esmeralda
  • Doug Storm - Quasimodo
  • T. Eric Hart - Frollo
  • Daven May - Gringoire
  • Mark Smith - Phoebe de Chateauper
  • David Jennings, Carl Abram Ellis - Clopin
  • Jessica Grove - Fleur-de-Lys

London

  • Tina Arena, Dannii Minogue - Esmeralda
  • Garou, Ayan Piri - Quasimodo
  • Daniel Lavoie - Frollo
  • Bruno Pelletier - Gringoire
  • Steve Balsamo - Phoebe de Chateauper
  • Luc Merville, Carl Abram Ellis - Clopin
  • Natasha St. Pierre - Fleur-de-Lys

France (Mogador Theatre)

  • Nadia Belle, Shirel, Anne Maison - Esmeralda
  • Adrien Deville, Jérôme Collet - Quasimodo
  • Michel Pascal, Jerome Collet - Frollo
  • Lauren Bahn, Cyril Niccolai, Matteo Setti - Gringoire
  • Lauren Bahn, Richard Charest - Phoebus de Chateaupert
  • Veronica Antico, Anne Maison, Claire Cappelli - Fleur-de-Lys
  • Roddy Julien, Eddie Soroman - Clopin

Spain

  • Thais Siurana, Lili Dahab - Esmeralda
  • Albert Martinez, Carles Torregrosa - Quasimodo
  • Enrique Sequero - Frollo
  • Daniel Angles - Gringoire
  • Lisadro Guarinos - Phoebe de Chateaupert
  • Paco Arrojo - Clopin
  • Elvira Prado - Fleur-de-Lys

Italy

  • Lola Ponce, Alessandra Ferrari, Federica Callori - Esmeralda
  • Joe di Tonno, Angelo del Vecchio, Lorenzo Campani - Quasimodo
  • Vittorio Matteucci, Vincenzo Nizzardo, Marco Manca - Frollo
  • Matteo Setti, Luca Marconi, Riccardo Macciaferri - Gringoire
  • Graziano Galatone, Oscar Nini, Giacomo Salvietti - Phoebe de Chateauper
  • Marco Guerzoni, Emanuele Bernardeschi, Lorenzo Campani - Clopin
  • Claudia D'Ottavi, Serena Rizzetto, Federica Callori - Fleur-de-Lys

Russia

  • Svetlana Svetikova, Teona Dolnikova, Diana Savelyeva - Esmeralda
  • Vyacheslav Petkun, Valery Yaremenko, Timur Vedernikov, Andrey Belyavsky - Quasimodo
  • Alexander Marakulin , Alexander Golubev , Igor Balalaev - Frollo
  • Vladimir Dybsky, Alexander Postolenko - Gringoire
  • Anton Makarsky, Eduard Shulzhevsky, Alexei Sekirin, Maxim Novikov - Phoebe de Chateauper
  • Anastasia Stotskaya, Ekaterina Maslovskaya, Anna Pingina, Anna Nevskaya - Fleur-de-Lys
  • Sergey Li, Victor Burko, Victor Yesin - Klopin

South Korea

  • Choi Sunghee (Pada), Oh Jin-young, Moon Hyewon - Esmeralda
  • Yoon Hyung-yeol, Kim Beomnae - Quasimodo
  • Seo Beomseok, Liu Changwoo - Frollo
  • Kim Tae-hoon, Park Eun-tae - Gringoire
  • Kim Sungmin, Kim Taehyung - Phoebe de Chateaupe
  • Lee Jongyeol, Moon Jongwon - Clopin
  • Kim Jonghyun, Kwak Sung-young - Fleur-de-lis

Belgium

  • Sandrina Van Handenhoven, Sasha Rosen - Esmeralda
  • Gene Thomas - Quasimodo
  • Wim Van den Driessche - Frollo
  • Dennis ten Vergert - Gringoire
  • Tim Driesen - Phoebe de Chateauper
  • Clayton Peroti - Clopin
  • Jorin Zewart - Fleur-de-Lys

World Tour 2012 (Russia)

  • Alessandra Ferrari, Miriam Bruceau - Esmeralda
  • Matt Laurent, Angelo del Vecchio - Quasimodo
  • Robert Merrien, Jérôme Collet - Frollo
  • Richard Charest - Gringoire
  • Ivan Pednow - Phoebe de Chateauper
  • Ian Carlyle, Angelo del Vecchio - Clopin
  • Elysia Mackenzie, Miriam Brousseau - Fleur-de-Lys

Songs

Act one

original name (fr. ) Interlinear translation of the title
1 Overture Introduction Overture
2 Le temps des cathedrales Cathedral time It's time for cathedrals
3 Les sans papiers Illegals Tramps
4 Intervention de Frollo Frollo intervention Frollo intervention
5 Bohemian Gypsy Gypsy daughter
6 Esmeralda tu sais Esmeralda, you know Esmeralda, understand
7 Ces diamants-la These diamonds My love
8 La Fete des Fous Festival of jesters Ball of jesters
9 Le pape des fous Pope of jesters jester king
10 La sorcière Witch Witch
11 L'enfant trouvé Foundling Foundling
12 Les portes de Paris Gates of Paris Paris
13 Tentative d'enlevement Attempted kidnapping Failed kidnapping
14 La Cour des Miracles Court of Miracles Court of Miracles
15 Lemot Phoebus The word "Phoebus" Name Phoebus
16 Beau comme le soleil Beautiful as the sun sun of life
17 Dechire I'm torn What do i do?
18 Anarkia Anarkia Anarkia
19 A boire Drink Water!
20 Belle Gorgeous Belle
21 Ma maison c'est ta maison My house is your house My Notre Dame
22 Ave Maria Payen Hail Mary in pagan Ave Maria
23 Je sens ma vie qui bascule/
Si tu pouvais voir en moi
I feel like my life is going downhill/
If you could look into me
Whenever she saw
24 Tu vas me detruire You will ruin me You are my death
25 L'ombre Shadow Shadow
26 Le Val d'Amour valley of love Shelter of love
27 La volupte Pleasure Date
28 Fatalite Rock Will of Fate

