Elephant from the ballet Sleeping Beauty. The further fate of music

Composers, contemporaries of P.I. Tchaikovsky, for the most part considered ballet "the lowest kind of music" and looked down on this genre somewhat.

But P.I. Tchaikovsky was free from all sorts of prejudices, he was even outraged by the dismissive attitude of some composers towards ballet music. On this occasion, he wrote to Taneyev: “... In general, I absolutely do not understand how the expression “ballet music” can contain anything reprehensible”?

In the field of ballet music, Tchaikovsky became a reformer: he turned it from a subordinate element that accompanied the dance into a work expressing complex psychological states, opening up enormous possibilities both musically and choreographically. His reforms in the field of ballet music were simple: he did not discard or break traditional forms, but gave them new meaning enriched by his talent.

The first ballet created by the composer is “ Swan Lake". You can read about it on our website:

After 13 years, he again turns to ballet genre- it was an order to compose music for the ballet "The Sleeping Beauty" based on a fairy tale by Perrault for a production at the Mariinsky Theater.

The history of the creation of the ballet

P.I. Chaikovsky

Theme for the ballet P.I. Tchaikovsky was suggested by the director of the imperial theaters I. Vsevolozhsky. He highly appreciated the ballet "Swan Lake" and decided to offer his new idea - the creation of a magnificent performance from the fairy tales of Charles Perrault - in 1888 to Tchaikovsky for implementation. The libretto of the new ballet was written by Vsevolozhsky himself together with M. Petipa. He conceived a grandiose fairy tale performance in which the composer was given the opportunity to compose melodies in the style of the 18th century, to realize his fantasies and enrich ballet repertoire a real fairy tale. In the last act, it was proposed to compose a quadrille of all the fairy tales of Perrault, Puss in Boots, and Bluebeard, and Thumb-Thumb, and Cinderella were supposed to participate in it ... Tchaikovsky was fascinated and delighted with the libretto: “This suits me quite well, and I do not want anything better than to write music for this, ”such was his answer to Vsevolozhsky.

Tchaikovsky enthusiastically set to work. By the beginning of 1889, the outlines of the prologue and two acts were completed, in the spring and summer he worked on the third act. In August, the instrumentation of the ballet was completed, and in the meantime rehearsals had already begun in the theater. Tchaikovsky worked closely with the great choreographer Marius Petipa, who served in Russia from 1847 until his death.

As a result of this collaboration, a completely new musical embodiment type of ballet. "Sleeping Beauty" became a real musical and choreographic symphony, where music and dance were merged.

The Sleeping Beauty is one of the most outstanding works in the history of world choreography in the 19th century. To some extent it sums up the whole journey choreographic art 19th century

The plot of the ballet

The ballet consists of three acts, a prologue and an apotheosis.

King Florestan celebrates the christening of the newborn Princess Aurora in his palace. Good sorceresses arrived with gifts. But suddenly, in a chariot drawn by rats, the Carabosse fairy appears, whom they forgot to invite to the holiday. The king and queen beg to be forgiven, but she predicts that Aurora in her youth will fall asleep forever from a spindle prick. But the Lilac Fairy, godmother of Aurora, softens the horror of what is happening with the message that Aurora will not fall asleep forever, the handsome prince will wake her from a long sleep with a kiss and take her as his wife.

And now it's time for Aurora to come of age. A celebration is being prepared in the royal park on this occasion. Catalabut reads the king's decree, according to which it is forbidden to bring piercing objects into the castle, he wants to send the guilty peasant women who work with spindles to prison, but then softens and forgives them. Parents offer Aurora to choose a groom for herself, but her heart is not inclined towards any of them. An old woman sits in the corner and beats time with a spindle. Aurora snatches the spindle from her and whirls around with it, but is immediately stabbed by it. She starts to thrash around and falls dead. Everyone recognizes the fairy Carabosse in the old woman. The princes rush to her, drawing their swords, but she disappears with a laugh. The Lilac Fairy rises from the fountain. She tries to console everyone with the words that the princess will sleep for 100 years, all those present will also fall asleep with her and wake up when the handsome prince brings her back to life. The fairy puts the kingdom to sleep. Trees and lilac bushes grow, turning the royal park into an impenetrable forest.

Fairy Carabosse

100 years have passed. To the sound of hunting horns, Prince Desire and his retinue appear: they accidentally got here in the excitement of hunting. The whole retinue, ladies and gentlemen, arrange games, shoot from a bow, dance.

