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Tickets to the Bolshoi Theater of Russia. Classical ballet "The Flames of Paris." Music by Boris Asafiev Ballet Flames of Paris at the Bolshoi Theater libretto

Libretto

Act I
Painting 1
The suburb of Marseille is the city after which the great anthem of France is named.
A large group of people are moving through the forest. This is the Marseillais battalion heading for Paris. Their intentions can be judged by the cannon they carry with them. Among the Marseilles - Philip.

It is near the cannon that Philip meets the peasant woman Zhanna. He kisses her goodbye. Jeanne's brother Jérôme is full of desire to join the Marseillais.

In the distance one can see the castle of the sovereign Marquis Costa de Beauregard. The hunters return to the castle, among them the Marquis and his daughter Adeline.

The "noble" Marquis harasses the pretty peasant woman Jeanne. She tries to free herself from his rude courtship, but this is only possible with the help of Jerome, who has come to the defense of her sister.

Jerome is beaten by hunters from the retinue of the Marquis and thrown into the basement of the prison. Adeline, who has been watching this scene, frees Jerome. A mutual feeling is born in their hearts. The sinister old woman Zharkas, assigned by the Marquis to watch over her daughter, informs her adored master about Jerome's escape. He gives his daughter a slap in the face and orders to get into the carriage, accompanied by Zharkas. They are going to Paris.

Jerome says goodbye to his parents. He can't stay at the Marquis's estate. He and Jeanne leave with a detachment of Marseillais. The parents are inconsolable.
Volunteer enrollment in progress. Together with the people, Marseillais dance the farandole. People change their hats for Phrygian caps. Jerome receives weapons from the hands of the rebel leader Gilbert. Jerome and Philippe "harness" the cannon. The detachment moves towards Paris to the sounds of the Marseillaise.

Picture 2
"La Marseillaise" is replaced by an exquisite minuet. Royal Palace. The Marquis and Adeline arrived here. The master of ceremonies announces the start of the ballet.

Court ballet "Rinaldo and Armida" with the participation of Parisian stars Mireille de Poitiers and Antoine Mistral:
Sarabande of Armida and her friends. The troops of Armida are returning from the campaign. Lead the prisoners. Among them is Prince Rinaldo.
Cupid hurts the hearts of Rinaldo and Armida. Cupid variation. Armida frees Rinaldo.

Pas de Rinaldo and Armides.
Appearance of the ghost of Rinaldo's bride. Rinaldo abandons Armida and sails on a ship after the ghost. Armida conjures a storm. The waves throw Rinaldo ashore, he is surrounded by furies.
Fury dance. Rinaldo falls dead at the feet of Armida.

King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette appear. Greetings, oaths of allegiance and toasts to the prosperity of the monarchy follow.
The tipsy Marquis chooses the Actress as his next “victim”, whom he “cares” for just like the peasant woman Zhanna. The sounds of the Marseillaise are heard from the street. The courtiers and officers are in disarray. Adeline, taking advantage of this, runs away from the palace.

Act II
Scene 3
A square in Paris where the Marseillais arrive, including Philippe, Jerome and Jeanne. The shot of the Marseillais cannon should signal the beginning of the assault on the Tuileries.

Suddenly, on the square, Jerome sees Adeline. He rushes to her. The sinister old woman Zharkas is watching their meeting.

Meanwhile, in honor of the arrival of a detachment of Marseillais, barrels of wine were rolled out into the square. Dances begin: Auvergne is replaced by Marseilles, followed by a temperamental dance of the Basques, in which all the heroes take part - Jeanne, Philippe, Adeline, Jerome and the captain of Marseilles Gilbert.

In the crowd, inflamed with wine, senseless fights break out here and there. Dolls depicting Louis and Marie Antoinette are being torn to pieces. Jeanne, to the singing of the crowd, dances a pocket-hole with a spear in her hands. A drunken Philip sets fire to the fuse - a cannon salvo thunders, after which the whole crowd rushes to the assault.

Against the background of shots and drumming, Adeline and Jerome declare their love. They do not see anyone around, only each other.
Marseillais burst into the palace. Jeanne is ahead with a banner in her hands. The battle. Palace taken.

Scene 4
People fill the square, decorated with lights. Members of the Convention and the new government rise to the podium.

The people rejoice. famous artists Antoine Mistral Mireille de Poitiers, who used to entertain the king and courtiers, now dance the Dance of Liberty for the people. New dance not much different from the old one, only now the actress holds the banner of the Republic in her hands. The artist David sketches the festivities.

Near the cannon, from which the first volley sounded, the President of the Convention joins the hands of Jeanne and Philip. These are the first newlyweds of the new Republic.

Sounds wedding dance Jeanne and Philippa are replaced by thuds of a falling guillotine knife. The condemned Marquis is brought out. Seeing her father, Adeline rushes to him, but Jerome, Jeanne and Philippe beg her not to give herself away.

To avenge the Marquis, Zharkas betrays Adeline, revealing her true origins. The angry mob demands her death. Beside himself with despair, Jerome tries to save Adeline, but this is impossible. They take her to execution. Fearing for their lives, Jeanne and Philip keep Jerome, who is torn from their hands.

And the holiday continues. To the sounds of "Ca ira" the victorious people move forward.

