The three-act (in the early version - four-act) ballet in seven scenes "La Bayadère" was staged by the famous choreographer Marius Petipa. The premiere took place in January 1877 on the stage of the Bolshoi (Stone) Theater in St. Petersburg. The first parties at the premiere were performed by Ekaterina Vazem and Lev Ivanov.

It is known that a few years later, due to the closure Bolshoi Theater the production moved to the Mariinsky, and there, in the new version of the ballet, which was carried out by the same Petipa, the already famous Matilda Kshesinskaya performed the part of Nikiya.

Ballet performances are still successfully performed in many theaters. Over time, new numbers and mise-en-scenes were introduced into the performance, but on the whole, the classical choreography and the content of the ballet "La Bayadère" remained unchanged.

emergence

The idea to write a ballet on this topic was expressed by Petipa himself, and the libretto was written by S. N. Khudekov, a ballet historian who is trying his hand at dramaturgy. Apotheosis (the final solemn scene of the work) was written by the choreographer himself.

The literary source for the content of the ballet "La Bayadère" was the drama "Shakuntala" ("Sakuntala"), written by the ancient Indian poet Kalidas. It was one of the first works ancient east translated into European languages. The second source, thanks to which the main character became a bayadère, is Goethe's ballad "God and the bayadère".

There are moments that indicate that the production was carried out not without the influence of the Parisian production of the ballet "Sakuntala". This performance based on the drama of Kalidas was staged in Paris by the brother of the choreographer Lucien Petipa in 1858. However, it is also true that, having borrowed some characters, Marius Petipa completely changed the essence and idea of ​​\u200b\u200bthe work.

According to its plot, ballet is romantic story about the unhappy love of a brave young warrior and a bayadère.

Who is this bayadère?

First of all, for a better understanding of the content of the ballet "La Bayadère" let us explain the meaning of this word. Bayadères (bayaders), as the Brockhaus and Efron dictionary tells us, were girls who, by the vow of their parents or at birth, were dedicated to a deity and lived at the temple until the end of their lives. To the parents who sacrificed their child to the gods and renounced all rights to it, the priests promised their favor.

However, devadasis (or "devadasi", which means "God's slave") could get into the temple in another way. Someone was sold (vikrta), there were those who independently decided to devote themselves to serving the gods (datta), someone danced simply out of devotion to a deity (bhakta), orphans who got into the temple were called hritas. Sometimes adult girls also became bayadere, for some reason they became a burden for their own families. By origin, bayadères are girls from noble families of merchants or respected artisans.

Devadasis were usually trained in singing and mastered the techniques and various styles of the art of ritual dance. ancient india. They also served at the temple and wove wreaths and garlands for celebrations.

Bayadères did not have the right to leave the walls of the temple without the permission of a Brahmin. They either remained virgins, or chose a man from the upper class as their lover, if the senior priest gave his permission. It is known that bayaders often became mistresses of Brahmins.

Not all bayadères lived at the temple; there were also wanderers. They roamed all over the country and were sometimes invited to hotels for the entertainment of foreigners (here is a clear reference to the ancient Greek getters). They were called nakni or kutani.

Libretto of the ballet "La Bayadère". First act

And now back to the story told to us through the ballet.

In the sacred forest, a kshatriya (noble warrior) named Solor hunts a tiger with his friends. Wanting to talk with the fakir Magedavey about the beautiful bayadère Nikiya, who lives at the local pagoda, he lags behind the rest of the hunters.

In the temple, which is visible at the back of the stage, preparations are underway for the celebration of the Fire. Nikiya is dancing a sacred dance. The great brahmin lays claim to the bayadère's heart, but she is in love with Solor and refuses him.

At nightfall, the young man approaches the temple and waits for Nikiya. During the date, he swears over the sacred fire to love the girl forever and begs her to run away with him. Violates the privacy of lovers Great Brahmin. Angry and rejected, he plots revenge on Solor and Nikiya.

Solor leaves after the hunters carrying the dead tiger.

Second act

The next action takes us to the palace of Raja Dugmanta. He announces to his daughter Gamzatti that he is going to marry her to Solor. He tries to resist the imposed union, but in vain - the wedding day has already been appointed.

The Great Brahmin who has appeared secretly informs the Raja about the love that has arisen between Solor and the bayadère. He insists on revenge - it is necessary to kill the warrior, since Nikiya cannot be killed - she belongs to the god Vishnu, her death can incur his wrath. And yet, furious Dugmanta decides to send a basket of flowers to the dancer. A poisonous snake will hide between the stems, and its bite will kill the girl.

