THE PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY SCHREYER HONORS COLLEGE

DEPARTMENT OF GERMANIC AND SLAVIC LANGUAGES AND LITERATURES

THE RISE, FALL, AND RENAISSANCE OF SHOSTAKOVICH’S THIRD : RECONCILING THE BRIGHT STREAM WITH POST-SOVIET CULTURE

ERIKA E. PUGH SPRING 2019

A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for baccalaureate degrees in Russian and Finance with honors in Russian

Reviewed and approved* by the following:

Adrian Wanner Liberal Arts Professor of Slavic Languages and Comparative Literature Thesis Supervisor

Irina Mikaelian Teaching Professor of Russian Honors Adviser

* Signatures are on file in the Schreyer Honors College. i

ABSTRACT

Dmitri Shostakovich’s last and most controversial ballet, The Bright Stream, was set on a

Soviet collective farm in the 1930’s as an attempt to reconcile with Socialist

Realism. Despite its initial success, the ballet caused a scandal and was banned less than a year after its 1935 premiere, remaining untouched until 2003 when recreated it to worldwide success. Using reviews and memoirs from Soviet and Post-Soviet , this thesis provides a contextual backdrop to The Bright Stream and discusses the ballet’s relationship with its creators, critics, political ideology, and cultural identity. It analyzes the problem of implementing Socialist Realism in classical ballet, as well as the issues surrounding the reception of Stalinist culture in present-day Russia. This thesis concludes that Ratmansky’s revival of The

Bright Stream displays his love and appreciation for Soviet dance, music, and cultural heritage despite the ballet’s complex relationship with government and politics, both past and present.

Furthermore, Ratmansky was able to achieve this objective while simultaneously evoking, without directly commenting on them, the horrors of collectivization by showing modern audiences the falsehoods that Soviet citizens were subjected to.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

LIST OF FIGURES ...... iii

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ...... iv

PREFACE ...... v

Introduction ...... 1

Chapter 1: Ballet and Ideology in Post-Revolutionary Russia ...... 4

Soviet Socialist Realism ...... 4 Ballet’s Transition and Integration into Soviet Society ...... 8 The 1930’s: Introducing the Drambalet ...... 16

Chapter 2: The Bright Stream in the 20th Century ...... 22

Fyodor Lopukhov ...... 22 Adrian Piotrovsky ...... 26 ...... 29 The Bright Stream Background and Plot ...... 33

Chapter 3: Reception of The Bright Stream: 1935 – 1936 ...... 45

Chapter 4: The Bright Stream in the 21st Century...... 61

Ballet’s Transition and Integration into Post-Soviet Society...... 61 Alexei Ratmansky ...... 67 The Bright Stream Background and Plot in the 21st Century ...... 70

Chapter 5: Reception of The Bright Stream: 2003 – Present ...... 73

Conclusion ...... 83

Appendix A: Cast of Characters From The Bright Stream ...... 87

Appendix B: Select Translations ...... 88

BIBLIOGRAPHY ...... 162

Bibliography of Russian Sources ...... 166

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LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1: Pyotr Gusev as the Male Dancer, Olga Lepeshinskaya as the Ballerina...... 33

Figure 2: The original set of The Bright Stream ...... 35

Figure 3: Evgenia Lopukhova as the Anxious-to-be-younger-than-she-is Dacha Dweller, and Feya Balabina as the disguised Ballerina. Taken at the Maly Opera Theatre 37

Figure 4: Sulamith and Asaf Messerer. Taken at the premiere...... 39

Figure 5: Alexander Radunsky as the Elderly Dacha Dweller at the Bolshoi Theatre 45

Figure 6: Photograph featured in Talnikov's article ...... 52

Figure 7: Costume sketches for the 1935 production ...... 55

Figure 8: Ruslan Skyortsov as the Male Dancer, Andrei Melanyin as the Elderly Dacha Dweller ...... 71

Figure 9: Backdrop created by Boris Messerer...... 73

Figure 10: Poster promoting Ratmansky’s upcoming ballet, featuring Asaf and Sulamith Messerer. Poster by V. Milovanov...... 74

Figure 11: Scene from Act I...... 76

Figure 12: Apotheosis from Act II ...... 79

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to acknowledge Dr. Irina Mikaelian and Dr. Adrian Wanner for their invaluable guidance and outstanding commitment to my education here at Penn State. While visiting friends and family in , Dr. Mikaelian went out of her way to retrieve special documents for this thesis, while Dr. Wanner’s enthusiasm and immense knowledge of Stalinist

Russia has directly contributed to my success and continued passion for all things Russian. Both

Dr. Mikaelian and Dr. Wanner were an absolute pleasure to work with, and I am very grateful to have been their student.

