Ballet "Legend of Love. Grigorovich's ballet "Legend of Love Legend of Love Bolshoi Theater buy tickets

The ballet "The Legend of Love" at the Bolshoi Theater is a spectacular and spectacular performance, which is an adornment of the repertoire of the country's main theater. The performance is very popular with the audience.

A bit of history

The premiere production was presented to the attention of the public back in 1961. This event took place in the famous Leningrad Mariinsky Theater. The ballet The Legend of Love at the Bolshoi was set to music by the famous composer from Arif Melikov, and the well-known choreographer Yuri Grigorovich became the choreographer of the production.

After 4 years, the production was transferred to the stage of the Moscow Bolshoi Theater. And since 1965, the ballet "The Legend of Love" has been considered the pearl of the repertoire of the capital's theater and a model of the world's classical ballet. At various times, such legendary artists as

• Ulyana Lopatkina,
• Maris Liepa,
• Lyudmila Semenyaka and other great dancers.





The choreographer of the ballet The Legend of Love is the talented dance maestro Yuri Grigorovich. It was he, in collaboration with Nazim Hikmet, who wrote the libretto for the production. Khikmetov is a poet, a political prisoner who was sentenced to 28 years. And he created his deep philosophical drama behind bars. As a result of the joint work, a deep, harmonious and bright production was obtained, in which music and dance complement and reveal each other.

The dramaturgy of the ballet is very tense and exciting. Therefore, the audience who bought tickets for the Legend of Love will not remain indifferent to the performance. The stage design of the ballet belongs to the famous artist Simon Virsaladze. He embodied the style of the sixties in the ballet "The Legend of Love".



A distinctive feature of the production is large-scale mass processions. The main theme of the ballet is the great and all-conquering power of love. From the very first chords, the director creates an atmosphere of high intensity, which does not subside throughout the entire ballet production. Each of the characters faces a difficult choice, a difficult compromise. Therefore, the production will appeal to all generations of theatergoers.

Plot

The plot of the ballet "The Legend of Love" is a story of one of the legends of the ancient East. Queen Mekhmene Banu had a beloved younger sister, Shirin, who became seriously ill. The queen grieved for a long time, after which she decided on an adventure. The stranger offered her to return her sister's life, but in return the queen must give up her youth and beauty. The younger sister returns to the world of the living. After that, the queen's face begins to age very quickly.



One day in the garden, the sisters meet a beautiful artist named Ferhad. Both the queen and her sister were captivated by the spell of the young man. But the young man pays attention only to his younger sister. Then the queen begins to interfere with their dates. Farhad and Shirin try to escape but fail to do so. The couple in love was caught and brought to the queen. The ruler sets a condition for the heroes - they will get married, but first, let Farhad open a mountain spring and save the kingdom from drought. Farhad helps people, but he himself dies in the mountains.

Main performers

We bring to your attention the libretto of the ballet "The Legend of Love". Ballet in three acts. Composer A. Melikov. Libretto by N. Hikmet and Y. Zavodchikova. Staged by Y. Grigorovich. Artist S. Virsaladze.

Characters: Shirin. Ferkhad. Mekhmene Banu. Vizier. Stranger. Friends of Ferhad. Participants in the dance of gold, the dance of jesters, the dance of girls.

Princess Shirin, the younger sister of Queen Mehmene Banu, is dangerously ill. The queen and her entourage are immersed in deep sadness. Even the most skillful healers are unable to help the sick princess.

A Stranger dressed in simple clothes is brought to the queen's chambers. He learned about the illness of the queen's sister and is confident in the power of his healing. For the first time in many months, Mekhmene Banu's face lit up with hope.

She offers the Stranger jewelry for healing her beloved sister, but he rejects them with contempt. The astonished queen removes her crown from her head and hands it to the Stranger. But this priceless treasure does not attract his attention.

"How can I repay you for saving your sister"? Banu asks.

And the Stranger demands an unheard of payment: the queen must part with her sparkling beauty. Shocked by this demand, painfully struggling with the flood of thoughts and feelings, the queen agrees in the name of love for her sister.