The Raja's daughter, overhearing this conversation, asks Nikiya to dance at tomorrow's wedding. After showing her the portrait of his betrothed and shocking Nikiya, Gamzatti also asks her to leave the country, promising a reward for this service. But the girl is unable to be away from her beloved. An angry Nikiya tries to stab her rival with a dagger, but a faithful maid saves the life of the Raja's daughter. Gamzatti is also angry - in her person Nikiya has acquired a new enemy.

In the next picture, the holiday begins. Raja Dugmanta acts according to his plan - after ordering Nikiya to dance, at the end of the dance he sends her a flower basket with a snake.

The great brahmin offers the stung and dying girl an antidote, but she prefers death.

Third act

In the final act, the libretto of the ballet La Bayadère tells that Solor is absorbed in sad thoughts about the departed Nikiya. He falls asleep, and he dreams of the kingdom of shadows, where the soul of the beautiful bayadère now lives. The arrival of the servants wakes him up - they have come to prepare Solor for the wedding. He is forced to go with them to the palace. It seems to him that he is being haunted by the shadow of Nikiya, who accuses him of treason.

In the palace, Gamzatti wants to entertain the young man, but he is completely dominated by gloomy visions. Finally, the wedding begins. The great brahmin joins the hands of future spouses. And at the same moment, the walls of the palace tremble from an earthquake. From the beginning of the earthquake, the building collapses - this is how the gods take revenge on Solor for breaking his oath.

Under the ruins of the palace, all those present at the wedding also perish.

In the apotheosis, already in the realm of shadows, in heaven, the souls of Nikiya and Solor unite.

Takovo summary ballet "La Bayadère"

About ballet

Analysis of productions and reviews of the ballet "La Bayadère" by Minkus, which has become a masterpiece of Russian theatrical art and the pinnacle of creativity of the composer himself, left many art critics and choreographers.

Here, for example, is what the Soviet musicologist L.V. wrote about him. Mikheev:

In the music of Minkus, elastic and plastic, all the features inherent in the composer have been preserved. It has neither bright individual characteristics nor effective dramaturgy: it conveys only the general mood, but it is melodic, convenient for dancing and pantomime, and most importantly, it obediently follows Petipa's carefully calibrated choreographic dramaturgy.

Ballet has not lost its charm even today. The modern viewer also responds with delight and reverence to the high creation of outstanding authors.

L. Minkus ballet "La Bayadère"

The literary basis of the libretto of the ballet was immediately two works - the drama of the ancient Indian poet Kalidasa called "Shakuntala" and the ballad of I.V. Goethe "God and the Bayadère" On the basis of these immortal creations, the choreographer of the Russian imperial troupe Marius Petipa and playwright S.N. Khudekov managed to create a beautiful story about unhappy love, which has become one of the most famous in Russian ballet. And the emperor's court composer voiced it with enchanting music, thereby creating his best work.

Summary of the ballet Minkus "" and many interesting facts read about this work on our page.

Characters	Description
Nikiya	bayadere, dancer
Solor	noble and brave warrior of the country
Gamzatti	Dugmant's daughter
Dugmanta	Raja of Golconda
Great Brahmin	spiritual guide, priest
Aya	slave, maid Gamzatti

Summary of "La Bayadère"

The action of the performance takes place in India in ancient times. The main characters - the Indian dancer Nikiya and the brave warrior Solor are passionately in love with each other. They secretly meet at the temple and plan to escape - the only way they can be together. But lovers are not destined to achieve such a treasured happiness: many obstacles arise in their way. This is a great brahmin, obsessed with a thirst for revenge on Nikiya who rejected him, a rajah who is going to marry his daughter to Solor, and, of course, the rival of the bayadère herself - Gamzatti.

Nikiya cannot give up her love and thus dooms herself to death: on the orders of the Raja's daughter, after the dance, she is given a basket of flowers with a snake hidden inside. The insidious plan of the rival works, and Nikiya dies from the bite of a poisonous predator. But the death of the dancer cannot be forgiven by the god Vishnu, who unleashes his anger on the Indian people, in the midst of the wedding, the earth is shaken by a strong earthquake. The temple, in which the wedding ceremony of Solor and Gamzatti ends at this time, is destroyed, leaving all the participants of the feast under its ruins forever. The souls of Nikiya and Solor are finally united to be together forever...

