The main characters of the ballet are the sleeping beauty. The history of the creation of the ballet

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Characters

Florestan XIV. Queen. Princess Aurora, their daughter. Prince Fleur de Pois, Prince Cherie, Prince Charmand, Prince Fortuné are contenders for the hand of Aurora. Catalabutte, senior butler to the King of Florestan. Prince Desire. Galifron, his mentor. Good Fairies: Lilac Fairy, Candide Fairy, Fleur de Farin Fairy, Fairy

Violant, Canary Fairy, Breadcrumb Fairy. Fairy Carabosse. Ladies, lords, pages, hunters, huntresses, bodyguards, lackeys. Spirits from the retinue of fairies and others.

Picture one. Christening of Princess Aurora.

The main hall in the castle of King Florestan XIV. On the right is an elevation for the king, queen and fairies - the godparents of Princess Aurora. At the back is a door from the hallway.

Ladies and gentlemen stand in groups in the hall, waiting for the appearance of the king and queen. The stewards of the festival indicate to everyone their place, asking them to strictly adhere to the planned order during the ceremony of congratulations and expressing their wishes to the king, queen, as well as influential fairies invited to the holiday as godparents.

Catalabutte, surrounded by courtiers, checks the list of fairies to whom invitations have been sent. Everything is done the way the king wanted. Everything is ready for the feast—the king and queen may enter the state hall; the whole yard is assembled, and they are waiting for the appearance of fairies any minute.

Fanfare. Enter the King and Queen, preceded by pages, followed by the nannies and wet nurses of the Princess Aurora, carrying a cradle in which the royal child sleeps.

The king and queen have hardly taken their places on the dais on either side of the cradle, when the stewards announce that the fairies have arrived.

The appearance of fairies. The fairies Candide, Farin, Violante, the Canary Fairy and the Breadcrumbs Fairy enter the hall first. The king and queen stand up to meet them and invite them to come up to the dais.

The Lilac Fairy appears - the main godmother of Princess Aurora. She is surrounded by her retinue - good spirits, carrying large fans, incense and supporting the train of their mistress.

At a sign from Catalabute, pages and maidens appear, bearing gifts on brocade cushions that the king has prepared for his daughter's godparents. Having formed beautiful groups, they indicate to each fairy the gifts intended for her.

The fairies descend from the dais to in turn bestow gifts on their goddaughter.

It is the turn of the Lilac Fairy, but as soon as she wants to go to the cradle to present her gift to Aurora, a loud noise is heard in the hallway. A page runs in and informs Catalabute that a new fairy has arrived, who was forgotten to be invited to the feast, and she is at the gates of the castle. This is the fairy Carabosse, the most powerful and most evil in the country.

Catalabutte is confused. How could he forget about her - he, precision itself! Trembling, the butler approaches the king and confesses his guilt. The king and queen are very worried. The oversight of the main butler can cause great misfortune and affect the fate of their dear daughter. The fairies also seem concerned.

Carabosse appears in a wagon drawn by six large rats. Ugly, ridiculously dressed pages accompany her. The king and queen beg the fairy to forgive the forgetful Catalabutte. They are ready to subject him to any punishment that Carabosse deigns to indicate. Catalabut, neither alive nor dead, rushes to the feet of the evil fairy - let her save his life, and he is ready to faithfully serve her until the end of his days.

Carabosse laughs wickedly and amuses himself by tearing out Catalabutte's hair and throwing it to the rats, who immediately devour it. Soon Catalabutte's head becomes bald.

I am not Aurora's godmother, says Carabosse, but still I want to give her my gift.

The good fairies persuade Carabosse to forgive the involuntary guilt of the butler, begging him not to poison the happiness of the best of kings, but in response, Carabosse only laughs angrily, her page monsters and even rats laugh with her.

The good fairies turn away from their sister indignantly.

The gifts of the six godparents of Princess Aurora, says Carabosse, will help her become the most beautiful, most captivating and most intelligent princess in the whole world. But
so that nothing could overshadow her happiness - you see how kind I am - the very first time the princess pricks her finger or her hand, she will fall asleep, and this dream will be eternal.

The king, queen and all the courtiers are horrified.

Carabosse holds out his magic wand to the cradle and pronounces magic spells. Then, rejoicing that she managed to trick her sisters, the good fairies, she bursts into laughter. The retinue of Carabosse rejoices uncontrollably.

But then the Lilac Fairy, who had not yet had time to bestow gifts on her goddaughter and stood unnoticed behind the cradle of Aurora, leaves her shelter. Carabosse looks at her with disbelief and anger.

The good fairy leans over the cradle.

Yes, you will fall asleep, my little Aurora, as our sister Carabosse wished, - said the Lilac Fairy, - but not with eternal sleep. The day will come - and the prince will appear, who,
falling in love with your beauty, kiss you, and you wake up from a long sleep to become the prince's girlfriend and live in happiness and joy.

Enraged, Carabosse gets into her wagon and disappears. Good fairies gather around the cradle, as if protecting their goddaughter from an evil sister.

Act one

Picture two. Four suitors of Princess Aurora.

Florestan castle park XIV. To the right of the audience is the entrance to the castle, the first floors of which are hidden behind the foliage of trees. In the middle of the stage is a marble fountain in the style of the 17th century.

Aurora is twenty years old. Florestan, seeing that the predictions of the fairy Carabosse do not come true, is full of joy. Catalabutte - whose hair has never grown back and wears a funny wig - is about to fine some village women who have sat down in front of the castle with needlework. He points them to a notice stating that the use of needles or knitting needles is prohibited within a hundred leagues of the royal residence. The butler orders them to be taken under guard to the prison.

The king and queen appear on the balcony of the castle. They are accompanied by four princes - contenders for the hand of Aurora. The king asks what crime the peasant women have committed, who are being taken to prison. Catalabutt reports the reason for the arrest and shows physical evidence. The king and queen are horrified:

May they be roughly punished for their crime, and may they never see the light of day. Princes Sharman, Cherie, Fleur de Pois and Fortuné plead for mercy on the guilty. Not a single tear should be shed in the kingdom of Florestan on Aurora's twentieth birthday. The king allows himself to be persuaded. The villagers are forgiven, but their needlework will be burned by the executioner in the square. Everyone rejoices. Village dances and round dances begin. Long live King Florestan! Long live Princess Aurora!

The four princes have never seen Princess Aurora, but each of them has a medallion with a portrait of the king's daughter. Each prince is seized with a passionate desire to be loved by her, and they express this desire to Florestan and the queen. They answer that they give their daughter complete freedom and the right to choose. Whoever she loves will be their son-in-law and heir to the kingdom.

Aurora appears. She runs in, accompanied by ladies-in-waiting carrying bouquets and wreaths. The four princes are shocked by her beauty. Each of them tries to please her. But Aurora does not favor anyone. She dances surrounded by her fans.

A scene of rivalry between princes and coquetry of Aurora follows.

The king and queen persuade their daughter to opt for one of the contenders for her hand.

I'm still young, - Aurora answers, - let me enjoy life and freedom.

Do as you please, but remember that the interests of the kingdom require that you marry and give the country an heir. We don't stop worrying
about the predictions of Carabosse.

Calm down, father. In order for her prediction to come true, I need to prick my hand or finger. But after all, I have never held a needle or a knitting needle in my hand; I sing,
I dance, I have fun, but I never work.

Four princes surround Aurora, begging her to dance in front of them, for they have heard that there is no girl in the world more graceful than a princess.

Aurora willingly grants their wish. She dances to the sounds of the lute and violins played by her ladies-in-waiting and pages.