The stranger casts spells, his movements are strange, incomprehensible; an instant, another - and Princess Shirin rises from the bed, over which death has recently hovered. With surprise, she peers into the face of Mekhmene Banu and does not recognize her beautiful sister in this disfigured woman.

Mekhmene Banu and Shirin, accompanied by their retinue, go to inspect the palace erected for the princess. Both sisters look with admiration at the beautiful young artist Ferkhad, who paints the arch.

When the procession left, Shirin approached Ferhad. At first, he mistook her for a simple girl. A tender, full of hints and omissions conversation is tied up between them. When Ferkhad finds out that the beauty he loves is a princess, he sadly droops. Should he, a simple artist, dream of the queen's sister.

The dried-up spring is crowded with people. There is no water for a long time. And this is the grief of the whole country. Only water is brought to the palace under guard from afar. To get water for mere mortals, you need to pave the way for her through the huge mountains. But who dares to do such work?

Mekhmene Banu cannot forget about the meeting with Ferkhad. Only now does she understand what her sacrifice, made in the name of saving her sister, doomed her to.

The fate of Shirin was different. She loves and is loved. Without regrets, she leaves the palace, never to be separated from her chosen one.

Having learned about the flight of his sister, Mekhmene Banu in anger orders to find Shirin and Ferhad. And when they are brought to the formidable queen, she announces her will to Ferhad: he will become Shirin's husband no sooner than he paves the way for water through the mountain.

Only dreams become the lot of the queen. In her dreams, she sees herself as beautiful as before and next to her is Ferkhad, who passionately loves her.

And for Shirin, even a temporary separation from her beloved, who has gone high into the mountains, is unbearable. She begs her sister to climb with her to the heights to at least look at Ferhad. Mekhmene Banu cannot refuse her sister this time either. But she sets a condition: let Ferhad stop working and go down to the valley with Shirin.

She understands that Ferkhad, even loving Shirin infinitely, cannot deceive the people to whom he promised water, and with it salvation. Shirin understands this too. She says goodbye to Ferhad and leaves. Mekhmene Banu follows her.

In his dreams, Ferhad penetrates into the future, sees how streams of water gushed out of the rocks, how the image of his beloved girl appeared nearby, and these visions give him new strength in the name of the feat of love.

L. Entelis

In the palace of Queen Mekhmene Banu deep sorrow reigns - her younger sister Princess Shirin dies. The courtiers and the Vizier are in fear, the queen is in despair. The warriors bring in the Stranger - he undertakes to heal the princess. Mekhmene Banu promises him gold, but he refuses. The queen is ready to give him the crown, but the Stranger does not need the crown either. Let Mekhmene Banu give up her beauty to save her sister. After painful hesitation, the queen agrees. The stranger brings Shirin back to life. She rises from her deathbed and looks with horror at her sister's disfigured face, not recognizing her.

palace garden, built for Shirin. Ferkhad and his friends are finishing painting the arch. Accompanied by the retinue, Mekhmene Banu and Shirin are marching - they arrived to inspect the palace. The eyes of the sisters are riveted to the artist Ferhad: they are amazed by his beauty. Distinguished guests are removed. Ferhad does not remain alone for long - Shirin came secretly to meet the young man who captivated her heart. In their first duet, young people do not even touch each other - so great are the barriers that separate them.

Over a dry spring the people gathered. To get water, you need to break through a huge mountain. From afar they carry water only to the palace.

Chambers of Mekhmene Banu. The passionate, secret love of the queen for Ferkhad torments her heart. Lost beauty leaves no hope for reciprocity. In vain the Vizier tries to entertain her with the dances of court dancers and jesters. The queen's grief is boundless.