Act two

Note: in all versions of the musical, except for the original, the songs of the second act are numbered 8 and 9; 10 and 11 have been swapped.

original name (fr. ) Interlinear translation of the title Name in the official Russian version
1 Florence Florence Everything will have its time
2 Les Cloches bells bells
3 Où est-elle? Where is she? Where is she?
4 Les oiseaux qu'on met en cage Birds that are caged Poor bird in captivity
5 Condamnes convicts Outcasts
6 Le processes Court Court
7 La torture Torture Torture
8 Phoebus Phoebus Oh Phoebe!
9 Être prêtre et aimer une femme Be a priest and love a woman My fault
10 la monture Horse swear to me
11 Je Reviens Vers Toi I return to you If you can, I'm sorry
12 Visite de Frollo a Esmeralda Frollo's visit to Esmeralda Frollo comes to Esmeralda
13 Un matin tu dansais One morning you were dancing Frollo's confession
14 Liberes Liberated Come out!
15 Lune Moon Moon
16 Je te laisse un sifflet I give you a whistle If so, call
17 Dieu que le monde est injuste God the world is not fair oh my god why
18 Vivre Live Live
19 L'attaque de Notre-Dame Attack of Notre Dame The Storming of Notre Dame
20 Deportes expelled Send away!
21 Mon maître mon sauveur My master, my savior My proud lord
22 Donnez la moi Give it to me! Give it to me!
23 Danse mon Esmeralda Dance my Esmeralda Sing to me Esmeralda
24 Le Temps Des Cathedrales Cathedral time It's time for cathedrals

Differences between the plot of the musical and the novel

  • Esmeralda's origins were almost completely omitted in the musical, she is a gypsy who was orphaned at the age of six and taken under the care of the gypsy baron and leader of the beggars, Clopin. In the novel, Esmeralda is a Frenchwoman who was kidnapped by gypsies as a baby. The musical lacks the character of the recluse of the Roland Tower, who turned out to be Esmeralda's mother. Also, Esmeralda's goat, Jali, is not in the musical.
  • Esmeralda's name means "emerald", the creators of film adaptations and productions try to reflect this in the image of a gypsy, dressing her in a green dress (according to the text of the book, she appeared only in multi-colored and blue dresses) or giving her green eyes (her dark brown color is clearly indicated in the book). eye). According to the novel, Esmeralda's only explanation for her name is a green silk amulet adorned with a green bead. She mentions her in a conversation with Gringoire after their marriage.
  • In the novel, trying to earn his living, Gringoire begins to perform on the streets with Esmeralda as a jester and acrobat, incurring the jealousy and wrath of Frollo.
  • The image of Phoebus de Chateauper in the musical is greatly ennobled and romanticized compared to the novel. In the novel, Phoebus is interested in marrying Fleur-de-Lys because of a good dowry, and he swears his love to Esmeralda, wanting only intimacy with her.
  • The character of Claude Frollo's younger brother, Jean, was completely removed from the musical.
  • In the novel, Esmeralda, before her arrest, had never been to the Cathedral and had no contact with Quasimodo. In gratitude for the water brought, Quasimodo saves Esmeralda from the gallows, and only then do they get to know each other.
  • According to the book, Phoebus made an appointment for Esmeralda not in a cabaret / brothel, but in a room rented in the house of an old procuress.
  • During the storming of the Cathedral, according to the plot of the book, Esmeralda is helped to escape by Gringoire and Frollo, an unrecognized gypsy. Left alone with her, Frollo again confesses his feelings to her and demands reciprocity, blackmailing her with execution. Not having achieved her disposition, the priest gives the girl to the guards and the executioner, who hangs her.

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An excerpt characterizing Notre Dame de Paris (musical)

Rostov with the paramedic entered the corridor. The hospital smell was so strong in this dark corridor that Rostov grabbed his nose and had to stop in order to gather his strength and move on. A door opened to the right, and a thin, yellow man, barefoot and in nothing but underwear, leaned out on crutches.
Leaning against the lintel, he looked at the passers-by with shining, envious eyes. Glancing through the door, Rostov saw that the sick and wounded were lying there on the floor, on straw and overcoats.
- Can I come in and have a look? Rostov asked.
- What to watch? the paramedic said. But precisely because the paramedic obviously did not want to let him in, Rostov entered the soldiers' chambers. The smell he had already smelled in the hallway was even stronger here. This smell has changed somewhat here; it was sharper, and it was sensitive that it was precisely from here that he came.
In a long room, brightly lit by the sun through large windows, in two rows, with their heads to the walls and leaving a passage in the middle, lay the sick and the wounded. Most of them were in oblivion and did not pay attention to those who entered. Those that were in the memory all rose or raised their thin, yellow faces, and all with the same expression of hope for help, reproach and envy for someone else's health, without taking their eyes off Rostov. Rostov went to the middle of the room, looked into the neighboring doors of the rooms with the doors open, and saw the same thing on both sides. He stopped, silently looking around him. He never expected to see this. In front of him lay almost across the middle aisle, on the bare floor, a sick man, probably a Cossack, because his hair was cut in a bracket. This Cossack was lying on his back, his huge arms and legs spread out. His face was crimson red, his eyes were completely rolled up, so that only the whites were visible, and on his bare feet and on his hands, still red, the veins tensed like ropes. He hit the back of his head on the floor and said something hoarsely and began to repeat this word. Rostov listened to what he was saying and made out the word he repeated. The word was: drink - drink - drink! Rostov looked around, looking for someone who could put this patient in his place and give him water.
- Who's here for the sick? he asked the paramedic. At this time, a Furstadt soldier, a hospital attendant, came out of the next room, and stretched out in front of Rostov, beating a step.
- I wish you good health, your highness! - shouted this soldier, rolling his eyes at Rostov and, obviously, mistaking him for the hospital authorities.
“Take him away, give him water,” said Rostov, pointing to the Cossack.
“I’m listening, your honor,” the soldier said with pleasure, rolling his eyes even more diligently and stretching himself, but not moving.
“No, you can’t do anything here,” thought Rostov, lowering his eyes, and was about to go out, but on the right side he felt a significant look fixed on himself and looked back at him. Almost in the very corner, on an overcoat, with a skeleton-yellow, thin, stern face and an unshaven gray beard, an old soldier was sitting and staring stubbornly at Rostov. On the one hand, the neighbor of the old soldier was whispering something to him, pointing to Rostov. Rostov realized that the old man intended to ask him for something. He came closer and saw that the old man had only one leg bent, and the other was not at all above the knee. Another neighbor of the old man, who lay motionless with his head thrown back, quite far from him, was a young soldier with a waxy pallor on a snub-nosed face still covered with freckles and with eyes rolled under the eyelids. Rostov looked at the snub-nosed soldier, and a frost ran down his back.
“But this one, it seems ...” he turned to the paramedic.
“As requested, your honor,” said the old soldier with a tremor in his lower jaw. - Finished in the morning. After all, they are also people, not dogs ...
“I’ll send it right now, they’ll take it away, they’ll take it away,” the paramedic said hastily. “Please, your honor.
“Let’s go, let’s go,” Rostov said hastily, and lowering his eyes and shrinking, trying to pass unnoticed through the array of those reproachful and envious eyes fixed on him, he left the room.