The four princes take turns approaching the princess to express their delight and earn her attention. The dance becomes more graceful and lively. Not only the prince - the whole court admires her; the population of the city and the surrounding villages - both old and young - follow her every step with curiosity. Everyone is delighted. The general dance begins. Suddenly, Aurora notices some old woman who is sitting at the spinning wheel and spindle and seems to be beating the time of her light steps. Aurora seizes the spindle and, now waving it like a scepter, now imitating the work of a spinner, causes a new delight of her four admirers. But suddenly the dance is interrupted - the princess looks at her hand, pierced by a spindle and stained with blood. Beside herself with horror, she no longer dances, but rushes about as if in a fit of madness. She rushes one way, then the other, and finally falls dead. The king and queen rush to their beloved daughter and, seeing a bloodied hand, understand the full measure of misfortune. And then the old woman with the spinning wheel suddenly throws off the cloak covering her, and everyone recognizes the fairy Carabosse. She laughs at the despair of Florestan and the queen. The four princes draw their swords from their scabbards and rush to hit the fairy with them, but Carabosse with hellish laughter disappears in a whirlwind of fire and smoke. The princes and their retinue flee in terror. At this moment, in the depths of the stage, a fountain begins to glow with magical light, and among the beating jets the Lilac Fairy appears.

Take comfort, - the fairy says to the heartbroken parents, - the princess sleeps and will sleep for a hundred years. But so that nothing disturbs her happiness upon awakening, you will sleep with her. When she wakes up, you will wake up too. Return to the castle. I will keep you safe.

The sleeping princess is placed on a stretcher and carried away. She is followed by the king, queen and chief courtiers.

Seniors, pages and bodyguards bow low before the procession approaching them. The fairy points with her magic wand to the castle. And the people standing on the porch and on the stairs suddenly turn to stone. Everything falls asleep, even the flowers, even the water in the fountain. Suddenly grown ivy and creepers hide the castle and sleeping people from sight. Trees and dense thickets of lilacs, which have risen at the wave of the hand of a powerful fairy, turn the royal park into an impenetrable forest. Spirits from her retinue gather around the Lilac Fairy. The fairy orders them to strictly ensure that no outsider approaches the castle and disturbs the peace of her pet.

Action two

Picture three. Prince Desire's Hunt.

At the back of the stage, against the backdrop of a dense forest, a wide river winds. To the right of the audience is a rock covered with vegetation. The merry sun illuminates this landscape.

The curtain rises, no one is on the stage. The sounds of hunting horns are heard. This is Prince Desire's hunt for wolves and lynxes in the neighboring forests. Hunters and huntresses come out, settle down on the grass to rest and strengthen their strength.

Soon Prince Desire appears with his mentor Galifron and several seniors, courtiers of his father the king. The prince and his companions are served refreshments. Hunters and huntresses, in order to entertain the young prince, dance, shoot from a bow and come up with all sorts of games. Galifron persuades his pupil to join the entertainment of the courtiers, and most importantly, to be more kind to the ladies, for he will have to choose a wife from among the most noble girls in the country. The kings of neighboring states have only sons, but no daughters. Therefore, Galifron takes the opportunity to present to the prince the most worthy of his attention brides during the hunt.

Duchess dance. Dance of the Marquis. Dance of the princesses. Baroness dance.

All the girls try to please the prince at all costs, but Desire, holding a glass of wine in her hand, only chuckles at the futile efforts of these beautiful girls. His heart is silent - he has not yet met the woman of his dreams. The prince does not marry until he meets the one he is looking for.

The huntsmen come and report that they have overlaid the bear in the den. If the prince pleases, it is enough for him to make only one shot.

But the prince feels tired.

Hunt without me, - he says to the courtiers, - I want to have some more rest. I like it here.

The hunters and courtiers retire, and Galifron, who has drunk more than one bottle of champagne, falls asleep next to the prince.

As soon as everyone has disappeared, a mother-of-pearl boat appears on the river, decorated with gold and precious stones. From it comes the Lilac Fairy, who is the godmother of Prince Desire. The Prince kneels before her; the fairy raises him favorably and begins to ask about matters of the heart.

Haven't you loved anyone yet? she asks.

No, replies the prince, the noble maidens of my country have not captivated my heart; it is better to remain a bachelor than to marry only for the sake of the interests of the state.

If so, says the fairy, I will show you your future wife; she is the most beautiful, captivating and intelligent princess in the whole world.

But where can I see her?

I will now show you her shadow. See if you like the princess and if you can love her.

The Lilac Fairy turns her magic wand towards the rock, which suddenly opens up, and Aurora and her friends are seen sleeping in the depths of it. The fairy waves her wand and Aurora wakes up. Together with her ladies-in-waiting, the princess rushes to the stage. The rays of the setting sun illuminate it with pink light. Desiree is amazed, overwhelmed with delight; he relentlessly follows Aurora, but she eludes him every time. Her dance, sometimes languid, sometimes passionate, more and more delights him. He wants to hug the girl, but she slips away to suddenly appear where the prince does not expect to see her - now swinging on the branches of trees, now swimming in the river, now resting among the flowers. Finally, she again finds herself in the depths of the rock - and then she disappears. Mad with love, Desiree throws herself at the feet of her godmother.

Where is this divine being that you showed me? Take me to her, I want to see her, I want to press her to my heart! Let's go to! - says the fairy. She tells the prince to sit in
her boat, which begins to slowly descend the river. Galifron continues to sleep in a sweet dream.

The boat is moving fast, the landscape is becoming more and more deserted. It gets dark, soon the night falls - the silver light of the moon illuminates the path of the boat. A castle appears in the distance and disappears again around the bend of the river. But finally, the castle is the goal of the trip. The prince and the fairy get out of the boat.

With a movement of the magic wand, the fairy orders the doors of the castle to open. You can see the entrance hall, where bodyguards and pages sleep sweetly.

Prince Desire rushes there, accompanied by a fairy.

The scene is shrouded in thick fog. Quiet music plays.

Musical intermission.

Picture four. Sleeping Beauty Castle.

When the fog clears, the audience sees the chambers where Princess Aurora sleeps on a large bed, under a canopy. King Florestan and the Queen sleep in armchairs by their daughter's bed. The court ladies, lords and pages, leaning against each other, are also fast asleep. Thick layers of dust and cobwebs cover furniture and people. The flame of candles sleeps, the flame in the fireplace sleeps. As if phosphorescent light illuminates the whole picture.

The door opens on the left - Desiree and the fairy entered the sanctuary.

Desire rushes to Aurora's bed, but no matter how much he calls the princess, no matter how much he tries to wake the king, the queen and Catalabut, who is sleeping on a stool at the feet of the king, they do not wake up. The fairy calmly looks at Desiree's despair.

Finally, the prince rushes to the Sleeping Beauty, kisses her on the forehead.

And now the spell is broken. Aurora wakes up. The courtiers awaken with her. Dust and cobwebs disappear, the candles light up the room again, the fire crackles merrily in the fireplace.

Desire begs the king to give him the hand of his daughter.

This is her fate, - the king answers and joins the hands of young people.

Act Three

Picture five. Desiree's wedding Aurora.

Esplanade like the one in front of the Palace of Versailles. The king appears, accompanied by his retinue and groom. They are greeted by the courtiers.

Divertissement.

Ballet exit.

Turkish quadrille. Ethiopian quadrille. African quadrille. American quadrille. Procession of characters of fairy tales.

Big polonaise.

It includes:

1. Bluebeard and his wife.

2. Puss in boots. (The Marquis de Carabas appears in his
I eat a sedan chair accompanied by servants.)

3. Cinderella and Prince Fortune.

4. Beauty and the Beast.

5. Bluebird and Princess Florina.

6. White cat. (She is carried on a scarlet velvet pillow
ke four high servants.)

7. Beauty with golden hair and Prince Avenan.

8. Donkey skin and Prince Sharman.

9. Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf.

10. Rike-Crest and Princess Aime.

11. A boy with a finger and his brothers.

12. Cannibal and Cannibal.

13. Fairy Carabosse (in her wagon drawn by rats).

14. Good fairies (from the prologue).

15. Lilac Fairy and her retinue.

16. Four fairies: Pure Gold Fairy, Silver Fairy,
Fairy of Sapphires, Fairy of Diamonds.

Everyone passes in front of the king and groom, bowing to them.