Shirin's quarters. Ferhad's love made Shirin happy. Ferhad enters the palace, and the duet of lovers is full of harmony and passion. Not wanting to part with his beloved, Shirin agrees to escape from the palace. Upon learning of this, the Vizier tells the news to the queen. In anger and jealousy, Mekhmene Banu orders to catch the fugitives. After the chase, the lovers are overtaken. Shirin begs her sister not to separate her from Ferhad. The queen, offended and angry, sets an impossible task for Ferhad: only by breaking through the mountain and giving people water, he will get Shirin as his wife. Saying goodbye to loved ones is full of bitterness. Ferhad goes to the mountain.

Chambers of Mekhmene Banu. The queen does not find a place for herself. She painfully loves Ferkhad and dreams of him. In her dreams, a duet arises, where Ferkhad is Mekhmene Banu in a royal guise. It seems to her that she is beautiful again, Ferhad fell in love with her, and she found happiness. The dream is interrupted by the appearance of Shirin. She doesn't want to live without her lover. She begs her sister to forgive Ferkhad. Everyone is heading for the mountains.



The mountains. Great hope brought people here. Every blow of Ferkhad's pick resonates in their hearts. Mekhmene Banu and Shirin appear at the head of the retinue. Ferhad hopes that Shirin will stay with him. But the treacherous queen invites Ferkhad to go down the mountain and be happy with his beloved in the palace. But Ferhad cannot deceive people's hopes. He will gouge the mountain until the people get water. Shirin resigns himself, says goodbye to his beloved and leaves the mountains with his sister.

Night. Stars light up. It seems to Ferkhad that water begins to flow from the ancient rock. And with her, Shirin appears in Ferhad's dreams.

Notes:

1. Shortly after the premiere, the choreographer moved the final painting of the “vision of water” to the beginning of the third act, where it precedes the painting in the chambers of Mekhmene Banu and her duet with Ferkhad.

2. In contrast to St. Petersburg, at the Bolshoi theatre, Grigorovich transferred the painting “in front of the spring” from the beginning of the second act to the beginning of the third, preceding the painting “the vision of water”. Thus, all the "folk paintings" are brought together there.



The older generation remembers Nazim Hikmet well. A Turkish poet, a revolutionary idealist, after being persecuted in his homeland, he moved to the USSR. He wrote poetry, prose and unorthodox plays, one of which was "The Legend of Love", based on the old legend of love between Ferhad and Shirin.

When the Azerbaijani composer Arif Melikov offered his ballet based on this play to the Kirov Theater, he was not yet 30 years old. The original version of the script was a meticulous retelling of Hikmet's play and was therefore rejected.

The composer turned to the poet himself, who later admitted: “I really wanted to take part in the life of the ballet theater. I am attracted by the conventional forms of ballet art, which open up the possibility for deep artistic generalizations. After all, art is not a mirror, it does not copy life, it kind of creates a new life.”

A new version of the script, proposed by Hikmet, satisfied the directors, and in 1960 work began on a new ballet. The composer actively completed the required scenes that were born in the head of the choreographer. The scenario dramaturgy, of course, was not perfect: as mentioned above, individual films changed their place even after the premiere. The music was emotional, with the necessary oriental flavor, but it did not pretend to be separate from the performance.

All the considerable merits of the ballet rightfully belong to Yuri Grigorovich's choreography and Simon Virsaladze's set design.



The ballet itself had a happy fate, the press and the authorities tried not to notice either the sharpness of the choreographic language or the ambiguity of the content. The performance was shown almost immediately on foreign tours, moved by Grigorovich to Novosibirsk, Baku, and in 1965 to the Bolshoi Theater, having assembled a stellar cast of performers. Natalia Bessmertnova (Shirin), Maya Plisetskaya (Mekhmene Banu), Maris Liepa (Ferhad) confirmed the significance of "The Legend of Love" as a certain pinnacle of the achievements of the national ballet. New generations of artists are still searching for their understanding of the inexhaustibly beautiful images of this emotional performance.