Having passed the corridor, the paramedic led Rostov into the officers' chambers, which consisted of three rooms with open doors. These rooms had beds; wounded and sick officers lay and sat on them. Some walked around the rooms in hospital gowns. The first person that Rostov met in the officers' wards was a small, thin man without an arm, in a cap and a hospital gown with a bitten tube, who walked in the first room. Rostov, peering at him, tried to remember where he had seen him.
“This is where God brought me to meet,” said small man. - Tushin, Tushin, do you remember taking you near Shengraben? And they cut off a piece for me, here ... - he said, smiling, pointing to the empty sleeve of his dressing gown. - Are you looking for Vasily Dmitrievich Denisov? - roommate! - he said, having learned who Rostov needed. - Here, here, Tushin led him to another room, from which the laughter of several voices was heard.
“And how can they not only laugh, but live here”? thought Rostov, still hearing that smell of a dead body, which he picked up while still in the soldier's hospital, and still seeing around him those envious glances that followed him from both sides, and the face of this young soldier with rolling eyes.
Denisov, covering himself with a blanket, slept on the bed, despite the fact that it was 12 o'clock in the afternoon.
“Ah, G” skeleton? 3do “ovo, hello” ovo, ”he shouted in the same voice as he used to in the regiment; but Rostov sadly noticed how, behind this habitual swagger and liveliness, some new, bad, hidden feeling peeped through in the facial expression, in the intonations and words of Denisov.
His wound, in spite of its insignificance, still did not heal, although six weeks had already passed since he had been wounded. His face had the same pale swelling that was on all hospital faces. But this was not what struck Rostov; he was struck by the fact that Denisov seemed not to be pleased with him and smiled unnaturally at him. Denisov did not ask about the regiment, nor about the general course of affairs. When Rostov talked about this, Denisov did not listen.
Rostov even noticed that it was unpleasant for Denisov when he was reminded of the regiment and, in general, of that other, free life that went on outside the hospital. He seemed to be trying to forget that former life and was only interested in his business with the provision officials. When asked by Rostov what the situation was, he immediately took out from under the pillow the paper received from the commission, and his rough answer to it. He perked up, beginning to read his paper, and especially let Rostov notice the barbs that he spoke to his enemies in this paper. The hospital comrades of Denisov, who had surrounded Rostov - a person newly arrived from the free world - began to gradually disperse as soon as Denisov began to read his paper. From their faces, Rostov realized that all these gentlemen had already heard this whole story that had managed to get bored of them more than once. Only the neighbor on the bed, a fat lancer, was sitting on his bunk, frowning gloomily and smoking a pipe, and little Tushin, without an arm, continued to listen, shaking his head disapprovingly. In the middle of the reading, the lancer interrupted Denisov.
“But for me,” he said, turning to Rostov, “you just need to ask the sovereign for mercy.” Now, they say, the rewards will be great, and they will surely forgive ...
- I ask the sovereign! - Denisov said in a voice to which he wanted to give the former energy and ardor, but which sounded like useless irritability. - About what? If I were a robber, I would ask for mercy, otherwise I am suing for bringing out robbers. Let them judge, I'm not afraid of anyone: I honestly served the king, the fatherland and did not steal! And to demote me, and ... Listen, I write to them directly, so I write: “if I were an embezzler ...
- Deftly written, what to say, - said Tushin. But that’s not the point, Vasily Dmitritch,” he also turned to Rostov, “it’s necessary to submit, but Vasily Dmitritch does not want to. After all, the auditor told you that your business is bad.
“Well, let it be bad,” said Denisov. - The auditor wrote a request to you, - Tushin continued, - and you need to sign it, but send it with them. They have it right (he pointed to Rostov) and they have a hand in the headquarters. Already better than chance you won't find.
“Why, I said that I wouldn’t be mean,” Denisov interrupted and again continued reading his paper.
Rostov did not dare to persuade Denisov, although he instinctively felt that the path offered by Tushin and other officers was the most correct, and although he would consider himself happy if he could help Denisov: he knew the inflexibility of Denisov's will and his truthful ardor.
When the reading of Denisov's poisonous papers, which lasted more than an hour, ended, Rostov said nothing, and in the saddest frame of mind, in the company of Denisov's hospital comrades again gathered around him, he spent the rest of the day talking about what he knew and listening to the stories of others. . Denisov was gloomy silent throughout the whole evening.
Late in the evening, Rostov was about to leave and asked Denisov if there would be any instructions?
“Yes, wait,” said Denisov, looked back at the officers, and, taking his papers from under the pillow, went to the window, on which he had an inkwell, and sat down to write.
“You can’t see the butt with a whip,” he said, moving away from the window and giving Rostov a large envelope. “It was a request addressed to the sovereign, drawn up by an auditor, in which Denisov, without mentioning anything about the wines of the food department, asked only for pardon.
“Pass it on, I see…” He didn’t finish and smiled a painfully fake smile.