Everyone is dancing a quadrille.

Apotheosis. The Great Fountains of Versailles, or the Glory of the Fairies.

The Sleeping Beauty ballet is a fabulous performance, a delightful extravaganza that captures the viewer both with its bright and solemn visual component, coupled with the musical theme of the authorship of the great Tchaikovsky, and deep philosophical overtones. The ballet in three acts is staged according to the plot of Charles Perrault's fairy tale, known to everyone since childhood, about a princess who fell asleep for a hundred years, who was awakened from her magical sleep only by the kiss of a handsome prince.

Creating the score for this production, Tchaikovsky fully revealed his legendary talent, elevating the music for the ballet from the rank of a “subordinate state” accompanied by dance to a complex and opening up new horizons work. Magnificent music, excellent dances and festive decorations return the viewer to the magical world of childhood for two and a half hours.

Summary
Behind the opened curtain, the viewer is awaited by a magnificent celebration arranged by King Florestan in his palace on the occasion of the christening of the newborn Princess Aurora. Among the guests there are six good fairies who have arrived to reward the little daughter of the king with magical gifts. However, the general fun is suddenly replaced by horror when the evil and powerful fairy Carabosse bursts into the ballroom, furious that they forgot to invite her to the royal celebration.

She wants to take revenge and casts a terrible spell on little Aurora, according to which the princess, on the day of her majority, will fall asleep forever, pricking her finger with an ordinary weaving spindle. After the departure of Carabosse, the godmother of Aurora, the Lilac Fairy, tries to soften the gloomy spell, telling the saddened royal couple that there is hope for a favorable outcome of the case and their daughter will fall asleep not forever, but for 100 years, and the kiss of the handsome prince can wake her up.

On the day of Aurora's coming of age, King Florestan again arranges a magnificent celebration in the garden of his palace. The butler of Catalabute reads the decree of the ruler, stating that anyone who brings a spindle or other sharp objects into the castle will go to prison. Court weavers, who ended up in the palace with their working tools, barely manage to avoid severe punishment.

During the holiday, numerous noble and wealthy grooms, who are handsome, come from royal families, are gallant and worthy, woo the beautiful princess. But none of them is able to captivate the heart of a young girl. Suddenly, Aurora notices an old woman in the corner of the garden, in whose hands is a spindle.

The girl runs up to her, takes the spindle in her hands and begins to spin with him in a dance, imagining that she is dancing with her lover. Carelessly touching the sharp end of the spindle, Aurora falls unconscious and falls into a deep sleep. The princes summoned to the ball rush to seize the culprit of the misfortune, but the old woman, whom, as it turns out, the evil fairy Carabosse turned into, laughs loudly and disappears, pleased with the accomplished atrocity. The Lilac Fairy Godmother decides to help the royal family in this unimaginable grief and puts the entire court to sleep along with Aurora for a whole 100 years so that everyone can witness the promised miraculous awakening of the princess.

A century has passed, and now, making his way through dense thickets while hunting, the handsome prince Desire finds himself with his retinue in an abandoned garden. Hunters and escorts start dancing and having fun here. Suddenly, on a majestic boat, the Lilac Fairy, already familiar to the viewer, floats up the river. Appearing to the prince, she shows him the way to the castle, where the king and queen, servants and courtiers froze for a century, where the same young Aurora rests peacefully. The prince in amazement examines the picture that has opened before him - people frozen without movement. He calls out to the king, the butler, but does not receive an answer, and then notices the sleeping beauty Aurora.

The prince is so amazed by the amazing beauty of the girl that he immediately leans down to kiss her. From a gentle kiss, the princess wakes up, and the castle and all its inhabitants come to life at the same moment. Prince Desire asks for the hand of Aurora from her royal father. The tale ends with a solemn wedding ceremony for the newlyweds.

Interesting Facts
Each act of the ballet is an independent work, like a part of a symphony - closed and complete in its form.
The performance has a deep philosophical meaning, opposing the Lilac fairy and the Carabosse fairy, which personifies the eternal struggle between good and evil, and the result of the fairy tale is the all-conquering power of the pure love of Aurora and Desiree.
Before Tchaikovsky, this tale was staged in the form of a ballet by the French composer Herold, who created a production called La Belle au bois dormant (Beauty of the Sleeping Forest) in 1829.
The ballet became one of the most expensive premieres of the Mariinsky Theater - 42 thousand rubles were allocated for it (a quarter of the annual budget of St. Petersburg theaters).
The scenography for the 2011 ballet in Moscow was staged by Ezio Frigerio, an Oscar-winning artist for his work on the set of Cyrano de Bergerac.
The name of King Florestan XIV is in honor of King Louis XIV of France, who is considered the founder of the ballet genre.
The author wrote music for the ballet while traveling around Europe, and while working on The Sleeping Beauty he visited Paris, Marseille, Tiflis, Constantinople, and then, returning to Moscow, provided the finished work.
Vsevolzhsky decided to stage a ballet based on a French fairy tale for political reasons, ardently supporting the course of Tsar Alexander III towards rapprochement with France.
Marius Petipa was born in Belgium and from the age of 9 he took part in productions staged by his father. From 1847 until the end of his life he lived and worked in Russia.
In Matthew Bourne's 2013 modernist production, Aurora is in love with a royal gardener named Leo, and the source of evil is the son of an evil witch who wants to avenge his mother.
In 1964, the Soviet film-ballet The Sleeping Beauty was filmed, where the choreographer Sergeev was involved. The main role in the film was played by the ballerina Alla Sizova, for which she was awarded the French Dance Academy Prize.

Music
Despite the fact that the ballet was created on the basis of an old French fairy tale, the music written by Tchaikovsky, in its lyrical component and emotional richness, is absolutely Russian. In this ballet, each musical movement is a brilliant masterpiece, evolving from scene to scene and culminating in the apotheosis of the triumph of love in the form of a grand adagio at the end of the performance.<
With his work, Tchaikovsky not only describes the plot, he reflects the contradictions of the inner world of a person, that eternal struggle of light and darkness that goes on in the soul of everyone, regardless of era and country. Musical accompaniment becomes the finishing touch of the story, its integral part.

The music of the great maestro has undergone various changes over the decades of productions of The Sleeping Beauty. The exact chronology of these changes during the existence of the ballet in the imperial theater could only be reconstructed from posters. So, almost immediately after the start of the show, the third act lost the slow Sarabande, and a little later - the variations of the Lilac fairy, and the minuet was excluded from the peasant dance suite. In the 20s of the 20th century, in the prologue, the scene of the appearance of the Carabosse fairy and the scenes of hunters' dances were reduced.
Each director of the Sleeping Beauty ballet changes the original score in one way or another in accordance with their own ideas. The Sleeping Beauty is recognized as a true world masterpiece of ballet art, setting a high standard for many generations to come. The stunning success of the performance in 1890, when the royal family was present in the hall of the Mariinsky Theater, echoes of applause is repeated in our days. The immortal music of Tchaikovsky, classical choreography with original elements or completely modified, luxurious scenery and exquisite costumes, the magic of a children's fairy tale and the deep problems of eternal philosophical questions - all this merged into a spectacle of incredible beauty and pomp, which is definitely worth seeing.

Throughout the 20th century, The Sleeping Beauty was successfully staged on various stages in many countries, becoming a real world heritage of art. Only the Bolshoi Theater saw seven different versions of the ballet, each of which was not inferior to the others in beauty and grandeur.
After a long and global renovation in 2011, the Bolshoi Theater again met its audience with the Sleeping Beauty ballet, where the role of Aurora was played by Svetlana Zakharova, and the role of Prince Desire was played by American David Holberg.
There are several contemporary readings of the play that use Tchaikovsky's classical music to accompany the modernist choreography. One of these original productions, which deserves special attention, is Matthew Bourne's ballet - a gothic fairy tale with a pronounced love line, where, according to the plot, Aurora wakes up in the modern world, which, however, is surprisingly surreal.
The production of the Spanish choreographer Duato is an extraordinary look at a classic work. Nacho Duato tried to speak with the audience in the language of dance and recreate the charm of the magic of a children's fairy tale, while maintaining the romantic spirit of the famous work.