Interesting Facts

• For a long time it was believed that the original score of "La Bayadère" by L. Minkus in 4 acts (1900) was lost, and the ballet was staged in 3. Only in the early 2000s was the original score discovered in the archives. Mariinsky Theater. The performance was immediately staged in its full version. However, not all theaters have returned to the original, and therefore, if you go to La Bayadere and see it in 3 acts, do not be surprised.
• It is not known for certain who is the author of the libretto. Many believe that S.N. Khudekov, but M. Petipa himself denied this.
• M. Petipa was worried that at the premiere the hall would not be filled with the public because of expensive tickets, for which the management of the St. Petersburg Bolshoi Theater had greatly raised prices the day before. But his fears were in vain, the premiere gathered a full house and was a great success. The audience applauded for another half an hour after the performance.
• The ballet "La Bayadère" became a "bridge" between the eras of romanticism and classicism in ballet . It is no coincidence that India, a distant and exotic country popular in romantic works, was chosen as the setting.
• Despite the fact that La Bayadère was already considered a classic in Russia, the work was almost unknown to the European audience in the 20th century.
• "La Bayadère" means "an Indian dancer who performs a ritual dance", this is the name that has stuck in Europe. In India they are called devasi.

• At the premiere of the performance, Petipa went to extreme measures and entrusted the main part to a Russian dancer. It is worth noting that for the first time the main part in the performances was performed by a non-Italian ballerina, as it was before.
• By the time the ballet La Bayadere was commissioned, he had already worked in Russia for about thirty years, directing one of the best troupes in the world.
• The legendary Anna Pavlova performed the role of Nikiya starting in 1902. It is believed that it was this role that unearthed the great ballerina to the whole world.
• The choreographer specially introduced into the performance national dances: "Hindu dance", "Shadows" and "Dance with a snake".
• The plot itself was borrowed from the drama of the ancient Indian poet, but he nevertheless underwent some changes. So, for example, the researcher K. Skalkovsky noted that some moments from the ballet contradict reality. An example is given that only courtesans can sing and dance, and if a woman violates these strict traditions, then she is immediately punished with contempt of the caste.
• To bring the ballet closer to India, director Alexander Gorsky decided to dress the shadows in a sari, the national dress.
• In his choreography, Petipa seems to have looked into the future and anticipated the work of George Balanchine and his contemporaries, who created a plotless white ballet. It's about about the "Shadows" scene, which is often performed separately from the performance. So, during a tour in Paris (1956), the Kirov Theater presented to the public precisely the dance of "Shadows", which caused a tremendous success.

Popular numbers from the ballet "La Bayadère"

Gamzatti Variation (listen)

Shadows - adagio (listen)

Nikiya's dance with flowers (listen)

History of La Bayadère

In 1876, the attention of the chief choreographer of the St. Petersburg Imperial Troupe Marius Petipa attracted the idea to create the ballet "La Bayadère". He pretty quickly made rough plan future work. As a co-author, it was decided to invite Sergey Nikolaevich Khudekov, who was not only a professional lawyer, but also had an excellent literary talent. Sergei Nikolaevich was an excellent historian of ballet and often developed plots for performances. La Bayadère was based on the drama of the poet Kalidasa, which dates back to the 1st and 6th centuries "Abhijnana-Shakuntala".

It is worth noting that the original source was not the ancient Indian book itself, but another ballet - Shakuntala, which was written according to the script of Gauthier, the choreographer Marius's brother, Lucien Petipa (1858), was engaged in the production. The musical part of the performance was created by the composer Louis Etienne Ernest Reyer. Why did such an unexpected interest in Indian themes suddenly appear on the European stage? The thing is that Theophile Gautier in 1839 in Paris witnessed the performances of the popular Indian troupe Bayaderas. Then he turned his close attention to the prima - Amani. Since then, Gauthier has mentioned her many times in his work. When Amani committed suicide some time later, this deeply shocked Gauthier and he decided to create a ballet in her memory. This performance was called "Shakuntala", which was actually used by Petipa later in the basis of his ballet "La Bayadère".

The researcher Yu. Slonimsky noted that Marius took the main character, the names of other heroes, as well as some situations from the original source. But in the end it turned out to be a completely different ballet, and not a variant of the French one, as you might think. The choreographer was able to remake all the materials so organically, introduce innovations into them, that the performance became his own for him.

In the foreground, a very characteristic theme for the works of that time stands out in the ballet - the desire for happiness, as well as love. Marius Petipa entrusted the musical part of the performance to a talented composer Ludwig Minkus. At first glance, it may seem that the ballet music does not contain bright, iconic characteristics of the characters that reveal their individuality, it only draws the mood and acts as a kind of background. At the same time, the musical part is incredibly melodic, completely subordinated to dances and pantomime, and drama and lyrics are closely combined in it. In addition, the music very subtly follows the choreography, which was extremely important for the choreographer.

Productions and various versions

The long-awaited premiere of the performance took place on January 23, 1977 in St. Petersburg. main role Nikiya was performed by Ekaterina Vazem, who had a benefit performance just that day. The conductor of the ballet was A. Papkov. This production was distinguished by the bright costumes of the dancers, incredibly complex scenery. Antiquity and some exoticism were closely intertwined with the melodramatic plot of the ballet, which was given additional brightness by Indian motifs. However, despite this, the performance cannot be called purely Indian, because it is just an imitation, and the ballet itself is fully consistent with all European features. The choreography was performed at the highest level, where every movement was thought out to the smallest detail, and each individual character was endowed with his own, exceptional dance, which subtly expressed his feelings, thoughts and experiences.