Suddenly a boat appears on the river. She sticks to the shore, the Lilac Fairy comes out of her. She points her magic wand towards the rocks. The rocks open up and Prince Desiree sees Aurora sleeping. By command magic wand the princess rises, but then the vision disappears. The prince is amazed by the beauty of Aurora. The Lilac Fairy leads him to the boat, and they move through the forest, more and more dense and wild. And finally, they are in the palace.

Ballet P.I. Tchaikovsky "Sleeping Beauty"

Aurora sleeps on a canopy bed. The king and queen fell asleep in armchairs, the courtiers sleep standing up, leaning against each other. Everything is covered in dust and cobwebs. The prince approaches the king, the queen, Catalabut, calls the princess ... No one answers. Then the prince kisses the sleeping Aurora. The princess wakes up, and after her, and all the others. Dust and cobwebs disappear, a fire flares up cheerfully in the fireplace, candles light up. The prince asks the king for the hand of the princess, the king agrees.

Everyone gathers for the wedding of Aurora and Desiree in front of the royal palace. Among the guests are Bluebeard, Princess Florina and the Blue Bird, Puss in Boots and the White Cat, Thumb Boy, Cinderella, Prince Fortune.

Ballet premiere

Mariinsky Theater in late XIX V. and currently

The premiere of the ballet The Sleeping Beauty took place at the St. Petersburg Mariinsky Theater on January 15, 1890. It became an event in artistic life St. Petersburg. The novelty and scale of the ballet, the departure from the usual cliches, the unusualness of the performance amazed everyone.

In the future, the ballet was staged on many stages of the world, but the basis of the performance was always Petipa's choreography, which became a classic. Although, of course, each choreographer brought something of his own to the production.

Ballet performance at the Krasnodar Theater

Premiere: choreographer M. Petipa, artists G. Levot, I. P. Andreev, K. M. Ivanov, M. A. Shishkov, M. I. Bocharov (set design), Vsevolozhsky (costumes), conductor R. E. Drigo ; Aurora - C. Brianza, Desiree - P. A. Gerdt, Lilac Fairy - M. M. Petipa, Puss in Boots - A. F. Bekefi

Features of ballet music

Although the Sleeping Beauty ballet is based on a French fairy tale, the music created by the greatest Russian composer P.I. Tchaikovsky, in its lyricism, emotionality and penetration - deeply Russian. All the works of the composer are distinguished by this spirituality and romanticism, which are also present in The Sleeping Beauty. The composer often resorts in his work to the antithesis of good and evil, which are embodied in the ballet by the Lilac Fairy and the Carabosse Fairy.

In ballet, almost all numbers - musical masterpieces. The big Adagio at the end sounds like the apotheosis of love.

Tchaikovsky had the skill of an artist-psychologist, he could penetrate deeply into the complex and contradictory inner world of a person and realistically reflect it in music. Through music, he reveals mental life people, which in general is always similar, regardless of the era, because the moral component of a person is not subject to temporary changes, unlike the cognitive one. That is why outstanding works of not only the 19th century, but also ancient ones are close to us. There is so much in them consonant with our searches and experiences!

P. I. Tchaikovsky wrote music only for three ballets. But all of them are masterpieces and are included in the repertoire of theaters around the world. We will consider summary ballet Sleeping Beauty.

Creation of a work

Having finished the Fifth Symphony and the opera "The Enchantress" and reflecting on the idea " Queen of Spades”, Pyotr Ilyich received an order from the head of the directorate of the imperial theaters, I. A. Vsevolzhsky, to create a ballet. Initially, the composer was offered a choice of two themes: "Salambo" and "Ondine". However, Tchaikovsky himself refused the first, and the libretto of the second was considered unsuccessful. At the end of 1888 (December), Marius Ivanovich Petipa gave Pyotr Ilyich the libretto of the ballet The Sleeping Beauty. The summary, musical, sketchy, the composer already had: a prologue, the first and second acts. It was only January 1889. The third act and apotheosis were composed in the spring and summer, also during a trip to Paris, Marseille, Constantinople, Tiflis and Moscow. In August, rehearsals were already underway, and at the same time the composer was finishing the instrumentation of the ballet. During this time, Tchaikovsky and Petipa met frequently, making changes and refinements. The score of The Sleeping Beauty reflects the maturity of Pyotr Ilyich. It has a general solidity, careful development of situations, pictures and images.

Performance staging

M. Petipa, who had an outstanding artistic imagination, developed each number, having thought through its duration, rhythm and character. The well-known theater designer M. I. Bocharov made sketches of the scenery, and Vsevolzhsky himself, in addition to writing the libretto together with Petipa, also drew sketches for the costumes. The performance must be incredibly beautiful and historically accurate - this was achieved by all the participants.