The Sleeping Beauty is performed by Rudolf Nureyev as Prince Florimund and Veronica Tennat as Princess Aurora. The National Ballet of Canada is classically magnificent and their dances are perceived as a jewel. Nureyev's characteristic and in this production, his additional choreography, captivates with the role of Prince Florimund. The superbly trained company and soloists of the National Ballet of Canada add a "plus" to this production. Canada. 1972 .

The Sleeping Beauty is recognized as a real world masterpiece of ballet art, setting a high standard for many generations to come. The stunning success of the performance in 1890, when the royal family was present in the hall of the Mariinsky Theater, echoes of applause is repeated in our days.

The immortal music of Tchaikovsky, classical choreography with original elements or completely modified, luxurious scenery and exquisite costumes, the magic of a children's fairy tale and the deep problems of eternal philosophical questions - all this merged into a spectacle of incredible beauty and pomp, which is definitely worth seeing.

STEP ONE

Palace of King Florestan.

The King celebrates the birth of his long-awaited daughter, Aurora. Guests from all over the kingdom came to the palace. Master of Ceremonies Catalabutte checks the guest lists. It seems no one is forgotten.

The courtiers surround the cradle of the newborn. Good fairies bring her their gifts. Suddenly there is a noise: a new fairy has arrived at the palace, whom Catalabute forgot to invite to the holiday. This is Carabosse - the most evil and powerful fairy. At the christening of Aurora, she appeared in a chariot harnessed by rats and dwarf freaks. In vain the king, queen and courtiers try to appease the evil old woman. Her terrible prediction is revenge for being forgotten about her:
- Thanks to the gifts of the six fairies, Aurora will be the most beautiful, charming and intelligent princess in the world. Carabosse is not able to take away these qualities from her. But one day, pricking her finger, Aurora will fall asleep, and her dream will be eternal.

Everyone is shocked. But the Lilac Fairy, who has not yet given her little goddaughter a gift, steps forward.
- Yes, little Aurora will fall asleep, as the Carabosse fairy wished. But not forever. The day will come when the young prince, fascinated by the beauty of the princess, will give her his kiss and wake her from a long sleep.

Furious, Carabosse gets into her cart and disappears. The king issues the strictest decree, under pain of death, forbidding the use of needles and knitting needles throughout the kingdom.

Twenty years have passed.

On the occasion of the twentieth anniversary of Aurora - a magnificent ball in the royal palace. From all over the kingdom, suitors gathered for the ball, ready to ask for the hand of a beautiful princess, but she does not give preference to any of them.

In the midst of the fun, Aurora notices an old woman beating the time of her dance with a strange, unfamiliar object. Taking the spindle from the hands of the old woman, she spins merrily with it and, pricking her finger, suddenly stops. Everyone is horrified. A few more movements - and Aurora falls, losing consciousness. The old woman throws off her cloak. Everyone recognizes in her the evil fairy Carabosse. The guards immediately rush to the sorceress, but Carabosse with a devilish laugh disappears in a cloud of flame and smoke.

The Lilac Fairy appears. With a wave of her magic wand, the whole kingdom falls into a dream, and the royal garden turns into a dense, impenetrable forest.

ACT TWO

Many years later. The sounds of hunting horns are heard in the forest where Prince Desire is hunting. To amuse the prince, gentlemen and ladies arrange dances. But the prince remains indifferent - none of the ladies present touches his heart. He wants to be alone.

The Lilac Fairy appears. With a wave of her wand, she conjures up a vision of the beautiful Aurora. The rays of the setting sun illuminate her with a wonderful light, and the prince recognizes in her the one who often dreamed of in his dreams.

Fascinated by her, Desiree follows this shadow, but she keeps eluding him. Finally, the vision disappears. The prince begs the fairy to show the way to Aurora.

In the distance you can see the castle, immersed in deep sleep. Only Carabosse and her faithful servants are awake, ready to block the way for anyone who dares to enter the sleeping kingdom. But in front of the Lilac Fairy, the evil forces are powerless and forced to retreat.

Desiree enters the palace. The prince is full of joy and happiness: in front of him is his beautiful dream. Leaning towards the sleeping beauty, he gently kisses her. From the kiss, Aurora wakes up, and with her, everything around wakes up. The spell of evil Carabosse is broken. The prince asks for the hand of the beautiful Aurora and receives consent.

The guests gathered again in the palace. The king is celebrating his daughter's wedding. Good fairies and characters of fairy tales came to congratulate Aurora and Desiree - Little Red Riding Hood and Gray Wolf, Cat and Kitty, Cinderella and Prince, Blue Bird and Princess Florina. Everyone is happy.

April 27, 1829 directed by choreographer J.-P. Omer with the participation of Maria Taglioni, Liz Noble and others.

The new version by Tchaikovsky and Petipa was recognized as outstanding and the ballet took its place among the world's masterpieces of ballet art.

The main characters of the ballet: King Florestan, Queen, Princess Aurora; seven fairies: Lilac, Candide (Sincerity), Fleur-de-Farin (Flowering ears), Bread Crumb, Canary, Violant (Passion) and evil Carabosse; Prince Desire.

The most famous number of the ballet is the waltz from the 1st act.

List of numbers (in accordance with the clavier of P. I. Tchaikovsky)

Introduction

Prologue

Scene with dancing
pas de six

Introduction
Adagio
Fairy of sincerity
Fairy of flowering ears
Fairy scattering breadcrumbs
Fairy - chirping canary
Fairy of ardent, strong passions
Lilac Fairy
coda

The final

Act one

Scene
Waltz
Scene
Pas d'action

Adagio
Dance of maids of honor and pages
Aurora Variation
coda

The final

Action two

Intermission and stage
Zhmurki
Scene

Dance of the Duchess
Dance of the Baroness
Dance of the Countess
Dance Marquis

Scene
Dance

Scene
Pas d'action

Scene of Aurora and Prince Desire
Aurora Variation
coda

Scene
Panorama
Intermission
Symphonic intermission (Dream) and stage
The final

Act Three

Polonaise
pas de quatre

Antre
fairy gold
Silver Fairy
Sapphire Fairy
Diamond Fairy
coda

pas de caractere

Puss in Boots and White Cat

pas de quatre

Scene
Cinderella and Prince Fortune
Bluebird and Princess Florina
coda

pas de caractere

Little Red Riding Hood and Wolf
Cinderella and Prince Fortune

Pas Berrichon

Thumb boy, his brothers and the Ogre
coda

pas de deux

Introduction
Exit
Adagio
Prince Desiree
Aurora Variation
coda

The final
Apotheosis

The further fate of music

Already in the process of working on the first production, the score of P. I. Tchaikovsky underwent some changes. In the author's edition, the music of the prologue and the first act of the ballet was performed. Separate omissions and rearrangements were made in the second and third acts. In the suite of dances of hunters, huntresses and peasants, a minuet was stopped (at about the beginning of the 20th century, the situation changed to the opposite - instead of the previously existing dances, a minuet and the final farandole scene were performed). The variation of Aurora in "Nereids" was set to the music of the variation of the Gold Fairy from the third act (subsequently, a number of choreographers returned the original variation). The violin interlude preceding the second scene of this action was skipped (in a number of productions it was restored, in R. Nureyev's version it was used for Prince Desire's monologue before the appearance of Aurora's vision, there are also cases when the adagio "Nereid" was set to this music). In the third act, the Pas de quatre of the jewel fairies was cut. There was no variation of the Gold fairy (which sounded earlier in the dance of Aurora), the variation of the Sapphire fairy was also cropped. In its final form, Pas de quatre took the form of a soloist dance (Diamond) accompanied by three dancers. In the entre, the dance of the troika was replaced by the entrance of the solo fairy. Then there was a variation of the three fairies to the music of Silver, a solo variation of the Diamond and a common coda. This number has not been performed in the author's musical version in any of the many productions. Closest to her came R. Nureyev, who returned the variation of Sapphire (performed by a dancer also included in the Antre fey). The variation of Gold in the version by K. M. Sergeev is included in the part of the Lilac Fairy (with choreography choreographed by Petipa for Aurora) and is performed before the Jewels Ensemble, although most choreographers do not make such a rearrangement even if Tchaikovsky specially composed solo music is used in Nereids. In the Pas de deux of the main characters, the dance of the fairies of Gold and Silver was performed to the music of Antre (according to some evidence, with the participation of some "pages" - there is no unambiguous information about whether these were pupils or adult dancers).