A few years later, the Bolshoi Theater in St. Petersburg was temporarily closed, and the entire troupe moved to the Mariinsky. On the new stage the premiere of the play took place in 1900; M. Petipa also directed it. Due to the fact that the hall would be a little smaller, I had to correct the score a little and reduce the corps de ballet. So, after a little editing, it was halved, to 32 participants in the film "Shadows".

After that, in 1920, the production of the ballet was again resumed for Olga Spesivtseva, who performed the part of Nikiya. However, the unforeseen happened to this production, as a result of the flood, the scenery for the fourth act was badly damaged, so in the autumn of 1929 La Bayadère was staged without a finale.

In 1941, they decided to resume this performance again, only this time Vladimir Ponomarev, who was engaged in the study of classical ballet, together with the choreographer Vakhtang Chabukiani, slightly changed the work of Minkus, remaking it into a three-act. In addition, the characters also received a new vision. So, Solor acquired a dance part, although before that he was only a mimic character. Moreover, this role went to the choreographer Vakhtang Chabukiani, and after it was already performed by Semyon Kaplan.

Abroad, the audience was also well aware of the work of Minkus and Petipa, but the performance was not performed in full, but only a small part of “Shadow”. Everything changed only in 1980, when the ballerina of the Kirov Theater Natalya Makarova ventured to stage full version performance in American theater.

In 2002, the Mariinsky Theater staged the play in its original version, with choreography by Marius Petipa, thanks to the efforts of choreographer Sergei Vikharev. Almost 102 years later, the performance in its original form returned to the stage from where it began its global procession. It is worth noting that this version was also subjected to some editing, due to the modification of dance aesthetics.

" - this is beautiful story about love, loyalty and betrayal, shrouded in Indian motifs, like fancy patterns. The performance each time asks the viewer a difficult question - what to choose, listen to the call of the heart or the voice of reason in order to please earthly laws and strict rules? For more than a hundred years, the audience has been experiencing this drama together with the main characters every time, watching the love story of the Indian dancer Nikiya and the noble warrior Solor. A simple and understandable plot, beautiful music, the talented work of the screenwriter and director, the ingenious development of the choreographer - these are the components thanks to which the performance is still successfully staged on various world stages.

Video: watch the ballet "La Bayadère" by Minkus

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Books

• Ballet Tales
• Tales of the Ballet, Golzer N.. To be fabulous ballet world came to life, each time the efforts of the most different people. Chief among them is…

S. Khudekov, choreographer M. Petipa, artists M. Bocharov, G. Wagner, I. Andreev, A. Roller.

Characters:

• Dugmanta, Raja of Golconda
• Gamzatti, his daughter
• Solor, a rich and famous kshatriya
• Nikiya, bayadère
• Great Brahmin
• Magdaeva, fakir
• Taloragva, warrior
• Brahmins, brahmatshors, servants of the raja, warriors, bayadères, fakirs, wanderers, Indian people, musicians, hunters

The action takes place in India in ancient times.

History of creation

Marius Petipa, a member of a family that has produced more than one outstanding ballet figure, began his activity in France in 1838 and soon gained great fame both in Europe and overseas. In 1847 he was invited to St. Petersburg, where his work flourished. He created a large number of ballets included in the treasury of this art. The biggest milestone was Don Quixote, staged in 1869.

In 1876, Petipa was attracted by the idea of ​​the ballet La Bayadère. He drew up a plan for the script, to work on which he attracted Sergei Nikolaevich Khudekov (1837-1927). Khudekov, a lawyer by education, was a journalist, critic and historian of ballet, the author of the four-volume History of Dances of All Times and Peoples; tried his hand at dramaturgy and fiction. He took up the development of the plot, based on the drama of the ancient Indian poet Kalidasa (according to some sources, the 1st century, according to others - the 6th century) "Sakuntala, or Recognized by the Ring." The primary source of Petipa's ballet was, however, not the ancient drama itself, but the French ballet Sakuntala based on Gautier's script, staged by the choreographer's brother, Lucien Petipa in 1858. “Marius Petipa, without embarrassment, took everything that could be useful from his brother’s production,” writes Yu. actors... a vengeful rival, situations... And yet, La Bayadère is not a variant of the French ballet... The content, images, direction of the performance as a whole, the talented choreographic embodiment are independent - they are part of the asset of the Russian ballet theater... Petipa melted down someone else's material so that it became his own, entered into his own work organically acquired features of novelty. The theme of the desire for happiness, love and freedom, characteristic of Russian art of that time, came to the fore. The music for La Bayadère was commissioned by Petipa's permanent collaborator Minkus. The choreography organically merged drama and lyrics. Against the colorful background of divertissement dances, the drama of Nikiya developed. “There were no empty places in her choreographic part,” writes V. Krasovskaya. “Each posture, movement, gesture expressed this or that spiritual impulse, explained this or that trait of character.” The premiere took place on January 23 (February 4), 1877 at the Bolshoi Kamenny Theater in St. Petersburg. The ballet, which belongs to the highest achievements of the choreographer, quickly won recognition and has been performing on the stages of Russia for more than 125 years.

