Write a summary of the ballet Romeo and Juliet. Ballet "Romeo and Juliet" by Sergei Prokofiev. Big drama and a happy ending. Two high-profile premieres

Prokofiev S. Ballet “Romeo and Juliet”

BALLET "ROMEO AND JULIET"

The ballet “Romeo and Juliet” was written by Prokofiev 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).

Prokofiev's work continued the classical traditions of Russian ballet. This was expressed in the great ethical significance of the chosen theme, in the reflection of deep human feelings, in the developed symphonic dramaturgy of the ballet performance. And at the same time, the ballet score of “Romeo and Juliet” was so unusual that it took time to “get used to” it. There was even an ironic saying: “There is no sadder story in the world than Prokofiev’s music in ballet.” Only gradually did all this give way to the enthusiastic attitude of the artists, and then the public, to music 35 .

35 G. Ulanov talks about how unusual the music of Prokofiev’s ballet was for the artists in his memoirs about the composer: “At first... it was difficult for us to create it (the ballet - R. Sh., G. S.), since the music seemed incomprehensible and uncomfortable. But the more we listened to it, the more we worked, searched, experimented, the brighter the images born from the music appeared before us. And gradually her understanding came, gradually she became comfortable for dancing, choreographically and psychologically clear” (Ulanova G. Author of her favorite ballets. Cited ed., p. 434).

First of all, the plot was unusual. Turning to the Shakespeare Feast was a bold step for Soviet choreography, since, according to generally accepted opinion, it was believed that the embodiment of such complex philosophical and dramatic themes was impossible through the means of ballet 36 . Shakespeare's theme requires the composer to provide multifaceted realistic characterization of the characters and their life environment, focusing on dramatic and psychological scenes.

Prokofiev's music and Lavrovsky's performance are imbued with the Shakespearean spirit. In an effort to bring the ballet performance as close as possible to its literary source, the authors of the libretto preserved the main events and sequence of action of Shakespeare's tragedy. Only a few scenes were cut. The five acts of the tragedy are grouped into three large acts. Based on the peculiarities of the dramaturgy of the ballet, the authors introduced, however, some new scenes that made it possible to convey the atmosphere of the action and the action itself in dance, in movement - a folk festival in Act II, a funeral procession with Tybalt’s body, and others.

Prokofiev's music clearly reveals the main conflict of the tragedy - the collision bright love young heroes with tribal, enmity of the older generation, characterizing the savagery of the medieval way of life (previous ballet stagings of Romeo and Juliet and famous opera Gounod is limited mainly to depicting the love line of the tragedy). Prokofiev also managed to embody in music Shakespeare's contrasts of tragic and comic, sublime and buffoonish.

Prokofiev, who had before him such high examples of the symphonic embodiment of Romeo and Juliet as Berlioz's symphony and Tchaikovsky's fantasy overture, created a completely original work. The ballet's lyrics are restrained and pure, and at times subtle. The composer avoids lengthy lyrical outpourings, but where necessary, his lyrics are characterized by passion and tension. Prokofiev’s characteristic figurative accuracy, the visibility of music, as well as the laconicism of characteristics were revealed with particular force.

The closest connection between music and action distinguishes musical dramaturgy works that are clearly theatrical in their essence. It is based on scenes designed to organically combine pantomime and dance: these are solo portrait scenes."

36 In the era of Tchaikovsky and Glazunov, fairy-tale-romantic plots were the most common in ballet. Tchaikovsky considered them the most suitable for ballet, using the poetic plots of “Swan Lake”, “Sleeping Beauty”, “The Nutcracker” to express generalized ideas and deep human feelings.

Soviet ballet, along with fairy-tale-romantic plots, is characterized by an appeal to realistic themes - historical-revolutionary, modern, taken from world literature. These are the ballets: “The Red Flower” and “The Bronze Horseman” by Gliere, “The Flame of Paris” and “The Fountain of Bakhchisarai” by Asafiev, “Gayane” and “Spartacus” by Khachaturian, “Anna Karenina” and “The Seagull” by Shchedrin.

(“Juliet the Girl,” “Mercutio,” “Pater Lorenzo”), and dialogue scenes (“At the Balcony.” Rome and Juliet are troubled by separation”), and dramatic crowd scenes (“Quarrel,” “Fight”).

There is no divertissement at all, that is, inserted, purely dance “concert” numbers (cycles of variations and characteristic dances). The dances are either characteristic (“Dance of the Knights,” otherwise called “Montagues and Capulet”) or recreate the atmosphere of the action (aristocratically graceful ballroom dancing, cheerful folk dances), captivating with their colorfulness and dynamics.

One of the most important dramatic means in Romeo and Juliet is leitmotifs. In his ballets and operas, Prokofiev developed a unique technique of leitmotif development. Typically, musical portraits of his heroes are woven from several themes that characterize different aspects of the image. They can be repeated and varied in the future, but the emergence of new qualities of the image most often causes the emergence of a new theme, which at the same time is closely connected intonationally with previous themes.

The clearest example is the three themes of love, marking the three stages of development of feeling: its origin (see example 177), its blossoming (example 178), its tragic intensity (example 186).

Prokofiev contrasts the multifaceted and complexly developed images of Romeo and Juliet with one image, almost unchanged throughout the entire ballet, of gloomy, dull enmity, the evil that caused the death of the heroes.

The method of sharp contrasting comparisons is one of the strongest dramatic techniques of this ballet. So, for example, the wedding scene at Father Lorenzo’s is framed by scenes of festive folk fun (the usual picture of city life emphasizes the exclusivity and tragedy of the heroes’ fate); in the last act there are images of the most intense mental struggle Juliet is answered by the bright, transparent sounds of “Morning Serenade”.

The composer builds the ballet on an alternation of relatively small and very clearly designed musical numbers. In this extreme completeness, “facetedness” of forms, there is the laconism of the pro-Kofyev style. But thematic connections, common dynamic lines, often uniting several numbers, counter the apparent mosaic of the composition and create the construction of a large symphonic breath. And the end-to-end development of leitmotif characteristics throughout the ballet imparts integrity to the entire work and unifies it dramaturgically.

By what means does Prokofiev create a sense of time and place of action? As already mentioned in connection with the cantata “Alexander Nevsky,” it is not typical for him to turn to authentic examples of bygone music. He prefers this to convey a modern idea of ​​antiquity. The minuet and gavotte, dances of the 18th century of French origin, do not correspond to the Italian music of the 15th century, but they are well known to listeners as ancient European dances and evoke broad historical and specific figurative associations. The minuet and gavotte 37 characterize a certain stiffness and conventional gradation in the Capulet ball scene. At the same time, there is a slight irony in them modern composer, recreating the images of the “ceremonial” era.

The music of the folk festival is original, depicting the boiling atmosphere of Renaissance Italy, saturated with sun and bright feelings. Prokofiev uses here the rhythmic features of the Italian folk dance tarantella (see “Folk Dance” of Act II)..

The introduction of the mandolin into the score is colorful (see “Dance with Mandolins”, “Morning Serenade”), an instrument common in Italian life. But what is more interesting is that in many other episodes, mainly genre ones, the composer brings the texture and timbre coloring closer to the specific, unpretentious “plucked” sound of this instrument (see “The Street Wakes Up”, “Masks”, “Preparing for the Ball”, “Mercutio” ").

