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1. The history of the creation of the ballet "Romeo and Juliet"

The first major work, the ballet Romeo and Juliet, became a true masterpiece. His stage life had a difficult start. It was written in 1935-1936. The libretto was developed by the composer together with director S. Radlov and choreographer L. Lavrovsky (L. Lavrovsky staged the first production of the ballet in 1940 at the Leningrad Opera and Ballet Theater named after S. M. Kirov). But the gradual adaptation to Prokofiev’s unusual music was still crowned with success. The ballet "Romeo and Juliet" was completed in 1936, but was conceived earlier. The fate of the ballet continued to develop complicatedly. At first there were difficulties in completing the ballet. Prokofiev, together with S. Radlov, while developing the script, thought about a happy ending, which caused a storm of indignation among Shakespeare scholars. The apparent disrespect for the great playwright was explained simply: “The reasons that pushed us to this barbarity were purely choreographic: living people can dance, dying people cannot dance lying down.” The decision to end the ballet tragically, like Shakespeare's, was influenced most of all by the fact that there was no pure joy in the music itself, in its final episodes. The problem was resolved after conversations with the choreographers, when it turned out that “it was possible to resolve the fatal ending balletically.” However, the Bolshoi Theater violated the agreement, considering the music non-danceable. For the second time, the Leningrad Choreographic School refused the agreement. As a result, the first production of Romeo and Juliet took place in 1938 in Czechoslovakia, in the city of Brno. The ballet was directed by the famous choreographer L. Lavrovsky. The role of Juliet was danced by the famous G. Ulanova.

Although there have been attempts in the past to present Shakespeare on the ballet stage (for example, in 1926, Diaghilev staged the ballet “Romeo and Juliet” with music by the English composer C. Lambert), but none of them is considered successful. It seemed that if Shakespeare’s images could be embodied in opera, as was done by Bellini, Gounod, Verdi, or in symphonic music, as in Tchaikovsky, then in ballet, due to its genre specificity, it was impossible. In this regard, Prokofiev’s turn to Shakespeare’s plot was a bold step. However, the traditions of Russian and Soviet ballet prepared this step.

The appearance of the ballet “Romeo and Juliet” constitutes an important turning point in the work of Sergei Prokofiev. The ballet "Romeo and Juliet" became one of the most significant achievements in the search for a new choreographic performance. Prokofiev strives to embody living human emotions and affirm realism. Prokofiev's music clearly reveals the main conflict of Shakespeare's tragedy - the clash of bright love with the family feud of the older generation, characterizing the savagery of the medieval way of life. The composer created a synthesis in ballet - a fusion of drama and music, just as Shakespeare in his time combined poetry with dramatic action in Romeo and Juliet. Prokofiev's music conveys the subtlest psychological movements of the human soul, the richness of Shakespeare's thought, the passion and drama of his first of the most perfect tragedies. Prokofiev managed to recreate Shakespearean characters in the ballet in their diversity and completeness, deep poetry and vitality. The poetry of love of Romeo and Juliet, the humor and mischief of Mercutio, the innocence of the Nurse, the wisdom of Pater Lorenzo, the fury and cruelty of Tybalt, the festive and riotous color of Italian streets, the tenderness of the morning dawn and the drama of death scenes - all this is embodied by Prokofiev with skill and enormous expressive power.

The specifics of the ballet genre required enlargement of the action and its concentration. Cutting off everything incidental or secondary in the tragedy, Prokofiev focused his attention on the central semantic moments: love and death; fatal enmity between two families of the Verona nobility - the Montagues and the Capulets, which led to the death of the lovers. Prokofiev’s “Romeo and Juliet” is a richly developed choreographic drama with complex motivations for psychological states and an abundance of clear musical portraits and characteristics. The libretto concisely and convincingly shows the basis of Shakespeare's tragedy. It preserves the main sequence of scenes (only a few scenes are shortened - 5 acts of the tragedy are grouped into 3 large acts).

"Romeo and Juliet" is a deeply innovative ballet. Its novelty is also manifested in the principles of symphonic development. The symphonized dramaturgy of the ballet contains three different types.

The first is a conflictual opposition between the themes of good and evil. All heroes - bearers of good are shown in a diverse and multifaceted way. The composer presents evil in a more general way, bringing the themes of enmity closer to the themes of rock of the 19th century, and to some themes of evil of the 20th century. Themes of evil appear in all acts except the epilogue. They invade the world of heroes and do not develop.

The second type of symphonic development is associated with the gradual transformation of the images - Mercutio and Juliet, with the disclosure of the psychological states of the heroes and the demonstration of the internal growth of the images.

The third type reveals features of variation, variation, characteristic of Prokofiev’s symphony as a whole; it especially touches on lyrical themes.

All three named types in ballet are also subject to the principles of film editing, a special rhythm of frame action, techniques of close-up, medium and long shots, techniques of “dissolves”, sharp contrasting oppositions that give scenes a special meaning.

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1. The history of the creation of the ballet "Romeo and Juliet". 4

2. Main characters, images, their characteristics. 7

3. Juliet’s theme (analysis of form, means of musical expression, methods of presenting musical material to create an image) 12

Conclusion. 15

References.. 16

Introduction

Sergei Prokofiev was one of the great creators of the 20th century who created innovative musical theater. The plots of his operas and ballets are strikingly contrasting. Prokofiev's legacy is impressive both in the variety of genres and in the number of works he created. The composer wrote over 130 opuses during the period from 1909 to 1952. Prokofiev's rare creative productivity is explained not only by a fanatical desire to compose, but also by discipline and hard work, brought up from childhood. His work includes almost all musical genres: opera and ballet, instrumental concert, symphony, sonata and piano piece, song, romance, cantata, theater and film music, music for children. The breadth of Prokofiev’s creative interests, his amazing ability to switch from one plot to another, and his artistic adaptation to the world of great poetic creations are amazing. Prokofiev's imagination is captured by the images of Scythianism developed by Roerich, Blok, Stravinsky ("Ala and Lolly"), Russian folklore ("The Jester"), the tragedies of Dostoevsky ("The Gambler") and Shakespeare ("Romeo and Juliet"). He turns to the wisdom and eternal kindness of fairy tales by Andersen, Perrault, Bazhov and works selflessly, absorbed in the events of the tragic but glorious pages of Russian history ("Alexander Nevsky", "War and Peace"). He knows how to laugh cheerfully and contagiously (“Duena”, “The Love for Three Oranges”). Selects modern subjects reflecting the time of the October Revolution (cantata "To the 20th Anniversary of October"), the Civil War ("Semyon Kotko"), the Great Patriotic War ("The Tale of a Real Man"). And these works do not become a tribute to the times, a desire to “play along” with events. All of them testify to Prokofiev’s high civic position.

A completely special area of ​​Prokofiev’s creativity was works for children. Until his last days, Prokofiev retained his youthful, fresh perception of the world. Out of great love for children, from communication with them, there arose the mischievous songs “Chatterbox” (to the verses of A. Barto) and “Piglets” (to the verses of L. Kvitka), the fascinating symphonic fairy tale “Peter and the Wolf”, the cycle of piano miniatures “Children’s Music” ", a dramatic poem about a childhood taken away by the war, "The Ballad of a Boy Who Remained Unknown" (text by P. Antokolsky).

Prokofiev often used his own musical themes. But the transfer of themes from essay to essay was always accompanied by creative revisions. This is evidenced by the composer’s sketches and drafts, which played a special role in his creative process. The composing process was often directly influenced by Prokofiev’s live communication with directors, performers, and conductors. Criticisms from the original performers of Romeo and Juliet led to the dynamism of the orchestration in some scenes. However, Prokofiev accepted advice only when it was convincing and did not run counter to his own vision of the work.

At the same time, Prokofiev was a subtle psychologist, and no less than the external side of imagery, the composer was interested in psychological action. He also embodied it with amazing subtlety and precision, as in one of the best ballets of the 20th century - the ballet "Romeo and Juliet".