The premiere took place in St. Petersburg during the Christmas holidays in 1890, on January 3. The celebratory performance drew mixed reactions. Some of the critics considered the ballet too deep (and just wanted to have fun). The public gave their answer. He expressed himself not in a storm of applause, but in 100 percent fees and in a full house at every performance. The talent of the choreographer, his high demands on the actors and brilliant music merged into a single whole. On the stage, the audience saw an incredibly beautiful and deeply thought-out performance. It was a joint creation of two geniuses: the ballet "Sleeping Beauty". A summary follows below.

Characters

• King Florestan and his wife, their daughter Aurora.
• Pretenders for the hand of the princess - princes: Fortune, Cherie, Fleur de Poix, Sharman.
• The head butler is Catalabutte.
• Prince Desire and his mentor Galifron.
• Good fairies: Fleur de Farin, Lilac Fairy, Violante, Canary Fairy, Breadcrumb Fairy. Spirits that make up the retinue of fairies.
• Evil powerful terrible fairy Carabosse with her retinue.
• Ladies and lords, hunters and hunters, pages, lackeys, bodyguards.

Prologue

We begin to present a summary of the ballet "Sleeping Beauty". In the front hall of the palace of King Florestan, celebrations begin in honor of the christening of the little princess. The invited ladies and gentlemen line up in beautiful groups according to the instructions of the stewards. Everyone is waiting for the appearance of the royal couple and invited fairies. To the solemn sounds of fanfare, the king and queen enter the hall. Behind them the nannies of the wet nurse carry the cradle of the princess. After that, they announce that the fairies have arrived.

The last is the Lilac Fairy - the main goddaughter of the princess. Gifts are prepared for each of them. At this time, news arrives, and the forgotten, uninvited fairy Carabosse appears. She's terrible. Her wagon is dragged by vile rats.

The butler throws himself at her feet, begging for forgiveness. Carabosse with an evil laugh pulls out his hair, the rats quickly eat them. She announces that her gift is an eternal sleep, into which the lovely princess will plunge, pricking her finger. Everyone is horrified. But here the Lilac Fairy appears, who has not yet presented her gift. She bends over the cradle and promises that a handsome prince will appear, who will wake up the young girl with a kiss, and she will live joyfully and happily.

First action

The princess has a birthday. She is 16 years old. Holidays everywhere. The villagers dance, dance and have fun in the king's park. 4 princes have arrived, who are eager for the girl to choose a groom from among them. Accompanied by ladies-in-waiting with bouquets of flowers and wreaths, Princess Aurora runs in. The princes are shocked by her unearthly beauty. With half-childish playful grace, the girl begins to dance. The princes join her.

This is a light, airy variation in the Sleeping Beauty ballet. The summary should be continued by the fact that the princess suddenly notices an old woman sitting in a corner. She holds a spinning wheel and a spindle and beats time with them. The princess flies up to her, grabs the spindle and, holding it like a scepter, begins to joyfully spin around in the dance again. The four princes cannot stop admiring this spectacle. Suddenly she freezes and looks at her hand, on which blood flows: a sharp spindle pricked her. How will the plot of the Sleeping Beauty ballet continue? The summary may describe that the princess begins to thrash about, and then falls dead. Father, mother and princes rush to her. But then the old woman throws off her cloak, and in full tremendous growth the terrible fairy Carabosse appears before everyone. She laughs at the general grief and confusion. The princes rush towards her with swords, but Carabosse disappears in fire and smoke. From the depths of the scene, the light begins to glow, growing, a magic fountain. The Lilac Fairy emerges from its jets.

She consoles her parents and promises that everyone will sleep for a hundred years, and she will protect their peace. Everyone returns to the castle, carrying Aurora away on a stretcher. After the wave of the magic wand, all people freeze, and the castle is quickly surrounded by impenetrable thickets of lilacs. A retinue of a fairy appears, to which she orders everyone to strictly watch so that no one can disturb Aurora's peace.

Second act

A century has already passed. Prince Desire on the hunt. First, the courtiers appear to the sound of horns, and then the prince himself. Everyone is tired and sat down to rest, but then girls come out who want to become the wife of the prince. The dance of the duchesses begins, then the marquis, then the princesses and, finally, the baroness. Desiree's heart is silent. Nobody liked him. He asks everyone to leave, as he wants to rest alone. Suddenly, a fantastically beautiful boat appears on the river. From it comes the godmother of the royal son - the Lilac Fairy. The intriguing summary of Tchaikovsky's The Sleeping Beauty continues. The Fairy learns that the prince's heart is free and shows him the shadow of Princess Aurora, all pink in the setting sun. She, dancing, then passionately, then languidly, all the time eludes the prince.