Act I The ballet opens with a short “Introduction”. It begins with the theme of love, laconic, like an epigraph, bright and mournful at the same time:

The first scene depicts Romeo wandering around the city in the wee hours 38 . The pensive melody characterizes a young man dreaming of love:

87 The music of the gavotte was taken by Prokofiev from his “Classical Symphony”.

88 Shakespeare has no such scene. But Benvolio, Romeo's friend, tells about this. Turning the story into action, the authors of the libretto proceed from the peculiarities of the dramaturgy of the ballet.

This is one of Romeo's two main themes (the other was given in the "Introduction").

Pictures quickly alternate one after another, depicting the morning, the gradually coming to life of the streets of the city, a cheerful bustle, a quarrel between the servants of Montague and Capulet, and finally - a battle and the Duke’s menacing order to disperse.

A significant part of the 1st picture is imbued with a mood of carelessness and fun. It is, as if in focus, collected in a small scene “The Street Is Waking Up”, based on a dance melody, with an even “plucked” accompaniment, with the most unpretentious, it would seem, harmonization.

A few spare touches: double seconds, rare syncopations, unexpected tonal juxtapositions give the music a special poignancy and mischief. The orchestration is witty, alternating dialogue between the bassoon and the violin, oboe, flute and clarinet:

Intonations and rhythms characteristic of this melody or close to it unite several numbers of the picture. They are in “Morning Dance”, in the quarrel scene.

Striving for bright theatricality, the composer uses visual musical means. Thus, the Duke’s angry order caused a threatening slow “tread” on sharply dissonant sounds and sharp dynamic contrasts. The battle picture is built on continuous movement, simulating the knocking and clanking of weapons. But here there is also a theme of generalized expressive meaning - the theme of enmity. “Clumsiness”, straightforwardness of melodic movement, low rhythmic mobility, harmonic stiffness and loud, “inflexible” sound of brass - all means are aimed at creating a primitive and heavy-gloomy image:

graceful, tender:

Different sides of the image appear sharply and unexpectedly, replacing one another (as is typical for a girl or teenager). The lightness and liveliness of the first theme is expressed in a simple scale-like “running” melody, which seems to be broken up by different groups and instruments of the orchestra. Colorful harmonic “throws” of chords - major triads (on the VI lower, III and I degrees) emphasize its rhythmic sharpness and mobility. The grace of the second theme is conveyed by Prokofiev’s favorite dance rhythm (gavotte), a plastic melody of the clarinet.

Subtle, pure lyricism is the most significant “facet” of the image of Juliet. Therefore, the appearance of the third theme of Juliet’s musical portrait stands out from the general context by a change in tempo, a sharp change in texture, so transparent, in which only light echoes set off the expressiveness of the melody, and a change in timbre (flute solo).

All three of Juliet's themes continue in the future, and then new themes join them.

The plot of the tragedy is the scene of the Capulet's ball. This is where the feeling of love between Romeo and Juliet arose. Here Tybalt, a representative of the Capulet family, decides to take revenge on Romeo, who dared to cross the threshold of their house. These events take place against the bright, festive backdrop of the ball.

Each of the dances has its own dramatic function. Guests gather to the sounds of a minuet, creating the mood of official solemnity:

"Dance of the Knights"- this is a group portrait, a generalized description of the “fathers”. The galloping, punctuated rhythm, combined with the measured, heavy tread of the bass, creates an image of belligerence and stupidity, combined with a kind of grandeur. The figurative expressiveness of “Dance of the Knights” intensifies when the theme of enmity, already familiar to the listener, enters in the bass. The theme of the “Dance of the Knights” itself is used in the future as a characteristic of the Capulet family:

As a sharply contrasting episode within the Dance of the Knights, the fragile, sophisticated dance of Juliet with Paris is introduced:

The ball scene first introduces Mercutio, Romeo's cheerful, witty friend. In his music (see No. 12, “Masks”), a whimsical march gives way to a mocking, comic serenade:

The sceriotic movement, full of textured, harmonious rhythmic surprises, embodies the brilliance, wit, and irony of Mercutio (see No. 15, “Mercutio”):

In the ball scene (at the end of variation No. 14), Romeo's ardent theme, first given in the introduction to the ballet, sounds (Romeo notices Juliet). In "Madrigal", with which Romeo addresses Juliet, the theme of love appears - one of the most important lyrical melodies of the ballet. The play of major and minor adds a special charm to this lightly sad theme:

Themes of love are widely developed in the large duet of heroes (“Scene at the Balcony”, No. 19-21), which concludes Act I. It begins with a contemplative melody, previously only slightly outlined (“Romeo”, No. 1, final bars). Somewhat further on, the theme of love, which first appeared in “Madrigal,” sounds in a new, open, emotionally intense way from the cellos and cor anglais. This entire large stage, as if consisting of separate numbers, is subordinated to a single musical development. Several leitthemes are intertwined here; Each subsequent presentation of the same topic is more intense than the previous one, each new topic is more dynamic. At the climax of the entire scene (“Love Dance”) an ecstatic and solemn melody appears:

The feeling of serenity and rapture that gripped the heroes is expressed in another theme. Singing, smooth, with a gently swaying rhythm, it is the most danceable among the ballet’s love themes:

Romeo's theme from the "Introduction" appears in the coda of "Love Dance":

Act II of the ballet is replete with strong contrasts. Vibrant folk dances frame the wedding scene, full of deep, focused lyricism. In the second half of the action, the sparkling atmosphere of the festival gives way to the tragic picture of the duel between Mercutio and Tybalt and the death of Mercutio. The funeral procession with Tybalt's body represents the climax of Act II, marking the tragic turn of the plot.

The dances here are magnificent: the fast, cheerful “Folk Dance” (No. 22) in the spirit of the tarantella, the rough street dance of five couples, the dance with mandolins. It should be noted the elasticity and plasticity of the melodies, conveying the elements of dance movements.

In the wedding scene there is a portrait of the wise, philanthropic Father Lorenzo (No. 28). It is characterized by choral music, characterized by softness and warmth of intonation:

The appearance of Juliet is accompanied by her new melody on the flute (this is the leittimbre for a number of themes of the ballet heroine):

The transparent sound of the flute is then replaced by a duet of cellos and violins - instruments that are close in expressiveness to the human voice. A passionate melody appears, full of bright, “speaking” intonations:

This “musical moment” seems to reproduce the dialogue! Romeo and Juliet in a similar scene in Shakespeare:

Romeo

Oh, if the measure of my happiness

Equal to yours, my Juliet,

But you have more art is,

"To express it, please

The surrounding air with gentle speeches.

Juliet

Let the melody of your words be alive

Describes unspeakable bliss.

Only a beggar can count his possessions,

My love has grown so immensely,

That I can’t count half of it 39 .

Choral music accompanying the wedding ceremony completes the scene.

Masterfully mastering the technique of symphonic reincarnation of themes, Prokofiev gives one of the most cheerful themes of the ballet (“The Street Awakens,” No. 3) in Act II a dark and ominous quality. In the scene of Tybalt's meeting with Mercutio (No. 32), the familiar melody is distorted, its integrity destroyed. Minor coloring, sharp chromatic echoes that cut the melody, the “howling” timbre of the saxophone - all this dramatically changes its character:

Shakespeare W. Poly. collection cit., vol. 3, p. 65.

The same theme, like the image of suffering, runs through the death scene of Mercutio, written by Prokofiev with enormous psychological depth. The scene is based on the recurring theme of suffering. Along with the expression of pain, it contains a realistically strong drawing of the movements and gestures of a weakening person. With a huge effort of will, Mercutio forces himself to smile - fragments of his previous themes are barely audible in the orchestra, but they sound in the “distant” upper register wooden instruments- oboe and flute.