On the imperial stage, the performance underwent gradual changes, the exact sequence of which can be established from the posters. Almost immediately after the premiere, the slow Sarabande that preceded the final mazurka fell out of the third act. By the beginning of the 20th century, the above changes were made in the hunting scene, the prologue was missing the variations of the Lilac Fairy. By the 20s of the 20th century, a large amount of original choreography was cut: in the Prologue, the entry of Carabosse was reduced, in the first act - the scene of knitters and some fragments of the finale, in the second - dancing on the hunt.

Characters

Princess Aurora - Svetlana Zakharova, (then Nina Kaptsova, Maria Alexandrova, Ekaterina Krysanova, Anna Nikulina, Evgenia Obraztsova)
Prince Desire - David Holberg, (then Alexander Volchkov, Nikolai Tsiskaridze, Semyon Chudin, Artyom Ovcharenko, Ruslan Skvortsov, Dmitry Gudanov)
Evil Fairy Carabosse - Alexey Loparevich, (then Igor Tsvirko)
Lilac Fairy - Maria Allash, (then Ekaterina Shipulina, Olga Smirnova)
White cat - Yulia Lunkina, (then Victoria Litvinova, Maria Prorvich)
Puss in Boots - Igor Tsvirko, (then Alexander Smolyaninov, Alexei Matrakhov)
Princess Florina - Nina Kaptsova, (then Daria Khokhlova, Anastasia Stashkevich, Chinara Alizade, Kristina Kretova)
Blue bird - Artyom Ovcharenko, (then Vladislav Lantratov, Vyacheslav Lopatin)
Little Red Riding Hood - Anastasia Stashkevich, (then Ksenia Pcholkina, Maria Mishina)
Gray wolf - Alexey Koryagin, (then Anton Savichev, Alexander Vorobyov)
Cinderella - Daria Khokhlova, (then Ksenia Kern, Anna Tikhomirova)
Prince Fortune - Karim Abdullin, (then Klim Efimov, Artyom Belyakov)

Leningrad Opera and Ballet Theater named after M. P. Mussorgsky - Mikhailovsky Theater

Characters

Princess Aurora - Irina Perren, (then Svetlana Zakharova, Natalia Osipova)
Prince Desire - Leonid Sarafanov, (then Ivan Vasiliev)
Lilac Fairy - Ekaterina Borchenko
Fairy Carabosse - Rishat Yulbarisov
Princess Florina - Sabina Yapparova
Blue bird - Nikolai Korypaev

Other productions

Saratov (1941, choreographer K. I. Salnikova; 1962, choreographer V. T. Adashevsky), Sverdlovsk (1952, choreographer M. L. Satunovsky; 1966, choreographer S. M. Tulubyev; 1989, edited by K. M. Sergeev, choreographer T. Soboleva), Novosibirsk (1952, choreographers V I. Vainonen; 1967, choreographers K. M. Sergeev and N. M. Dudinskaya; 1987, choreographer G. T. Komleva), Gorky (1953, choreographer G. I. Yazvinsky; 1973, choreographer Yu. Ya. Druzhinin), Perm (1953, choreographer Yu. P. Kovalev; 1968, choreographer N. S. Markaryants), Kuibyshev (1955, choreographer N. V. Danilova; 1970, choreographer E. Kh. Tann, 1977, renewed by I. A. Chernyshev), Voronezh (1983, choreographer K. M. Ter-Stepanova), Samara (2011, choreographer G. T. Komleva).

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Notes

Links

- libretto and photographs of the ballet staged by the Theater of Classical Ballet, directed by N. Kasatkina and V. Vasilev

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An excerpt characterizing the Sleeping Beauty (ballet)

Leaving on the road, Dolokhov did not go back to the field, but along the village. At one point he stopped, listening.
- Do you hear? - he said.
Petya recognized the sounds of Russian voices, saw the dark figures of Russian prisoners by the fires. Going down to the bridge, Petya and Dolokhov passed the sentry, who, without saying a word, walked gloomily along the bridge, and drove out into a hollow where the Cossacks were waiting.
- Well, goodbye now. Tell Denisov that at dawn, at the first shot, - said Dolokhov and wanted to go, but Petya grabbed his hand.
- No! he yelled, “you are such a hero. Ah, how good! How excellent! How I love you.
“Good, good,” said Dolokhov, but Petya did not let him go, and in the darkness Dolokhov saw that Petya was leaning towards him. He wanted to kiss. Dolokhov kissed him, laughed and, turning his horse, disappeared into the darkness.