A charming girl appears every time in the place where the prince does not expect to see her: either on the river, or swaying on the branches of trees, or located among the flowers. Desiree is completely fascinated - that's his dream. But suddenly she disappears. The son of the king rushes to the godmother and begs her to take him to this divine creation. They sit in a mother-of-pearl boat and float down the river.

Night descends, and the moon illuminates their path with a mysterious silvery light. Finally, the enchanted castle becomes visible. The thick fog above him is gradually dissipating. Everything is asleep, even the fire in the fireplace. With a kiss on the forehead, Desire awakens Aurora. The king and queen and courtiers wake up with her. This is not the end of P. I. Tchaikovsky's ballet The Sleeping Beauty. The prince begs the king to give him a wife as beautiful as the dawn, daughter. The father joins their hands - such is fate.

Last action

On the square in front of the palace of King Florestan, guests from all the fairy tales of Charles Perrault gather for the wedding. The King and the Queen, the bride and the groom, the fairies of jewels: Sapphire, Silver, Gold, Diamonds march out.

Under a slow solemn polonaise, all the guests pass in the dance - the characters of fairy tales:

• Blue beard with his wife.
• The Marquis of Carabas with his Puss in Boots.
• Beauty "Donkey skin" with the prince.
• A golden-haired girl with a royal son.
• Beast and beauty.
• Cinderella with the prince.
• Princess Florina with a youth bewitched into the Blue Bird.
• Little Red Riding Hood with Wolf.
• Rike-tuft, who became handsome, with the princess, whom he endowed with intelligence.
• Boy with a finger with brothers.
• The ogre and his wife.
• Villainess Carabosse on a wagon drawn by rats.
• Four good fairies with retinues.

Each pair of characters has its own original musical and choreographic episode.

They are all bright and expressive. It ends with the waltz of the newlyweds, the theme of the Lilac fairy sounds in the music.

Then a general dance begins, which turns into an apotheosis - a thanksgiving dithyramb to the fairies, built by Tchaikovsky on the old song "Once upon a time there was Henry IV." The ballet "Sleeping Beauty", the content of which we have told, ends with a general stormy whirlwind. But to get the full impression of a magnificent fairy tale, it must be seen on stage.

Ballet "Sleeping Beauty": a summary for children

Toddlers from the age of six should be introduced to the wonderful synthesis of music, movements, costumes and scenery. Since the heroes of the ballet do not talk, parents must explain to the kids what is happening on the stage by reading the libretto or outlining our retelling of the ballet. Children who are already in music school heard individual numbers from ballet music. They study it in music literature lessons.

Tchaikovsky, ballet "Sleeping Beauty": analysis

Mountains of materials are devoted to the analysis of the work. Boris Asafiev expounded it especially deeply. We will limit ourselves to briefly saying that the plot is built on the opposition of good and evil. The good beginning triumphantly defeats the evil that the fairy Carabosse embodies. The enchantingly beautiful ballet, the composer's masterpiece, captures the viewer's attention from the first moments.

The profound music of P. I. Tchaikovsky brought about a complete reform in ballet art. It not only accompanies the movements of the dancers, but forces the performer to think over the smallest details of the character of his character and convey this to the viewer. The lyrics of the ballet are distinguished by special light romance and festivity.

• Inspired by the libretto, the composer made his first entries in the Russky Vestnik magazine.
• The premiere of the extravaganza was very expensive due to the scenery and costumes. Everything was taken into account historical information associated with the 17th century.
• Emperor Nicholas II attended the dress rehearsal with his family.
• The most famous tune(B flat major with deviations in F major) from the ballet - a waltz on the theme of the Lilac Fairy, transparent and gentle, from the first act. It involves not only adult dancers, but also children from the choreographic school.

New choreographic version and staging: National artist USSR, Laureate state awards YURI GRIGOROVICH
Conductor: AIDAR ABZHAKHANOV
Set Designer: EZIO FRIGERIO (ITALY)
Costume Designer: FRANCA SQUARCHAPINO (ITALY)
Lighting Designer: VINICHO CHELI (ITALY)
Assistant choreographer: OKSANA TSVETNITSKA ( Grand Theatre Russia, Moscow); Honored Worker of the Republic of Kazakhstan GALIA BURIBAYEVA
Production director: GUIDO RICCI (ITALY)
Artistic director of the State Opera Ballet "Astana Opera": Honored Worker of the Republic of Kazakhstan TURSYNBEK NURKALIEV

SUMMARY OF THE BALLET "SLEEPING BEAUTY"

Prologue
The birth of his daughter, Princess Aurora, is celebrated in the palace of King Florestan XIV.
Catalabute - the senior master of ceremonies checks the lists of invitees. The sound of pipes. Exit of King Florestan and Queen. The nannies and wet nurses bring in the cradle in which the newborn Princess Aurora rests. The masters of ceremonies announce the arrival of the sorceresses - good fairies. The Lilac Fairy appears - godmother Aurora and Goodness fairies, they present gifts to the newborn, endowing the princess with the most beautiful qualities...