1. The history of the creation of the ballet "Romeo and Juliet"

The first major work, the ballet Romeo and Juliet, became a true masterpiece. His stage life had a difficult start. It was written in 1935-1936. The libretto was developed by the composer together with director S. Radlov and choreographer L. Lavrovsky (L. Lavrovsky staged the first production of the ballet in 1940 at the Leningrad Opera and Ballet Theater named after S. M. Kirov). But the gradual adaptation to Prokofiev’s unusual music was still crowned with success. The ballet "Romeo and Juliet" was completed in 1936, but was conceived earlier. The fate of the ballet continued to develop complicatedly. At first there were difficulties in completing the ballet. Prokofiev, together with S. Radlov, while developing the script, thought about a happy ending, which caused a storm of indignation among Shakespeare scholars. The apparent disrespect for the great playwright was explained simply: “The reasons that pushed us to this barbarity were purely choreographic: living people can dance, dying people cannot dance lying down.” The decision to end the ballet tragically, like Shakespeare's, was influenced most of all by the fact that there was no pure joy in the music itself, in its final episodes. The problem was resolved after conversations with the choreographers, when it turned out that “it was possible to resolve the fatal ending balletically.” However, the Bolshoi Theater violated the agreement, considering the music non-danceable. For the second time, the Leningrad Choreographic School refused the agreement. As a result, the first production of Romeo and Juliet took place in 1938 in Czechoslovakia, in the city of Brno. The ballet was directed by the famous choreographer L. Lavrovsky. The role of Juliet was danced by the famous G. Ulanova.

Although there have been attempts in the past to present Shakespeare on the ballet stage (for example, in 1926, Diaghilev staged the ballet “Romeo and Juliet” with music by the English composer C. Lambert), but none of them is considered successful. It seemed that if Shakespeare’s images could be embodied in opera, as was done by Bellini, Gounod, Verdi, or in symphonic music, as in Tchaikovsky, then in ballet, due to its genre specificity, it was impossible. In this regard, Prokofiev’s turn to Shakespeare’s plot was a bold step. However, the traditions of Russian and Soviet ballet prepared this step.

The appearance of the ballet “Romeo and Juliet” constitutes an important turning point in the work of Sergei Prokofiev. The ballet "Romeo and Juliet" became one of the most significant achievements in the search for a new choreographic performance. Prokofiev strives to embody living human emotions and affirm realism. Prokofiev's music clearly reveals the main conflict of Shakespeare's tragedy - the clash of bright love with the family feud of the older generation, characterizing the savagery of the medieval way of life. The composer created a synthesis in ballet - a fusion of drama and music, just as Shakespeare in his time combined poetry with dramatic action in Romeo and Juliet. Prokofiev's music conveys the subtlest psychological movements of the human soul, the richness of Shakespeare's thought, the passion and drama of his first of the most perfect tragedies. Prokofiev managed to recreate Shakespearean characters in the ballet in their diversity and completeness, deep poetry and vitality. The poetry of love of Romeo and Juliet, the humor and mischief of Mercutio, the innocence of the Nurse, the wisdom of Pater Lorenzo, the fury and cruelty of Tybalt, the festive and riotous color of Italian streets, the tenderness of the morning dawn and the drama of death scenes - all this is embodied by Prokofiev with skill and enormous expressive power.

The specifics of the ballet genre required enlargement of the action and its concentration. Cutting off everything incidental or secondary in the tragedy, Prokofiev focused his attention on the central semantic moments: love and death; fatal enmity between two families of the Verona nobility - the Montagues and the Capulets, which led to the death of the lovers. Prokofiev’s “Romeo and Juliet” is a richly developed choreographic drama with complex motivations for psychological states and an abundance of clear musical portraits and characteristics. The libretto concisely and convincingly shows the basis of Shakespeare's tragedy. It preserves the main sequence of scenes (only a few scenes are shortened - 5 acts of the tragedy are grouped into 3 large acts).

"Romeo and Juliet" is a deeply innovative ballet. Its novelty is also manifested in the principles of symphonic development. The symphonized dramaturgy of the ballet contains three different types.

The first is a conflictual opposition between the themes of good and evil. All heroes - bearers of good are shown in a diverse and multifaceted way. The composer presents evil in a more general way, bringing the themes of enmity closer to the themes of rock of the 19th century, and to some themes of evil of the 20th century. Themes of evil appear in all acts except the epilogue. They invade the world of heroes and do not develop.

The second type of symphonic development is associated with the gradual transformation of the images - Mercutio and Juliet, with the disclosure of the psychological states of the heroes and the demonstration of the internal growth of the images.

The third type reveals features of variation, variation, characteristic of Prokofiev’s symphony as a whole; it especially touches on lyrical themes.

All three named types in ballet are also subject to the principles of film editing, a special rhythm of frame action, techniques of close-up, medium and long shots, techniques of “dissolves”, sharp contrasting oppositions that give scenes a special meaning.

2. Main characters, images, their characteristics

The ballet has three acts (the fourth act is an epilogue), two numbers and nine scenes.

Act I - exposition of images, acquaintance of Romeo and Juliet at the ball.

Act II. Scene 4 – a bright world of love, a wedding. Scene 5 – a terrible scene of hostility and death.

Act III. Scene 6 – farewell. Scenes 7, 8 – Juliet’s decision to take a sleeping potion.

Epilogue.9 picture – death of Romeo and Juliet.

The first scene takes place among the picturesque squares and streets of Verona, gradually filling with traffic after a night's rest. The scene of the main character, Romeo, “languishing with longing for love,” seeking solitude, is replaced by a quarrel and a fight between representatives of two warring families. The raging opponents are stopped by the Duke’s formidable order: “On pain of death, disperse! "

Libretto by L. Lavrovsky, A. Piotrovsky, S. Radlov, S. Prokofiev based on the tragedy of the same name by W. Shakespeare. Staged by L. Lavrovsky. Artist P. Williams.

Characters:
Escalus, Duke of Verona.

Paris, a young nobleman, Juliet's fiancé.

Capulet.

Capulet's wife.

Juliet, their daughter.

Tybalt, Capulet's nephew.

Juliet's nurse.

Montagues.

Romeo, their son.

Mercutio and Benvolio, friends of Romeo.

Lorenzo, monk.

Samsone, Gregorio, Pietro - servants of the Capulet.

Abramio, Balthazar - servants of Montague.

Paris's page.

Page Romeo.

Juliet's friends.

The owner of the zucchini.

Maids.

Troubadour.

A young man in battle.

Greengrocer.

Townspeople.

In the middle of the orchestral introduction, the curtain opens, revealing to the audience a three-piece triptych picture: on the right is Romeo, on the left is Juliet, in the center is Lorenzo. This is the epigraph to the play.

Verona in the early morning. The city is still dormant. Romeo alone can't sleep. He wanders aimlessly through the deserted streets, immersed in dreams of love.

The streets gradually come to life, early passers-by appear. Stretching lazily and having difficulty losing sleep, the inn's maids clear the tables.

The servants Gregorio, Samsone and Pietro leave the Capulet house. They make nice with the maids and start dancing. On the other side of the square, Balthazar and Abramio come out of Montague's house.

Servants of two warring families glance sideways at each other, looking for a reason to quarrel. Stinging jokes turn into bickering, someone pushes someone, and a fight breaks out. The weapon is drawn. One of the servants is wounded. Benvolio, Montague's nephew, separates the fighters and orders everyone to disperse. The servants, grumbling dissatisfiedly, obey.

And here comes Tybalt, Capulet's nephew. An adventurer and a bully, he is just waiting for the chance to fight the hated Montagues. The opportunity presented itself. The battle begins. The Montagues and Capulets run out of their houses in response to the noise. The fight is heating up.

The whole city was in motion. Heavy bells sound. The Duke of Verona appears. With the movement of his sword, he gives a sign to lay down his weapon. From now on, the Duke announces, anyone who starts a fight with a weapon in their hands will be executed.

The people, satisfied with the Duke's order, disperse.

Juliet's room. The naughty Juliet cheerfully teases her Nurse, throws pillows at her, runs away from her, and she, clumsily waddling, tries to catch her.