Name: Flames of Paris
original name: Les Flammes de Paris
Year: 2010 (recorded March 24, 29 and 31)
Premiere: July 3, 2008
Genre: Ballet in 2 acts
Composer: Boris Asafiev
Libretto: Alexander Belinsky, Alexei Ratmansky based on and using the original libretto by Nikolai Volkov and Vladimir Dmitriev

Choreography: Alexei Ratmansky with original choreography by Vasily Vainonen
Orchestra: Bolshoi Theater of Russia
Conductor: Pavel Sorokin
Art directors: Ilya Utkin, Evgeny Monakhov
Costume designer: Elena Markovskaya
Lighting designer: Damir Ismagilov
Choreographer Assistant: Alexander Petukhov
Video director: Vincent Bataillon
Released: France, Russia, Bel Air Media, Bolshoi Theater of Russia
Language: No translation required

Actors and performers:

Jeanne, daughter of Gaspard and Lucille - Natalia Osipova
Jerome, her brother - Denis Savin
Philip, Marseilles - Ivan Vasiliev
Costa de Beauregard, Marquis - Yuri Klevtsov
Adeline, his daughter - Nina Kaptsova
Mireille de Poitiers, actress - Anna Antonicheva
Antoine Mistral, actor - Ruslan Skvortsov
Zharkas, the old woman - Yuliana Malkhasyants
Gilbert, captain of the Marseillais - Vitaly Biktimirov
King Louis XVI - Gennady Yanin
Marie Antoinette, Queen - Olga Suvorova
Gaspar, the peasant - Alexander Petukhov
Lucille, his wife - Evgenia Volochkova
Cupid in the ballet "Rinaldo and Armida" - Ekaterina Krysanova
The Phantom of the Bride in the ballet "Rinaldo and Armida" - Victoria Osipova

About the composer

Boris Vladimirovich Asafiev (pseudonym- Igor Glebov; July 17 (29), 1884, St. Petersburg - January 27, 1949, Moscow) - Russian Soviet composer, musicologist, musical critic. Academician of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR (1943), National artist USSR (1946), one of the founders of Soviet musicology.

In 1904-1910, Asafiev studied at the St. Petersburg Conservatory in the composition class with N.A. Rimsky-Korsakov and A.K. Lyadov, in parallel also at the Faculty of History and Philology of St. Petersburg University, from which he graduated in 1908. After graduating from the conservatory, he worked as an accompanist in the ballet troupe of the Mariinsky Theatre. Since 1919, he was a repertoire adviser at the Mariinsky and Maly Opera Theatres, in the same year, together with Sergei Lyapunov, he organized music department at the Petrograd Institute of Art History, which he directed until 1930.

In 1925, Asafiev received the title of professor at the Leningrad Conservatory, took part in a radical revision and unification of its curricula which allowed students to receive a complete general theoretical musical education along with classes in their specialty.

Asafiev was one of the founders in 1926 of the Leningrad branch of the Association contemporary music that promoted the latest writings world and Soviet composers. As part of the concerts organized by the department, the works of the composers of the New Vienna School, "Six", as well as Sergei Prokofiev and Igor Stravinsky. Actively studying the work of the latter, in 1929 Asafiev wrote the first ever book about this composer in Russian. He also had a significant impact on updating the repertoire of the Leningrad opera houses. In 1924-1928 R. Strauss's Salome, Berg's Wozzeck, Krenek's Jump Over the Shadow and other latest operas were staged.

Since 1914, Asafiev's articles (published under the pseudonym Igor Glebov) regularly appeared in the leading musical publications of that time - Music, Musical Contemporary, Life of Art, Krasnaya Gazeta. The period of 1919-1928 turned out to be the most productive, when Asafiev defined the main area of his musicological interests: Russian classical heritage and music by contemporary authors. During this period, Asafiev's creative contacts were formed with Paul Hindemith, Arnold Schoenberg, Darius Millau, Arthur Honegger and other leaders of the world musical avant-garde. In the 1930s, after the collapse of the ASM, Asafiev switched to composition and created his own famous writings- the ballets The Flames of Paris (1932), The Fountain of Bakhchisarai (1933) and Lost Illusions (1934), as well as symphonic compositions, etc. In the early 1940s, he returned to research work, continues to work during Leningrad blockade. In 1943 he moved to Moscow, where he headed the music department of the Institute of Art History of the USSR Academy of Sciences. At the 1st All-Union Congress of Soviet Composers (1948) B.V. Asafiev was elected chairman of the Union of Composers of the USSR.

Major writings

Musical Theatre:
9 operas
26 ballets, including The Flames of Paris, or The Triumph of the Republic (1932), The Fountain of Bakhchisaray (1934), Lost Illusions (1935), Prisoner of the Caucasus (1938)
Operetta "Cleretta's Career" (1940)

Orchestral compositions, concerts:
Five symphonies
Piano Concerto (1939)
Concerto for guitar and chamber orchestra (1939)
Concertino for clarinet and orchestra (1939)

Chamber compositions:
String Quartet (1940)
Sonata for viola solo (1938)
Sonata for cello and piano (1935)
Sonata for trumpet and piano (1939)
Sonatina for oboe and piano (1939)
Variations for horn and piano (1940)

Compositions for piano:
Pieces, sonata suites, etc.

Vocal compositions:
Romances on poems by Russian poets
Music to theatrical performances, choirs, etc.

The history of the creation of the work

In the early 1930s, Asafiev, who had already written seven ballets, was offered to take part in the creation of a ballet based on a plot from the time of the French Revolution. Scenario based on events historical novel F. Gro "Marseilles", belonged to art critic, playwright and theater critic N. Volkov (1894-1965) and theater designer V. Dmitriev (1900-1948); Asafiev also contributed to it. According to him, he worked on the ballet "not only as a playwright-composer, but also as a musicologist, historian and theorist, and as a writer, not shunning the methods of the modern historical novel." He defined the genre of ballet as "a musical-historical novel". The attention of the authors of the libretto was focused on historical events, so they did not give individual characteristics. Heroes do not exist on their own, but as representatives of two warring camps. The composer used the most famous songs era of the Great French Revolution - "Ca ira", "La Marseillaise" and "Carmagnola", which are performed by the choir, with text, as well as folklore material and excerpts from some works of composers of that time: Adagio of Act II - from the opera "Alcina" French composer M. Mare (1656-1728), March from the same act - from the opera "Theseus" by J. B. Lully (1632-1687). The funeral song from act III sounds to the music of E. N. Megul (1763-1817), used in the final Victory song from Beethoven's Egmont Overture (1770-1827).