Suddenly there is a noise: it is the evil Fairy Carabosse, accompanied by ugly pages, whom Catalabute forgot to invite to the feast. Enraged, Carabosse predicts that Aurora will fall asleep forever from the very first prick with a knitting needle...
But the Lilac Fairy, who has not yet had time to bestow gifts on her goddaughter, stops the terrible spell. She predicts that the forces of good will break the evil spell. With an imperious gesture, she forces Carabosse to leave the palace.

Act one
Aurora is sixteen years old. The king is happy that the evil fairy's prediction did not come true.
Four foreign princes claim the hand of Princess Aurora. She runs out accompanied by her ladies-in-waiting with bouquets and wreaths. The four princes are blinded by her beauty.
Aurora dances carelessly, circling the hall. In the midst of the fun, she notices an old woman standing in the crowd with a spindle. The princess trustingly takes it and continues to dance. Suddenly her dance is interrupted. She looks with horror at her hand, which she accidentally pricked with a spindle. The deadly cold fetters Aurora, she rushes about in fright and falls.
An unfamiliar old woman throws off her cloak and everyone recognizes the evil fairy Carabosse! Her terrible curse came true! Laughing at the desperation of the Royal couple, Carabosse Fairy disappears in a cloud of smoke and fire.
But, illuminated by a magical light, the good Lilac Fairy appears - she is able to weaken the evil caused by Carabosse. She consoles the parents of the princess - their daughter is not dead, she fell asleep for many years. She will be brought back to life by the passionate kiss of a handsome prince. But so that nothing changes for her happiness, the Lilac Fairy puts the whole kingdom to sleep.

Action two
Picture one
Trees and large lilac bushes turn the royal garden into an impenetrable forest. Years have passed. The sounds of hunting horns are heard in the forest where Prince Desire is hunting. Overwhelmed by melancholy, the prince offers to hunt without him. And as if in response to his sadness, the Lilac Fairy appears in front of him. She shows the prince's gaze a vision of a sleeping Aurora, surrounded by divine beings - Nereids.
The enchanted prince rushes after beautiful way, but at the behest of the fairy, the visions disappear. Desire passionately begs to find the beauty. And the Lilac Fairy invites the prince to her magical boat, on which they set off on their journey to the enchanted castle.

Picture two
The landscape becomes more and more wild: ivy and creepers cover the palace and sleeping people. Darkness and desolation reign everywhere. The sleeping kingdom is guarded by the evil Fairy Carabosse. The villainess Carabosse and her retinue are trying to hide Aurora from the Lilac Fairy and Prince Desiree. But in vain - the prince saw the sleeping beauty. Conquered and enchanted, he gently kisses her - and the evil spell is broken. The sorcery of the evil Fairy Carabosse disappears. Princess Aurora wakes up and the kingdom comes to life with her.
Love for her deliverer flared up in the princess's heart. Prince Desire asks the King to give him Aurora as his wife. The king joins the hands of young lovers.

Epilogue
Desiree and Aurora's wedding. The courtiers gather for a feast. Catalabut distributes seats for guests. Heroes have fun at the wedding fairy tales: Princess Florine and the Blue Bird, Puss in Boots and the White Cat, Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf, Cinderella and Prince Fortuné. The prince and princess appear in a solemn duet. The Lilac Fairy and her retinue bless the bride and groom.

Prologue
The birth of their daughter, Princess Aurora, is celebrated in the palace of King Florestan XIV. Master of Ceremonies Catalabutte checks the guest lists. Among the courtiers and the guests who came with congratulations, the Lilac Fairy and the fairies of Goodness appear. They bring gifts to the newborn, endowing Aurora with the most beautiful human qualities. There is a noise - and the evil and powerful Fairy Carabosse enters the hall with her disgusting retinue. They forgot to invite her to the ceremony. Enraged, Carabosse predicts young Aurora's death from being stabbed with a knitting needle. But the Lilac Fairy stops a terrible spell. She predicts that the forces of good will break the evil spell. With an imperious gesture, she forces Carabosse to leave the palace.