The merry fuss is interrupted by Juliet's Mother. Gradually and sternly, she tells her daughter to stop playing pranks: after all, Juliet is already a bride. Such a worthy young man as Paris asks for her hand. Juliet laughs in response. Then the Mother solemnly brings her daughter to the mirror. Juliet can see for herself - she is quite an adult.

A ball has been announced at the Capulet palace. The nobility of Verona in festive clothes goes to the celebration. Accompanied by singers and musicians, Juliet's friends and Paris go to the ball with their page. Mercutio runs by, talking animatedly and laughing. He is dissatisfied with Romeo, he does not understand his sadness. And Romeo himself cannot figure out what is happening to him. He is tormented by ominous forebodings.

The action moves to the hall of the Capulet house. Solemnly seated at the tables, the guests conduct a decorous conversation. The dancing begins. The guests ask Juliet to dance. She agrees. Juliet's dance reveals her purity, charm, and poetry. Romeo, who entered the hall, is unable to take his eyes off her.

Wearing a hilarious mask, Mercutio amuses the guests to tears. Taking advantage of the fact that Mercutio has captured everyone’s attention, Romeo approaches Juliet and excitedly tells her about the feeling that has arisen in him. The mask accidentally falls off Romeo's face. Juliet is amazed by Romeo's beauty and nobility. Love also kindled in Juliet's heart.

Tybalt, an involuntary witness to this scene, recognized Romeo. Putting on the mask, Romeo disappears. When the guests leave, the Nurse tells Juliet that Romeo belongs to the Montague family. But nothing can stop Romeo and Juliet. On a moonlit night they meet in the garden.

Juliet is completely at the mercy of the feeling that flared up for the first time. Unable to bear even the shortest separation from her beloved, Juliet sends Romeo a letter, which the Nurse must give to him. In search of Romeo, the Nurse and her accompanying Pietro find themselves in the thick of the carnival fun.

Hundreds of townspeople are dancing the tarantella, singing, and frolicking in the square. A procession carrying a statue of the Madonna appears to the sounds of an orchestra.

Some mischievous people tease the Nurse, but she is busy with one thing - looking for Romeo. And here he is. The letter was delivered. Romeo reverently reads Juliet's message. She agrees to become his wife.

Romeo comes to Father Lorenzo's cell. He tells Lorenzo about his love for Juliet and asks him to marry them. Touched by the purity and strength of Romeo and Juliet's feelings, Lorenzo agrees. And when Juliet enters the cell, Lorenzo blesses their union.

And in the squares of Verona the carnival is noisy and sparkling. Among the merry Veronese, Romeo's friends are Mercutio and Benvolio. Seeing Mercutio, Tybalt starts a quarrel and challenges him to a duel. Romeo, who arrived at this time, tries to calm down the quarrels, but Tybalt mocks Romeo, calling him a coward. And when Romeo withdraws Mercutio's sword to prevent bloodshed, Tybalt deals Mercutio a fatal blow. Overcoming the pain, Mercutio tries to joke, he dances, but his movements weaken and he falls dead.

Not remembering himself from grief, avenging his beloved friend, Romeo enters into battle with Tybalt and kills him.

Juliet's mother runs out of the Capulet house. She calls for revenge. Benvolio takes Romeo away, who must immediately escape.

At night, Romeo secretly sneaks into Juliet's room to see his beloved before separation... Dawn is approaching. Lovers say goodbye for a long time. Finally Romeo leaves.

Morning. The Nurse enters, followed by Juliet's parents. They report that the day of her wedding with Paris has been set. Juliet begs Mother and Father to spare her, not to force her into a union she hates with someone she doesn’t love. The will of the parents is adamant. The father raises his hand to Juliet. She runs to Lorenzo in desperation. He gives Juliet a potion, drinking which she will fall into a deep sleep similar to death. Only Romeo will know the truth. He will return for her and take her away secretly from the open crypt. Juliet happily accepts Lorenzo's plan.

Returning home and pretending to be submissive, she agrees to marry Paris. Left alone, Juliet drinks the drug. When her friends come in the morning to dress her for the wedding, they find the bride dead. The news of Juliet's death reaches Mantua, where Romeo fled. Overcome with grief, he hurries to Verona. The funeral cortege is moving. Juliet rests in an open coffin. The coffin is placed in the family tomb. Everyone leaves. Night. Romeo runs into the cemetery. He falls to the tomb, says goodbye to Juliet and drinks poison.

Juliet wakes up. Consciousness and memory do not immediately return to her. But when she sees herself in the cemetery, she remembers everything. Her gaze falls on Romeo. She rushes towards him. Saying goodbye to him, saying goodbye to life, Juliet stabs herself with Romeo's dagger.

Old men Montagues and Capulets approach the grave. They look in horror at the dead children. Then they stretch out their hands to each other and swear in the name of life, in the memory of two beautiful creatures, to cease hostility forever.

There are two known backgrounds to the appearance of Kenneth MacMillan's ballet Romeo and Juliet: MacMillan created his production after F. Ashton (1955), or the choreographer was inspired by the touring performances of the Bolshoi Theater troupe in October 1956 in London. The likelihood of the second version is indicated, in particular, by the names of S. Prokofiev and S. Radlov (as the authors of the libretto) in the credits of the film-ballet Romeo and Juliet performed by the La Scala troupe with A. Ferri and A. Korea in the main roles. The American critic E. Porter also believed (1973) that K. MacMillan borrowed some structural solutions for the ensembles from J. Cranko (1958).

K. Macmillan initially staged the ballet by L. Seymour and K. Gable at Covent Garden, but the premiere, which took place on February 9, 1965, was danced by M. Fontaine and R. Nureyev. The performance was a great success, the artists were called to bow 43 times.

K. McMillan's version is distinguished by inventive and beautiful duets of Juliet and Romeo, Juliet and Paris, strengthening of Romeo's dance part (sometimes at the expense of other characters, for example, part of the image of Mercutio - both meaningfully and musically - is taken over by Romeo), while variations Romeos consist primarily of jumping, and also enhance the dramatic performance of the actors on stage in the spirit of realism. K. McMillan's production can be called one of the most emotional versions of the ballet Romeo and Juliet.

SCENARIO PLAN FOR THE BALLET ROMEO AND JULIET
[based on a video version of the La Scala ballet]

Ballet in 3 acts, 13 scenes
Music by S. Prokofiev

Choreography by K. McMillan

Sets and costumes by N. Georgiadis

1. INTRODUCTION
(with curtain closed)

ACT ONE

Scene one

2. ROMEO
Verona Market Square. Early morning. Romeo comes out and tries to declare his love to Rosaline, who rejects him. Romeo joins his friends Mercutio and Benvolio.

3. THE STREET WAKES UP
As the day approaches, the square is filled with merchants and peasants. Romeo dreamily watches what is happening.

4. MORNING DANCE
Romeo and his friends dance with street girls and flirt with them. Each of the three couples has their own little dance. The people of the Capulet house appear.

5. ARGUMENT
Tybalt and his friends insult one of the girls. A fight ensues.

6. FIGHT
Massive sword fight scene. In the finale, the fathers of the Montague and Capulet families appear with swords.

7. ORDER OF THE DUKE
The Duke of Verona appears and orders everyone to stop the quarrel. On both sides they mourn the dead, then drag them into one heap in the middle of the stage.

8. INTERLUDE
The Duke forces the heads of two warring houses to shake hands. At his command, everyone lays down their weapons on the ground, but hostility remains.

Scene two

9. PREPARATION FOR THE BALL
(with curtain closed)

10. JULIET THE GIRL
Juliet's room in the Capulet house. To the right and left are large bird cages. The Nurse is sitting in the room. Juliet runs in with a doll and begins to play with the Nurse. Juliet's father and mother enter along with Paris, who is tipped to be Juliet's groom. A small duet of Juliet and Paris. After the guests leave, Juliet takes up the doll again, but the Nurse reminds her: childhood is already over, she will soon get married.