The returning main theme is interrupted by a pause. The unusualness of the ensuing silence is emphasized by the final chords, “alien” to the main tonality (after D minor, the triad of B minor and E-flat minor).

Romeo decides to take revenge for Mercutio. In a duel he kills Tybalt. Act II ends with a grand funeral procession with Tybalt's body. The piercing roaring sonority of copper, the density of texture, the persistent and monotonous rhythm - all this makes the music of the procession close topic enmity. Another funeral procession - “Juliet's Funeral” in the epilogue of the ballet - is distinguished by the spirituality of grief.

In Act III, everything is focused on the development of the images of Romeo and Juliet, who heroically defend their love in the face of hostile forces. Prokofiev paid special attention to the image of Juliet here.

Throughout Act III, themes from her “portrait” (the first and especially the third) and themes of love develop, which take on either a dramatic or mournful appearance. New melodies emerge, marked by tragic tension and power.

Act III differs from the first two in its greater continuity of end-to-end action, linking the scenes into a single musical whole (see scenes of Juliet, No. 41-47). Symphonic development, “not fitting” into the framework of the stage, results in two interludes (Nos. 43 and 45).

The brief introduction to Act III reproduces the music of the menacing “Duke's Order” (from Act I).

On stage is Juliet's room (No. 38). Using the finest techniques, the orchestra recreates the feeling of silence, the ringing, mysterious atmosphere of the night, the farewell of Romeo and Juliet: the flute and celesta play the theme from the wedding scene to the rustling sounds of the strings.

The small duet is full of restrained tragedy. Its new melody is based on the theme of farewell (see example 185).

The image contained in it is complex and internally contrasting. There is both fatal doom and living impulse. The melody seems to be difficult to climb up and just as difficult to fall down. But in the second half of the theme, an active protesting intonation is heard (see bars 5-8). The orchestration emphasizes this: the lively sound of the strings replaces the “fatal” call of the horn and the timbre of the clarinet, which sounded at the beginning.

It is interesting that this segment of the melody (its second half) develops in subsequent scenes as independent topic love (see No. 42, 45). It is also given as an epigraph to the entire ballet in the “Introduction”.

The theme of farewell sounds completely different in “Interlude” (No. 43). Here she acquires the character of a passionate impulse, tragic determination (Juliet is ready to die in the name of love). The texture and timbre coloring of the theme, now entrusted to brass instruments, changes sharply:

In the dialogue scene between Juliet and Lorenzo, at the moment when the monk gives sleeping pills to Juliet, the theme of Death is heard for the first time (“Juliet Alone”, No. 47) - musical image, exactly corresponding to Shakespeare's:

Cold, languid fear drills into my veins. It freezes life heat 40 .

The automatically pulsating movement of eighth notes conveys numbness; muffled rising bass - growing “languid fear”:

In Act III, genre elements characterizing the setting of the action are used much more sparingly than before. Two graceful miniatures - “Morning Serenade” and “Dance of Girls with L and L and I” - are introduced into the fabric of the ballet to create the subtlest dramatic contrast. Both numbers are transparent in texture: light accompaniment and melody assigned to solo instruments. “Morning Serenade” is performed by Juliet’s friends under her window, not knowing that she is dead.

40 Juliet's Elephant.

41 While this is still an imaginary death.

The bright ringing of strings sounds a light melody, sliding like a ray (instruments: mandolins placed behind the scenes, piccolo flute, solo violin):

Dance of girls with lilies congratulating the bride, hollow fragile grace:

But then a brief fatal theme is heard (“At Jula Etta’s Bedside,” No. 50), appearing for the third time in ballet 42:

At the moment when the Mother and the Nurse go to wake Juliet, her theme sadly and weightlessly passes through the highest register of the violins. Juliet is dead.

The epilogue opens with the scene of "Juliet's Funeral". The theme of death, conveyed by violins, melodically developed, surrounded

42 See also the endings of the scenes “Juliet the Girl”, “Romeo at Father Lorenzo”.

From shimmering mysterious piano to stunning fortissimo - this is the dynamic scale of this funeral march.

Precise strokes mark the appearance of Romeo (the theme of love) and his death. Juliet's awakening, her death, and the reconciliation of the Montagues and the Capulet form the content of the last scene.

The finale of the ballet is a bright hymn of love triumphing over death. It is based on the gradually increasing dazzling sound of Juliet's theme (the third theme, given again in a major key). The ballet ends with quiet, “reconciling” harmonies.

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Romanticism

Social and historical background of romanticism. Features of ideological content and artistic method. Characteristic manifestations of romanticism in music

Classicism, which dominated the art of the Enlightenment, in the 19th century gives way to romanticism, under the banner of which musical creativity developed in the first half of the century.

The change in artistic trends was a consequence of the enormous social changes that marked social life Europe at the turn of two centuries.

The most important prerequisite for this phenomenon in the art of European countries was the movement masses, awakened by the Great French Revolution *.

* “The revolutions of 1648 and 1789 were not the English and French revolutions; these were revolutions on a European scale... they proclaimed the political system of a new European society... These revolutions were expressed in much to a greater extent the needs of the entire world of that time than the needs of those parts of the world where they occurred, i.e. England and France” (Marx K. and Engels F. Works, 2nd ed., vol. 6, p. 115).

The revolution, which opened a new era in the history of mankind, led to a huge rise in the spiritual strength of the peoples of Europe. The struggle for the triumph of democratic ideals characterizes the European history of the period under review.

In inextricable connection with the people's liberation movement, a new type artist - a progressive public figure who strove for the complete emancipation of man's spiritual powers, for the highest laws of justice. Not only writers like Shelley, Heine or Hugo, but also musicians often defended their beliefs by putting pen to paper. High intellectual development, broad ideological horizons, and civic consciousness characterize Weber, Schubert, Chopin, Berlioz, Wagner, Liszt and many other composers of the 19th century *.

* Beethoven's name is not mentioned in this listing, since Beethoven's art belongs to a different era.

At the same time, the determining factor in the formation of the ideology of modern artists was the deep disappointment of broad sections of society in the results of the Great French Revolution. The illusory nature of the ideals of the Enlightenment was revealed. The principles of “liberty, equality and fraternity” remained a utopian dream. The bourgeois system that replaced the feudal-absolutist regime was distinguished by merciless forms of exploitation of the masses.

“The State of Reason has suffered a complete collapse.” Public and government agencies, which arose after the revolution, “... turned out to be an evil, bitterly disappointing caricature of the brilliant promises of the enlighteners” *.

* Marx K. and Engels F. Works, ed. 2nd, vol. 19, p. 192 and 193.

Deceived in their best hopes, unable to come to terms with reality, the artists of modern times expressed their protest against the new order of things.

This is how a new artistic movement arose and took shape - romanticism.

The denunciation of bourgeois narrow-mindedness, inert philistinism, and philistinism forms the basis of the ideological platform of romanticism. It mainly determined the content of the artistic classics of that time. But it is precisely in the nature of the critical attitude towards capitalist reality that lies the difference between its two main trends; it is revealed depending on the interests of which social circles this or that art objectively reflected.

Artists associated with the ideology of the outgoing class, which regretted the “good old days,” turned away from the surrounding reality in their hatred of the existing order of things. Romanticism of this kind, called “passive,” is characterized by an idealization of the Middle Ages, an attraction to mysticism, and the glorification of fictional world, far from capitalist civilization.