Returning to the regiment and conveying to the commander the state of Denisov's case, Rostov went to Tilsit with a letter to the sovereign.
On June 13, the French and Russian emperors gathered in Tilsit. Boris Drubetskoy asked the important person under whom he belonged to be included in the retinue appointed to be in Tilsit.
“Je voudrais voir le grand homme, [I would like to see a great man,” he said, speaking of Napoleon, whom he still always, like everyone else, called Buonaparte.
– Vous parlez de Buonaparte? [Are you talking about Buonaparte?] – the general told him smiling.
Boris looked inquiringly at his general and immediately realized that this was a mock test.
- Mon prince, je parle de l "empereur Napoleon, [Prince, I'm talking about Emperor Napoleon,] - he answered. The general patted him on the shoulder with a smile.
“You will go far,” he said to him, and took him with him.
Boris was among the few on the Neman on the day of the meeting of the emperors; he saw rafts with monograms, Napoleon's passage along the other bank, past the French guards, he saw the pensive face of Emperor Alexander, while he silently sat in a tavern on the banks of the Neman, waiting for Napoleon's arrival; I saw how both emperors got into the boats and how Napoleon, having first landed on the raft, went forward with quick steps and, meeting Alexander, gave him his hand, and how both disappeared into the pavilion. From the time of his entry into the higher worlds, Boris made it a habit to carefully observe what was happening around him and write it down. During a meeting in Tilsit, he asked about the names of those people who came with Napoleon, about the uniforms that they were wearing, and listened carefully to the words that were spoken by important people. At the same time as the emperors entered the pavilion, he looked at his watch and did not forget to look again at the time when Alexander left the pavilion. The meeting lasted an hour and fifty-three minutes: he wrote it down that evening, among other facts that, he believed, were of historical significance. Since the emperor’s retinue was very small, it was very important for a person who valued success in his service to be in Tilsit during the meeting of the emperors, and Boris, having got to Tilsit, felt that from that time on his position was completely established. He was not only known, but they got accustomed to him and got used to him. Twice he carried out assignments for the sovereign himself, so that the sovereign knew him by sight, and all those close to him not only did not be ashamed of him, as before, considering him a new face, but would be surprised if he were not there.
Boris lived with another adjutant, the Polish Count Zhilinsky. Zhilinsky, a Pole brought up in Paris, was rich, passionately loved the French, and almost every day during his stay in Tilsit, French officers from the guards and the main French headquarters gathered for lunch and breakfast at Zhilinsky and Boris.
On June 24, in the evening, Count Zhilinsky, Boris' roommate, arranged a dinner for his French acquaintances. At this supper there was an honored guest, one adjutant of Napoleon, several officers of the French guards and a young boy of an old aristocratic French surname, Napoleon's page. On that very day, Rostov, taking advantage of the darkness so as not to be recognized, in civilian clothes, arrived in Tilsit and entered the apartment of Zhilinsky and Boris.
In Rostov, as well as in the whole army, from which he came, the revolution that took place in the main apartment and in Boris was still far from being accomplished in relation to Napoleon and the French, who had become friends from enemies. Still continued in the army to experience the same mixed feeling of anger, contempt and fear for Bonaparte and the French. Until recently, Rostov, talking with a Platovsky Cossack officer, argued that if Napoleon had been taken prisoner, he would have been treated not as a sovereign, but as a criminal. More recently, on the road, having met with a French wounded colonel, Rostov got excited, proving to him that there could be no peace between the legitimate sovereign and the criminal Bonaparte. Therefore, Rostov was strangely struck in Boris's apartment by the sight of French officers in those same uniforms that he was accustomed to look at in a completely different way from the flanker chain. As soon as he saw the French officer leaning out of the door, that feeling of war, hostility, which he always felt at the sight of the enemy, suddenly seized him. He stopped on the threshold and asked in Russian if Drubetskoy lived there. Boris, hearing someone else's voice in the hallway, went out to meet him. His face in the first minute, when he recognized Rostov, expressed annoyance.
“Oh, it’s you, very glad, very glad to see you,” he said, however, smiling and moving towards him. But Rostov noticed his first movement.
“I don’t seem to be on time,” he said, “I wouldn’t come, but I have a business,” he said coldly ...
- No, I'm just surprised how you came from the regiment. - "Dans un moment je suis a vous", [I'm at your service this minute,] - he turned to the voice of the one who called him.
“I see that I am not on time,” repeated Rostov.
The expression of annoyance had already disappeared from Boris's face; apparently having considered and decided what to do, he took him by both hands with special calmness and led him into the next room. Boris's eyes, calmly and firmly looking at Rostov, were as if covered with something, as if some kind of shutter - the blue glasses of the hostel - were put on them. So it seemed to Rostov.
- Oh, come on, please, can you be at the wrong time, - said Boris. - Boris led him into the room where dinner was laid, introduced him to the guests, naming him and explaining that he was not a civilian, but a hussar officer, his old friend. - Count Zhilinsky, le comte N.N., le capitaine S.S., [count N.N., captain S.S.] - he called the guests. Rostov frowned at the French, reluctantly bowed and was silent.
Zhilinsky, apparently, did not happily accept this new Russian face to his circle and said nothing to Rostov. Boris did not seem to notice the embarrassment that had occurred from the new face, and with the same pleasant calmness and veiled eyes with which he met Rostov, he tried to revive the conversation. One of the French turned with ordinary French courtesy to Rostov, who was stubbornly silent, and told him that it was probably to see the emperor that he had come to Tilsit.
"No, I have business," Rostov answered curtly.
Rostov became out of sorts immediately after he noticed the displeasure on Boris's face, and, as always happens with people who are out of sorts, it seemed to him that everyone was looking at him with hostility and that he interfered with everyone. Indeed, he interfered with everyone and alone remained outside the newly ensued general conversation. "And why is he sitting here?" said the glances cast at him by the guests. He got up and walked over to Boris.
“However, I’m embarrassing you,” he said to him quietly, “let’s go and talk about business, and I’ll leave.”
“No, not at all,” said Boris. And if you're tired, let's go to my room and lie down and rest.
- And in fact ...
They entered the small room where Boris slept. Rostov, without sitting down, immediately with irritation - as if Boris was to blame for something before him - began to tell him Denisov's case, asking if he wanted and could ask about Denisov through his general from the sovereign and through him to convey a letter. When they were alone, Rostov was convinced for the first time that it was embarrassing for him to look Boris in the eyes. Boris, crossing his legs and stroking the thin fingers of his right hand with his left hand, listened to Rostov, as the general listens to the report of his subordinate, now looking to the side, then with the same obscured look in his eyes, looking directly into Rostov's eyes. Rostov felt awkward every time and lowered his eyes.
– I have heard about such cases and I know that the Emperor is very strict in these cases. I think we should not bring it to His Majesty. In my opinion, it would be better to directly ask the corps commander ... But in general, I think ...
“So you don’t want to do anything, just say so!” - Rostov almost shouted, not looking Boris in the eyes.
Boris smiled: - On the contrary, I will do what I can, only I thought ...
At this time, the voice of Zhilinsky was heard in the door, calling Boris.
- Well, go, go, go ... - said Rostov and refusing dinner, and left alone in a small room, he walked back and forth in it for a long time, and listened to a cheerful French dialect from the next room.