Act I
Aurora is sixteen years old. Four foreign princes woo her. In the midst of fun, an old woman with a spindle turns out to be near her. Aurora trustingly takes it and continues to dance. Suddenly her dance is interrupted, she looks in horror at her hand, which she accidentally pricked with a spindle. A deadly cold binds Aurora, and she falls. An unfamiliar old woman throws off her cloak - this is Carabosse Fairy! Her spell came true. Whirling ominously, she disappears with a laugh. But the Lilac Fairy appears - in her power to weaken the evil. Aurora didn't die - she fell asleep. She will be brought back to life by the hot kiss of a handsome prince. The Lilac Fairy puts the entire kingdom to sleep.

Act II
Painting 1
Prince Desire, surrounded by nobles, indulges in entertainment in the royal park. Melancholy takes over. And as if responding to the call of an unknown dream, the Lilac Fairy appears in front of him. She causes a vision of Aurora, surrounded by divine beings - Nereids. The enchanted prince rushes after the beautiful image, but at the behest of the fairy, the visions disappear. Desire passionately begs to find the beauty. And the Lilac Fairy invites the prince to sail on a magic boat to the enchanted castle.

Picture 2
In the sleeping kingdom, darkness and desolation. It is guarded by the evil Fairy Carabosse. The Lilac Fairy and Prince Desire are rapidly approaching. The villain and her retinue try to hide Aurora from them, but in vain - the prince saw the sleeping beauty. Conquered and enchanted, he gently kisses her - and the evil spell is broken! Carabosse with his retinue disappears. Aurora awakens, and with her, the kingdom comes to life. The princess sees her deliverer, and love is born in her heart. Desire asks the King and Queen for the hand of their daughter.

Epilogue
Heroes of fairy tales came to the wedding of Aurora and Desiree: Princess Florina and the Blue Bird, White Cat and Puss in Boots, Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf, Cinderella and Prince Fortune. The prince and princess appear in a consonant and solemn duet. The Lilac Fairy and her retinue bless the bride and groom.

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P.I. Tchaikovsky ballet "Sleeping Beauty"

The Sleeping Beauty ballet is a fabulous performance, a delightful extravaganza that captures the viewer as its bright and solemn visual component, coupled with the musical theme of the authorship of the great Tchaikovsky , and deep philosophical overtones. The ballet in three acts is staged according to the plot of Charles Perrault's fairy tale, known to everyone since childhood, about a princess who fell asleep for a hundred years, who was awakened from her magical sleep only by the kiss of a handsome prince.

Creating the score for this production, Tchaikovsky fully revealed his legendary talent, elevating the music for the ballet from the rank of a “subordinate state” accompanied by dance to a complex and opening up new horizons work. Magnificent music, excellent dances and festive scenery for two and a half hours return the viewer to Magic world childhood.

Summary of Tchaikovsky's ballet "" and many interesting facts read about this work on our page.

Characters	Description
Princess Aurora	young beauty, daughter of the king and queen
King Florestan XIV	Aurora's father
Queen	King's consort and mother of Aurora
Carabosse	evil fairy
Desiree	Prince Charming
Catalabutte	chief butler of the king of Florestan
Princes wooing Aurora	Sheri, Sharman, Fleur de Poix, Fortuné
six good fairies	Lilac (godmother of Aurora), Candide, Fleur-de-Farin, Bread Crumb, Canary, Violant

Summary of "Sleeping Beauty"

Behind the opened curtain, the viewer is awaited by a magnificent celebration arranged by King Florestan in his palace on the occasion of the christening of the newborn Princess Aurora. Among the guests there are six good fairies who have arrived to reward the little daughter of the king with magical gifts. However, the general fun is suddenly replaced by horror when the evil and powerful fairy Carabosse bursts into the ballroom, furious that they forgot to invite her to the royal celebration. She wants to take revenge and casts a terrible spell on little Aurora, according to which the princess, on the day of her majority, will fall asleep forever, pricking her finger with an ordinary weaving spindle. After the departure of Carabosse, the godmother of Aurora, the Lilac Fairy, tries to soften the gloomy spell, telling the saddened royal couple that there is hope for a favorable outcome of the case and their daughter will fall asleep not forever, but for 100 years, and the kiss of the handsome prince can wake her up.

On the day of Aurora's coming of age, King Florestan again arranges a magnificent celebration in the garden of his palace. The butler of Catalabute reads the decree of the ruler, stating that anyone who brings a spindle or other sharp objects into the castle will go to prison. Court weavers, who ended up in the palace with their working tools, barely manage to avoid severe punishment.