These trends are also characteristic French novels Chateaubriand, and the poems of the English poets of the “lake school”, and the German short stories of Novalis and Wackenroder, and the Nazarene artists in Germany, and the Pre-Raphaelite artists in England. The philosophical and aesthetic treatises of the “passive” romantics (“The Genius of Christianity” by Chateaubriand, “Christianity or Europe” by Novalis, articles on aesthetics by Ruskin) promoted the separation of art from life and glorified mysticism.

Another direction of romanticism - “effective” - reflected the discord with reality in a different way. Artists of this type expressed their attitude towards modernity in the form of passionate protest. Rebellion against the new social situation, defending the ideals of justice and freedom raised by the era of the French Revolution - this motive, in various refractions, dominates in the new era in most European countries. It permeates the work of Byron, Hugo, Shelley, Heine, Schumann, Berlioz, Wagner and many other writers and composers of the post-revolutionary generation.

Romanticism in art as a whole is a complex and heterogeneous phenomenon. Each of the two main trends mentioned above had its own varieties and nuances. In each national culture, depending on the socio-political development of the country, its history, the psychological make-up of the people, artistic traditions, the stylistic features of romanticism took on unique forms. Hence many of its characteristic national branches. And even in the work of individual romantic artists, different, sometimes contradictory, currents of romanticism sometimes crossed and intertwined.

Manifestations of Romanticism in literature, visual arts, theater and music varied significantly. Nevertheless, in the development of various arts of the 19th century there are many important points of contact. Without understanding their features, it is difficult to comprehend the nature of new paths in the musical creativity of the “Romantic Age”.

First of all, romanticism enriched art with many new themes, unknown in the artistic work of previous centuries or previously touched upon with much less ideological and emotional depth.

The liberation of the individual from the psychology of feudal society led to the establishment of the high value of the spiritual world of man. The depth and variety of emotional experiences arouse great interest among artists. Finely designed lyrical-psychological images- one of the leading achievements art of the 19th century centuries. By truthfully reflecting the complex inner life of people, romanticism opened up a new sphere of feelings in art.

Even in depicting the objective external world, artists started from personal perception. It was said above that humanism and fighting fervor in defending their views determined their place in the social movements of the era. And at the same time, the artistic works of the romantics, including those that touch upon social problems, often have the character of an intimate outpouring. The title of one of the most outstanding and significant literary works of that era is indicative - “Confession of a Son of the Century” (Musset). It is no coincidence that lyric poetry has taken a leading position in creativity writers of the 19th century centuries. The flourishing of lyrical genres and the expansion of the thematic range of lyrics are unusually characteristic of the art of that period.

And in musical creativity, the theme of “lyrical confession” acquires dominant importance, especially love lyrics, which most fully reveal the inner world of the “hero”. This theme runs like a red thread through all the art of romanticism, starting with the chamber romances of Schubert and ending with the monumental symphonies of Berlioz, the grandiose musical dramas Wagner. None of the classical composers created in music such diverse and subtly outlined pictures of nature, such convincingly developed images of longing and dreams, suffering and spiritual impulse, as the romantics. In none of them do we find intimate diary pages, which are highly characteristic of 19th-century composers.

Tragic conflict between the hero and his environment- a theme dominant in the literature of romanticism. The motif of loneliness permeates the work of many writers of that era - from Byron to Heine, from Stendhal to Chamisso... And for musical art images of discord with reality become a highly characteristic beginning, refracted in it both as a motive of longing for an unattainably beautiful world, and as the artist’s admiration for the spontaneous life of nature. This theme of discord also gives rise to bitter irony over imperfection real world, and dreams, and a tone of passionate protest.

The heroic-revolutionary theme, which was one of the main ones in the musical creativity of the “Gluck-Beethoven era,” sounds in a new way in the work of the romantics. Refracted through the artist’s personal mood, it acquires a characteristic pathetic appearance. At the same time, in contrast to classical traditions, the theme of heroism among the romantics was interpreted not in a universal, but in a distinctly patriotic national sense.

Here we touch upon another fundamentally important feature of the artistic creativity of the “Romantic Age” as a whole.

The general trend of romantic art is the increased interest in national culture. It was brought to life by the heightened national consciousness that the national liberation wars against the Napoleonic invasion brought with them. Various manifestations of folk-national traditions attract artists of modern times. TO early XIX century, fundamental research into folklore, history, and ancient literature appears. Medieval legends, Gothic art, and the culture of the Renaissance, consigned to oblivion, are being resurrected. The rulers of the thoughts of the new generation are Dante, Shakespeare, Cervantes. History comes to life in novels and poems, in the images of dramatic and musical theater (Walter Scott, Hugo, Dumas, Wagner, Meyerbeer). Deep study and mastery of national folklore expanded the range of artistic images, enriching art with previously little-known themes from the sphere heroic epic, ancient legends, images of fairy tales, pagan poetry, nature.

At the same time, a keen interest in the uniqueness of life, everyday life, and art of the peoples of other countries is awakening.

It is enough to compare, for example, Moliere’s Don Juan, whom the French author presented as a nobleman at the court of Louis XIV and the Frenchman pure water, with Byron's Don Juan. The classicist playwright ignores the Spanish origin of his hero, but for the romantic poet he is a living Iberian, acting in the specific setting of Spain, Asia Minor, and the Caucasus. Thus, if in exotic operas widespread in the 18th century (for example, Rameau’s “Gallant India” or Mozart’s “The Abduction from the Seraglio”) Turks, Persians, American natives or “Indians” acted essentially as civilized Parisians or Viennese of the same 18th century, then Already Weber, in the eastern scenes of Oberon, uses a genuine eastern melody to depict the harem guards, and his Preciosa is full of Spanish folk motifs.

For musical art new era interest in national culture entailed consequences of enormous significance.

The 19th century is characterized by the flourishing of national music schools based on tradition folk art. This applies not only to those countries that have already produced composers of world importance in the previous two centuries (such as Italy, France, Austria, Germany). A number of national cultures (Russia, Poland, the Czech Republic, Norway and others), which until then had remained in the shadows, appeared on the world stage with their own independent national schools, many of which began to play a very important and sometimes leading role in the development of pan-European music.

Of course, even in the “pre-Romantic era,” Italian, French, and German music differed from each other in features emanating from their national makeup. However, this national principle was clearly dominated by tendencies towards a certain universalism musical language *.

* So, for example, during the Renaissance, the development of professional music throughout Western Europe was subordinated Franco-Flemish traditions In the XVII and partly XVIII centuries melodic style prevailed everywhere Italian operas. Initially formed in Italy as an expression of national culture, it subsequently became the bearer of pan-European court aesthetics, with which national artists in different countries fought, etc.

In modern times, reliance on local, local, national becomes the defining moment of musical art. Pan-European achievements are now made up of the contributions of many clearly defined national schools.

As a consequence of the new ideological content of art, new expressive techniques appeared, characteristic of all the diverse branches of romanticism. This commonality allows us to talk about unity artistic method of romanticism in general, which equally distinguishes it from both the classicism of the Enlightenment and critical realism XIX century. It is equally characteristic of Hugo’s dramas, Byron’s poetry, and Liszt’s symphonic poems.

It can be said that the main feature of this method is increased emotional expressiveness. The romantic artist conveyed in his art a living ebullience of passions that did not fit into the usual schemes of enlightenment aesthetics. The primacy of feeling over reason is an axiom of the theory of romanticism. In the degree of excitement, passion, colorfulness of artistic works of the XIX century, first of all, the originality of romantic expression is manifested. It is no coincidence that music, the expressive specificity of which most fully corresponded to the romantic system of feelings, was declared by the romantics to be an ideal form of art.