Rostov arrived in Tilsit on the day least convenient for intercession for Denisov. He himself could not go to the general on duty, since he was in a tailcoat and arrived in Tilsit without the permission of his superiors, and Boris, even if he wanted to, could not do this the next day after Rostov's arrival. On this day, June 27, the first terms of peace were signed. The emperors exchanged orders: Alexander received the Legion of Honor, and Napoleon received the 1st degree, and on this day a dinner was appointed for the Preobrazhensky battalion, which was given to him by the battalion of the French guard. The sovereigns were to attend this banquet.
Rostov was so awkward and unpleasant with Boris that when Boris looked in after dinner, he pretended to be asleep and the next day, early in the morning, trying not to see him, left the house. In a tailcoat and a round hat, Nikolai wandered around the city, looking at the French and their uniforms, looking at the streets and houses where the Russian and French emperors lived. On the square, he saw tables being set up and preparations for dinner; on the streets he saw draperies thrown over with banners of Russian and French colors and huge monograms A. and N. There were also banners and monograms in the windows of the houses.
“Boris does not want to help me, and I do not want to contact him. This matter is settled, thought Nikolai, everything is over between us, but I will not leave here without doing everything I can for Denisov and, most importantly, without handing over the letter to the sovereign. Sovereign?! ​​... He is here! thought Rostov, involuntarily going back to the house occupied by Alexander.

Altarpiece of the North Dame with kneeling statues of Louis XIII and Louis XIV

Temples have been located in this place since time immemorial, even in the era of the Romans there was a temple dedicated to Jupiter. Later, the Merovingians, who ruled Gaul in 500-571, built the Cathedral of St. Etienne here.

Notre Dame Cathedral was founded in 1163 by Maurice de Sully, Bishop of Paris, and the cornerstone was laid by Pope Alexander III. Its construction lasted until 1345, that is, it took almost two centuries. During this time, the project was led by dozens of architects, which did not prevent them from erecting a beautiful and organic ensemble. According to historical data, several more churches, both Christian and pagan, previously existed on the same site.

The construction of the Cathedral of Notre Dame de Paris took place with the participation of many architects, but Pierre de Montreuil and Jean de Chelle are considered its main creators who made the greatest contribution. The building was laid during the reign of Louis VII. That's when it became popular. Gothic style in architecture, which was used by architects. This direction has been successfully mixed with Romanesque style from the traditions of Normandy, which gave the cathedral a unique look.

Painting "The Coronation of Napoleon I" (December 2, 1804), painted by Jacques-Louis David in 1807

The history of France and Notre Dame cannot be separated, because it was here that the knights offered their prayers, going to Crusades, the coronation of Napoleon, the celebration of the victory over the Nazi troops and many other events took place.

North Dame is shrouded in an atmosphere of mysticism and dark romance West facade of Notre Dame Cathedral

Notre Dame Cathedral suffered greatly from inept reconstructions during the events of the late 18th century, and later due to popular oblivion. So, French revolution almost deprived the world of it unique monument architecture, they even wanted to burn it. Many sculptures were broken or beheaded, stained-glass windows were destroyed, precious utensils were looted. The building was declared the Temple of Reason, then the center of the Cult of the Supreme Being, and later simply turned into a food warehouse. From complete destruction, the architectural ensemble saved Victor Hugo's novel "Notre Dame Cathedral", which took a central place in the story of a hunchback's love for a beautiful gypsy woman. The publication of the work not only made the writer famous, but also drew the attention of the general public to the exceptional historical and aesthetic value of the ancient building.

It is here that "Kilometer Zero" is located - the reference point for all distances in France

It was decided to reconstruct Notre Dame according to all the rules of old technologies. Viollet-le-Duca successfully coped with such a difficult task, since the architect had knowledge of the construction methods of the ancient masters who worked on the construction of the temple. The restoration of Notre Dame Cathedral lasted more than a quarter of a century. During this time, the facades and interior decoration were restored, the gallery of sculptures and part of the gargoyles ruined by the revolutionaries were reconstructed, and all the surviving infernal “guards” were returned to their rightful place.

Additionally, a spire more than 95 meters high was built and installed on the roof. In subsequent years, the Parisians were extremely sensitive to their shrine. It is noteworthy that the temple was practically not damaged during the period of two World Wars. At the end of the 20th century, another restoration was initiated, which made it possible to completely clear the building of city dust, return the sandstone from which the facade is composed, to its original golden hue.

View of Notre Dame Cathedral through the arch

Video: Consequences of a fire in the cathedral

Facade and gargoyles


The most popular attribute of the exterior decoration of the Notre Dame Cathedral are stone demonic creatures. Gargoyles are present here in large numbers and are intended not only for decoration, but also for diverting water from the numerous drains on the roof. The fact is that the unusually complex structure of the roof contributes to the accumulation of moisture due to precipitation, since it cannot drain as freely as from ordinary houses. This can lead to the development of mold, dampness and destruction of stone, so quality gutters are a must for any Gothic cathedral.