During the holiday, numerous noble and wealthy grooms, who are handsome, come from royal families, are gallant and worthy, woo the beautiful princess. But none of them is able to captivate the heart of a young girl. Suddenly, Aurora notices an old woman in the corner of the garden, in whose hands is a spindle. The girl runs up to her, takes the spindle in her hands and begins to spin with him in a dance, imagining that she is dancing with her lover. Carelessly touching the sharp end of the spindle, Aurora falls unconscious and falls into a deep sleep. The princes summoned to the ball rush to seize the culprit of the misfortune, but the old woman, whom, as it turns out, the evil fairy Carabosse turned into, laughs loudly and disappears, pleased with the accomplished atrocity. The Lilac Fairy Godmother decides to help the royal family in this unimaginable grief and puts the entire court to sleep along with Aurora for a whole 100 years so that everyone can witness the promised miraculous awakening of the princess.

A century has passed, and now, making his way through dense thickets while hunting, the handsome prince Desire finds himself with his retinue in an abandoned garden. Hunters and escorts start dancing and having fun here. Suddenly, on a majestic boat, the Lilac Fairy, already familiar to the viewer, floats up the river. Appearing to the prince, she shows him the way to the castle, where the king and queen, servants and courtiers froze for a century, where the same young Aurora rests peacefully. The prince in amazement examines the picture that has opened before him - people frozen without movement. He calls out to the king, the butler, but does not receive an answer, and then notices the sleeping beauty Aurora. The prince is so amazed by the amazing beauty of the girl that he immediately leans down to kiss her. From a gentle kiss, the princess wakes up, and the castle and all its inhabitants come to life at the same moment. Prince Desire asks for the hand of Aurora from her royal father. The tale ends with a solemn wedding ceremony for the newlyweds.

Photo:

Interesting Facts

• Each act of the ballet is an independent work, like a part of a symphony - closed and complete in its form.
• The play has a deep philosophical meaning, contrasting the Lilac fairy and the Carabosse fairy, which personifies from eternal struggle good and evil, and the result of the fairy tale is the all-conquering power of the pure love of Aurora and Desiree.
• Before Tchaikovsky, this fairy tale was staged in the form of a ballet French composer Herold, who created a production called " La Belle au bois dormant"("Beauty of the Sleeping Forest") in 1829.
• The ballet has become one of the most expensive premieres Mariinsky Theater- 42 thousand rubles were allocated for it (a quarter of the annual budget of theaters in St. Petersburg).
• The scenography for the 2011 ballet in Moscow was staged by Ezio Frigerio, an Oscar-winning artist for his work on the set of Cyrano de Bergerac.
• The name of King Florestan XIV is in honor of King Louis XIV of France, who is considered one of the founders of the ballet genre.

• The author wrote music for the ballet while traveling around Europe, and while working on The Sleeping Beauty he visited Paris, Marseille, Tiflis, Constantinople, and then, returning to Moscow, provided the finished work.
• Vsevolzhsky decided to stage a ballet based on a French fairy tale from political motives ardently supporting the course of the king Alexander III closer to France.
• The choreographer and director of The Sleeping Beauty was born in Belgium and from the age of 9 he took part in productions staged by his father. From 1847 until the end of his life he lived and worked in Russia.
• In Matthew Bourne's 2013 modernist production, Aurora is in love with a royal gardener named Leo, and the source of evil is the son of an evil witch who wants to avenge his mother.
• In 1964, the Soviet film-ballet The Sleeping Beauty was filmed, where the choreographer Sergeev was involved. The main role in the film was played by the ballerina Alla Sizova, for which she was awarded the French Dance Academy Prize.

Popular numbers from the ballet "Sleeping Beauty"

Waltz from act I (listen)

Pas d'action adagio (listen)

Lilac Fairy (listen)

Puss in boots and white cat(listen)

Music

Despite the fact that the ballet was created on the basis of an old French fairy tale, the music written by Tchaikovsky, in its lyrical component and emotional richness, is absolutely Russian. In this ballet, each musical movement is a brilliant masterpiece, evolving from scene to scene and culminating in the apotheosis of the triumph of love in the form of a grand adagio at the end of the performance.

With his work, Tchaikovsky not only describes the plot, he reflects the contradictions inner peace of man, that eternal struggle of light and darkness that goes on in the soul of everyone, regardless of era and country. Musical accompaniment becomes the finishing touch of the story, its integral part.

The music of the great maestro has undergone various changes over the decades of productions of The Sleeping Beauty. The exact chronology of these changes during the existence of the ballet in the imperial theater could only be reconstructed from posters. So, almost immediately after the start of the show, the third act lost the slow Sarabande, and a little later - the variations of the Lilac fairy, and the minuet was excluded from the peasant dance suite. In the 20s of the 20th century, in the prologue, the scene of the appearance of the Carabosse fairy and the scenes of hunters' dances were reduced.