The young choreographer V. Vainonen (1901-1964) undertook to stage the ballet. A characteristic dancer who graduated from the Petrograd Choreographic School in 1919, he already proved himself as a talented choreographer in the 1920s. His task was extremely difficult. He had to embody the folk-heroic epic in the dance. “Ethnographic material, both literary and illustrative, is almost never used,” recalled the choreographer. - Based on two or three engravings found in the archives of the Hermitage, one had to judge folk dances era. In the free, unconstrained poses of Farandola, I wanted to give an idea of France having fun. In the impetuous lines of Carmagnola, I wanted to show the spirit of indignation, menace and rebellion. "The Flames of Paris" became an outstanding creation of Vainonen, a new word in choreography: for the first time, the corps de ballet embodied an independent image of the revolutionary people, multifaceted and effective. The dances, grouped into suites, were turned into large genre scenes, arranged in such a way that each subsequent one is larger and larger than the previous one. Distinctive feature ballet was also the introduction of a choir intoning revolutionary songs.

The premiere of "The Flames of Paris" was timed to coincide with the solemn date - the 15th anniversary of October revolution and took place at the Leningrad Opera and Ballet Theatre. Kirov (Mariinsky) on November 7 (according to other sources - on November 6), 1932, and on July 6 next year Vainonen performed the Moscow premiere. For many years, the performance was successfully staged on the stages of both capitals, was staged in other cities of the country, as well as in the countries of the socialist camp. In 1947, Asafiev carried out a new version of the ballet, making some cuts in the score and rearranging individual numbers, but in general the dramaturgy did not change.

Music

The ballet "The Flames of Paris" is decided as a folk-heroic drama. His drama is based on the opposition of the aristocracy and the people, both groups are given the appropriate musical and plastic characteristics. Tuileries music is designed in the style of a courtier Art XVIII century, folk images conveyed through intonation revolutionary songs and quotes from Megül, Beethoven and others.

Asafiev wrote: “In general, The Flames of Paris is built as a kind of monumental symphony, in which the content is revealed by means of musical theater. The first act of the ballet is a kind of dramatic exposition of the revolutionary moods of southern France. Act II is basically a symphonic andante. The main color of Act II is a sternly gloomy, even “requiem”, funeral, this is a kind of “funeral service for the old regime”: hence the significant role of the organ that accompanies both the dances and the pinnacle of the conspiracy - the anthem in honor of the king (the meeting of Louis XVI). III, central act, based on the melos of folk dances and mass songs, is conceived as a highly developed dramatic scherzo. Songs of joy respond to songs of anger in last picture ballet; rondo-conrdance as the final mass dance action. This form was not invented, but was naturally born from contact with the era of the French Revolution, which provided in the history of development musical form the flourishing of symphonism in terms of the richness of thought, its dialectical depth and dynamics.

About the choreographer

Alexey Ratmansky was born in Leningrad. In 1986, he graduated from the Moscow Choreographic School (now the Moscow state academy choreography), where he studied with teachers A. Markeeva and P. Pestov, then studied at the ballet master faculty of GITIS (now RATI - Russian Academy theatrical art).
January 1, 2004 was appointed artistic director ballet of the Bolshoi Theatre. In January 2009, he left this post and became a permanent choreographer at the American Ballet Theatre.

Dancer's career

From 1986 to 92 and from 95 to 97 he was a soloist ballet troupe Kyiv Theater of Opera and Ballet (National Opera of Ukraine) named after Taras Shevchenko, where he performed leading roles in ballets of the classical repertoire.
From 1992 to 1995 he worked in Canada with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet. In this troupe, his repertoire included ballets by J. Balanchine, F. Ashton, E. Tudor, J. Neumeier, R. van Dantzig, T. Tharp and other choreographers.
In 1997 he was admitted to the Royal Danish Ballet, where he performed the leading roles in the ballets of August Bournonville - the main choreographer of all times of this theater, in other ballets of the classical repertoire, and also significantly expanded his repertoire with works contemporary choreography. Worked with choreographers Mats Ek, Jiri Kilian, John Neumeier, Maurice Béjart, Peter Martins, Kevin O'Day, Stephen Welsh.
Among the ballets he performed:
Suite in White to music by E. Lalo (choreography by S. Lifar)
"Symphony in C" to music by J. Bizet (choreography by J. Balanchine)
Rubies to music by I. Stravinsky (choreography by J. Balanchine)
"Concert" to the music of F. Chopin (choreography by J. Robbins)
"Manon" to music by J. Massenet (choreography by C. Macmillan)
"Odyssey" by J. Kouroupos directed by J. Neumeier
"Parisian Fun" to music by J. Offenbach, staged by M. Bejart
"Grass" to music by S. Rachmaninoff, staged by M. Ek
"Closed Garden" to the music of Spanish folk songs staged by N. Duato
Alexei Ratmansky became the first performer of parts in ballets:
M. Godden - "Reflections" to the music of M. Ravel, "Darkness Between Us" to the music of A. von Webern;
T. Rushton - "Sweet Complaints" to music by F. Goretsky,
"Refrain" and "Nomads" to music by A. Pärt, "Dominium" to music by F. Glass;
A. Lyarkesen - "Shostakovich, op.99".
Performed with Bolshoi Theater, "Imperial Russian Ballet". Was a partner of Maya Plisetskaya in the ballet " afternoon rest Faun" to music by C. Debussy (choreography by V. Nijinsky).