Traditionally, unattractive chimney outlets were masked with figures of gargoyles, chimeras, dragons, less often people or real animals. Many see hidden meanings in these demonic images, so there is a lot of room for imagination here. It is noteworthy that at the time of construction there were no stone demons on the cathedral, they were installed at the suggestion of the restorer Viollet-le-Duc, who used this medieval tradition.


Gargoyles of Notre Dame

The main facade is decorated with stone statues and has three portals. The main one is in the middle, its arches support seven sculptures on each side, and the main decor is the relief scenes of the Last Judgment. The right portal is dedicated to St. Anne, where are depicted Holy Virgin with the Child, and the left - the Mother of God, with the signs of the zodiac and the image of the coronation of the Virgin Mary. Huge doors are decorated with forged relief images.

The already mentioned spire on the roof replaced the one that was dismantled at the end of the 18th century. The design is decorated with four groups of apostles, as well as animals corresponding to the evangelists. All statues are facing French capital, with the exception of the patron saint of architects, St. Thomas, who seems to be admiring the spire.

Almost all stained-glass windows are quite modern, made during the restoration of the temple in the 19th century. Only in the central wind rose some medieval parts have been preserved. The pattern of this large-scale construction (diameter 9.5 meters) of colored glass depicts Mary, as well as rural work, signs of the Zodiac, human virtues and sins. The northern and southern facades are equipped with the largest roses that exist in Europe. Each of them is about 13 meters in diameter.


The facade of Notre Dame, including 3 portals: the Virgin, the Last Judgment and St. Anne, as well as the Gallery of Kings from above

The interior of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris

North Rose of Notre Dame Cathedral

The design in longitudinal section is a cross, in the center of which there is a complex of sculptural images of various gospel scenes. It is interesting that there are no internal supporting walls here, their function is performed by multifaceted columns. A large number of artistic carvings are flooded with unearthly light, which is colored in different colors passing through the glass of several roses. On the right side of Notre Dame, tourists can admire the wonderful sculptures, paintings and other works of art that are traditionally presented as a gift to Our Lady every year on the first of May. The majestic central chandelier, designed by Viollet-le-Duc, was reconstructed to replace a chandelier melted down during the French Revolution.

Interior of Notre Dame

Stained glass window of Notre Dame. Due to the abundance of biblical scenes in the Middle Ages, the cathedral was called the "Bible for non-readers"

Between the portal and the higher tier is the Gallery of the Kings, where sculptures of the Old Testament rulers are exhibited. The revolutionaries ruthlessly destroyed the original statues, so they were made anew. At the end of the 20th century, fragments of individual sculptures were found under one of the Parisian houses. It turned out that the owner bought them in Time of Troubles to be buried with honors, and later built his dwelling on this place.

It is impossible not to mention the majestic organ installed in the Notre Dame Cathedral. It was equipped during the construction of the temple, many times rebuilt and reconstructed. To date, this organ is the largest in France in terms of the number of registers and the second in terms of the number of pipes, some of which have been preserved since the Middle Ages.


Organ in Notre Dame Cathedral

south belfry

South Tower of Notre Dame Cathedral

If you want to enjoy Parisian panoramas that are not inferior in beauty to the view from the Eiffel Tower, you should definitely climb the South Tower of Notre Dame Cathedral. A spiral staircase of 387 steps leads here, climbing which you will see the main bell of the cathedral, Emmanuel, and you can also see the gargoyles in close proximity. It is believed that they look so attentively to the west because they are waiting for the sunset, after which they come to life every night.

Museum and Treasury

There is a museum in the cathedral, where every visitor can learn about the history of the temple in detail, listen to many famous and little-known stories related to this place. Various exhibits are stored here that directly relate to the centuries-old life of Notre Dame.

In the Treasury of the Norte-Dame de Paris

From the shrine you can go to the underground Treasury, placed under the square in front of the cathedral. It contains historical and religious relics: utensils, precious objects of art, and so on. But the most important exhibits are the Crown of Thorns of Christ, one of the nails with which Jesus was crucified, and a fragment of that same cross.

Gargoyle of Notre Dame

Procedure and cost of visiting


To get inside the Notre Dame Cathedral, you will have to stand in a long line. According to statistics, every day the threshold of Notre Dame, depending on the season, crosses from 30 to 50 thousand people. Entrance to the cathedral itself is free, but each adult will have to pay 15 euros to climb the bell tower. Those under the age of 26 can enter for free. The cost of visiting the Treasury is 4 euros for adults, 2 € - for young people 12-26 years old, 1 € - for visitors 6-12 years old. Children under 6 years of age can enter free of charge. In addition, on all Fridays of Great Lent, as well as on the first days of each month, treasures are taken out for public viewing free of charge. Such exhibitions usually begin around three o'clock in the afternoon.


Each visitor has the opportunity to use an audio guide in English, German, French, Portuguese, Spanish, Chinese or Japanese. The cost of this service is 5 euros.

How to get there

The full address of the shrine is 6 place du Parvis Notre-Dame, Ile de la Cit, 75004 Paris. A five-minute walk from the metro stations "Chalet", "Cite Island" and "Hotel de Ville". In addition, you can use bus routes No. 21, 38, 47 or 85. On weekdays, Notre Dame Cathedral is open from 8.00 to 18.45, on Saturdays and Sundays from 7.00 to 15.00. Every Saturday there are services at 5.45 and also at 18.15.

Illuminated Notre Dame Cathedral Notre Dame de Paris (fr. Notre-Dame de Paris) French-Canadian musical based on the novel by Victor Hugo Notre Dame Cathedral. Musical composer Riccardo Coccante; libretto author Luc Plamondon. The musical debuted in Paris on September 16, 1998. The musical got into the Guinness Book of Records as having the most successful first year of work.