Scene three

11. CONGRESS OF GUESTS (Minuet)
The area in front of the gates of the Capulet house. The guests invited to the ball pass by. Tybalt meets everyone. Romeo and his masked friends are right there. Rosalina appears. Tybalt gives her a rose. Romeo draws Rosaline's attention to himself. Rosaline leaves with Tybalt, dropping a rose for Romeo.

12. MASKS
Pas de trois Romeo, Mercutio and Benvolio (without masks). The dance is permeated with humor and play. In the finale, the friends put on masks and cloaks again and decide to follow Rosaline to the Capulet house.

Scene four

13. DANCE OF THE KNIGHTS
Ballroom in the Capulet house. In the background in the center is a wide staircase. The guests are dancing, on the proscenium are Tybalt and Paris. Romeo, Mercutio and Benvolio appear on the stairs. After a while - Juliet and the Nurse. Romeo looks for Rosaline and dances with her. Juliet comes to the center of the stage. A duet between Juliet and Paris, in the finale of which Romeo and Juliet meet their gazes. The dance of the knights continues.

48. MORNING SERENADE
The girls start dancing. Next comes the Romeo variation. Romeo's dance is addressed to Juliet, who plays the mandolin. In the finale, Paris takes Juliet away from Romeo.

14. VARIATION OF JULIET
At the end of the variation, Romeo joins Juliet in dancing. All the dancers pay attention to them.

15. MERCUTIO
Variation of Mercutio. In the middle there is an insert - No. 26 (NURSE), Benvolio dances to this music. By the end the stage is empty. Only Tybalt and Mercutio remain, and soon they leave.

16. MADRIGAL
Juliet appears, followed by Romeo. They are drawn to each other. However, the Nurse, Lady Capulet, Tybalt and Paris alternately appear on the stage, and Romeo has to constantly hide from them. Finally the young people are left alone. Romeo takes off his mask. Duet of Romeo and Juliet.

17. TYBALD RECOGNIZES ROMEO
Tybalt appears and tells Romeo to leave. The Capulets appear and, in accordance with the laws of hospitality, allow Romeo to stay. The nurse tells Juliet who Romeo is.

18. GAVOT (Departure of guests)
Ballroom. The ball continues. Romeo dances without a mask among the guests, sometimes meeting either Juliet or Tybalt. Gradually the guests disperse.

Fifth picture

18. GAVOT (Departure of guests)
The gate of the Capulet house from which the guests come out. Tybalt follows Romeo. But Capulet forbids Tybalt to pursue Romeo.

Sixth picture

19. BALCONY SCENE
Night. Garden at the Capulet house. Juliet goes out onto the balcony. Romeo runs in wearing a cloak. Juliet goes down to him.

20. ROMEO VARIATION
Consists mainly of jumping.

21. LOVE DANCE
Characterized by a variety of supports. Romeo and Juliet declare their love and swear allegiance.

ACT TWO

Seventh picture

22. FOLK DANCE
Verona Market Square. Here life is in full swing, young people are dancing - three girls are soloists.

23. ROMEO AND MERCUTIO
Romeo appears. One of the girls asks him to dance, but he is lost in his thoughts. Mercutio and Benvolio run in.

24. DANCE OF FIVE COUPLES
Romeo nevertheless begins to dance, as if testing his feelings. His friends join him. In the middle is insert No. 31 (FOLK DANCE AGAIN). A wedding procession appears on stage to this music. Romeo thinks.

Continuation of the general dance.

25. DANCE WITH MANDOLINS.
Street musicians and artists dance.

26. NURSE
The nurse is looking for Romeo to give a note from Juliet. Romeo, Mercutio and Benvolio put on masks and make fun of the Nurse.

27. THE NURSE GIVES ROMEO A NOTE FROM JULIET
Romeo happily reads the note and runs away.

Eighth picture

28. ROMEO AT PATER LORENZO
Father Lorenzo's cell. The monk is deep in prayer. Romeo runs in and gives Father Lorenzo Juliet’s note.

29. JULIET AT PATER LORENZO
The Nurse appears, followed by Juliet. Wedding scene.

Ninth picture

30. THE FUN CONTINUES
People continue to have fun in the square. Tybalt and his comrades appear in the background.

31. AGAIN FOLK DANCE
Couples dance, including the getting married couple (appearing in the 7th scene)

32. TYBALD'S MEETING WITH MERCUTIO
Tybalt quarrels with Mercutio. Romeo returns and tries to reconcile them. Tybalt bullies Romeo, but he refuses to fight.

33.TYBALD FIGHTS MERCUTIO
This is not a dance episode. Tybalt wounds Mercutio.

34. MERCUTIO DIES
[The scene is extremely similar to a similar one staged by L. Lavrovsky]

In the finale, Mercutio makes a gesture that can be interpreted as Plague take both of your families!

35. ROMEO DECIDES TO Avenge MERCUTIO'S DEATH
Expressive non-dance scene. Romeo kills Tybalt.

36. FINALE OF ACT II
[The stage is also built in the spirit of L. Lavrovsky’s production]

Lady Capulet mourns Tybalt and rushes at Romeo with her sword. Romeo is in despair. In the finale, the Capulet couple are on stage over Tybalt's body.

ACT THREE
[pantomime predominates in the third act]

Tenth picture

37. INTRODUCTION
(with curtain closed)

38. ROMEO AND JULIET
Juliet's bedroom. Duet of Romeo and Juliet (various supports).

39. FAREWELL BEFORE SEPARATION
The duet smoothly transitions into this musical theme. After a long kiss, Romeo runs away by jumping from the balcony.

40. NURSE
The Nurse enters, then Juliet's parents and Paris. Musical themes No. 11 (Minuet) and No. 38 (ROMEO AND JULIET) are played.

41. JULIET REFUSES TO MARRY PARIS
Juliet rejects Paris, angering her father. Theme No. 13 (DANCE OF THE KNIGHTS) sounds

42. JULIET ALONE
Juliet's monologue is based on dramatic play and is emotionally expressive.

43. INTERLUDE
Juliet's Run - Juliet throws a cloak on herself, runs around the stage in a circle and hides in the left wings.

Eleventh picture

44. AT LORENZO's
Conversation with Father Lorenzo. The monk offers Juliet a sleeping potion.

45. INTERLUDE

Twelfth picture

46. ​​AGAIN AT JULIET'S
Juliet's bedroom. Juliet returns. There is a conversation with her parents, Juliet agrees to marry Paris. Little duet with Paris.

47. JULIET ALONE
Drama, naturalism of experiences. At the end of the scene, Juliet drinks the drink.

49. DANCE OF GIRLS WITH LILIES
Six of Juliet's friends are dancing. They are trying to wake her up.

50. AT JULIET'S BED
The Nurse enters with a dress for Juliet. Then the Capulet mother and father. Everyone understands that Juliet is dead. General despair.

Thirteenth picture

51. JULIET'S FUNERAL
Capulet family crypt. In the middle of it lies Juliet. Torchlight funeral procession. Here are Juliet's parents, Paris and the Nurse. Romeo appears secretly and cries. Everyone leaves, Paris remains in the crypt to say goodbye to Juliet. Romeo kills him. Then he runs to Juliet, holds her close, dances with her, but Juliet does not wake up. Then Romeo drinks the poison and dies.

52. DEATH OF JULIET
Juliet wakes up. Discovers first the dead Paris, then Romeo. Juliet takes Paris's dagger and stabs herself with it.

Final mise-en-scène: Romeo lies on his back, arms outstretched, head down on the stairs near Juliet’s coffin (head towards the audience), Juliet is in the same position on the bed of the coffin, touching Romeo’s hand.

Ekaterina Karavanova

GENERAL PLAN OF THE BALLET “ROMEO AND JULIET” ACCORDING TO THE CLAVIR
S.S. Prokofiev, Op. 64

Ballet in 4 acts, 9 scenes

Score: Music Publishing House, 1991 Moscow.