Plot

(based on the original libretto)

In the sacred forest, Solor and his friends hunt a tiger. Together with the fakir Magdaya, he lags behind the other hunters in order to talk with the beautiful Nikiya, who lives in a pagoda visible in the depths of the forest. There are preparations for the fire festival. The Great Brahmin solemnly comes out, followed by bramatshors and bayadères. Nikiya begins the sacred dance. The great brahmin is infatuated with her, but the bayadère rejects his feeling. Brahmin threatens Nikiya, but she is waiting for Solor. Magdaeva informs her that Solor is nearby. Everyone disperses. The night is coming. Solor comes to the temple. He invites Nikiya to run away with him. The meeting is interrupted by the Great Brahmin. Burning with jealousy, he plots cruel revenge. At dawn, hunters with a dead tiger appear near the temple, bayadères going for sacred water. Solor leaves with the hunters.

In his palace, Raja Dugmanta announces to Gamzatti's daughter that he is marrying her to Solor. Solor tries to decline the honor offered to him, but the Rajah announces that the wedding will take place very soon. The Great Brahmin appears. Having removed everyone, the raja listens to him. He reports on Solor's meeting with the bayadère. Raja decides to kill Nikiya; the brahmin reminds that the bayadère belongs to the god Vishnu, her murder will incur the wrath of Vishnu - Solor must be killed! Dugmanta decides during the festival to send Nikiya a basket of flowers with a poisonous snake inside. The conversation between the Raja and the Brahmin is overheard by Gamzatti. She orders to call Nikiya and, having offered her to dance at the wedding tomorrow, shows a portrait of her fiancé. Nikiya is shocked. Gamzatti offers her riches if she leaves the country, but Nikiya cannot refuse her beloved. In anger, she rushes at her rival with a dagger, and only a faithful servant saves Gamzatti. The bayadère runs away. Enraged, Gamzatti dooms Nikiya to death.

The festival begins in the garden in front of the Raja's palace. Dugmanta and Gamzatti appear. Raja tells Nikiya to entertain the audience. The bayadère is dancing. Gamzatti orders a basket of flowers to be handed over to her. A snake raises its head from the basket and stings the girl. Nikiya says goodbye to Solor and reminds him that he swore to love her forever. The great brahmin offers Nikiya an antidote, but she prefers death. Raja and Gamzatti triumph.

Magdavaya, seeking to entertain the despairing Solor, invites snake tamers. Gamzatti arrives, accompanied by servants, and he revives. But the shadow of a weeping Nikiya appears on the wall. Solor begs Gamzatti to leave him alone and smokes opium. In his irritated imagination, the shadow of Nikiya accuses him of treason. Solor falls unconscious.

Solor and Nikiya meet in the realm of shadows. She begs her beloved not to forget this oath.

Solor is back in his room. His sleep is disturbing. It seems to him that he is in the arms of Nikiya. Magdaeva looks sadly at his master. He wakes up. The servants of the Raja enter with rich gifts. Solor, absorbed in his own thoughts, follows them.

In the palace of the Raja, preparations are underway for the wedding. Solor is haunted by the shadow of Nikiya. In vain Gamzatti tries to get his attention. The servants bring in a basket of flowers, the same one that was presented to the bayadère, and the girl recoils in horror. The shadow of Nikiya appears before her. The great brahmin joins the hands of Gamzatti and Solor, a terrible thunderclap is heard. The earthquake collapses the palace, burying everyone under the rubble.

The peaks of the Himalayas are visible through a continuous grid of rain. The shadow of Nikiya glides, Solor leans at her feet.

Music

In the music of Minkus, elastic and plastic, all the features inherent in the composer have been preserved. It has neither bright individual characteristics nor effective dramaturgy: it conveys only the general mood, but is melodic, convenient for dancing and pantomime, and most importantly, it obediently follows Petipa's carefully calibrated choreographic dramaturgy.