X
Returning to the guardhouse, Petya found Denisov in the entryway. Denisov, in agitation, anxiety and annoyance at himself for letting Petya go, was waiting for him.
- God bless! he shouted. - Well, thank God! he repeated, listening to Petya's enthusiastic story. “And why don’t you take me, because of you I didn’t sleep!” Denisov said. “Well, thank God, now go to bed.” Still vzdg "let's eat to utg" a.
“Yes… No,” said Petya. “I don’t feel like sleeping yet. Yes, I know myself, if I fall asleep, it's over. And then I got used to not sleeping before the battle.
Petya sat for some time in the hut, joyfully recalling the details of his trip and vividly imagining what would happen tomorrow. Then, noticing that Denisov had fallen asleep, he got up and went into the yard.
It was still quite dark outside. The rain had passed, but the drops were still falling from the trees. Near the guardroom one could see the black figures of Cossack huts and horses tied together. Behind the hut, two wagons with horses stood black, and a burning fire burned red in the ravine. The Cossacks and hussars were not all asleep: in some places, along with the sound of falling drops and the close sound of horses chewing, soft, as if whispering voices were heard.
Petya came out of the passage, looked around in the darkness, and went up to the wagons. Someone was snoring under the wagons, and saddled horses stood around them, chewing oats. In the darkness, Petya recognized his horse, which he called Karabakh, although it was a Little Russian horse, and went up to her.
“Well, Karabakh, we’ll serve tomorrow,” he said, sniffing her nostrils and kissing her.
- What, sir, do not sleep? - said the Cossack, who was sitting under the wagon.
- No; and ... Likhachev, it seems to be your name? After all, I just arrived. We went to the French. - And Petya told the Cossack in detail not only his trip, but also why he went and why he thinks that it is better to risk his life than to make Lazarus at random.
“Well, they would have slept,” said the Cossack.
“No, I’m used to it,” Petya answered. - And what, the flints in your pistols are not upholstered? I brought with me. Isn't it necessary? You take it.
The Cossack leaned out from under the truck to take a closer look at Petya.
“Because I’m used to doing everything carefully,” said Petya. - Others, somehow, do not get ready, then they regret it. I don't like that.
“That’s right,” said the Cossack.
“And one more thing, please, my dear, sharpen my saber; blunt ... (but Petya was afraid to lie) she had never been honed. Can it be done?
- Why, maybe.
Likhachev got up and rummaged through his packs, and Petya soon heard the warlike sound of steel on a bar. He climbed onto the wagon and sat on its edge. The Cossack sharpened his saber under the wagon.
- And what, the good fellows sleep? Petya said.
- Who is sleeping, and who is like this.
- Well, what about the boy?
- Is it spring? He was there, in the hallways, collapsed. Sleeping with fear. It was glad.
For a long time after that Petya was silent, listening to the sounds. Footsteps were heard in the darkness and a black figure appeared.
- What are you sharpening? the man asked, approaching the wagon.
- But the master sharpen his saber.
“It’s a good thing,” said the man, who seemed to be a hussar to Petya. - Do you have a cup left?
“At the wheel.
The hussar took the cup.
“It’s probably light soon,” he said, yawning, and went somewhere.
Petya should have known that he was in the forest, in the party of Denisov, a verst from the road, that he was sitting on a wagon recaptured from the French, near which the horses were tied, that the Cossack Likhachev was sitting under him and sharpening his saber, that the big black spot to the right was the guardhouse, and the bright red spot below to the left was the burning fire, that the man who came for a cup was a hussar who wanted to drink; but he knew nothing and did not want to know it. He was in a magical realm, in which there was nothing like reality. A big black spot, maybe it was definitely a guardhouse, or maybe there was a cave that led into the very depths of the earth. The red spot may have been fire, or perhaps the eye of a huge monster. Maybe he’s definitely sitting on a wagon now, but it’s very possible that he’s not sitting on a wagon, but on a terribly high tower, from which if you fall, you would fly to the ground all day, a whole month - all fly and never reach. It may be that just the Cossack Likhachev is sitting under the wagon, but it may very well be that this is the kindest, bravest, most wonderful, most excellent person in the world, whom no one knows. Perhaps it was the hussar who was exactly passing for water and went into the hollow, or perhaps he had just disappeared from sight and completely disappeared, and he was not there.
Whatever Petya saw now, nothing would surprise him. He was in a magical realm where anything was possible.
He looked up at the sky. And the sky was as magical as the earth. The sky was clearing, and over the tops of the trees clouds quickly ran, as if revealing the stars. Sometimes it seemed that the sky was clearing and showed a black, clear sky. Sometimes it seemed that these black spots were clouds. Sometimes it seemed that the sky was high, high above the head; sometimes the sky descended completely, so that you could reach it with your hand.
Petya began to close his eyes and sway.
Drops dripped. There was a quiet conversation. The horses neighed and fought. Someone snored.
“Fire, burn, burn, burn…” whistled the saber being sharpened. And suddenly Petya heard a harmonious chorus of music playing some unknown, solemnly sweet hymn. Petya was musical, just like Natasha, and more than Nikolai, but he never studied music, did not think about music, and therefore the motives that suddenly came to his mind were especially new and attractive to him. The music played louder and louder. The tune grew, passed from one instrument to another. There was what is called a fugue, although Petya had no idea what a fugue was. Each instrument, now resembling a violin, now like trumpets - but better and purer than violins and trumpets - each instrument played its own and, without finishing the motive, merged with another, which began almost the same, and with a third, and with a fourth, and they all merged into one and again scattered, and again merged now into a solemnly churchly, then into a brightly brilliant and victorious one.
“Oh, yes, it’s me in a dream,” Petya said to himself, swaying forward. - It's in my ears. Or maybe it's my music. Well, again. Go ahead my music! Well!.."
He closed his eyes. And from different sides, as if from afar, sounds trembled, began to converge, scatter, merge, and again everything united into the same sweet and solemn hymn. “Ah, what a delight it is! As much as I want and how I want,” Petya said to himself. He tried to lead this huge chorus of instruments.
“Well, hush, hush, freeze now. And the sounds obeyed him. - Well, now it's fuller, more fun. More, even happier. - And from an unknown depth rose increasing, solemn sounds. “Well, voices, pester!” Petya ordered. And first, men's voices were heard from afar, then women's. The voices grew, grew in a steady solemn effort. Petya was terrified and joyful to listen to their extraordinary beauty.
A song merged with the solemn victory march, and drops dripped, and burned, burned, burned ... a saber whistled, and again the horses fought and neighed, not breaking the chorus, but entering it.
Petya did not know how long this went on: he enjoyed himself, was constantly surprised at his own pleasure and regretted that there was no one to tell him. Likhachev's gentle voice woke him up.
- Done, your honor, spread the guard in two.
Petya woke up.
- It's getting light, really, it's getting light! he cried.
Previously invisible horses became visible up to their tails, and a watery light was visible through the bare branches. Petya shook himself, jumped up, took out a ruble bill from his pocket and gave it to Likhachev, waved it, tried the saber and put it in its sheath. The Cossacks untie the horses and tighten the girths.
“Here is the commander,” said Likhachev. Denisov came out of the guardroom and, calling to Petya, ordered to get ready.

Quickly in the semi-darkness, they dismantled the horses, tightened the girths and sorted out the commands. Denisov stood at the guardhouse, giving his last orders. The infantry of the party, slapping a hundred feet, advanced along the road and quickly disappeared between the trees in the predawn fog. Esaul ordered something to the Cossacks. Petya kept his horse in line, impatiently waiting for the order to mount. Washed with cold water, his face, especially his eyes, burned with fire, chills ran down his back, and something in his whole body trembled quickly and evenly.
- Well, are you all ready? Denisov said. - Come on horses.
The horses were given. Denisov was angry with the Cossack because the girths were weak, and, having scolded him, sat down. Petya took up the stirrup. The horse, out of habit, wanted to bite his leg, but Petya, not feeling his weight, quickly jumped into the saddle and, looking back at the hussars moving behind in the darkness, rode up to Denisov.
- Vasily Fyodorovich, will you entrust me with something? Please… for God's sake…” he said. Denisov seemed to have forgotten about the existence of Petya. He looked back at him.
“I’ll tell you about one thing,” he said sternly, “obey me and not meddle anywhere.
During the entire journey, Denisov did not say a word to Petya and rode in silence. When we arrived at the edge of the forest, the field was noticeably brighter. Denisov said something in a whisper to the esaul, and the Cossacks began to drive past Petya and Denisov. When they had all passed, Denisov touched his horse and rode downhill. Sitting on their haunches and gliding, the horses descended with their riders into the hollow. Petya rode next to Denisov. The trembling in his whole body grew stronger. It was getting lighter and lighter, only the fog hid distant objects. Driving down and looking back, Denisov nodded his head to the Cossack who was standing beside him.
- Signal! he said.
The Cossack raised his hand, a shot rang out. And at the same moment there was heard the clatter of galloping horses in front, shouts from different directions, and more shots.
At the same moment as the first sounds of trampling and screaming were heard, Petya, kicking his horse and releasing the reins, not listening to Denisov, who shouted at him, galloped forward. It seemed to Petya that it suddenly dawned brightly, like the middle of the day, at the moment a shot was heard. He jumped to the bridge. Cossacks galloped ahead along the road. On the bridge, he ran into a straggler Cossack and galloped on. There were some people in front—they must have been Frenchmen—running from the right side of the road to the left. One fell into the mud under the feet of Petya's horse.
Cossacks crowded around one hut, doing something. A terrible cry was heard from the middle of the crowd. Petya galloped up to this crowd, and the first thing he saw was the pale face of a Frenchman with a trembling lower jaw, holding on to the shaft of a pike pointed at him.
“Hurrah!.. Guys…ours…” Petya shouted and, giving the reins to the excited horse, galloped forward down the street.
Shots were heard ahead. Cossacks, hussars, and ragged Russian prisoners, who fled from both sides of the road, all shouted something loudly and incoherently. A young man, without a hat, with a red frown on his face, a Frenchman in a blue greatcoat fought off the hussars with a bayonet. When Petya jumped up, the Frenchman had already fallen. Late again, Petya flashed through his head, and he galloped to where frequent shots were heard. Shots were heard in the courtyard of the manor house where he had been last night with Dolokhov. The French sat there behind the wattle fence in a dense garden overgrown with bushes and fired at the Cossacks crowded at the gate. Approaching the gate, Petya, in the powder smoke, saw Dolokhov with a pale, greenish face, shouting something to people. "On the detour! Wait for the infantry!” he shouted as Petya rode up to him.
“Wait?.. Hurrah!” Petya shouted and, without a single minute's hesitation, galloped to the place where the shots were heard and where the powder smoke was thicker. A volley was heard, empty and slapped bullets screeched. The Cossacks and Dolokhov jumped after Petya through the gates of the house. The French, in the swaying thick smoke, some threw down their weapons and ran out of the bushes towards the Cossacks, others ran downhill to the pond. Petya galloped along the manor's yard on his horse and, instead of holding the reins, waved both hands strangely and quickly, and kept falling further and further from the saddle to one side. The horse, having run into a fire smoldering in the morning light, rested, and Petya fell heavily to the wet ground. The Cossacks saw how quickly his arms and legs twitched, despite the fact that his head did not move. The bullet pierced his head.
After talking with a senior French officer, who came out from behind the house with a handkerchief on a sword and announced that they were surrendering, Dolokhov got off his horse and went up to Petya, motionless, with his arms outstretched.
“Ready,” he said, frowning, and went through the gate to meet Denisov, who was coming towards him.
- Killed?! exclaimed Denisov, seeing from a distance that familiar to him, undoubtedly lifeless position, in which Petya's body lay.
“Ready,” repeated Dolokhov, as if pronouncing this word gave him pleasure, and quickly went to the prisoners, who were surrounded by dismounted Cossacks. - We won't take it! he shouted to Denisov.
Denisov did not answer; he rode up to Petya, dismounted from his horse, and with trembling hands turned towards him Petya's already pale face, stained with blood and mud.
“I'm used to anything sweet. Excellent raisins, take them all,” he remembered. And the Cossacks looked back with surprise at the sounds, similar to the barking of a dog, with which Denisov quickly turned away, went up to the wattle fence and grabbed it.
Among the Russian prisoners recaptured by Denisov and Dolokhov was Pierre Bezukhov.