A. Degen, I. Stupnikov

In the photo: The Legend of Love at the Mariinsky Theater / Natasha Razina

"The Legend of Love" is a bright, luxurious production filled with dramaturgy by Yuri Grigorovich. Ballet in the style of a real oriental fairy tale, in the colors of the southern setting sun in contrast with the dark night sky. Everything in this production is magnificent, from the choreography of the guru of the domestic ballet to the storyline, which from the beginning to the very end keeps the viewer's attention, forcing them to admire every act, action, the plasticity of the dancers and the magnificent music of Arif Melikov.

Choreographer - Yuri Grigorovich
Set Designer - Simon Virsaladze
Lighting designer - Mikhail Sokolov
Conductor - Pavel Sorokin

Duration - 2 hours 50 minutes

Act I

Painting 1
In the palace of Mekhmene Banu, deep sorrow reigns - her young sister Shirin dies. The vizier and courtiers are in fear. Mekhmene Banu is in despair.
The Stranger who suddenly appears is ready to save the princess, but for this Mekhmene Banu must sacrifice her beauty.
In order to save her sister's life and in the name of love for her, Mehmene Banu accepts the Stranger's condition. Shirin comes back to life.

Picture 2
On the palace square, the young artist Ferhad suddenly meets with Queen Mekhmene Banu and Princess Shirin, marching surrounded by courtiers and guards. The sisters meet eyes with Ferhad, and love for the young man flares up in their hearts.
The procession is removed. Ferhad is captivated by the beauty of the young Shirin.
Shirin secretly returns to the square hoping to see Ferhad again. The girl and the boy are irresistibly attracted to each other.

Act II

Scene 3
Mekhmene Banu is seized with a passion for Ferkhad. Nothing can distract her from her thoughts about the beautiful young man. She realizes in despair that she, having lost her beauty, is now inaccessible to Ferkhad's love.

Scene 4
Young Shirin dreams of happiness with her beloved. It is full of disturbing and joyful forebodings.
Ferhad infiltrates Shirin's quarters and they flee the palace together. Tormented by jealousy, Mekhmene Banu orders to seize the lovers. The chase overtakes the fugitives.
In vain are the prayers of lovers to grant them happiness. Mekhmene Banu sets an impossible condition for Ferhad: he will get Shirin if he breaks through the iron mountain that blocks the way of water to people.
Ferkhad is ready to take on this feat in the name of love. He says goodbye to Shirin.

Act III

Scene 5
Ferhad in the mountains. He sees that he has opened the way for water, and the image of his beloved Shirin appears before him.

Scene 6
Passion for Ferkhad and remorse torment Queen Mekhmene Banu. In her dreams she is beautiful again and Ferhad loves her.

Shirin, who has run in, destroys Mekhmene Banu's dreams and begs her sister not to punish Ferkhad, whom she loves. Mekhmene Banu understands this feeling like no one else and makes the final decision. They rush out of the palace.

Scene 7

People who have heard about the deed of Ferhad come to him in the mountains in hope.

Mekhmene Banu and Shirin appear surrounded by the retinue. The lovers rush towards each other. The princess is trying to get him out of here as soon as possible. But Ferhad, seeing the silent prayer of people dying of thirst, decides to stay in the mountains to perform a feat in the name of love for people and Shirin. All bow before the great self-sacrifice of Ferkhad.

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The Legend of Love at the Bolshoi Theater

The history of the creation of the ballet The Legend of Love is not quite common. The libretto for this work was written by the famous Turkish poet, playwright and public figure Nazim Hikmet. The libretto was written by Hikmet based on his own play Ferhad and Shirin, created in the 40s, when the playwright was imprisoned for political reasons. In his work, Hikmet was based on the poem of the classic of Persian poetry Nizami Ganjavi Khosrov and Shirin.

In 1958, the young Azerbaijani composer Arif Melikov began work on the ballet. The premiere took place on March 23, 1961 at the Kirov Theatre, directed by choreographer Yuri Grigorovich, set design created by Simon Virsaladze. In 1965 Yuri Grigorovich brought the ballet to the stage of the Bolshoi Theatre. Also performances were created in Baku, Novosibirsk and Prague. In 2014, the ballet The Legend of Love returned to the stage of the Bolshoi Theater in the original choreography.