1. INTRODUCTION (With the curtain closed) Allegro assai

The curtain opens

ACT ONE

Scene one

2. ROMEO (Andante)
3. THE STREET WAKES UP (Allegretto)

4. MORNING DANCE (Allegro) was written by the composer at the request of L. Lavrovsky based on the Scherzo from the Second Piano Sonata.

5. ARGUMENT (Allegro brusco)

6. FIGHT (Presto)

7. ORDER OF THE DUKE (Andante)

8. INTERLUDE (Andante pompozo)

Scene two

9. PREPARATION FOR THE BALL (Juliet and the Nurse) (Andante assai. Scherzando)
10. JULIET THE GIRL (Vivace)

11. CONGRESS OF GUESTS (Minuet) (Assai Moderato)

12. MASKS (Romeo, Mercutio and Benvolio in masks) (Andante marciale)

13. DANCE OF THE KNIGHTS (Allegro pesante. Side theme: Juliet dances with Paris. Poco piu Tranquillo, then the main theme of the “Dance” is repeated)

14. VARIATION OF JULIET (Moderato)

15. MERCUTIO

16. MADRIGAL (Andante tenero)

17. TYBALD RECOGNIZES ROMEO (Allegro)

18. GAVOTTE (Allegro)

19. SCENE AT THE BALCONY (Larghetto)

20. VARIATION OF ROMEO (Allegretto amoroso)

21. LOVE DANCE (Andante)

ACT TWO

Scene three

22. FOLK DANCE (Allegro giocoso)
23. ROMEO AND MERCUTIO (Andante tenero)

24. DANCE OF FIVE COUPLES (Vivo)

25. DANCE WITH MANDOLINS (Vavace)

26. NURSE (Adagio scherzoso)

27. THE NURSE GIVES ROMEO A NOTE FROM JULIET (Vivace)

Scene four

28. ROMEO AT PATER LORENZO (Andante espressivo)
29. JULIET AT PATER LORENZO (Lento)

Scene five

30. THE PEOPLE'S FUN CONTINUES (Vivo)
31. AGAIN FOLK DANCE (Allegro giocoso)

32. TYBALD'S MEETING WITH MERCUTIO (During which Romeo

Returns from Lorenzo and tries to reconcile them) (Moderato)

33. TYBALD FIGHTS MERCUTIO (Precipitato)

34. MERCUTIO DIES (Moderato)

35. ROMEO DECIDES TO Avenge MERCUTIO’S DEATH (Andante. Animato)

36. FINALE OF ACT II

ACT THREE

Scene six

37. INTRODUCTION (Andante)
38. ROMEO AND JULIET (Juliet's Bedroom) (Lento)

39. FAREWELL BEFORE SEPARATION (Andante)

40. THE NURSE (Andante assai)

41. JULIET REFUSES TO MARRY PARIS (Vivace)

42. JULIET ALONE (Adagio)

43. INTERLUDE (Adagio)

Scene seven

44. At LORENZO's (Andante)
45. INTERLUDE (L'istesso tempo)

Scene eight

46. ​​AGAIN AT JULIET'S (Moderato tranquillo)
47. JULIET ALONE

48. MORNING SERENADE (Mandolins backstage) (Andante giocoso)

49. DANCE OF GIRLS WITH LILS (Andante con eleganza)

50. AT JULIET'S BED (Andante asai)

ACT FOUR (EPILOGUE)

Scene nine

51. JULIET'S FUNERAL (Adagio funebre)
52. THE DEATH OF JULIET (Juliet wakes up, commits suicide, dies hugging Romeo. The crowd approaches timidly) (Adagio meno mosso del tempo precendente)

NB: No. 18 GAVOT – inserted, taken from the “Classical Symphony”

"Romeo and Juliet" in the language of Terpsichore

“Soul-filled flight.”
“Eugene Onegin” A. S. Pushkin.

The immortal story of Romeo and Juliet, undoubtedly, has long taken its unshakable place on the Olympus of world culture. Over the centuries, the charm of the moving love story and its popularity have created the preconditions for numerous adaptations in every possible artistic form. Ballet couldn’t stay away either.

In Venice back in 1785, E. Luzzi’s five-act ballet “Juliet and Romeo” was performed.
The outstanding choreographer August Bournonville, in his book “My Theatrical Life,” describes the curious production of “Romeo and Juliet” in 1811 in Copenhagen by choreographer Vincenzo Galeotte to the music of Schall. In this ballet, such an essential Shakespearean motif as the family feud between the Montagues and the Capulets was omitted: Juliet was simply forcibly married to the hated count, and the heroine’s dance with her unloved groom at the end of Act IV was a great success with the public. The funniest thing was that the roles of the young Verona lovers were assigned - according to the existing theatrical hierarchy - to artists of very respectable age; the performer Romeo was fifty years old, Juliet was about forty, Paris was forty-three, and Friar Lorenzo was played by the famous choreographer Vincenzo Galeotti himself, who was seventy-eight!

VERSION BY LEONID LAVROVSKY. THE USSR.

In 1934, the Moscow Bolshoi Theater approached Sergei Prokofiev with a proposal to write music for the ballet Romeo and Juliet. This was the time when the famous composer, frightened by the emergence of dictatorial regimes in the heart of Europe, returned to the Soviet Union and wanted one thing - to calmly work for the good of his homeland, which he left in 1918. Having concluded an agreement with Prokofiev, the management of the Bolshoi Theater hoped for the appearance of a ballet in the traditional style on an eternal theme. Fortunately, in the history of Russian music there have already been excellent examples of this, created by the unforgettable Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. The text of the tragic story of the Verona lovers was well known in the country where Shakespeare's theater enjoyed popular love.
In 1935, the score was completed and preparations for the production began. Immediately, the ballet dancers declared the music “non-danceable,” and the orchestra members declared it “contradictory to the techniques of playing musical instruments.” In October of the same year, Prokofiev performed a suite from the ballet, arranged for piano, during a recital in Moscow. A year later, he combined the most expressive passages from the ballet into two suites (a third appeared in 1946). Thus, the music for the never-staged ballet began to be performed in symphony programs by the largest European and American orchestras. After the Bolshoi Theater finally broke the contract with the composer, the Leningrad Kirov (now Mariinsky) Theater became interested in the ballet and staged it on its stage in January 1940.

Largely thanks to the choreography of Leonid Lavrovsky and the embodiment of the images of Juliet and Romeo by Galina Ulanova and Konstantin Sergeev, the premiere of the production became an unprecedented event in the cultural life of the second capital. The ballet turned out to be majestic and tragic, but at the same time romantic to the point of awe. The director and artists managed to achieve the main thing - the audience felt a deep internal connection between Romeo and Juliet and Tchaikovsky’s ballets. On the wave of success, Prokofiev later created two more beautiful, although not as successful, ballets - “Cinderella” and “The Stone Flower”. The Minister of Culture expressed the wish that love in ballet would triumph over the criminal villainy of the authorities. The composer was of the same opinion, although for different reasons related to the requirements of the stage production.

However, the influential Moscow Shakespeare Commission opposed this decision, defending the rights of the author, and the powerful adherents of socialist optimism were forced to surrender. In an atmosphere that was deliberately folk and realistic, and, therefore, opposed to the avant-garde and modernist trends of contemporary ballet at that time, a new stage in the art of classical dance began. However, before this flowering could bear fruit, the Second World War began, suspending all cultural activity in both the USSR and Western Europe for five long years.

The first and main feature of the new ballet was its length - it consisted of thirteen scenes, not counting the prologue and epilogue. The plot was as close as possible to Shakespeare's text, and the general idea carries a reconciling meaning. Lavrovsky decided to minimize the outdated facial expressions of the 19th century, widespread in Russian theaters, giving preference to dance as an element, dance that is born in the direct manifestation of feelings. The choreographer was able to present in basic terms the horror of death and the pain of unfulfilled love, already clearly expressed by the composer; he created live crowd scenes with breathtaking fights (he even consulted a weapons specialist to stage them). In 1940, Galina Ulanova turned thirty years old; to some, she might seem too old for the role of Juliet. In fact, it is unknown whether the image of a young lover would have been born without this performance. The ballet became an event of such significance that it opened a new stage in the ballet art of the Soviet Union - and this despite the strict censorship by the ruling authorities during the difficult years of Stalinism, which tied Prokofiev’s hands. At the end of the war, the ballet began its triumphal march throughout the world. It entered the repertoire of all ballet theaters of the USSR and European countries, where new, interesting choreographic solutions were found for it.