Bruno Pelletier as Gringoire in Notre Dame de Paris

The original version of the musical toured Belgium, France, Canada and Sweden. In the French theater "Mogador" in 2000, the same musical debuted, but with some changes. These changes were followed by the Italian, Russian, Spanish and some other versions of the musical.

That same year, a shortened American version of the musical started in Las Vegas and an English version in London. In the English version, almost all the roles were played by the same artists as in the original.
Plot

The gypsy Esmeralda has been under the care of the gypsy king Clopin since the death of her mother. After a gang of vagrants and gypsies tried to sneak into Paris and take refuge in Notre Dame Cathedral, they are chased away by royal soldiers. The captain of the skirmishers, Phoebe de Chateaupe, takes an interest in Esmeralda. But he is already engaged to fourteen-year-old Fleur-de-Lys.

At the festival of jesters, the hunchbacked, crooked and lame bell-ringer of the Quasimodo Cathedral comes to look at Esmeralda, with whom he is in love. For his ugliness, he is elected King of Jesters. His stepfather and mentor, the archdeacon of Notre Dame Cathedral Frollo, runs up to him. He rips off his crown and tells him not to even look in the direction of Esmeralda and accuses her of witchcraft. He shares with Quasimodo a plan to kidnap Esmeralda, with whom he is secretly in love. He wants to lock her in the tower of the Cathedral.

At night, the poet Gringoire wanders after Esmeralda, and becomes a witness to an attempt to kidnap her. But a detachment of Phoebus guarded nearby, and he protects the gypsy. Frollo manages to escape unnoticed no one assumes that he also participated in this. Quasimodo is arrested. Phoebus appoints Esmeralda a date in the tavern "Valley of Love". Frollo hears all this.

Gringoire ends up in the Court of Miracles the abode of vagabonds, thieves, criminals and other similar people. Clopin decides to hang him because he, not being a criminal, went there. He was to be hanged on the condition that none of the girls living there wanted to marry him. Esmeralda agrees to save him. He promised to make her his muse, but Esmeralda is consumed by thoughts of Phoebe.

For attempting to kidnap Esmeralda, Quasimodo was sentenced to be broken on the wheel. Frollo is watching this. When Quasimodo asks for a drink, Esmeralda gives him water. In gratitude, Quasimodo allows her to enter the Cathedral whenever she wants.

Frollo pursues Phoebus and enters the "Valley of Love" with him. Seeing Esmeralda in the same bed with Phoebus, he stabs him with Esmeralda's dagger, which she carried with her all the time, and runs away, leaving Phoebus to die. Esmeralda is accused of this crime. Phoebus is cured and returns to Fleur-de-Lys.

Frollo judges and tortures Esmeralda. He accuses her of witchcraft, prostitution and an attempt on Phoebus. Esmeralda states that she has nothing to do with this. She is sentenced to death by hanging.

An hour before the execution, Frollo descends into the dungeon of the La Sante prison, where Esmeralda is imprisoned. He sets a condition he will let Esmeralda go if she makes love to him. Esmeralda refuses. Frollo tries to rape her.

Clopin and Quasimodo enter the dungeon. Clopin stuns the priest and frees his stepdaughter. Esmeralda hides in Notre Dame Cathedral. The inhabitants of the "Court of Miracles" come there to take Esmeralda. Royal soldiers under the command of Phoebus enter into battle with them. Clopin is killed. The vagabonds are expelled. Frollo gives Esmeralda to Phoebe and the executioner. Quasimodo searches for Esmeralda and instead finds Frollo. He confesses to him that he gave Esmeralda to the executioner because she refused him. Quasimodo kills Frollo and dies himself with Esmeralda's body in his arms.

History of creation

Work on the musical began in 1993, when Plamondon compiled an approximate libretto for 30 songs and showed it to Coccante, with whom he had previously worked and wrote, among other things, the song “Lamour existe encore” for Celine Dion. The composer already had several melodies ready, which he proposed for the musical. Subsequently, they became hits "Belle", "Danse mon Esmeralda" and "Le temps des cathédrales". The most famous song the musical "Belle" was written first.

8 months before the premiere, a concept album was released - a disc with studio recordings of 16 main songs of the production. All songs were performed by the artists of the musical, with the exception of the parts of Esmeralda: Noa sang them in the studio, and Helen Segara in the musical. Canadian pop stars Daniel Lavoie, Bruno Pelletier, Luc Merville were invited to the production, but leading role Quasimodo was given to the little-known Pierre Garan, although the composer originally wrote the parts of Quasimodo for himself. This role glorified Pierre, who took the pseudonym Garou.

The premiere of the Russian version of the musical took place in Moscow on May 21, 2002. The production was produced by Katerina von Gechmen-Waldeck, Alexander Weinstein and Vladimir Tartakovsky. In 2008, the premiere of the Korean version of the musical took place.

actors

Initial line-up
Noah, then Helen Segara Esmeralda
Daniel Lavoie Frollo
Bruno Pelletier Gringoire
Garou Quasimodo
Patrick Fiori Phoebe de Chateauper
Luc Merville Clopin
Julie Zenatti Fleur-de-Lys

[edit]
London version
Tina Arena, Dannii Minogue Esmeralda
Daniel Lavoie Frollo
Bruno Pelletier Gringoire
Garou, Ayan Piri Quasimodo
Steve Balsamo Phoebus de Chateauper
Luc Merville, Carl Abram Ellis Clopin
Natasha Saint-Pierre Fleur-de-Lys

Mogador
Nadya Belle, Shirel, Maison, Anne Esmeralda
Adrien Deville, Jerome Collet Quasimodo
Michel Pascal, Jerome Collet Frollo
Lauren Bahn, Cyril Nicolas Gringoire
Lauren Bahn, Richard Charest Phoebus de Chateauper
Veronica Antico, Anne Maison, Claire Cappelli Fleur-de-Lys
Roddy Julien, Eddie Soroman Clopin