L. Mikheeva

The ballet was composed by Petipa for the St. Petersburg Bolshoi Theatre. The main parts were performed by Ekaterina Vazem and Lev Ivanov. Soon, the Bolshoi Theater was closed due to dilapidation, and in the 1885-86 season, the St. Petersburg ballet moved across Theater Square, on the contrary, to the Mariinsky Theater. La Bayadere was carefully transferred to this stage by Petipa himself for the prima ballerina Matilda Kshesinskaya in 1900. The stage here was somewhat smaller, therefore, all the performances required some correction. So, in the "picture of shadows" the corps de ballet has halved - 32, instead of the previous 64 participants. The performance did not stand out among the huge repertoire of the Imperial Ballet. The unique shadow scene was appreciated, and the party main character attracted ballerinas. Yes, already in Soviet time La Bayadère was restored in 1920 for Olga Spesivtseva. In the mid-1920s, a misfortune happened - the scenery of the latter was destroyed, fourth act(possibly due to the St. Petersburg flood of 1924). Nevertheless, in the fall of 1929, before leaving her native theater, Marina Semenova danced La Bayadère in the 1900 version, not without success, not embarrassed by the lack of a final act.

Then the performance disappeared from the repertoire for more than a decade. It seemed that "La Bayadère" would share the fate of eternal oblivion, like "The Pharaoh's Daughter" and "King Kandavl". However, a new generation of soloists has grown up in the theater who want to expand their dance repertoire. Their choice fell on La Bayadère. The theater management did not mind, but did not agree to large material costs, suggesting that they confine themselves to the old scenery. In 1941, Vladimir Ponomarev, a great connoisseur of the classical heritage, and the young prime minister and choreographer Vakhtang Chabukiani jointly created a three-act version of the old play. The premiere was danced by Natalya Dudinskaya and Chabukiani. In 1948, this version was somewhat replenished and since then has not left the stage of the theater.

One of the directors, Vladimir Ponomarev, explained that “the revival of La Bayadere is primarily due to the great dance value of this ballet.” In the 1940s, they tried to preserve (sometimes develop, modernize) the already existing choreography and tactfully supplement it with new numbers Vakhtang Chabukiani added the duet of Nikiya and Solor to the modest dance of the bayadères and the wild dance of the fakirs around the sacred fire in the first picture.The practically pantomime second picture was embellished with the spectacular plasticity of the dance of Nikiya with a slave (choreographer Konstantin Sergeev), in which the temple bayadère blessed the future marriage union. and decisive changes occurred in the third picture. The varied and rich divertissement was further expanded. In 1948, the dance of the golden God (choreographer and first performer Nikolai Zubkovsky) organically entered the characteristic suite. The classical suite included pas d "axion from the disappeared final act. Ponomarev and Chabukiani, having removed the shadow of Nikiya, which is unnecessary here, enriched the parts of the soloists. In general, in terms of dance diversity and richness, the current second act of La Bayadère is unique. The sharp contrast between the plotless brilliant divertissement and the tragic dance with the snake intensified the semantic emotionality of the action as a whole. Having removed the "wrath of the gods" that crowned the ballet before, the directors introduced the motive of Solor's personal responsibility. The warrior, fearless in the face of the enemy, now decides to disobey his rajah. After the picture of the hero's dream, a small picture of Solor's suicide appeared. Seeing an unearthly paradise, where beloved Nikiya reigns among the heavenly houris, life in this world becomes impossible for him. In the future, the perfection of the choreographic composition of the “shadow painting” required not to destroy the visual and emotional impression with some kind of realistic appendage. Now the hero, responding to the call of his beloved, forever remains in the world of shadows and ghosts.

Such a romantic ending crowns the performance, which is very attractive in terms of the rare mastery of the preserved scenography of the second half of XIX century. The special illusory nature of the palace chambers (the artist of the second picture Konstantin Ivanov) and the striking oriental processions against the background of the patterned exteriors of the palace sanctified by the sun (the artist of the third picture Pyotr Lambin) always arouse applause from the audience. Not without reason, since 1900, no one has dared to modernize these and other pictures of the ballet. The preservation of the classical ballet of the nineteenth century, along with its original scenery, is a unique phenomenon in domestic practice.

Any spectator from a beginner to a specialist is aware of the main attraction of the ballet - the so-called "Solor's Dream" or the painting "Shadows". It is not for nothing that this fragment is often presented separately without scenery, and the impression is not diminished. It was precisely such "Shadows", shown by the Kirov Ballet for the first time in 1956 on tour in Paris, that literally amazed the world. An outstanding choreographer and an excellent connoisseur of classical ballet Fyodor Lopukhov tried to analyze in detail the choreographic nature of this masterpiece. Here are excerpts from his book “Choreographic Revelations”: “The great art of choreography of the highest order, the content of which is revealed without any auxiliary means - plot, pantomime, accessories, has affected the embodiment of the Shadows dance. In my opinion, even beautiful swans Lev Ivanov, like Fokine's "Chopiniana", cannot be compared with "Shadows" in this respect. This scene evokes a spiritual response in a person, which is just as difficult to explain in words as the impression of piece of music... According to the principles of its composition, the scene of The Shadow is very close to the form according to which sonata allegro is built in music. Here choreographic themes are developed and clashed, as a result of which new ones are formed. thought."