Choreographer career

The first opuses were created by him almost immediately after graduating from college, when he danced in the theater. T.G. Shevchenko. Ratmansky's numbers - for example, "Yurliberlu" or "Whipped Cream" (this number was already staged in Winnipeg) - were often included in the program of Moscow ballet concerts and aroused sympathy from the public. First stage Moscow career of Alexei Ratmansky is largely associated with the Postmodern Theater company, which organized his tour performances, for example, with the famous Canadian ballerina Evelyn Hart in Giselle (1997), and produced his ballets created for Nina Ananiashvili.

By order of the latter, the ballet "The Charms of Mannerism" was staged. Among the soloists of the Bolshoi Ballet Company, employed in Ratmansky's ballet "Dreams of Japan", Ananiashvili also figured. She also performed for leading role in the first version of the ballet "Lea", staged by Ratmansky based on the famous play "Dibuk" by S. A-nsky, which was glorified at the time by the Moscow Jewish theater "Habima" and Yevgeny Vakhtangov and which spurred the inspiration of Leonard Bernstein, who wrote a ballet based on this plot.

After the success of his ballet "Capriccio", which was included in the program of youth "New Year's premieres" of the Bolshoi Theater, Ratmansky received an invitation to collaborate with the Mariinsky Theater. By this time, he was already a soloist with the Royal Danish Ballet, where he also began to show himself as a choreographer quite soon, after which the road to other European and American stages opened up for him.

In 2003, Ratmansky was asked to stage a full-length ballet at the Bolshoi Theater, and this production, as a result, earned him the appointment of director Bolshoi Ballet. The first ballet staged by him at the Bolshoi Theater in his new capacity as artistic director of the troupe was the second edition of the ballet Lea.
Alexei Ratmansky has staged more than twenty ballets and concert numbers, among which:

"Kiss of the Fairy" by I. Stravinsky (Kiev Opera and Ballet Theatre, 1994, Mariinskii Opera House, 1998)
"The Charms of Mannerism" to the music of R. Strauss ("Postmodern Theatre", 1997)
"Capriccio" to music by I. Stravinsky ( Grand Theatre, 1997)
"Dreams of Japan" to music by L. Eto, N. Yamaguchi and A. Tosh (Bolshoi Theater and Postmodern Theatre, 1998)
"Middle Duet" to music by Y. Khanon, "Poem of Ecstasy" to music by A. Scriabin (Mariinsky Theatre, 1998)
"Dream of Turandot" to music by P. Hindemith (Royal Danish Ballet, 2000)
The Nutcracker by P. Tchaikovsky (Royal Danish Ballet, 2001),
"Flight to Budapest" to music by I. Brahms ( International ballet Copenhagen, 2001)
"Bolero" to music by M. Ravel (International Ballet of Copenhagen, 2001, Bolshoi Theater - within the project "Workshop of New Choreography, 2004)
"Lea" to music by L. Bernstein (Aleksey Fadeyechev Dance Theatre, Moscow, 2001, second edition, Bolshoi Theatre, 2004)
"Cinderella" by S. Prokofiev (Mariinsky Theatre, 2002)
The Firebird by I. Stravinsky (Royal Swedish Ballet, 2002)
"Light Stream" by D. Shostakovich (Bolshoi Theatre, 2003, Latvian national opera, 2004, ABT, 2011)
"Carnival of the Animals" to music by C. Saint-Saens (San Francisco Ballet, 2003)
"Anna Karenina" by R. Shchedrin (Royal Danish Ballet, 2004, Lithuanian National Opera, 2005, Finnish National Opera, 2007, Bolshoi Theater/Warsaw, 2008, Mariinsky Theatre, 2010)
"Bolt" by D. Shostakovich (Bolshoi Theatre, 2005)
"Russian Seasons" to music by L. Desyatnikov (New York City Ballet, 2006, Dutch national ballet, 2007, Bolshoi Theatre, 2008, San Francisco Ballet, 2009)
"Chromatic Variations" to music by J. Bizet (Tbilisi state theater opera and ballet Z. Paliashvili, 2007)
"Lunar Pierrot" to music by A. Schoenberg (as part of Diana Vishneva's project "Beauty in Motion", the world premiere took place at the Center performing arts in Orange County, California, 2008)
"Concerto DSCH" to music by D. Shostakovich (New York City Ballet, 2008)
The Little Humpbacked Horse by R. Shchedrin (Mariinsky Theatre, 2009)
"On the Dnieper" by S. Prokofiev (ABT, 2009)
"Scuola di ballo" / "Dance School" to music by L. Boccherini, arranged by J. France (Australian Ballet, Melbourne, 2009)
"Seven Sonatas" to music by D. Scarlatti (ABT, 2009)
"Don Quixote" by L. Minkus (Dutch National Ballet, Amsterdam, edition after M. Petipa and A. Gorsky, 2010)
"Namuna" E. Lalo (New York City Ballet, 2010)
"The Nutcracker" by P. Tchaikovsky (ABT, 2010)

Awards

In 1988 he won the 1st prize at the Ukrainian Ballet Competition.
In 1992 he won gold medal and the Vaslav Nijinsky Prize at the Independent S. P. Diaghilev Ballet Competition in Moscow.
In 1993 he was awarded the title of "Honored Artist of the Republic of Ukraine".
In 1999 Alexei Ratmansky's ballet "Dreams of Japan" was awarded the National Theater Award "Golden Mask".
In 2002, for his contribution to the culture of Denmark, he was elevated by Queen Margrethe II to the rank of a knight of the Order of the Danish Flag. In 2004 he received the National theater award"Golden Mask" in the nomination "Best Choreographer" (season 2002/03) for staging the ballet "Bright Stream" by D. Shostakovich at the Bolshoi Theater. In 2005, he was awarded the Benois de la Danse prize for staging Anna Karenina by R. Shchedrin for the Royal Danish Ballet (season 2003/04).