Each director of the ballet "Sleeping Beauty" changes the original score in one way or another in accordance with their own ideas.

The history of the creation of "Sleeping Beauty"

The premiere of the ballet took place on January 3, 1890 at the Mariinsky Theater and made a splash. The idea to embody this amazing fairy tale on stage came to the head of the director of the Imperial Theaters Vsevolzhsky Ivan Alexandrovich, who, in addition to his high-ranking service, was engaged in literature, wrote scripts and was known as a bright theater figure of his time. It is Vsevolzhsky, together with the famous choreographer Marius Petipa took up writing the libretto for the production. The splendor of the court during the reign of Louis XIV became the basis of the scenes and the general spirit of the ballet, and the majestic music had to correspond and reveal the fairy tale from a new side. The director of the theaters was so imbued with the Sleeping Beauty ballet that he even created sketches for the costumes of the actors with his own hands.

Write musical accompaniment for the performance was proposed Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky . Vsevolzhsky and Petipa provided the composer with an exceptionally accurate plan of the ballet, which was calculated literally to every bar, so the musician required very precise and laborious work. He, in turn, created a truly unique work, which became a real breakthrough in the field of ballet music of that time. Raising the bar very high, "Sleeping Beauty" has become a kind of standard on long years, for the first time making music for ballet the highest category of art.

The choreography of the production did not lag behind theme song-M. Petipa embodied the perfection of movement in every act, making the dance incredibly logical and thoughtful to the smallest details. It was thanks to his efforts that the Sleeping Beauty turned into an anthology classical ballet, incorporating all the most refined and subtle elements of it.

The Sleeping Beauty became not only the most beautiful, but also the most expensive production of the Mariinsky Theatre, and to this day remains acknowledged masterpiece ballet art.

Productions

After the premiere of The Sleeping Beauty in St. Petersburg, Marius Petipa brought the performance to the Italian La Scala, where the public saw it for the first time. new ballet in 1896. At the same time, the part of Princess Aurora was played by Carlotta Brianza, just like in Russia. In 1989, the Moscow Imperial Troupe received permission to stage the performance at the Bolshoi Theatre. The production was directed by Alexander Gorsky, the orchestra was conducted by Andrey Arends, and in leading role the beauty of Aurora was performed by Lyubov Roslavleva. The Moscow version completely preserved Petipa's choreography.

In 1910, the Sleeping Beauty became a happy chance for the entrepreneur of the Russian Seasons Sergei Diaghilev who was in charge of staging ballet "The Firebird" in Paris. However, the accompanist could not complete the work within the specified time, so he went for some substitution and staged the dance of the Blue Bird and Florine princesses from the Sleeping Beauty performance, dressing them in colorful oriental costumes. Since the French did not see the Russian production, they received the performance well, which was specially named “The Firebird” for this occasion.

In 1914, the ballet was resumed at the Bolshoi Theater, but under the direction of Nikolai Sergeev, who relied on the notes of his teacher Stepanov. Sergeev's version was brought to London in 1921, and in 1922 the production returned to where it began its triumphal procession - to the Mariinsky Theater in St. Petersburg.

Throughout the 20th century, The Sleeping Beauty was successfully staged on various stages in many countries, becoming a real world heritage of art. The Bolshoi Theater alone saw seven different options ballet, each of which was not inferior to the others in beauty and grandeur.

After a long and global renovation in 2011, the Bolshoi Theater again met its audience with the Sleeping Beauty ballet, where the role of Aurora was played by Svetlana Zakharova, and the role of Prince Desire was played by American David Holberg.

There are several contemporary readings performances that use classical music Tchaikovsky to accompany modernist choreography. One of these original productions, which deserves special attention, is Matthew Bourne's ballet - a gothic fairy tale with a pronounced love line, where, according to the plot, Aurora wakes up in modern world which, however, is remarkably surreal.

The production of the Spanish choreographer Duato is an extraordinary look at classic. Nacho Duato tried to speak with the audience in the language of dance and recreate the charm of the magic of a children's fairy tale, while maintaining the romantic spirit of the famous work.

”is recognized as a true world masterpiece of ballet art, setting a high standard for many generations to come. Resounding success performance in 1890, when the hall of the Mariinsky Theater was attended by royal family, the echo of applause is repeated in our days. immortal music Tchaikovsky , classical choreography with original elements or completely modified, luxurious scenery and exquisite costumes, the magic of a children's fairy tale and the deep problems of eternal philosophical questions- all this merged into a spectacle of incredible beauty and pomposity, which is definitely worth seeing.

Video: watch the ballet "Sleeping Beauty" by Tchaikovsky