Russia
Svetlana Svetikova, Teona Dolnikova, Diana Savelyeva, Karina Hovsepyan Esmeralda
Vyacheslav Petkun, Valery Yaremenko, Timur Vedernikov, Andrey Belyavsky, Petr Markin Quasimodo
Alexander Marakulin, Alexander Golubev, Igor Balalaev, Victor Krivonos (participated only in studio recording and rehearsals; did not perform at any concert) Frollo
Vladimir Dybsky, Alexander Postolenko, Pavel Kotov (participated only in studio recording and rehearsals; did not perform at any concert), Andrey Alexandrin Gringoire
Anton Makarsky, Eduard Shulzhevsky, Alexei Sekirin, Maxim Novikov, Mohamed Abdel Fattah Phoebe de Chateauper
Anastasia Stotskaya, Ekaterina Maslovskaya, Yulia Liseeva, Anna Pingina, Anna Nevskaya, Anna Guchenkova, Natalya Gromushkina, Anastasia Chevazhevskaya Fleur-de-Lys
Sergei Li, Victor Burko, Victor Yesin Clopin

Italy
Lola Ponche, Rosalia Misseri, Ilaria Andreini, Leila Martinucci, Chiara di Bari Esmeralda
Gio di Tonno, Luca Maggiore, Fabrizio Voghera, Giordano Gambogi Quasimodo
Vittorio Matteucci, Fabrizio Voghera, Luca Velletri, Christian Gravina Frollo
Matteo Cetti (Italian), Roberto Synagogue, Eron Borelli, Mattia Inverni, Gianluca Perdicaro Gringoire
Graziano Galatone, Alberto Mangia Vinci, Heron Borelli Phoebus de Chateauper
Marco Gverzoni, Aurelio Fierro, Christian Mini Clopin
Claudia DOttavi, Hilaria de Angelis, Chiara di Bari Fleur-de-Lys

Spain
Thais Siurana Esmeralda
Albert Martinez Quasimodo
Enrique Sequero Frollo
Daniel Angles Gringoire
Lisadro Phoebe de Chateaupe
Paco Arroyo Clopin
Elvira Prado Fleur-de-Lys

The songs in this section will be written according to the model:

Original title/Mogadorian title (interlinear translation of the title) official title in Russian

Note: in all versions of the musical, except for the original, the songs of the second act are numbered 8 and 9; 10 and 11 have been swapped.

Act one
Ouverture (Opening) Overture
Le Temps Des CathГ©drales (Cathedral Time) It's time Cathedrals
Les Sans-Papiers (People without papers) Tramps
Intervention de Frollo (Frollo's Intervention) Frollo's Intervention
BohГ©mienne (Gypsy) Daughter of Gypsies
Esmeralda Tu Sais (Do you know, Esmeralda) Esmeralda, understand
Ces Diamants-LГ (These diamonds) My love
La FÄte des Fous (Festival of Jesters) Ball of Jesters
Le Pape des Fous (The Pope of Jesters) King of Jesters
La SorciГЁre (Witch) Sorceress
LEnfant TrouvГ© (Foundling) Foundling
Les Portes de Paris (Gate of Paris) Paris
Tentative dEnlГЁvement (Abduction Attempted) Failed Abduction
La Cour des Miracles (Court of Miracles) Court of Miracles
Le Mot Phoebus (The Word "Phoebus") Name Phoebus
Beau Comme Le Soleil (Beautiful as the sun) The Sun of Life
DГ©chirГ© (Broken) What should I do?
Anarkia (Anarkia) Anarchy
ГЂ Boire (Drink) Water!
Belle (Beauty) Belle
Ma Maison CEst Ta Maison (My Home Your Home) My Notre Dame
Ave Maria PaGЇen (Ave Maria in pagan) Ave Maria
Je Sens Ma Vie Qui Bascule/Si tu pouvais voir en moi (I feel like my life is going downhill/If you could look into me) If only she could see
Tu Vas Me DГ©truire (You will destroy me) You are my death
LOmbre (Shadow) Shadow
Le Val dAmour (Valley of Love) Shelter of Love
La VoluptГ© (Enjoyment) Date
FatalitГ© (Rock) Will of Fate

Act two
Florence (Florence) Everything will have its time
Les Cloches (The Bells) The Bells
OG# Est-Elle? (Where is she?) Where is she?
Les Oiseaux QuOn Met En Cage (Caged Birds) Poor Birds in Captivity
CondamnГ©s (Condemned) Outcasts
Le ProcГЁs (Court) Court
La Torture (Torture) Torture
Phoebus (Phoebus) Oh Phoebus!
ГЉtre PrГЄtre Et Aimer Une Femme (To be a priest and love a woman) My fault
La Monture (The Horse) (the word also has an allegorical meaning: "passionate lover") Swear to me
Je Reviens Vers Toi (I'm coming back to you) If you can, forgive
Visite de Frollo Г Esmeralda (Frollo's visit to Esmeralda) Frollo comes to Esmeralda
Un Matin Tu Dansais (You danced one morning) Frollo's confession
LibГ©rГ©s (Free) Come out!
Lune (Moon) Moon
Je Te Laisse Un Sifflet (I give you a whistle) If anything, call
Dieu Que Le Monde Est Injuste (God, how the world is unfair) Good God, why?
Vivre (Live) Live
LAttaque De Notre-Dame (Assault on Notre Dame) Assault on Notre Dame
DГ©portГ©s (Sent out) Submit!
Mon MaГ®tre Mon Sauveur (My master, my savior) My proud master
Donnez-La Moi (Give it to me) Give it to me!
Danse Mon Esmeralda (Dance, my Esmeralda) Sing to me, Esmeralda
Le Temps Des CathГ©drales (The Time of the Cathedrals) It's time for the cathedrals

Interesting Facts
famous song from this musical, Belle, was also performed in our country by the now disbanded group Smash !!. With her, they won first place at the festival " New wave» 2002 in Jurmala.
The song "Belle" spent 33 weeks in the French charts at number 1 and was eventually recognized in France best song fiftieth anniversary.
The Russian performer of the role of Esmeralda T. Dolnikova is the only musical performer in the world who received high award, theater award"Golden Mask".
In Russia, a special tour version of the musical is currently touring the regions, with simplified scenery. Artistic director Alexander Marakulin, performer of the role of Frollo.


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