In 2007, he received the annual English award (National Dance Awards Critics "Circle) - the National Dance Critics Circle Award ( best choreographer In chapter " classical ballet"); Dmitri Shostakovich Prize of the Yuri Bashmet International Charitable Foundation (for staging two ballets by D. Shostakovich) and " golden mask"in the nomination" Best Choreographer-Director" (season 2005/06) for staging the ballet "Playing Cards" by I. Stravinsky at the Bolshoi Theater.

"Aleksey Ratmansky made an anti-revolutionary performance" (Interview with Time Out magazine, No. 25, 2008)

- We thought you were a "Westernizer", but you are always drawn to this dangerous territory - the Soviet ideological ballet of the 30s and 40s. "Bright Stream" about collective farmers, "Bolt" about pests, now here's "The Flame of Paris" about revolutionaries. What fascinates you about that era?
- Westerner? And I thought I was my own, primordial (laughs). But I do not perceive the Soviet ballet as ideological at all. I look at the choreography of that period and see in it not an ideology, but an absolutely complete style.

- If you dot the "i", your "Flame of Paris" is not a reconstruction?
- Of course not. This new performance. In general, surprisingly, there are no records of this period. Didn't do it. Today, Petipa is easier to restore than the Soviet ballets of the 30s.

- Did you decide to do the new ballet from the very beginning, or when did you realize that it was no longer possible to restore Vainonen's production?
- Rather the second. Much less than we would like, in our performance will be from Vainonen - only two pas de deux and a Basque dance. Only a few phrases remained from the farandole and the pocket. In the score these musical numbers three to four times longer. Therefore, I took a combination and, based on the fragment, built the whole dance anew.

- That is, increased new ballet around two or three surviving fragments?
- The pas de deux of Jeanne and Philippe and the Basque dance is an ingenious choreography that will live on its own. But I really wanted to put it in the context of the performance. In a concert performance, these numbers lose all their meaning. On a bare stage without scenery, it is simply impossible to do this for real. In the performance, Jeanne and Philip are dancing in the square, and when there is a crowd around, everything looks completely different. This is one of the reasons why I wanted to stage this performance. Another reason: I think Flames of Paris is for the Bolshoi. Both the theme and the scale are historical. And of course, dozens of roles: large, small. We have introduced new characters. We have Adeline, the daughter of the Marquis, with whom the revolutionary Jerome is in love. She is in the novel Gras "The Marseilles", and there is also such an ominous old woman who betrays Adeline - also from there.

- Old women are needed in any ballet.
- Well, this is an archetype - a terrible old woman who harms everyone. But most importantly, I wanted each of the surviving numbers to have a slightly different interpretation. The guillotine appeared in our ballet, without which it is impossible to imagine the French Revolution. And we will execute Adeline. At first we wanted Jeanne and Philippe to dance their pas de deux after the execution. They danced, pretending to be happy. As was the case with so many people of the thirties: their relatives were taken away at night by black funnels, and they had to demonstrate optimism. But it turned out that it was simply impossible to dance this bravura pas de deux in this way. And we abandoned this idea. The pas de deux will remain until the execution. Another change is that the Basques are danced not by characteristic dancers, not people from the people, but by the main characters: Jeanne, Philip, Jeanne's brother Jerome and Adeline. That is classical dancers.

- In other words, you clean up the brand? Was the ballet revolutionary, has it become anti-revolutionary?
- And no and yes. We did not try to say unequivocally: the revolution is evil, because the unfortunate Adeline was executed. Yes, it's terrible. First of all, for Jerome, who, more than other characters, is inspired by the revolution and its ideas. He sincerely goes to the revolution, unlike Jeanne, who became a revolutionary because she liked Philippe. And Phillip is such a crazy guy. He doesn't care where he goes - it would be fun. We were interested not so much in the revolution as in people against the backdrop of turbulent historical events.

- Has the finale of the performance, when people attack the audience with bayonets, been preserved?
- Yes, this is Vainonen. Radlov, who arranged the mise-en-scenes of the ballet, did not succeed in the ending. Vainonen explained to him that you can't work like in a drama, you need a dance denouement. And he came up with this syncopated move on the count of two, to the song Ca ira. And immediately the whole troupe applauded this simple and ingenious step. But in our performance, the system goes through the unfortunate Jerome, in whose eyes Adeline was taken to the guillotine, and he can do nothing about it.

- Do you need such a bloody accent in the finale? I mean the guillotine that Vainonen didn't have?
- Yes, of course, it is necessary. If we formulate the idea in one phrase: no revolution, no great idea can justify cruelty. Yes ... you are probably right, the anti-revolutionary ballet turned out.

Libretto

Act I

Painting 1
The suburb of Marseille is the city after which the great anthem of France is named.
A large group of people are moving through the forest. This is the Marseillais battalion heading for Paris. Their intentions can be judged by the cannon they carry with them. Among the Marseilles - Philip.

It is near the cannon that Philip meets the peasant woman Zhanna. He kisses her goodbye. Jeanne's brother Jérôme is full of desire to join the Marseillais.
In the distance one can see the castle of the sovereign Marquis Costa de Beauregard. The hunters return to the castle, among them the Marquis and his daughter Adeline.

Jerome says goodbye to his parents. He can't stay at the Marquis's estate. He and Jeanne leave with a detachment of Marseillais. The parents are inconsolable.

Volunteer enrollment in progress. Together with the people, Marseillais dance the farandole. People change their hats for Phrygian caps. Jerome receives weapons from the hands of the rebel leader Gilbert. Jerome and Philippe "harness" the cannon. The detachment moves towards Paris to the sounds of the Marseillaise.

Picture 2
"La Marseillaise" is replaced by an exquisite minuet. Royal Palace. The Marquis and Adeline arrived here. The master of ceremonies announces the start of the ballet.

Cupid hurts the hearts of Rinaldo and Armida. Cupid variation. Armida frees Rinaldo.