About the party of prisoners in which Pierre was, during his entire movement from Moscow, there was no new order from the French authorities. On October 22, this party was no longer with the troops and convoys with which it left Moscow. Half of the convoy with breadcrumbs, which followed them for the first transitions, was beaten off by the Cossacks, the other half went ahead; the foot cavalrymen who went ahead, there was not one more; they all disappeared. The artillery, which the first crossings could be seen ahead of, was now replaced by the huge convoy of Marshal Junot, escorted by the Westphalians. Behind the prisoners was a convoy of cavalry things.
From Vyazma, the French troops, who had previously marched in three columns, now marched in one heap. Those signs of disorder that Pierre noticed on the first halt from Moscow have now reached the last degree.
The road they were on was paved on both sides with dead horses; ragged people, lagging behind different teams, constantly changing, then joined, then again lagged behind the marching column.
Several times during the campaign there were false alarms, and the soldiers of the convoy raised their guns, fired and ran headlong, crushing each other, but then again gathered and scolded each other for vain fear.
These three gatherings, marching together - the cavalry depot, the depot of prisoners and Junot's convoy - still constituted something separate and integral, although both, and the other, and the third quickly melted away.
In the depot, which had at first been one hundred and twenty wagons, now there were no more than sixty; the rest were repulsed or abandoned. Junot's convoy was also abandoned and several wagons were recaptured. Three wagons were plundered by backward soldiers from Davout's corps who came running. From the conversations of the Germans, Pierre heard that more guards were placed on this convoy than on prisoners, and that one of their comrades, a German soldier, was shot on the orders of the marshal himself because a silver spoon that belonged to the marshal was found on the soldier.
Most of these three gatherings melted the depot of prisoners. Of the three hundred and thirty people who left Moscow, now there were less than a hundred. The prisoners, even more than the saddles of the cavalry depot and than Junot's convoy, burdened the escorting soldiers. Junot's saddles and spoons, they understood that they could come in handy for something, but why would the hungry and cold soldiers of the convoy stand on guard and guard the same cold and hungry Russians who were dying and lagging behind the road, whom they were ordered to shoot - it was not only incomprehensible, but also disgusting. And the escorts, as if afraid in the sad situation in which they themselves were, not to give in to the feeling of pity for the prisoners that was in them and thereby worsen their situation, treated them especially gloomily and strictly.

P.I. Tchaikovsky ballet "Sleeping Beauty"

The Sleeping Beauty ballet is a fabulous performance, a delightful extravaganza that captures the viewer as its bright and solemn visual component, coupled with the musical theme of the authorship of the great Tchaikovsky , and deep philosophical overtones. The ballet in three acts is staged according to the plot of Charles Perrault's fairy tale, known to everyone since childhood, about a princess who fell asleep for a hundred years, who was awakened from her magical sleep only by the kiss of a handsome prince.

A summary of Tchaikovsky's ballet "" and many interesting facts about this work, read on our page.

Characters	Description
Princess Aurora	young beauty, daughter of the king and queen
King Florestan XIV	Aurora's father
Queen	King's consort and mother of Aurora
Carabosse	evil fairy
Desiree	Prince Charming
Catalabutte	chief butler of the king of Florestan
Princes wooing Aurora	Sheri, Sharman, Fleur de Poix, Fortuné
six good fairies	Lilac (godmother of Aurora), Candide, Fleur-de-Farin, Bread Crumb, Canary, Violant

Summary of "Sleeping Beauty"

Behind the opened curtain, the viewer is awaited by a magnificent celebration arranged by King Florestan in his palace on the occasion of the christening of the newborn Princess Aurora. Among the guests there are six good fairies who have arrived to reward the little daughter of the king with magical gifts. However, the general fun is suddenly replaced by horror when the evil and powerful fairy Carabosse bursts into the ballroom, furious that they forgot to invite her to the royal celebration. She wants to take revenge and casts a terrible spell on little Aurora, according to which the princess, on the day of her majority, will fall asleep forever, pricking her finger with an ordinary weaving spindle. After the departure of Carabosse, the godmother of Aurora, the Lilac Fairy, tries to soften the gloomy spell, telling the saddened royal couple that there is hope for a favorable outcome of the case and their daughter will fall asleep not forever, but for 100 years, and the kiss of the handsome prince can wake her up.

During the holiday, numerous noble and wealthy grooms, who are handsome, come from royal families, are gallant and worthy, woo the beautiful princess. But none of them is able to captivate the heart of a young girl. Suddenly, Aurora notices an old woman in the corner of the garden, in whose hands is a spindle. The girl runs up to her, takes the spindle in her hands and begins to spin with him in a dance, imagining that she is dancing with her lover. Carelessly touching the sharp end of the spindle, Aurora falls unconscious and falls into a deep sleep. The princes summoned to the ball rush to seize the culprit of the misfortune, but the old woman, whom, as it turns out, the evil fairy Carabosse turned into, laughs loudly and disappears, pleased with the accomplished atrocity. The Lilac Fairy Godmother decides to help the royal family in this unimaginable grief and puts the entire court to sleep along with Aurora for a whole 100 years so that everyone can witness the promised miraculous awakening of the princess.

A century has passed, and now, making his way through dense thickets while hunting, the handsome prince Desire finds himself with his retinue in an abandoned garden. Hunters and escorts start dancing and having fun here. Suddenly, on a majestic boat, the Lilac Fairy, already familiar to the viewer, floats up the river. Appearing to the prince, she shows him the way to the castle, where the king and queen, servants and courtiers froze for a century, where the same young Aurora rests peacefully. The prince in amazement examines the picture that has opened before him - people frozen without movement. He calls out to the king, the butler, but does not receive an answer, and then notices the sleeping beauty Aurora. The prince is so amazed by the amazing beauty of the girl that he immediately leans down to kiss her. From a gentle kiss, the princess wakes up, and the castle and all its inhabitants come to life at the same moment. Prince Desire asks for the hand of Aurora from her royal father. The tale ends with a solemn wedding ceremony for the newlyweds.