The ballet “Romeo and Juliet” was first staged on January 11, 1940 at the Kirov (now Mariinsky) Theater in Leningrad. This is the official version. However, the true “premiere” - albeit in a shortened form - took place on December 30, 1938 in the Czechoslovakian city of Brno. The orchestra was led by the Italian conductor Guido Arnoldi, the choreographer was the young Ivo Vania-Psota, who also performed the role of Romeo together with Zora Semberova - Juliet. All documentary evidence of this production was lost as a result of the Nazis' arrival in Czechoslovakia in 1939. For the same reason, the choreographer was forced to flee to America, where he unsuccessfully tried to stage the ballet again. How could it happen that such a significant production was staged almost illegally outside of Russia?
In 1938, Prokofiev toured the West for the last time as a pianist. In Paris he performed both suites from the ballet. The conductor of the Brno Opera House was present in the hall, and was extremely interested in the new music.

The composer gave him a copy of his suites, and the ballet was staged on their basis. Meanwhile, the Kirov (now Mariinsky) Theater finally approved the production of the ballet. Everyone preferred to hush up the fact that the production took place in Brno; Prokofiev - so as not to antagonize the USSR Ministry of Culture, the Kirov Theater - so as not to lose the right of the first production, the Americans - because they wanted to live in peace and respect copyrights, the Europeans - because they were much more worried about the serious political problems that had to be solved. Only a few years after the Leningrad premiere did newspaper articles and photographs emerge from the Czech archives; documentary evidence of that production.

In the 50s of the twentieth century, the ballet “Romeo and Juliet” conquered the whole world like a hurricane epidemic. Numerous interpretations and new versions of the ballet appeared, sometimes causing sharp protests from critics. No one in the Soviet Union raised their hand to Lavrovsky’s original production, except that Oleg Vladimirov, on the stage of the Maly Opera Theater in Leningrad in the 70s, nevertheless brought the story of young lovers to a happy ending. However, he soon returned to the traditional production. You can also note the Stockholm version of 1944 - in it, shortened to fifty minutes, the emphasis is on the struggle of two warring factions. One cannot ignore the versions by Kenneth Mac Milan and the London Royal Ballet with the unforgettable Rudolf Nureyev and Margot Fonteyn; John Neumeier and the Royal Danish Ballet, in whose interpretation love is glorified and extolled as a force capable of resisting any coercion. It would be possible to list many other interpretations, starting with the London production by Frederick Ashton, the ballet on the singing fountains in Prague to the Moscow performance by Yuri Grigorovich, but we will focus on the interpretation of the brilliant Rudolf Nureyev.

Thanks to Nuriev, Prokofiev's ballet received a new impetus. The importance of Romeo's party increased, becoming equal in importance to Juliet's party. There was a breakthrough in the history of the genre - before this, the male role was certainly subordinated to the prima ballerina. In this sense, Nureyev is indeed the direct heir of such mythical characters as Vaslav Nijinsky (who reigned on the stage of the Russian Ballets from 1909 to 1918), or Serge Lefar (who shone in the grandiose productions of the Paris Opera in the 30s).

RUDOLF NURIEV'S VERSION. USSR, AUSTRIA.

Rudolf Nureyev's production is much darker and more tragic than Leonid Lavrovsky's light and romantic production, but that makes it no less beautiful. From the very first minutes it becomes clear that the sword of Damocles of fate has already been raised over the heroes and its fall is inevitable. In his version, Nureyev allowed himself some divergence from Shakespeare. He introduced Rosaline into the ballet, who is present in the classic only as an ethereal phantom. Showed warm family feelings between Tybalt and Juliet; the scene when young Capulet finds herself between two fires, having learned about the death of her brother and that her husband is his killer, literally gives you goosebumps; it seems that even then some part of the girl’s soul dies. The death of Lorenzo's father is a little jarring, but in this ballet it is in complete harmony with the overall impression. Interesting fact: artists never fully rehearse the final scene; they dance here and now as their heart dictates.

VERSION BY N. RYZHENKO AND V. SMIRNOV-GOLOVANOV. THE USSR.

In 1968, a mini ballet was staged. Choreography by N. Ryzhenko and V. Smirnov - Golovanov to the music of “Fantasy Overture” by P.I. Tchaikovsky. In this version, all characters except the main ones are missing. The role of tragic events and circumstances that stand in the way of lovers is performed by the corps de ballet. But this will not prevent a person familiar with the plot from understanding the meaning, idea and appreciating the versatility and imagery of the production.

The film - the ballet "Shakespearean", which in addition to "Romeo and Juliet" includes miniatures on the theme of "Othello" and "Hamlet", is still different from the miniature mentioned above, despite the fact that it uses the same music and the directors are the same or choreographers. Here the character of Father Lorenzo has been added, and the rest of the characters, although in the corps de ballet, are still present, and the choreography has also been slightly changed. A wonderful frame for a picture is an ancient castle on the seashore, within the walls and surroundings of which the action takes place. ...And now the overall impression is completely different....

Two simultaneously so similar and so different creations, each of which deserves special attention.

VERSION OF RADU POKLITARU. MOLDOVA.

The production of the Moldavian choreographer Radu Poklitaru is interesting in that Tybalt’s hatred during the duel is directed not so much at Romeo as at Mercutio, since at the ball he, disguised as a woman, in order to protect his friend, flirted with the “cat king” and even kissed him, thereby exposing him to universal ridicule. In this version, the “balcony” scene is replaced by a scene similar to a scene from a miniature set to Tchaikovsky’s music, depicting the situation as a whole. The character of Father Lorenzo is interesting. He is blind and thus, as it were, personifies the idea voiced first by Victor Hugo in the novel “The Man Who Laughs”, and then by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry in “The Little Prince” that “only the heart is vigilant”, because despite blindness, he alone sees what sighted people do not notice. The scene of Romeo’s death is eerie and at the same time romantic; he places a dagger in his beloved’s hand, then reaches out to kiss her and, as it were, impales himself on the blade.

MAURICE BEJART'S VERSION. FRANCE, SWITZERLAND.

The ballet Dramatic Symphony “Romeo and Juliet” to the music of Hector Berlioz was staged by Maurice Bejart. The performance was filmed in the Boboli Gardens (Florence, Italy). It begins with a Prologue set in modern times. In the rehearsal hall, where a group of dancers have gathered, a quarrel breaks out, turning into a general brawl. Here Bejar himself, the choreographer, the Author, jumps out of the auditorium onto the stage. A brief wave of the hands, a snap of the fingers - and everyone goes to their places. At the same time as the choreographer, two more dancers emerge from the depths of the stage, who were not there before and who did not participate in the previous fight. They are wearing the same suits as everyone else, but white. These are still just dancers, but the choreographer suddenly sees his heroes in them - Romeo and Juliet. And then he becomes the Author, and the viewer feels how a plan is mysteriously born, which the Author, like the Creator-Demiurge, conveys to the dancers - through them the plan must be realized. The author here is the mighty ruler of his stage-universe, who, however, is powerless to change the fate of the heroes he has brought to life. This is beyond the power of the Author. He can only convey his plan to the actors, only initiate them into part of what is about to happen, taking upon himself the burden of responsibility for his decision.... In this performance, some heroes of the play are missing, and the production itself rather conveys the general essence of the tragedy than tells Shakespearean story.

VERSION BY MAURO BIGONZETTI.

The innovative design of a charismatic multimedia artist, Prokofiev's classical music and Mauro Bigonzetti's vibrant, eclectic choreography, which focuses not on the tragic love story but on its energy, create a show that merges media art and the art of ballet. Passion, conflict, fate, love, death - these are the five elements that make up the choreography of this controversial ballet, based on sensuality and having a strong emotional impact on the viewer.