Pas de Rinaldo and Armides.

Appearance of the ghost of Rinaldo's bride. Rinaldo abandons Armida and sails on a ship after the ghost. Armida conjures a storm. The waves throw Rinaldo ashore, he is surrounded by furies.

Fury dance. Rinaldo falls dead at the feet of Armida.
King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette appear. Greetings, oaths of allegiance and toasts to the prosperity of the monarchy follow.

The tipsy Marquis chooses the Actress as his next “victim”, whom he “cares” for just like the peasant woman Zhanna. The sounds of the Marseillaise are heard from the street. The courtiers and officers are in disarray. Adeline, taking advantage of this, runs away from the palace.

Act II

Scene 3
A square in Paris where the Marseillais arrive, including Philippe, Jerome and Jeanne. The shot of the Marseillais cannon should signal the beginning of the assault on the Tuileries.

Suddenly, on the square, Jerome sees Adeline. He rushes to her. The sinister old woman Zharkas is watching their meeting.

Against the background of shots and drumming, Adeline and Jerome declare their love. They do not see anyone around, only each other.

Marseillais burst into the palace. Jeanne is ahead with a banner in her hands. The battle. Palace taken.

Scene 4
People fill the square, decorated with lights. Members of the Convention and the new government rise to the podium.

The people rejoice. The famous artists Antoine Mistral Mireille de Poitiers, who used to entertain the king and courtiers, now dance the Freedom Dance for the people. The new dance is not much different from the old one, only now the actress holds the banner of the Republic in her hands. The artist David sketches the festivities.

Near the cannon, from which the first volley sounded, the President of the Convention joins the hands of Jeanne and Philip. These are the first newlyweds of the new Republic.

The sounds of the wedding dance of Jeanne and Philip are replaced by the dull blows of a falling guillotine knife. The condemned Marquis is brought out. Seeing her father, Adeline rushes to him, but Jerome, Jeanne and Philippe beg her not to give herself away.

And the holiday continues. To the sounds of "Ca ira" the victorious people move forward.

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It is near the cannon that Philip meets the peasant woman Zhanna. He kisses her goodbye. Jeanne's brother Jérôme is full of desire to join the Marseillais.

In the distance one can see the castle of the sovereign Marquis Costa de Beauregard. The hunters return to the castle, among them the Marquis and his daughter Adeline.

Jerome says goodbye to his parents. He can't stay at the Marquis's estate. He and Jeanne leave with a detachment of Marseillais. The parents are inconsolable.
Volunteer enrollment in progress. Together with the people, Marseillais dance the farandole. People change their hats for Phrygian caps. Jerome receives weapons from the hands of the rebel leader Gilbert. Jérôme and Philippe "harness" the cannon. The detachment moves towards Paris to the sounds of the Marseillaise.

Picture 2
The Marseillaise is replaced by an exquisite minuet. Royal Palace. The Marquis and Adeline arrived here. The master of ceremonies announces the start of the ballet.

Act II
Scene 3
A square in Paris where the Marseillais arrive, including Philippe, Jerome and Jeanne. The shot of the Marseillais cannon should signal the beginning of the assault on the Tuileries.

Suddenly, on the square, Jerome sees Adeline. He rushes to her. The sinister old woman Zharkas is watching their meeting.

Scene 4
People fill the square, decorated with lights. Members of the Convention and the new government rise to the podium.

Near the cannon, from which the first volley sounded, the President of the Convention joins the hands of Jeanne and Philip. These are the first newlyweds of the new Republic.

And the holiday continues. To the sounds of "Ca ira" the victorious people move forward.

"The Flames of Paris" - the legendary ballet about the events of the Great french revolution, delivered in 1932, became one of the most good luck Soviet musical theater A performance to music by Boris Asafiev with choreography by Vasily Vainonen is brought back to life by the main guest choreographer Mikhailovsky Theater Michael Messer. Restoring choreographic elements and mise-en-scenes, he resurrects heroism and revolutionary romantic fervor. famous production. Working on the scenography of the performance folk artist Russia, main artist Mikhailovsky Theater Vyacheslav Okunev. The basis of his creative decisions are the scenery and costumes created for the premiere in 1932 by the artist Vladimir Dmitriev.

The libretto (scenario) of the ballet was written by a famous art critic, playwright and theater critic Nikolai Dmitrievich Volkov (1894-1965) and theater designer Vladimir Vladimirovich Dmitriev (1900-1948) based on the historical novel by Frederic Gros "The Marseilles". The composer Boris Asafiev also contributed to the script, having written music for seven ballets before The Flames of Paris. According to him, he worked on the ballet "not only as a playwright-composer, but also as a musicologist, historian and theorist, and as a writer, not shunning the methods of the modern historical novel." He defined the genre of ballet as "a musical-historical novel". The attention of the authors of the libretto was focused on historical events, so they did not give individual characteristics. Heroes do not exist on their own, but as representatives of two warring camps.

The composer used the most famous songs of the era of the Great French Revolution - "Ca ira", "Marseillaise" and "Carmagnola", which are performed by the choir, with text, as well as folklore material and excerpts from some works of composers of that time: Adagio of Act II - from the opera "Alcina" by the French composer Marin Mare (1656-1728), March from the same act - from the opera "Theseus" by Jean Baptiste Lully (1632-1687). The funeral song from act III sounds to the music of Etienne Nicolas Megul (1763-1817), in the finale the “Victory Song” from the Egmont Overture by Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) is used.

The ballet "The Flames of Paris" is decided as a folk-heroic drama. His drama is based on the opposition of the aristocracy and the people, and both groups are given the appropriate musical and plastic characteristics. The music of the Tuileries is designed in the style of court art of the 18th century, folk images are conveyed through the intonations of revolutionary songs and quotations from Megul, Beethoven and others.