From "Shadows" by Petipa, a direct path to the famous "abstract" compositions of George Balanchine.

Unlike other classical ballets, La Bayadere for a long time only performed on the stage of the Kirov Theatre. In Moscow, after not too successful revisions of the play by Alexander Gorsky (who, trying to bring the ballet closer to real India, dressed the shadows in saris), only occasionally the act of "Shadows" was performed. Only in 1991, Yuri Grigorovich took the production of 1948 as a basis, replacing some pantomime scenes with dance ones.

Abroad for a long time they were satisfied with one act of "Shadows", while former ballerina Kirov Ballet Natalia Makarova did not dare in 1980 to stage the ballet "La Bayadère" in 4 acts at the American Theater. Of course, in New York no one remembered the final act in the original, even the corresponding music was not available. Makarova combined the first three scenes into one act, reducing the divertissement of the holiday scene by removing characteristic dances. After the invariable act of shadows, the final act was performed with a newly composed choreography, supplemented by the dance of the golden god from the Leningrad production. Despite the fact that the performance was a success and Makarova transferred her production to theaters of various countries, the new choreography in it clearly loses to the old one. After a brilliant romantic scene, inexpressive dances follow, in fact, only illustrating the plot.

More consistent was the true connoisseur of the classical heritage, Pyotr Gusev. In Sverdlovsk, unencumbered by ballet traditions, in 1984 he tried to restore the original La Bayadère from memory in four acts. Pas d "axion returned to the last act, but it turned out that not only the second act, but the entire ballet suffered from this. The masterpiece of Shadows, like the Himalayas, towered over the pale plains of the rest of the performance.

In essence, the new "renewers" of La Bayadère must decide for themselves the main question: what is more important for them, and most importantly for the viewer - choreographic harmony or meticulous resolution plot conflicts. Interestingly, in 2000, this problem was solved at the Mussorgsky Theater in St. Petersburg. Taking without changes the edition of 1948, the directors ( artistic director Nikolai Boyarchikov) added to it not an act, but only a small picture. In her in summary everything happens that was in the final act of Petipa. After the destruction of the palace, the performance ends with an expressive mise-en-scene: on the path along which shadows once walked, stands a lonely Brahmin, on whose outstretched arms is Nikiya's snow-white head covering. It slowly rises up. The performance is over.

A more responsible task - to reanimate La Bayadère of 1900 - was decided at the Mariinsky Theater. Minkus' original score was found in the theatre's music library. The scenery and costumes were reconstructed according to original sketches, models and photographic materials found in the St. Petersburg archives. And finally, the choreographic text by Marius Petipa was restored on the basis of the recordings of the former director of the pre-revolutionary Mariinsky Theater Nikolai Sergeev, which are now in the collection of Harvard University. Understanding that La Bayadère of the 1900 model will seem poor in terms of dance to the modern audience, the choreographer Sergei Vikharev, reluctantly, included some variations from later editions in the performance. In general, the four-act reconstruction of 2002 proved to be highly controversial, and the theater decided not to deprive the audience of the time-tested performance of 1948.

A. Degen, I. Stupnikov

L. Minkus' ballet "La Bayadère" is one of the most famous Russian ballets of the 19th century. The music was composed by Ludwig Minkus, the libretto is by the pen and the choreography is by the legendary Marius Petipa.

How the ballet was created

Bayadères were Indian girls who served as dancers in temples where their parents gave them because they were unloved and unwanted.

There are various versions that explain why the idea of ​​​​creating a performance based on an exotic plot for Russia at that time arose. This is not known for certain, so disputes between theater historians are still ongoing.

The idea of ​​creating "La Bayadère" belongs to the chief choreographer of the Russian imperial troupe - Marius Petipa. According to one version, he decided to stage such a performance in Russia under the influence of the phrase ballet "Shakuntala", the creator of which was his older brother Lucien. The author of the music for the French production was Ernest Reyer, the author of the libretto, which was based on the ancient Indian drama Kalidasta, was Theophile Gauthier. The prototype of the main character was Amani, a dancer, prima of an Indian troupe touring Europe, who committed suicide. Gauthier decided to stage a ballet in memory of her.