An equally important feature of the romantic method is fantastic fiction. The imaginary world seems to elevate the artist above the ugly reality. According to Belinsky’s definition, the sphere of romanticism was that “soil of the soul and heart, from where all vague aspirations for the better and sublime rise, trying to find satisfaction in the ideals created by fantasy.”

This deep need of romantic artists was perfectly met by the new fairy-tale-pantheistic sphere of images, borrowed from folklore and ancient medieval legends. For musical creativity XIX century she had, like us we'll see in the future, paramount importance.

To new conquests of romantic art, which significantly enriched artistic expressiveness Compared to the classicist stage, it refers to the display of phenomena in their contradiction and dialectical unity. Overcoming the conventional distinctions inherent in classicism between the realm of the sublime and the everyday, artists of the 19th century centuries deliberately collided life's collisions, emphasizing not only their contrast, but also their internal connection. Like the principle of “dramatic antithesis” underlies many works of that period. It is typical for romantic theater Hugo, for operas by Meyerbeer, instrumental cycles by Schumann, Berlioz. It is no coincidence that it was the “romantic age” that rediscovered the realistic dramaturgy of Shakespeare, with all its wide contrasts of life. We will see later what an important fertilizing role Shakespeare’s work played in the formation of new romantic music.

TO characteristic features method of new art of the 19th century should also be attributed attraction to figurative concreteness, which is emphasized by depicting characteristic details. Detailing- a typical phenomenon in the art of modern times, even for the work of those figures who were not romantics. In music, this tendency is manifested in the desire for maximum clarification of the image, for significant differentiation of the musical language in comparison with the art of classicism.

New ideas and images of romantic art could not correspond artistic media, formed on the basis of the aesthetics of classicism characteristic of the Age of Enlightenment. In their theoretical works (see, for example, Hugo's preface to the drama "Cromwell", 1827), the romantics, defending unlimited freedom of creativity, declared a merciless struggle against the rationalistic canons of classicism. They enriched each area of ​​art with genres, forms and expressive techniques that corresponded to the new content of their work.

Let us trace how this process of renewal was expressed within the framework of musical art.

Romanticism - ideological and artistic direction in European and American culture of the end XVIII- 1st half XIX V.
In music, romanticism was formed in 1820s. and retained its meaning until the beginning XX V. The leading principle of romanticism is the sharp contrast between everyday life and dreams, everyday existence and the highest ideal world created by the creative imagination of the artist.

He reflected the disappointment of the widest circles in the results of the Great french revolution 1789-1794, in the ideology of the Enlightenment and bourgeois progress. Therefore, he is characterized by a critical orientation, a denial of philistine vegetation in a society where people are concerned only with the pursuit of profit. To a rejected world, where everything, even human relations, subject to the law of purchase and sale, the romantics contrasted another truth - the truth of feelings, the free expression of the creative personality. This is where their

close attention to the inner world of a person, a subtle analysis of his complex mental movements. Romanticism made a decisive contribution to the establishment of art as the lyrical self-expression of the artist.

Initially, romanticism acted as a fundamental

opponent of classicism. The art of the Middle Ages and distant exotic countries was opposed to the ancient ideal. Romanticism has discovered treasures folk art- songs, stories, legends. However, the opposition of romanticism to classicism is still relative, since the romantics adopted and further developed the achievements of the classics. Many composers were greatly influenced by the work of the latter Viennese classic -
L. Beethoven.

The principles of romanticism asserted outstanding composers different countries. These are K. M. Weber, G. Berlioz, F. Mendelssohn, R. Schumann, F. Chopin,

F. Schubert F. Liszt, R. Wagner. G. Verdi.

All these composers adopted the symphonic method of developing music, based on the consistent transformation of musical thought, generating within itself its opposite. But the romantics sought greater specificity of musical ideas, their closer connection with the images of literature and other types of art. This led them to create software works.

But the main achievement of romantic music was manifested in sensitive, subtle and deep expression inner world man, the dialectics of his emotional experiences. Unlike the classics, the romantics did not so much affirm the ultimate goal of human aspirations, achieved through stubborn struggle, as they launched an endless movement towards a goal that was constantly moving away and escaping. That is why the role of transitions and smooth changes of moods is so great in the works of romantics.
For a romantic musician, the process is more important than the result, more important than the achievement. On the one hand, they gravitate toward miniatures, which they often include in a cycle of other, usually different, plays; on the other hand, they affirm free compositions, in the spirit romantic poems. It was the romantics who developed new genre- a symphonic poem. The contribution of romantic composers to the development of symphony, opera, and ballet was extremely great.
Among composers 2nd half of the 19th century- the beginning of the 20th century: in whose work romantic traditions contributed to the establishment of humanistic ideas, - I. Brahms, A. Bruckner, G. Mahler, R. Strauss, E. Grieg, B. Sour cream, A. Dvorak and others

In Russia, almost all the great masters of Russian classical music paid tribute to romanticism. The role of the romantic worldview is great in the works of the founder of Russian musical classics M. I. Glinka, especially in his opera “Ruslan and Lyudmila”.

In the work of his great successors, with a general realistic orientation, the role of romantic motifs was significant. They were reflected in a number of fairy-tale and fantasy operas N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov, V symphonic poems P.I. Tchaikovsky and the composers of The Mighty Handful.
The romantic element permeates the works of A. N. Scriabin and S. V. Rachmaninov.

2. R.-Korsakov

Related information.

The first major work, the ballet Romeo and Juliet, became a true masterpiece. It started out hard stage life. 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 in the past there were attempts to present Shakespeare on the ballet stage (for example, in 1926 Diaghilev staged the ballet Romeo and Juliet with music English composer K. 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, like Tchaikovsky, then in ballet, due to its genre specificity, it is 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 poetry in Romeo and Juliet. dramatic action. 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.

Specifics ballet genre required enlargement of action, its concentration. Cutting off everything secondary 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 psychological states, an abundance of clear musical portraits-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 symphonism 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.

Instructions

Although composers and musicians began to turn to the love story of Romeo and Juliet back in the 18th century, the first famous work based on the Shakespearean tragedy, it was written in 1830. It was Vincenzo Bellini's opera "Capulets and the Montagues". It is not at all surprising that the Italian composer was attracted by the story that took place in Verona, Italy. True, Bellini somewhat departed from the plot of the play: Juliet’s brother dies at the hands of Romeo, and Tybalt, called Tybaldo in the opera, is not a relative, but the girl’s fiancé. It is interesting that Bellini himself at that time was in love with the opera diva Giuditta Grisi and wrote the role of Romeo for her mezzo-soprano.

In the same year, the French rebel and romantic Hector Berlioz attended one of the opera performances. However, the calm sound of Bellini's music caused him deep disappointment. In 1839, he wrote his Romeo and Juliet, a dramatic symphony with lyrics by Emile Deschamps. In the 20th century, many ballet performances were staged to Berlioz's music. The ballet “Romeo and Julia” with choreography by Maurice Bejart received the greatest fame.

In 1867, the famous opera “Romeo and Juliet” by the French composer Charles Gounod was created. Although this work is often ironically called “a complete love duet,” it is considered the best operatic version of Shakespeare’s tragedy and is still performed on the stages of opera houses around the world.

Among those few listeners for whom Gounod's opera did not cause much delight was Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. In 1869, he wrote his work on a Shakespearean plot, it became the fantasy “Romeo and Juliet”. The tragedy captured the composer so much that at the end of his life he decided to write a great opera based on it, but, unfortunately, he did not have time to realize his grandiose plan. In 1942, the outstanding choreographer Serge Lifar staged a ballet to the music of Tchaikovsky.

