Балет СПАРТАК (SPARTACUS), 1999 г., Большой театр Беларуси.
NATIONAL ACADEMIC BOLSHOI OPERA AND BALLET THEATRE OF THE REPUBLIC OF BELARUS
SPARTACUS
Aram Khachaturyan
ballet in three acts
Libretto – Nikolay Volkov in a version of Valentin Elizariev and Eugeny Lysik
Choreography and Staging – People’s Artist of the USSR and Belarus,
laureate of State prize of the Republic of Belarus Valentin Elizariev
Composer – People’s Artist of the USSR, laureate of State prize of the USSR Aram Khachaturyan
Conductor of the Production – People’s Artist of the USSR, laureate of State prize of the Republic of Belarus Yaroslav Voshak
Scenography and Costumes – People’s Artist of Ukraine, laureate of State prize of Ukraine Eugeny Lysik
Conductors – the Honoured Art Worker of the Republic of Belarus Nikolay Kolyadko, Andrey Ivanov
Duration – 2 hours 30 minutes with 2 intervals
Premiere – July 13, 1980
Composer about his work
The ballet was conceived as a monumental story about a powerful slide of antique servile revolt to defend the freedom of human’s personality.
I created the music using the same method as the composers of the past when whey turned to the historic themes: reserving own style, own manner of composing, told about the events through the prism of their creative perception… I see the ballet “Spartacus” as a piece with a sharp musical drama, wide expanded characters and concrete romantically excited intonational speech. All achievements of the modern music culture I found necessary for developing the theme of Spartacus. That’s why the ballet was created on the modern language with the modern understanding of the problems of the music and theatre form.
Aram Khachaturian
A ballet critic about the performance “Spartacus”:
The main dramatic principle of the ballet became contrast, opposition between two forces: rebellious gladiators and the blase Rome with its powerful military machine. The main characters are also opposite to each other: noble, with high moral values Spartacus and depraved man of pleasure Crassus. Like the roman legionaries spread the hand forward in the way of greeting that became widely known in our century, they go through the epochs and continents and the authors again, as in the previous ballets put a bridge from the past to the present. The stage created by a stager was conceived not only as a red circus circle, but also as the bloody arena of the history. The dance of the arms that embodied cries and complaints of the salves, the episode of long and hard way, really “The Way of the Cross” of rebellious gladiators and particularly the scene of Spartacus’ death were very original.
… The revolted gladiators are prostrated. Tragic silence sets in above the field where a moment ago there was a battle. But suddenly, as overcoming the death itself one of the warriors stands up. It’s Spartacus who says farewell words to his companions. Answering his call the dying give their last breath, their last blood film to Spartacus like a holy debt to extend his breath, his life for a moment. And Spartacus stays to live eternal life. He fell in the 1st century, but he won forever. In the bloody fleshing that remains of the price paid for immortality those legendary warriors stand up alive, ready for new battles, blessed with the wings of the goodness of Victory Nika.
Julia Churko