MATS EKA VERSION. SWEDEN.

Submitting to every note of Tchaikovsky, Swedish theatergoer Mats Ek composed his own ballet. In his performance there is no place for Prokofiev's ebullient Verona with its crowded holidays, riotous fun of the crowd, carnivals, religious processions, courtly gavottes and picturesque massacres. The set designer has built today's metropolis, a city of avenues and dead ends, garage backyards and luxurious lofts. This is a city of loners who flock together just to survive. Here they kill without pistols or knives - quickly, quietly, routinely and so often that death no longer evokes either horror or anger.

Tybalt will smash Mercutio's head against the corner of the portal wall, and then urinate on his corpse; the enraged Romeo will jump on the back of Tybalt, who has stumbled in the fight, until he breaks his spine. The law of force reigns here, and it looks frighteningly unshakable. One of the most shocking scenes is the Monologue of the Ruler after the first massacre, but his pathetic efforts are meaningless, no one cares about the official authorities, the old man has lost touch with time and people. Perhaps for the first time, the tragedy of the Verona lovers has ceased to be a ballet for two; Mats Ek gave each character a magnificent dance biography - detailed, psychologically sophisticated, with past, present and future.

In the scene of Tybalt's mourning, when his aunt escapes from the hands of her hated husband, one can read the whole life of Lady Capulet, married against her will and tormented by a criminal passion for her nephew. Behind the adventurous virtuosity of the timid little Benvolio, trailing like a dog behind the outcast Mercutio, his hopeless future is visible: if the cowardly fellow is not stabbed to death in the gateway, then this stubborn man from the bottom will receive an education and a clerk position in some office. Mercutio himself, a luxurious shaven-headed fellow in tattoos and leather pants, tormented by unrequited and timid love for Romeo, lives only in the present. Periods of depression are followed by bursts of furious energy, when this giant soars in twisted leggings or acts like a fool at a ball, performing the classic entrechat in a tutu.

Mats Ek gave the kindest Nurse a rich past: you just have to watch how this elderly lady juggles four guys, wringing her hands in Spanish, swaying her hips and swinging her skirt. In the title of the ballet, Mats Ek put Juliet's name first because she is the leader in the love couple: she makes fateful decisions, she is the only one in the city who challenges the unforgiving clan, she is the first to meet death - at the hand of her father: there is no Lorenzo's father in the play , no wedding, no sleeping pills - all this is unimportant for Ek.

Swedish reviewers unanimously connected the death of his Juliet with the sensational story of a young Muslim woman in Stockholm: the girl, not wanting to marry the chosen one of the family, ran away from home and was killed by her father. Maybe so: Mats Ek is convinced that the story of Romeo and Juliet is the DNA of all humanity. But no matter what real events inspired the production, what is more important is what takes the performance beyond its relevance. No matter how trite, for Ek it is love. The girl Juliet and the boy Romeo (he looks like a “millionaire from the slums”, only some Brazilian) did not have time to understand how to cope with irresistible yearning. Ek's death is static: in a thoroughly dance performance, the death of teenagers is staged purely as a director and therefore hits home - Juliet and Romeo slowly disappear underground, and only their legs, twisted like withered trees, stick out above the stage as a monument to murdered love.

GOYO MONTERO VERSION.

In the version of the Spanish choreographer Goyo Montero, all the characters are just pawns acting at the will of fate, in a game twisted by fate. There is neither Lord Capulet nor the prince here, but Lady Capulet embodies two aspects: either she is a caring mother, or she is an imperious, cruel, uncompromising mistress. The theme of struggle is clearly expressed in the ballet: the emotional experiences of the characters are shown as an attempt to fight against fate, and the final adagio of the lovers is shown as Juliet’s struggle with herself. The main character observes the plan to get rid of the hated marriage as if from the side, in the crypt, instead of stabbing herself, she opens her veins. Breaking all stereotypes, the dancer performing the part of Fate skillfully recites and even sings excerpts from Shakespeare.

JOEL BOUVIER'S VERSION. FRANCE.

The Bolshoi Theater Ballet of Geneva presented a version of the ballet by Sergei Prokofiev. The author of the production is French choreographer Joelle Bouvier, who made her debut at the Grand Theater of Geneva with this performance. In her vision, the story of Romeo and Juliet, “a story of love strangled by hatred,” can serve as an illustration of any war fought today. This is an abstract production, there are no clearly defined events of the play; rather, the internal state of the characters is shown more, and the action is only slightly outlined.

At one time, the great composer Hector Berlioz, experiencing a feverish fascination with Shakespeare, which later led him to the daring plan of “Shakespeareanization of music,” wrote excitedly from Rome: “Shakespeare's Romeo! God, what a plot! Everything in it seems to be destined for music!.. The dazzling ball in the Capulet house, these frantic fights on the streets of Verona... this inexpressible night scene at Juliet’s balcony, where two lovers whisper about love, tender, sweet and pure, like the rays of the night stars... piquant buffoonery of the careless Mercutio... then a terrible catastrophe... sighs of voluptuousness, transformed into the wheezing of death, and, finally, a solemn oath of two warring families - over the corpses of their unfortunate children - to end the feud that caused so much blood to be shed and tears..."

THIERRY MALANDIN'S VERSION. FRANCE.

In his production, Thierry Malandin used Berlioz's music. In this interpretation, the parts of the Verona lovers are performed by several pairs of artists simultaneously, and the production itself is a set of scenes from the famous tragedy. The world of Romeo and Juliet here consists of iron boxes, which become either barricades, or a balcony, or a bed of love... until, finally, they turn into a coffin, containing a great love that is not understood by this cruel world.

SASHA WALTZ'S VERSION. GERMANY.

German choreographer Sasha Waltz did not want to convey the literary version, but like Berlioz, whose entire story is told in a prologue, stops at moments dedicated to strong emotions. Sublime, spiritual, slightly out of this world heroes look equally harmonious both in lyrical and tragic scenes and in the playful scene “at the ball”. The transforming scenery turns into a balcony, a wall, or becomes a second stage, thereby allowing two scenes to be shown simultaneously. This is not a story of struggle with specific circumstances, this is a story of confrontation with the inevitable fate of fate.

VERSION BY JEAN-CHRISTOPHE MAILOT. FRANCE.

In the French version by Jean-Christophe Maillot, set to music by Prokofiev, two teenage lovers are doomed not because their families are feuding, but because their blinding love leads to self-destruction. The priest and the duke (in this ballet there is one person), a man who acutely experiences the tragedy of the enmity of two irreconcilable clans, but has given up, resigned himself to what is happening and has become an outside observer of the daily bloodbath. Rosaline, restrainedly flirting with Romeo, although much more willingly responding to the hot manifestations of Tybalt’s feelings, whose ambitions as a womanizer become another impetus for the conflict with Mercutio. The scene of Tybalt's murder is done in slow motion, which resonates with the fast, fierce music, thereby visually demonstrating the state of passion under which Romeo commits a terrible crime. The widow, the vamp Lady Capulet, is clearly not indifferent to the young count, who would prefer to become a stepfather than the groom of the young heiress of the family. And also forbidden love, youthful maximalism and much more become the reason that Juliet tightens the noose around her neck and falls lifeless on the body of her lover.

ANGELAN PRELJOCAJ'S VERSION. FRANCE.

Angelin Preljocaj's performance is imbued with leitmotifs from Orwell's novel 1984. But unlike Orwell, who described a totalitarian society under the supervision of “big brother,” the choreographer was able to convey the atmosphere of a prison in a caste society. In a society experiencing a dramatic breakdown in declassification. Juliet is the daughter of the head of the Gulag prison, from the elite Capulet clan, fenced off from the outside world with barbed wire and guarded by shepherd dogs, with whom guards with searchlights walk along the perimeter of the zone. And Romeo is an upstart from the outskirts of the proletarian lower classes, the unbridled world of the mob on the outskirts of the metropolis, where stabbing is the norm. Romeo is aggressively brutal, and he is not at all a romantic hero-lover. Instead of the absent Tybalt, Romeo, sneaking on a date with Juliet, kills the guard. He sweeps away the first cordon, jumps over the hierarchical level, penetrating into the elite world, as if into an alluring “Kafkaesque” castle. In Preljocaj, it is deliberately unclear whether the whole world is a prison, or whether the powers that be are rigidly defending themselves from the declassed world, conserving themselves in ghettos and using violence against any encroachments from the outside. Here all the concepts are “inverted”. It's a siege of everyone against everyone.