However, the most famous ballet based on the plot of Romeo and Juliet was written in 1932 by Sergei Prokofiev. His music at first seemed “undanceable” to many, but over time Prokofiev managed to prove the viability of his work. Since then, the ballet has gained enormous popularity and, to this day, does not leave the stage of the best theaters in the world.

On September 26, 1957, the premiere of Leonard Bernstein's musical West Side Story took place on the stage of one of the Broadway theaters. Its action takes place in modern New York, and the happiness of the heroes, “Native American” Tony and Puerto Rican Maria, is ruined by racial hostility. However, all the plot moves of the musical very accurately repeat the Shakespearean tragedy.

A peculiar musical business card“Romeo and Juliet” in the 20th century became the music of the Italian composer Nino Rota, written for the film made in 1968 by Franco Zeffirelli. It was this film that inspired the modern French composer Gerard Presgurvic to create the musical Romeo and Juliet, which has gained enormous popularity, which is also well known in the Russian version.

• Escalus, Duke of Verona
• Paris, young nobleman, Juliet's fiancé
• Capulet
• Capulet's wife
• Juliet, their daughter
• Tybalt, Capulet's nephew
• Juliet's nurse
• Montagues
• Romeo, his son
• Mercutio, friend of Romeo
• Benvolio, friend of Romeo
• Lorenzo, monk
• Page of Paris
• Page Romeo
• Troubadour
• Citizens of Verona, servants of the Montagues and Capulets, Juliet's friends, the owner of the tavern, guests, the Duke's retinue, masks

The action takes place in Verona at the beginning of the Renaissance.

Prologue. In the middle of the overture the curtain opens. The motionless figures of Romeo, Father Lorenzo with a book in his hands and Juliet form a triptych.

1. Early morning in Verona. Romeo wanders around the city, sighing for the cruel Rosamund. When the first passers-by appear, he disappears. The city comes alive: traders bicker, beggars scurry about, night revelers march. The servants Gregorio, Samson and Piero leave the Capulet house. They flirt with the tavern's maids, and the owner treats them to beer. The servants of the Montague house, Abram and Balthazar, also come out. The Capulets' servants begin to quarrel with them. When Abram falls wounded, Benvolio, Montague's nephew, arrives in time, drawing his sword and orders everyone to lower their weapons. Dissatisfied servants disperse in different directions. Suddenly Capulet's nephew Tybalt appears, returning home drunk. Having cursed the peace-loving Benvolio, he enters into battle with him. The servants' battle resumes. Capulet himself watches the battle of irreconcilable houses from the window. A young nobleman, Paris, approaches the Capulet house, accompanied by his pages, to ask for the hand of Juliet, the Capulet daughter. Not paying attention to the groom, Capulet himself runs out of the house in a robe and with a sword. The head of the Montague house also joins the battle. The city is awakened by an alarm bell, the townspeople run to the square. The Duke of Verona appears with his guard, the people beg him for protection from this feud. The Duke orders the swords and swords to be lowered. The guard nails the Duke's order for punishment death penalty anyone who takes to the streets of Verona with weapons in their hands. Everyone gradually disperses. Capulet, having checked the list of guests to the ball, returns it to the jester and leaves with Paris. The jester asks Romeo and Benvolio, who have appeared, to read the list to him; Romeo, seeing Rosamund's name on the list, asks about the place of the ball.

Juliet's room. Juliet plays pranks with her Nurse. A stern mother enters and tells her daughter that worthy Paris asks for her hand. Juliet is surprised; she has not yet thought about marriage. The mother takes her daughter to the mirror and shows her that she is no longer a little girl, but a fully developed girl. Juliet is confused.

Luxuriously dressed guests parade to a ball at the Capulet palace. Juliet's contemporaries are accompanied by troubadours. Paris passes by with his page. Mercutio is the last to run in, he hurries his friends Romeo and Benvolio. Friends joke, but Romeo is troubled by forebodings. Uninvited guests wear masks to avoid being recognized.

Ball in the Capulets' chambers. Guests sit at tables with dignity. Juliet is surrounded by her friends, Paris is nearby. Troubadours entertain young girls. The dancing begins. The men solemnly open the dance with pads, followed by the ladies. After the prim and heavy procession, Juliet’s dance seems light and airy. Everyone is overwhelmed with delight, but Romeo cannot take his eyes off the unfamiliar girl. Rosamund is instantly forgotten. The pompous atmosphere is relieved by the funnyman Mercutio. He jumps and bows funny to the guests. While everyone is busy joking with their friend, Romeo approaches Juliet and expresses his delight to her in a madrigal. An unexpectedly fallen mask reveals his face, and Juliet is amazed by the beauty of the young man, this is who she can love. Their first meeting is interrupted by Tybalt; he recognizes Romeo and hurries to warn his uncle. Departure of guests. The nurse explains to Juliet that the young man who captivated her is the son of Montague, the enemy of their house.

On a moonlit night under the Capulet balcony Romeo comes. On the balcony he sees Juliet. Having recognized the one she was dreaming about, the girl goes down to the garden. The lovers are full of happiness.

2. In Verona Square noisy and rowdy. The full owner of the zucchini treats everyone, but he is especially zealous for German tourists. Benvolio and Mercutio joke with the girls. Young people are dancing, beggars are scurrying about, and sellers are annoyingly offering oranges. A cheerful street procession takes place. Mummers and jesters dance around a statue of the Madonna, decorated with flowers and greenery. Mercutio and Benvolio, quickly finishing their beer, rush after the procession. The girls try not to let them go. The Nurse comes out, accompanied by Pierrot. She gives Romeo a note from Juliet. After reading it, Romeo hurries to connect his life with the life of his beloved.

Father Lorenzo's cell. Unpretentious furnishings: an open book lies on a simple table, next to it is a skull - a symbol of inevitable death. Lorenzo reflects: just as there are flowers in one hand and a skull in the other, so there is good and evil in the person next to him. Romeo enters. Having kissed the old man's hand, he begs him to seal his union with his beloved with a wedding. Lorenzo promises his help, hoping with this marriage to reconcile the enmity of the clans. Romeo prepares a bouquet for Juliet. Here she is! Romeo offers her his hand, and Lorenzo performs the ceremony.

There is an interlude on the proscenium. A cheerful procession with Madonna, beggars begging German tourists for alms. The orange seller awkwardly steps on the foot of the courtesan, Tybalt's companion. He forces him on his knees to ask for forgiveness and kiss this leg. Mercutio and Benvolio buy a basket of oranges from the offended seller and generously treat their girls with them.

Same area. Benvolio and Mercutio are in the tavern, young people are dancing around them. Tybalt appears on the bridge. Seeing his enemies, he draws his sword and rushes at Mercutio. Romeo, who came out into the square after the wedding, tries to reconcile them, but Tybalt mocks him. Duel between Tybalt and Mercutio. Romeo, trying to separate the fighters, moves his friend’s sword to the side. Taking advantage of this, Tybalt insidiously inflicts a fatal blow on Mercutio. Mercutio still tries to joke, but death overtakes him and he falls lifeless. Romeo, embittered because his friend died through his fault, rushes at Tybalt. A furious battle ends in the death of Tybalt. Benvolio points out the Duke's edict and forcibly takes Romeo away. The Capulets swear revenge on the Montague family over Tybalt's body. The dead man is lifted onto a stretcher, and a grim procession heads through the city.