Asafiev wrote: “In general, “The Flames of Paris” is built as a kind of monumental symphony, in which the content is revealed by means of musical theater. The first act of the ballet is a kind of dramatic exposition of the revolutionary moods of southern France. Act II is basically a symphonic andante. The main color of Act II is a sternly gloomy, even “requiem”, funeral, this is a kind of “funeral service for the old regime”: hence the significant role of the organ that accompanies both the dances and the pinnacle of the conspiracy - the anthem in honor of the king (the meeting of Louis XVI). III, the central act, based on the melos of folk dances and mass songs, is conceived as a widely developed dramatic scherzo. Songs of joy respond to songs of anger in the last scene of the ballet; rondo-conrdance as the final mass dance action. This form was not invented, but was naturally born from contact with the era of the French Revolution, which ensured the flourishing of symphonism in the history of the development of the musical form in terms of the richness of thought, its dialectical depth and dynamics.

The ballet was staged by the young choreographer Vasily Vainonen (1901-1964). A characteristic dancer who graduated from the Petrograd Choreographic School in 1919, he already proved himself as a talented choreographer in the 1920s. His task was extremely difficult. He had to embody the folk-heroic epic in the dance. “Ethnographic material, both literary and illustrative, is almost never used,” recalled the choreographer. - Based on two or three engravings found in the archives of the Hermitage, one had to judge the folk dances of the era. In the free, unconstrained poses of Farandola, I wanted to give an idea of France having fun. In the impetuous lines of Carmagnola, I wanted to show the spirit of indignation, menace and rebellion. "The Flames of Paris" became an outstanding creation of Vainonen, a new word in choreography: for the first time, the corps de ballet embodied an independent image of the revolutionary people, multifaceted and effective. The dances, grouped into suites, were turned into large genre scenes, arranged in such a way that each subsequent one is larger and larger than the previous one. A distinctive feature of the ballet was the introduction of a choir intoning revolutionary songs.

The premiere of "The Flames of Paris" was timed to coincide with the solemn date - the 15th anniversary of the October Revolution and took place at the Leningrad Opera and Ballet Theater named after Kirov (Mariinsky) on November 7 (according to other sources - on the 6th) of November 1932, and on July 6 of the following year, Vainonen was Moscow premiere. For many years, the performance was successfully staged on the stages of both capitals, was staged in other cities of the country, as well as in the countries of the socialist camp. In 1947, Asafiev carried out a new version of the ballet, making some cuts in the score and rearranging individual numbers, but in general the dramaturgy did not change.

Now the performance with the name "The Flames of Paris" is only on the poster of the Moscow Bolshoi Theater - but there is the author's version of Alexei Ratmansky, staged in 2008. Vasily Vainonen's historical play has been restored at the Mikhailovsky Theater in St. Petersburg. It will employ more than a hundred people.

““The Flames of Paris” in the choreography of Vasily Vainonen is a performance that we should especially cherish, - I am convinced Mikhail Messerer, choreographer of the Mikhailovsky Theater, who restored the original ballet. - I believe that forgetting your history, not knowing your past, it is more difficult to move forward. This also applies to Russian ballet. I long years he worked in the leading Western theaters, and everywhere he observed with what pride, with what reverence they treat the best productions of their predecessors. Anthony Tudor and Frederic Ashton in England, Roland Petit in France, George Balanchine in the USA - their productions are closely watched, protected, preserved on stage, passed on to new generations of performers. I am sincerely sorry that in our country a number of artistically valuable choreographic performances of the first half of the 20th century have practically disappeared from the repertoire. So it was with “Laurencia” - in Russia it did not go anywhere. Three years ago we recreated it at the Mikhailovsky Theater - and now it is one of the repertoire hits; The performance has already been included in the program of our tours in London twice. I hope that “The Flames of Paris” will also take its place in the repertoire and tour poster.”

Now the performance called "The Flames of Paris" is only on the poster of the Moscow Bolshoi Theater - but there
there is an author's version by Alexei Ratmansky, staged in 2008.
Vasily Vainonen's historical play has been restored at the Mikhailovsky Theater in St. Petersburg.
It will employ over 100 people.

Speaks Dmitry Astafiev, producer of the production, professor: “Of course, we cannot return those viewers who enthusiastically accepted the performance in the 1930s. Then, without making any allowance for theatrical conventions, they in a general impulse got up from their seats and sang the Marseillaise together with the artists at the top of their voices. But if it is in our power to recreate the performance, which was a symbol of the era of revolutionary romanticism, while the memory of it has not yet disappeared and there are people for whom this is practically a “family affair” - I mean Mikhail Messerer, we must do it. For me, participation in the production is not only a continuation of my activities as a long-term partner of the Mikhailovsky Theater, but also an expression of my public position. The values that today's Europe professes were laid down by the Great French Revolution. And if our country wants to consider itself a part European civilization Let's pay tribute to its origins."

Plot (original version)

Characters: Gaspar, a peasant. Jeanne and Pierre, his children. Philippe and Jerome, Marseilles. Gilbert. Marquis Costa de Beauregard. Count Geoffrey, his son. Manager of the Marquis' estate. Mireille de Poitiers, actress. Antoine Mistral, actor Cupid, court theater actress. King Louis XVI. Queen Marie Antoinette. Master of Ceremonies. Theresa. Jacobin speaker. Sergeant of the National Guard. Marseilles, Parisians, courtiers, ladies. Officers of the royal guard, Swiss, huntsmen.

Forest near Marseille. Gaspard with children Jeanne and Pierre are collecting brushwood. The sounds of hunting horns are heard. This is the son of the owner of the district, Count Geoffroy, hunting in his forest. The peasants are in a hurry to hide. The count appears and, going up to Jeanne, wants to hug her. The father comes running to Jeanne's cry. The huntsmen, the servants of the count beat and take away the old peasant with them.