It doesn’t matter in what language great stories are told: whether they are played on stage or in cinema, whether they are conveyed by singing or sounded with beautiful music, frozen on canvas, in sculpture, in a camera lens, whether they are built along the lines of human souls and bodies - the main thing is that they lived, live and will live, forcing us to become better.

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The premiere of the “non-dance” ballet “Romeo and Juliet” to the music of Sergei Prokofiev in the USSR was postponed and banned for five years. It was first held on the stage of the Leningrad Opera and Ballet Theater named after Kirov (today the Mariinsky Theater) in 1940. Today, the ballet-symphony is staged on the most famous theater stages in the world, and individual works from it are performed at classical music concerts.

Classic plot and “non-dance” music

Leonid Lavrovsky. Photo: fb.ru

Sergei Prokofiev. Photo: classic-music.ru

Sergei Radlov. Photo: peoples.ru

Sergei Prokofiev, world-famous pianist and composer, participant in the Russian Seasons enterprise of Sergei Diaghilev, returned to the USSR in the 1930s after long tours abroad. At home, the composer decided to write a ballet based on William Shakespeare's tragedy Romeo and Juliet. Usually Prokofiev himself created the libretto for his works and tried to preserve the original plot as much as possible. However, this time, Shakespeare scholar and artistic director of the Kirov Leningrad Theater Sergei Radlov and Adrian Piotrovsky, a playwright and famous theater critic, took part in writing the libretto for Romeo and Juliet.

In 1935, Prokofiev, Radlov and Piotrovsky completed work on the ballet, and the management of the Kirov Theater approved the music for it. However, the ending of the musical work differed from Shakespeare's: in the finale of the ballet, the characters not only remained alive, but also maintained their romantic relationship. Such an attempt on a classic plot caused bewilderment among the censors. The authors rewrote the script, but the production was still banned - allegedly because of the “non-dance” music.

Soon, the Pravda newspaper published critical articles on two works by Dmitry Shostakovich - the opera Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk and the ballet The Bright Stream. One of the publications was called “Confusion Instead of Music,” and the second was called “Ballet Falsity.” After such devastating reviews from the official publication, the management of the Mariinsky Theater could not take risks. The premiere of the ballet could cause not just discontent on the part of the authorities, but real persecution.

Two high-profile premieres

Ballet "Romeo and Juliet". Juliet - Galina Ulanova, Romeo - Konstantin Sergeev. 1939 Photo: mariinsky.ru

On the eve of the premiere: Isaiah Sherman, Galina Ulanova, Peter Williams, Sergei Prokofiev, Leonid Lavrovsky, Konstantin Sergeev. January 10, 1940. Photo: mariinsky.ru

Ballet "Romeo and Juliet". The final. Leningrad State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater named after S.M. Kirov. 1940 Photo: mariinsky.ru

Culturologist Leonid Maksimenkov later wrote about Romeo and Juliet: “Censorship took place at the highest level - from the principle of expediency: in 1936, 1938, 1953 and so on. The Kremlin has always proceeded from the question: is such a thing needed at the moment?” And in fact, the question of staging was raised almost every year, but in the 1930s the ballet was shelved every year.

Its premiere took place only three years after it was written - in December 1938. Not in Moscow or St. Petersburg, but in the Czechoslovak city of Brno. The ballet was choreographed by Ivo Psota, who also danced the role of Romeo. The role of Juliet was performed by the Czech dancer Zora Shemberova.

In Czechoslovakia, the performance to Prokofiev's music was a great success, but for another two years the ballet was banned in the USSR. The production of Romeo and Juliet was allowed only in 1940. Serious passions flared up around the ballet. Prokofiev's innovative "non-ballet" music evoked real resistance from artists and musicians. The former could not get used to the new rhythm, and the latter were so afraid of failure that they even refused to play at the premiere - two weeks before the performance. There was even a joke among the creative team: “There is no sadder story in the world than Prokofiev’s music in ballet”. Choreographer Leonid Lavrovsky asked Prokofiev to change the score. After discussions, the composer finally added several new dances and dramatic episodes. The new ballet was significantly different from the one staged in Brno.

Leonid Lavrovsky himself was seriously preparing for work. He studied Renaissance artists in the Hermitage and read medieval novels. The choreographer later recalled: “In creating the choreographic image of the performance, I proceeded from the idea of ​​contrasting the world of the Middle Ages with the world of the Renaissance, the collision of two systems of thinking, culture, and worldview.<...>Mercutio’s dances in the play were based on elements of folk dance... For the dance at the Capulet ball, I used the description of an authentic English dance of the 16th century, the so-called “Pillow Dance”.

The premiere of "Romeo and Juliet" in the USSR took place in Leningrad - on the stage of the Kirov Theater. The main roles were performed by the star ballet duo of the 1930s and 40s - Galina Ulanova and Konstantin Sergeev. The role of Juliet in Ulanova’s dance career is considered one of the best. The design of the performance corresponded to the high-profile premiere: the scenery for it was created by the famous theater designer Peter Williams. The ballet transported the viewer to the exquisite Renaissance era with antique furniture, tapestries, and dense expensive draperies. The production was awarded the Stalin Prize.

Productions of the Bolshoi Theater and foreign choreographers

Rehearsal of the ballet "Romeo and Juliet". Juliet - Galina Ulanova, Romeo - Yuri Zhdanov, Paris - Alexander Lapauri, chief choreographer - Leonid Lavrovsky. State Academic Bolshoi Theater. 1955 Photo: mariinsky.ru

Ballet "Romeo and Juliet". Juliet - Galina Ulanova, Romeo - Yuri Zhdanov. State Academic Bolshoi Theater. 1954 Photo: theatrehd.ru

Ballet "Romeo and Juliet". Juliet - Irina Kolpakova. Leningrad State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater named after S. M. Kirov. 1975 Photo: mariinsky.ru

The next production of Romeo and Juliet took place after the Great Patriotic War - in December 1946 at the Bolshoi Theater. Two years earlier, by decision of the Central Committee, Galina Ulanova moved to the Bolshoi, and ballet “moved” with her. In total, the ballet was danced more than 200 times on the stage of the country's main theater; the leading female part was performed by Raisa Struchkova, Marina Kondratyeva, Maya Plisetskaya and other famous ballerinas.

In 1954, director Leo Arnstam, together with Leonid Lavrovsky, shot the ballet film Romeo and Juliet, which received a prize at the Cannes Film Festival. Two years later, Moscow artists performed the ballet on tour in London and again created a sensation. Prokofiev's music was set to productions by foreign choreographers - Frederick Ashton, Kenneth MacMillan, Rudolf Nureyev, John Neumeier. The ballet was staged in the largest European theaters - Opera de Paris, Milan's La Scala, London's Royal Theater in Covent Garden.

In 1975, the play began to be staged again in Leningrad. In 1980, the ballet troupe of the Kirov Theater toured Europe, the USA and Canada.

The original version of the ballet - with a happy ending - was released in 2008. As a result of research by Professor Simon Morrison of Princeton University, the original libretto was made public. It was staged by choreographer Mark Morris for the Bard College Music Festival in New York. During the tour, the artists performed the ballet on theater stages in Berkeley, Norfolk, London and Chicago.

Works from Romeo and Juliet, which musicologist Givi Ordzhonikidze calls a ballet-symphony, are often performed at classical music concerts. The numbers “Juliet the Girl”, “Montagues and Capulets”, “Romeo and Juliet before Separation”, “Dance of the Antillean Girls” became popular and independent.