3. Juliet's room. Early morning. Romeo, after his first secret wedding night, tenderly says goodbye to his beloved; by order of the Duke, he is expelled from Verona. The first rays of the sun force the lovers to part. The Nurse and Juliet's mother appear at the door, followed by their father and Paris. The mother reports that the wedding with Paris is scheduled in Peter's Church. Paris expresses his tender feelings, but Juliet refuses to marry. The mother is frightened and asks Paris to leave them. After his departure, the parents torment their daughter with reproaches and abuse. Left alone, Juliet decides to consult her father.

In Lorenzo's cell Juliet runs in. She begs him for help. While the priest is thinking, Juliet grabs a knife. Death is the only way out! Lorenzo takes away the knife and offers her a potion, taking which she will become like the deceased. She will be carried into the crypt in an open coffin, and Romeo, who will be notified, will come for her and take her with him to Mantua.

At home, Juliet agrees to the marriage. In fear, she drinks the drug and falls unconscious behind the bed curtain. Morning comes. Friends and musicians come from Paris. Wanting to wake Juliet up, they play cheerful wedding music. The nurse went behind the curtain and jumped back in horror - Juliet was dead.

Autumn night in Mantua. Romeo gets wet alone in the rain. His servant Balthazar appears and reports that Juliet has died. Romeo is shocked, but then decides to return to Verona, taking the poison with him. A funeral procession is moving to the cemetery in Verona. Juliet's body is followed by grief-stricken parents, Paris, the Nurse, relatives and friends. The coffin is placed in the crypt. The light goes out. Romeo runs in. He hugs his dead lover and drinks poison. Juliet woke up from a long “sleep”. Seeing the dead Romeo with his lips still warm, she stabs herself with his dagger.

Epilogue. Their parents come to the grave of Romeo and Juliet. The death of children frees their souls from anger and enmity, and they stretch out their hands to each other.

Now that many people recognize the music of the ballet “Romeo and Juliet” by Sergei Prokofiev literally by two bars, one can be surprised how difficult it was for this music to find its way to the stage. The composer testified: “At the end of 1934, conversations arose about a ballet with the Leningrad Kirov Theater. I was interested in the lyrical plot. We came across “Romeo and Juliet.” The first screenwriter was the famous theater figure Adrian Piotrovsky.

Prokofiev did not seek to musically illustrate Shakespeare's tragedy. It is known that initially the composer even wanted to save the lives of his heroes. He was probably embarrassed by the inevitable manipulations of the heroes at the coffin with the inanimate body of their partner. Structurally, the new ballet was conceived as a sequence of choreographic suites (enmity suite, carnival suite). The montage of contrasting numbers, episodes, and apt characteristics of the characters became the leading compositional principle. The unusual structure of the ballet and the melodic novelty of the music were unusual for the choreographic theater of that time.

A distinctive feature of all subsequent (and very different!) domestic choreographic solutions for “Romeo and Juliet” was a greater penetration into the composer’s plan, an increase in the role of dance and the sharpness of the director’s discoveries.

Let us note here the most famous performances of Nikolai Boyarchikov (1972, Perm), Yuri Grigorovich (1979, Bolshoi Theater), Natalia Kasatkina and Vladimir Vasilev (1981, Classical Ballet Theater), Vladimir Vasiliev (1991, Moscow Musical Theater).

A large number of productions of Prokofiev's ballet have been performed abroad. It is curious that if domestic choreographers actively “contradicted” Lavrovsky’s performance, the most famous productions outside Russia by John Cranko (1958) and Kenneth MacMillan (1965), still performed by famous Western troupes, consciously used the style of the original choreodrama. In the St. Petersburg Mariinsky Theater (after more than 200 performances) you can still see the 1940 performance.

A. Degen, I. Stupnikov

The best definition of “Romeo and Juliet” was given by musicologist G. Ordzhonikidze:

Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet is a reformist work. It can be called a symphony-ballet, because although it does not contain the formative elements of the sonata cycle in their, so to speak, “pure form”, it is all permeated with a purely symphonic breath... In every beat of the music one can feel the quivering breath of the main dramatic idea. With all the generosity of the pictorial principle, it nowhere takes on a self-sufficient character, being saturated with actively dramatic content. The most expressive means, the extremes of musical language, are used here in a timely manner and internally justified... Prokofiev's ballet is distinguished by the deep originality of its music. It manifests itself primarily in the individuality of the dance beginning, characteristic of Prokofiev’s ballet style. This principle is not typical for classical ballet, and usually it manifests itself only in moments of emotional uplift - in lyrical adagios. Prokofiev extends the named dramatic role of adagio to the entire lyrical drama.”

Individual, most striking numbers of the ballet are very often heard on the concert stage, both as part of symphonic suites and in piano transcriptions. These are “Juliet the Girl”, “Montagues and Capulets”, “Romeo and Juliet Before Separation”, “Dance of the Antillean Girls”, etc.

In the photo: “Romeo and Juliet” at the Mariinsky Theater / N. Razina

S. Prokofiev ballet “Romeo and Juliet”

World literature knows many beautiful but tragic love stories. Of this many, one stands out, which is called the saddest in the world - the story of two Verona lovers Romeo and Juliet. This immortal tragedy of Shakespeare has stirred the hearts of millions of caring people for more than four centuries - it lives in art as an example of pure and true love who was able to defeat anger, enmity and death. One of the most striking musical interpretations of this story throughout its existence is ballet Sergei Prokofiev "Romeo and Juliet". The composer succeeded amazingly“transfer” into the ballet score the entire complex fabric of Shakespeare’s narrative.

Brief summary of Prokofiev's ballet " Romeo and Juliet"and many interesting facts Read about this work on our page.

Characters	Description
Juliet	daughter of Signor and Lady Capulet
Romeo	son of Montague
Signor Montague	head of the Montague family
Signor Capulet	head of the Capulet family
Signora Capulet	Signor Capulet's wife
Tybalt	cousin of Juliet and nephew of Lady Capulet
Escalus	Duke of Verona
Mercutio	friend of Romeo, relative of Escalus
Paris	count, relative of Escalus, fiance of Juliet
Padre Lorenzo	Franciscan monk
Nurse	Juliet's nanny

Summary of "Romeo and Juliet"

The plot of the play takes place in medieval Italy. Enmity has been going on between the two famous Verona families, the Montagues and the Capulets, for many years. But true love has no boundaries: two young creatures from warring families fall in love with each other. And nothing can stop them: neither the death of Romeo’s friend Mercutio, who fell at the hands of Juliet’s cousin Tybalt, nor Romeo’s subsequent revenge on his friend’s killer, nor Juliet’s upcoming wedding with Paris.

Trying to escape a hated marriage, Juliet turns to Father Lorenzo for help, and the wise priest offers her a cunning plan: the girl will drink the drug and fall into a deep sleep, which others will mistake for death. Only Romeo will know the truth; he will come for her to the crypt and secretly take her away from hometown. But an evil fate hovers over this couple: Romeo, having heard about the death of his beloved and never knowing the truth, drinks poison near her coffin, and Juliet, awakened by the potion, seeing the lifeless body of her lover, kills herself with his dagger.