Marseille square. Armed guards lead Gasper. Jeanne tells the Marseilles why her father is sent to prison. The indignation of the people at yet another injustice of the aristocrats is growing. The people storm the prison, deal with the guards, break open the doors of the casemates and release the captives of the Marquis de Beauregard.

Jeanne and Pierre are embracing their father, who has come out of the dungeon. The people greet the prisoners with rejoicing. Sounds of alarm are heard. A detachment of the National Guard enters with a banner: "The Fatherland is in danger!" Volunteers are enrolled in detachments sent to help the insurgent Paris. Together with friends, Jeanne and Pierre are recorded. To the sounds of the Marseillaise, the detachment sets out on a campaign.

Versailles. The Marquis de Beauregard tells the officers about the events in Marseille.

The life of Versailles goes on as usual. On the stage of the court theater, a classic interlude is played out, in which Armida and Rinaldo participate. After the performance, the officers arrange a banquet. The king and queen appear. The officers greet them, swear allegiance, tear off the tricolor armbands and exchange them for cockades with a white lily - the coat of arms of the Bourbons. After the departure of the king and queen, the officers write an appeal to the king with a request to allow them to deal with the revolutionary people.

Actor Mistral finds a forgotten document on the table. Fearing the disclosure of the secret, the Marquis kills Mistral, but before his death, he manages to hand over the document to Mireil de Poitiers. Outside the window sounds "La Marseillaise". Hiding the torn tricolor banner of the revolution, the actress leaves the palace.

Night. Square of Paris. Crowds of Parisians flock here, armed detachments from the provinces, including Marseillais, Auvergians, Basques. The assault on the royal palace is being prepared. Mireil de Poitiers runs in. She talks about a conspiracy against the revolution. The people take out stuffed animals in which you can recognize the royal couple. In the midst of this scene, officers and courtiers, led by the marquis, come to the square. Recognizing the Marquis, Jeanne slaps him.

The crowd rushes at the aristocrats. It sounds like Carmagnola. Speakers are speaking. To the sounds of the revolutionary song “Ca ira”, the people storm the palace, break into front staircase to the halls. Here and there fights break out. Jeanne is attacked by the marquis, but Pierre, protecting his sister, kills him. Sacrificing her life, Teresa takes away the tricolor banner from the officer.

The defenders of the old regime have been swept away by the insurgent people. In the squares of Paris, to the sounds of revolutionary songs, the victorious people are dancing and having fun.

Dmitry ZHVANIA

Premiere performances will be held at the Mikhailovsky Theater on July 22, 23, 24, 25, 26

Ballet "Flames of Paris"

A Brief History of the Creation of the Ballet

The ballet "The Flames of Paris", staged in 1932 on the stage of the Leningrad Opera and Ballet Theater. CM. Kirov, long time remained in the repertoire of the capital's theaters. In 1947, Asafiev created a new edition of the ballet, where he made some reductions in the score and rearranged individual numbers. But the musical dramaturgy of the ballet as a whole remained unchanged. Its genre can be defined as folk-heroic drama.

The playwright N. Volkov, artist V. Dmitriev and the composer himself participated in the creation of the script and libretto of the ballet. The authors chose the historical and social aspect of the interpretation of the plot, which determined a number of essential features of the work as a whole. The content was based on events from the history of the French Revolution in the early 90s of the 18th century: the capture of the Tuileries, participation in the revolutionary actions of the Marseille sailors, the revolutionary uprisings of the peasants against their feudal overlords. Separate plot motifs were also used, as well as images of some characters from the historical novel by F. Gras “The Marseilles” (peasant Jeanne, commander of the Marseilles battalion).

Composing the ballet, Asafiev, according to him, worked "not only as a playwright-composer, but also as a musicologist, historian and theorist, and as a writer, not shunning the methods of the modern historical novel." The results of this method affected, in particular, the historical reliability of a number of actors. In The Flames of Paris, King Louis XVI, the daughter of the cooper Barbara Paran (in the ballet - the peasant woman Jeanne), court actress Mirelle de Poitiers (in the ballet she received the name of Diane Mirel) are brought out.

In accordance with the libretto, the musical dramaturgy of The Flames of Paris is based on the opposition of two musical spheres: the musical characteristics of the people and the aristocracy. The people are given the main place in the ballet. Three acts are devoted to his image - the first, third and fourth, partly also the second act (its finale). The people are presented in a variety of different constituent social groups. French peasants meet here - Jeanne's family; soldiers of revolutionary France and among them the commander of the Marseilles battalion - Philippe; actors of the court theater, during the events acting on the side of the people, - Diana Mirel and Antoine Mistral. At the head of the camp of aristocrats, courtiers, reactionary officers was Louis XVI and the Marquis de Beauregard, the owner of vast estates.

The attention of the authors of the libretto is focused on the depiction of historical events, due to which there are almost no individual musical characteristics in The Flames of Paris. The personal destinies of individual heroes occupy a subordinate place in it in big picture history of revolutionary France. Musical portraits actors are, as it were, replaced by their generalized characteristics as representatives of one or another socio-political force. The main opposition in ballet is the people and the aristocracy. The people are characterized in dance scenes of an active type (revolutionary actions of the people, their struggle) and genre character (merry festive scenes at the end of the first act, the beginning of the third and in the second picture of the last act). Together, the composer creates a multifaceted musical characterization of the people as the collective hero of the work. Revolutionary song and dance themes play the main role in the depiction of the people. They sound in the most important points actions, and some of them run through the entire ballet and to a certain extent can be called leitmotifs that characterize the image of the revolutionary people. The same applies to images of the aristocratic world. And here the composer confines himself to a generalized musical characteristic royal court, aristocracy, officers. In depicting feudal-aristocratic France, Asafiev uses intonations and stylistic means of musical genres that have become widespread in the aristocratic court life of royal France.

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