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Interesting Facts

Each act of the ballet is an independent work, like a part of a symphony - closed and complete in its form.
The performance has a deep philosophical meaning, opposing the Lilac fairy and the Carabosse fairy, which personifies the eternal struggle between good and evil, and the result of the fairy tale is the all-conquering power of the pure love of Aurora and Desiree.
Before Tchaikovsky, this fairy tale was staged in the form of a ballet by the French composer Herold, who created a production called “ La Belle au bois dormant"("Beauty of the Sleeping Forest") in 1829.
The ballet became one of the most expensive premieres of the Mariinsky Theater - 42 thousand rubles were allocated for it (a quarter of the annual budget of St. Petersburg theaters).
The scenography for the 2011 ballet in Moscow was staged by Ezio Frigerio, an Oscar-winning artist for his work on the set of Cyrano de Bergerac.
The name of King Florestan XIV is in honor of King Louis XIV of France, who is considered one of the founders of the ballet genre.

The author wrote music for the ballet while traveling around Europe, and while working on The Sleeping Beauty he visited Paris, Marseille, Tiflis, Constantinople, and then, returning to Moscow, provided the finished work.
Vsevolzhsky decided to stage a ballet based on a French fairy tale for political reasons, ardently supporting the course of Tsar Alexander III towards rapprochement with France.
The choreographer and director of The Sleeping Beauty was born in Belgium and from the age of 9 he took part in productions staged by his father. From 1847 until the end of his life he lived and worked in Russia.
In Matthew Bourne's 2013 modernist production, Aurora is in love with a royal gardener named Leo, and the source of evil is the son of an evil witch who wants to avenge his mother.
In 1964, the Soviet film-ballet The Sleeping Beauty was filmed, where the choreographer Sergeev was involved. The main role in the film was played by the ballerina Alla Sizova, for which she was awarded the French Dance Academy Prize.

Popular numbers from the ballet "Sleeping Beauty"

Waltz from act I (listen)

Pas d'action adagio (listen)

Lilac Fairy (listen)

Puss in boots and white cat(listen)

Music

Despite the fact that the ballet was created on the basis of an old French fairy tale, the music written by Tchaikovsky, in its lyrical component and emotional richness, is absolutely Russian. In this ballet, each musical movement is a brilliant masterpiece, evolving from scene to scene and culminating in the apotheosis of the triumph of love in the form of a grand adagio at the end of the performance.

With his work, Tchaikovsky not only describes the plot, he reflects the contradictions of the inner world of a person, that eternal struggle of light and darkness that goes on in the soul of everyone, regardless of era and country. Musical accompaniment becomes the finishing touch of the story, its integral part.

The music of the great maestro has undergone various changes over the decades of productions of The Sleeping Beauty. The exact chronology of these changes during the existence of the ballet in the imperial theater could only be reconstructed from posters. So, almost immediately after the start of the show, the third act lost the slow Sarabande, and a little later - the variations of the Lilac fairy, and the minuet was excluded from the peasant dance suite. In the 20s of the 20th century, in the prologue, the scene of the appearance of the Carabosse fairy and the scenes of hunters' dances were reduced.

Each director of the ballet "Sleeping Beauty" changes the original score in one way or another in accordance with their own ideas.

The history of the creation of "Sleeping Beauty"

The premiere of the ballet took place on January 3, 1890 at the Mariinsky Theater and made a splash. The idea to embody this amazing fairy tale on stage came to the head of the director of the Imperial Theaters Vsevolzhsky Ivan Alexandrovich, who, in addition to his high-ranking service, was engaged in literature, wrote scripts and was known as a bright theater figure of his time. It is Vsevolzhsky, together with the famous choreographer Marius Petipa took up writing the libretto for the production. The splendor of the court during the reign of Louis XIV became the basis of the scenes and the general spirit of the ballet, and the majestic music had to correspond and reveal the fairy tale from a new side. The director of the theaters was so imbued with the Sleeping Beauty ballet that he even created sketches for the costumes of the actors with his own hands.

It was proposed to write musical accompaniment for the performance Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky . Vsevolzhsky and Petipa provided the composer with an exceptionally accurate plan of the ballet, which was calculated literally to every bar, so the musician required very precise and laborious work. He, in turn, created a truly unique work, which became a real breakthrough in the field of ballet music of that time. Raising the bar very high, The Sleeping Beauty became a kind of standard for many years, for the first time making music for ballet the highest category of art.

The choreography of the production did not lag behind the musical theme -M. Petipa embodied the perfection of movements in every act, making the dance incredibly logical and thought out to the smallest detail. It was thanks to his efforts that The Sleeping Beauty turned into an anthology of classical ballet, incorporating all of its most refined and finest elements.

The Sleeping Beauty became not only the most beautiful, but also the most expensive production of the Mariinsky Theatre, and to this day remains a recognized masterpiece of ballet art.

Productions

After the premiere of The Sleeping Beauty in St. Petersburg, Marius Petipa brought the performance to the Italian La Scala, where the audience saw the new ballet for the first time in 1896. At the same time, the part of Princess Aurora was played by Carlotta Brianza, just like in Russia. In 1989, the Moscow Imperial Troupe received permission to stage the performance at the Bolshoi Theatre. The production was directed by Alexander Gorsky, the orchestra was conducted by Andrey Arends, and Lyubov Roslavleva played the title role of the beautiful Aurora. The Moscow version completely preserved Petipa's choreography.

In 1910, the Sleeping Beauty became a happy chance for the entrepreneur of the Russian Seasons Sergei Diaghilev who was in charge of staging ballet "The Firebird" in Paris. However, the accompanist could not complete the work within the specified time, so he went for some substitution and staged the dance of the Blue Bird and Florine princesses from the Sleeping Beauty performance, dressing them in colorful oriental costumes. Since the French did not see the Russian production, they received the performance well, which was specially named “The Firebird” for this occasion.

In 1914, the ballet was resumed at the Bolshoi Theater, but under the direction of Nikolai Sergeev, who relied on the notes of his teacher Stepanov. Sergeev's version was brought to London in 1921, and in 1922 the production returned to where it began its triumphal procession - to the Mariinsky Theater in St. Petersburg.

Throughout the 20th century, The Sleeping Beauty was successfully staged on various stages in many countries, becoming a real world heritage of art. Only the Bolshoi Theater saw seven different versions of the ballet, each of which was not inferior to the others in beauty and grandeur.

After a long and global renovation in 2011, the Bolshoi Theater again met its audience with the Sleeping Beauty ballet, where the role of Aurora was played by Svetlana Zakharova, and the role of Prince Desire was played by American David Holberg.

There are several contemporary readings of the play that use Tchaikovsky's classical music to accompany the modernist choreography. One of these original productions, which deserves special attention, is Matthew Bourne's ballet - a gothic fairy tale with a pronounced love line, where, according to the plot, Aurora wakes up in the modern world, which, however, is surprisingly surreal.

The production of the Spanish choreographer Duato is an extraordinary look at a classic work. Nacho Duato tried to speak with the audience in the language of dance and recreate the charm of the magic of a children's fairy tale, while maintaining the romantic spirit of the famous work.

”is recognized as a true world masterpiece of ballet art, setting a high standard for many generations to come. The stunning success of the performance in 1890, when the royal family was present in the hall of the Mariinsky Theater, echoes of applause is repeated in our days. immortal music Tchaikovsky , classical choreography with original elements or completely modified, luxurious scenery and exquisite costumes, the magic of a children's fairy tale and the deep problems of eternal philosophical questions - all this merged into a spectacle of incredible beauty and pomp, which is definitely worth seeing.

Video: watch the ballet "Sleeping Beauty" by Tchaikovsky