2024-03-13 21:06:18
The Azerbaijan State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater presented two performances on the stage of the Heydar Aliyev Palace – “Polovtsian Dances” by Alexander Borodin and the second scene of the ballet “Swan Lake” by Pyotr Tchaikovsky, Day.Az reports with reference to Trend Life.
“Polovtsian Dances” was presented accompanied by the symphony orchestra of the State Opera and Ballet Theater under the direction of People’s Artist Yalchin Adigezalov.
“Polovtsian Dances” is the final part of the second act of the opera “Prince Igor” by Russian classic Alexander Borodin. The composer dedicated the vocal-symphonic and choreographic stage to the world of the East of that time. In its contrasting and composite form, the bright colors, elemental strength, burning temperament and at the same time elegant grace of original oriental images are picturesquely displayed. This unique suite is based on a polar juxtaposition of contrasting themes: the lyrical dance of slave girls, a majestic glorifying choir, and the rapid dance of young Polovtsians. The source for the libretto, written by the author himself with the participation of Vladimir Stasov, was the monument of ancient Russian literature “The Tale of Igor’s Campaign,” which tells about the unsuccessful campaign of Prince Igor against the Polovtsians. “Polovtsian Dances” gained enormous popularity and became one of the most famous and recognizable fragments of Russian classical music in the world.
“Swan Lake” was presented accompanied by the symphony orchestra of the State Opera and Ballet Theater under the direction of Honored Artist Eyyub Guliyev.
“Swan Lake” is not just a fairy tale about enchanted girls. It is based on a medieval legend. It is believed that Pyotr Tchaikovsky could have conceived the music during a trip to Germany, namely in the romantic castle of the Bavarian king Ludwig II. Today, through ballet, we can see the world of German kings: the prince celebrates his birthday. The Queen reminds him that he must choose a bride, but he is not ready to marry and goes hunting to unwind. On the lake, he meets an enchanted swan girl, falls in love with her and takes an oath of allegiance, and the evil sorcerer decides to stop them. He brings another girl to the ball, exactly the prince’s chosen one, and thus deceives him. The story goes that the family of the composer’s sister Alexandra Davydova, with the active participation of the composer himself, staged an amateur production of the play on the Kamenka estate, where Pyotr Ilyich acted as stage director and choreographer. His younger brother Modest danced the Prince, and his eldest and beloved niece Tatyana danced the role of Odette.