But there is no evidence that this is indeed the case. Therefore, it cannot be argued that it was under the influence of Shakuntala that La Bayadère (ballet) was born. Its content is very different from the plot of the Parisian production. In addition, Petipa Jr.'s ballet appeared on the Russian stage only 20 years after it was staged in Paris. There is another version of Marius Petipa's idea of ​​creating "La Bayadère" - a fashion for Eastern (in particular, Indian) culture.

Literary basis

The developer of the libretto of the ballet was Marius Petipa himself, together with the playwright S. N. Khudekov. According to historians, the same Indian drama Kalidasta served as the literary basis for La Bayadère, as in the production of Shakuntala, but the plots of these two ballets are very different. According to theater critics, the libretto also included Goethe's ballad "God and the La Bayadère", based on which a ballet was created in France, where the main part was danced by Maria Taglioni.

ballet characters

The main characters are the bayadère Nikiya and the famous warrior Solor, whose tragic love story is told by this ballet. A photo of the central characters is presented in this article.

Dugmanta is the raja of Golkonda, Gamzatti is the daughter of the raja, the Great Brahmin, Magdaya is a fakir, Taloragva is a warrior, Aya is a slave, Jampe. As well as warriors, bayadères, fakirs, people, hunters, musicians, servants...

The plot of the ballet

This is a performance of 4 acts, but each theater has its own "La Bayadère" (ballet). The content is preserved, the main idea is unchanged, the basis is the same libretto, the same music and the same plastic solutions, but the number of actions in different theaters may be different. For example, in ballet there are three acts instead of four. For many years, the score of the 4th act was considered lost, and the ballet was staged in 3 acts. But it was nevertheless found in the funds of the Mariinsky Theater, and the original version was restored, but not all theaters switched to this version.

In ancient times, the events of the performance "La Bayadère" (ballet) unfold in India. The content of the first act: the warrior Solor comes to the temple at night to meet Nikiya there, and invites her to run away with him. The great brahmin, rejected by her, witnesses the meeting and decides to take revenge on the girl.

Second act. The Raja wants to marry his daughter Gamzatti to the valiant warrior Solor, who is trying to refuse such an honor, but the Raja sets a date for the wedding. The great brahmin informs the raja that the warrior met Nikiya in the temple. He decides to kill the dancer by presenting her with a basket of flowers with a poisonous snake inside. This conversation is heard by Gamzatti. She decides to get rid of her rival and offers her riches if she refuses Solor. Nikiya is shocked that her lover is getting married, but cannot refuse him and in a fit of anger rushes at the Raja's daughter with a dagger. Faithful maid Gamzatti manages to save her mistress. The next day, a celebration begins at the Raja's castle on the occasion of the wedding of his daughter, and Nikiya is ordered to dance for the guests. After one of her dances, she is given a basket of flowers, from which a snake crawls out and stings her. Nikiya dies in Solor's arms. Thus ends the second part of the play "La Bayadère" (ballet).

Composer

The author of the music for the ballet "La Bayadère", as already mentioned here above, is the composer Minkus Ludwig. He was born on March 23, 1826 in Vienna. His full name- Aloysius Ludwig Minkus. As a four-year-old boy, he began to study music - he learned to play the violin, at the age of 8 he first appeared on stage, and many critics recognized him as a child prodigy.

At the age of 20, L. Minkus tried himself as a conductor and composer. In 1852, he was invited to the Royal Vienna Opera as first violinist, and a year later he received a place as bandmaster of the orchestra in the fortress theater of Prince Yusupov. From 1856 to 1861, L. Minkus served as the first violinist at the Moscow Imperial Bolshoi Theater, and then began to combine this position with that of a conductor. After the opening of the Moscow Conservatory, the composer was invited to teach violin there. L. Minkus wrote a large number of ballets. The very first of them, created in 1857, is the "Union of Peleus and Thetis" for the Yusupov Theater. In 1869, one of the most famous ballets, Don Quixote, was written. Together with M. Petipa, 16 ballets were created. For the last 27 years of his life, the composer lived in his homeland - in Austria. Ballets by L. Minkus are still included in the repertoires of all the leading theaters in the world.

Premiere

On January 23, 1877, the ballet La Bayadère was presented to the Petersburg public for the first time. The theater in which the premiere took place (the Bolshoi Theater, or, as it was also called, the Stone Theatre), was located where the St. Petersburg Conservatory is now located. The part of the main character Nikiya was performed by Ekaterina Vazem, and the dancer Lev Ivanov shone as her lover.

Various versions

In 1900, M. Petipa himself edited his production. She walked in an updated version at the Mariinsky Theater, and danced the part of Nikiya. In 1904, the ballet was transferred to the stage of the Moscow Bolshoi Theater. In 1941 the ballet was edited by V. Chebukiani and V. Ponomarev. In 2002, Sergei Vikharev re-edited this ballet. Photos from the performance of the Mariinsky Theater are contained in the article.