Carmina Burana, Bolero, Polovtsian Dances

Carmina Burana, Bolero, Polovtsian Dances

Performance of the Imperial Russian Ballet


CARMINA BURANA:

Choreographer: May Esther Murdmaa

Version by: Gediminas Taranda

Set Designer: Andrey Zlobin

Costume Designer: Alla Ipatieva

Conductor: Dmitry Volosnikov

Choirmaster: Yulia Senyukova

______________________________

BOLERO:

Choreographer: Nikolay Androsov

Costume Designer: Alla Kozhenkova

Created by: Gediminas Taranda

The Orchestra of the Novaya Opera Theatre

Conductor: Dmitry Volosnikov

______________________________

POLOVTSIAN DANCES:

Choreographer: Kasyan Goleyzovsky

Version by: Gediminas Taranda

Set and Costume Designer: Olga Udod

Conductor: Dmitry Volosnikov

Choirmaster: Yulia Senyukova



Imperial Russian Ballet

Carl Orff's Carmina Burana

Great German composer Carl Orff was born and died in Munich at the age of eighty-six. Orff’s works were very multifaceted, he can be called a theatre man.Written in 1934 during a few weeks, the scenic cantata Carmina Burana — a music bestseller of the 20th century — turned the Wheel of Fortune in the Carl Orff’s life and brought him international fame. In the composer’s creative biography, this event was a “second birth” — with Carmina Burana, he wished to restart the list of his works.

The symbol of the cantata was the famous picture Wheel of Fortune reproduced on the first page of a manuscript. In the miniature depicting the Wheel of Fortune, human figures are visible: one is ascending upward, the second one is situated at the top, the third one is flowing down and the fourth one is outstretched below. The inscription confirms that: “regnabo-regno-regnavi-sum sine regno” (I will reign — I reign — I reigned — I am without a kingdom).

The plot of the scenic cantata is largely due to this spectacular allegorical symbol. The Wheel of Fortune in motion — the image of the prologue and the epilogue — frame the action of the three scenes: 1) Spring, 2) In the tavern, and 3) Court of Love, which consist of twenty-three scenic texts about love and spring, satirical songs and some hymn stanzas.

A uniform motion — the motion of the Wheel of Fortune — is the main structural element of the whole composition, which keeps all the construction works in good order.

Maurice Ravel's Bolero

Maurice Ravel felt like a citizen of the world: his mother was a Basque descendent, his father was Swiss. The composer was born in Spain near the Pyrenees, studied and lived in Paris, was influenced by Satie, Debussy, Rimsky-Korsakov. He orchestrated the Pictures at an Exhibition by Mussorgsky, adapted to stage Khovanshchina (together with Igor Stravinsky). During the World War II, he was recognized unfit for service, but he managed to get to the army as a medical nurse, then as a driver. Later, he gave a lot of concerts as a pianist and conductor, toured through Europe, lived and worked in the United States. By Diaghilev’s order he created a choreographic symphony — the ballet called Daphnis and Chloe, the libretto was written by Fokine. In 1925, he wrote the opera The Child and the Spells. He became famous as the author of the following orchestral works: The Rapsodie EspagnoleLa Valse and Boléro.

It is known that the idea to write Boléro occurred after the composer had visited a large plant with its production lines, deliberate movements of mechanical gauges and the car clatters. But as often repeated Ravel, “great music always comes from the heart.” Boléro is one of the most sensual works of the world classical music. Here reign the enchanting folk motifs of the southern regions of Spain, Africa and Mauritania.

Alexander Borodin Polovtsian Dances

The choreographic scene with a choir from Alexander Borodin’s opera Prince Igor (1890). This is another image of the East — wild and barbaric like a horde of nomads who flooded Russia in ancient times.Striking is the fate of the composer who created this vocal and symphonic masterpiece. Borodin (1833–1887) was born in St. Petersburg. being Prince Gedianov’s bastard son recorded as the son of a serf at birth, he received an excellent home, and then professional education (he graduated from the Medical Surgical Academy),defended his doctoral thesis, did his internship abroad, was a professor, the author of many scientific works, a chemist with a worldwide reputation. Borodin studied music since childhood, and at the age of 13, he became the author of a concerto for flute and piano, he was also a friend of Mily Balakirev and entered the circle called the Mighty Handful.

He was attracted by epic, heroic characters of Russian history. Borodin’s Symphony no.2 (Bogatyrskaya, 1876) opened the era of heroic and historic symphonism in the Russian music, his two string quartets became famous worldwide, and all his 16 romantic songs are called “pearls of vocal lyricism”. Most of his works, because of Borodin’s exrtremely busy way of life, were being created during a long period of time, and many others were completed by his friends after his death.

The composer wrote his only opera called Prince Igor for about 20 years…

subscribe

Contact

Gosudarstvennoe byudzhetnoe uchrezhdenie kul`tury` goroda Moskvy` «Moskovskij teatr «Novaya Opera» imeni E.V.Kolobova»