Photo:

Interesting facts

• The tragedy of W. Shakespeare is based on real events. The unhappy love story of two teenagers from warring noble families happened at the very beginning of the 13th century.
• In the first version of the ballet presented S. Prokofiev The Bolshoi Theater was happy ending. However, such a free handling of Shakespeare's tragedy caused a lot of controversy, as a result of which the composer composed a tragic ending.
• After the incredibly successful production of Romeo and Juliet with the participation of G. Ulanova and K. Sergeev in 1946, director Leonid Lavrovsky received the post of artistic director Bolshoi Theater.
• The famous musicologist G. Ordzhonikidze called the performance a symphony-ballet, due to its rich dramatic content.
• Often, in various concerts, separate ballet numbers are performed in the composition symphonic suites. Also, many numbers have become popular in piano transcription.
• In total, the score of the work contains 52 expressive melodies of different character.
• Researchers call the fact that Prokofiev turned to Shakespeare's tragedy a very bold step. There was an opinion that complex philosophical themes could not be conveyed in ballet.

• In 1954, the ballet was filmed. Director Leo Arnstam and choreographer L. Lavrovsky shot their film in Crimea. The role of Juliet was assigned to Galina Ulanova, Romeo - to Yuri Zhdanov.
• In 2016 in London it was performed very unusual production ballet, in which the famous shocking singer Lady Gaga took part.
• The reason why Prokofiev originally created a happy ending in ballet is extremely simple. The author himself admitted that the whole point is that the heroes will be able to continue dancing.
• Once Prokofiev himself danced in a ballet production. This happened during a concert in the hall of the Brooklyn Museum. The famous choreographer Adolf Bolm presented to the public his interpretation of the piano cycle “Fleetingness,” where the piano part was performed by Sergei Sergeevich himself.
• There is a street in Paris named after the composer. It rests on the street of the famous impressionist Claude Debussy and borders the street Mozart .
• Performer leading role in the play, Galina Ulanova initially considered Prokofiev’s music unsuitable for ballet. By the way, this particular ballerina was the favorite of Joseph Stalin, who attended performances with her participation many times. He even suggested making the finale of the ballet lighter so that the audience could see the happiness of the characters.
• During preparations for the long-awaited premiere of the play in 1938, Prokofiev for a long time did not want to give in to the choreographer Lavrovsky, who constantly demanded to make some changes and edits to the score. The composer replied that the performance was completed back in 1935, so he would not return to it. However, soon the author had to give in to the choreographer and even add new dances and episodes.

Popular numbers from the ballet “Romeo and Juliet”

Introduction (love theme) - listen

Dance of the Knights (Montagues and Capulets) - listen

Juliet the girl (listen)

The Death of Tybalt - listen

Before parting - listen

The history of the creation of "Romeo and Juliet"

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final ballet S.S. Prokofiev written by tragedy of the same name Shakespeare, which was created back in 1595 and has since captured the hearts of millions of people around the world. Many composers paid attention to this work when creating their works: Gounod, Berlioz, Tchaikovsky, etc. Returning from a trip abroad in 1933, Prokofiev also turned his attention to Shakespeare’s tragedy. Moreover, this idea was suggested to him by S. Radlov, who at that time was artistic director Mariinsky Theater.

Prokofiev really liked this idea and he set to work with great enthusiasm. At the same time, the composer also developed a libretto together with Radlov and critic A. Piotrovsky. Three years later, the original version of the play was shown by the composer at the Bolshoi Theater, where the first production was expected. If the management approved the music, then the somewhat loose interpretation of the plot was immediately rejected. The ballet's happy ending was in no way suitable to Shakespeare's tragedy. After some controversy on this topic, the authors nevertheless agreed to make adjustments, bringing the libretto as close as possible to the original source and returning the tragic ending.

Having once again studied the score, the management did not like the musical part, which was considered “non-danceable”. There is evidence that such pickiness is related to the political situation. It was at this time that an ideological struggle unfolded in the country with many major musicians, including D. Shostakovich with his ballet “Bright Stream” and opera "Katerina Izmailova" .

In this case, the management most likely decided to be cautious and not take too many risks. The long-awaited premiere was scheduled for the end of 1938, but it might not have taken place. A significant obstacle was that one of the librettists (A. Piotrovsky) had already been repressed, and his name was deleted from documents related to the ballet. In this regard, L. Lavrovsky became a co-author of the librettists. The young, promising choreographer was interested in staging ballets for about 10 years, and “Romeo and Juliet” became the real pinnacle of his work.

Productions

The premiere of the performance took place in Brno (Czech Republic) in 1938, but the composer himself could not attend. How did it happen that for the first time a work by a Soviet composer was presented to the public there? It turns out that just in 1938, Sergei Sergeevich went on tour abroad as a pianist. In Paris, he presented the Suites from Romeo and Juliet to the public. The conductor of the Brno Theater was present in the hall at that time, and he liked Prokofiev’s music. After a conversation with him, Sergei Sergeevich provided him with copies of his suites. The production of the ballet in the Czech Republic was very warmly received by the public and appreciated. Choreographer Ivo Vanya Psota, who also performed the role of Romeo, and production designer V. Skrushny worked on the performance. The performance was conducted by K. Arnoldi.

The Soviet public was able to get acquainted with Prokofiev's new creation in 1940, during the production by Leonid Lavrovsky, which was successfully held at the Leningrad Theater. S. Kirov. The main roles were performed by K. Sergeev, G. Ulanova, A. Lopukhov. Six years later, Lavrovsky presented the same version in the capital, together with conductor I. Sherman. The performance lasted on this stage for about 30 years and was performed 210 times during that time. After that, it was moved to another stage in the Kremlin Palace of Congresses.

Prokofiev's ballet constantly attracted the attention of many choreographers and directors. So, a new version of Yuri Grigorovich appeared in June 1979. The main roles were played by Natalya Bessmertnova, Vyacheslav Gordeev, Alexander Godunov. This performance was given 67 times until 1995.

The production by Rudolf Nureyev, successfully presented in 1984, is considered to be darker and more tragic compared to previous versions. It was in his ballet that the role of the main character Romeo increased in importance and even became equal to the role of his beloved. Until this moment, primacy in performances was assigned to the prima ballerina.

Joelle Bouvier's version can be called an abstract production. It was presented in 2009 on the stage of the Grand Theater of Geneva. It is noteworthy that the choreographer does not fully use the events presented in Prokofiev's score. It's all about showing internal state main characters. The ballet begins with all the participants belonging to two warring clans lining up on stage almost like football teams. Romeo and Juliet must now break through to each other.

A real media show, in which there are nine Juliets, was presented by Mauro Bigonzetti in his version of Prokofiev's classical ballet in Moscow, at the festival modern dance in November 2011. His bright and eclectic choreography focused all the attention of the audience on the very energy of the dancers. Moreover, there are no solo parts themselves. The production transformed into a show where media art and ballet closely merged. It is noteworthy that the choreographer even swapped the musical numbers themselves and the performance begins with the final scene.

An interesting version was shown in July 2008. Unlike others, this ballet was performed in its original version, dating back to 1935. The play was presented at the Bard College Festival in New York. Choreographer Mark Morris brought back the full composition, structure and most importantly, the happy ending of the score. After a successful premiere, this version was staged in major European cities.

Some classical works are considered to be the most important assets and even treasures of world culture. Ballet belongs to such masterpieces Prokofiev"Romeo and Juliet". Deep and sensual music, which very subtly follows the plot, will not leave anyone indifferent, forcing you to empathize with the main characters and share with them all the joy of love and suffering. It is no coincidence that this particular work is one of the most famous and successful today. We invite you to watch this story of an entire generation, appreciating not only Prokofiev’s unforgettable music, but also the magnificent production and skill of the dancers. Every beat, every movement in the ballet is filled with the deepest drama and soulfulness.

Video: watch the ballet “Romeo and Juliet” by Prokofiev