I want to also thank my family for their endless support throughout all of my academic and personal endeavors. Specifically, my parents Frank and Nancy Pugh who have taught me to never give up, my brothers Ben and Brian Pugh who inspire me every day to achieve as much as they do, and my two wonderful cats who have been with me since my first day of Kindergarten,

Trixie and Berkeley Pugh.

Finally, I would like to give a very special thanks to Sasha Tabachnikova. This thesis would never have been possible without her support, extreme patience, late night consultations on Russian translation, and lifelong friendship. v

PREFACE

This thesis is structured to contextually present the story of The Bright Stream from different vantage points at two different times in history: the 1930’s and the 2000’s. In order to fully understand this ballet in Stalinist Russia, Chapter 1 provides a background on Socialist

Realism and discusses artistic trends in Soviet society after the October Revolution. Chapter 1 also emphasizes the role that played in creating a unified Soviet dance school and propelling to a new height of world prestige. She offers lots of written insight on the emergence and impact of the drambalet genre, providing the comparative landscape of during the time period in which The Bright Stream was conceived.

With this in mind, Chapter 2 introduces the ballet’s plot, its key creators, and all of their experiences leading up to the premiere of The Bright Stream. This transitions into Chapter 3, which discusses the critical reviews of the ballet from its 1935 premiere all the way to its denunciation in February of 1936.

Chapter 4 moves forward to the 21st century, beginning with Russia’s transition out of the and how this geopolitical event affected Russian ballet as a whole. Chapter 4 also introduces Alexei Ratmansky, the choreographer who reimagined The Bright Stream in

2003, and discusses his intentions and motivations behind resurrecting the ballet. Chapter 5 then discusses the positive and negative reviews surrounding his production. This thesis ends with a conclusion that ties together the events that happened in the 1930’s and how Ratmansky drew upon this history to portray the Stalinist ballet in contemporary Russia, ultimately defending its place in the 21st century. vi

Finally, I would like to mention that there are two appendices in this thesis. Appendix A contains the original casts of The Bright Stream at its 1935 Leningrad premiere, 1935 Moscow premiere, and 2003 Moscow premiere. Appendix B contains my own translations of various articles from both the 1930’s and the 2000’s that are analyzed in this thesis. Unless otherwise noted, all English translations of Russian sources are my own. 1

Introduction

On June 4th, 1935 the Leningrad State Academic Opera Maly Theatre (known today as the renowned ) hosted the premiere of a comedic ballet set on a collective farm just off the North Caucasian Railway. This ballet, choreographed by , composed by Dmitri Shostakovich, and with a libretto by Adrian Piotrovsky blended together identity swaps, romantic intrigues, Caucasians, Kubans, and classical ballet into three acts’ worth of evening entertainment for Soviet audiences. The Leningrad premiere experienced immense success, where audiences “boisterously expressed their delight, enthralled by the general enthusiasm of the concert hall” (Поляновский). Because it was so well-received, the ballet was retooled and transported to the nation’s capital for the prestigious Bolshoi Theatre on November

30th, 1935. In Moscow, the ballet also received positive reviews, where a reporter for the Soviet newspaper, Pravda, went as far as to say: “without fear of exaggeration, it can be said that D.

Shostakovich wrote many wonderful musical numbers that F. Lopukhov and B. Mordvinov staged in a most talented manner, and that the dancers of the Bolshoi Theatre performed with brilliance worthy of the Soviet ballet” (Эрлих). It seemed as though the ballet was a tremendous success and would find a lasting spot in the repertoires of major theatres throughout the Soviet

Union for the foreseeable future.

However, within a matter of months there was a swift and severe turn of events. In

February of 1936, a vicious article penned by an anonymous government official appeared in

Pravda, attacking Lopukhov, Shostakovich, and Piotrovsky. The article accused the ballet of formalism, of having a “doll-like, fake attitude towards life” (Балетная фальшь). It argued that 2 the ballet did not incorporate choreographic elements that advanced the plot in a meaningful way, or provide the characters any sort of psychological depth, as did other contemporary ballets like The Fountain of Bakhchisarai or The . As a result, not only was the ballet banned, but Lopukhov was forced to step down as the artistic director of the Maly Opera

Theatre, Shostakovich never wrote another ballet, and Piotrovsky was arrested and executed less than a year later. After this ordeal, the trajectory of Soviet ballet and choreography took a step backwards as artistic censorship significantly tightened, suffocating any sort of innovation and giving future choreographers an extremely limited set of resources to work with. The ballet behind all of this is called The Bright Stream.

Despite its denunciation, the ballet’s story does not end in 1936. In 1995, the Soviet conductor released a recording of The Bright Stream in its entirety, and it caught the attention of an up-and-coming choreographer living in Denmark, Alexei

Ratmansky. Several years later in 2003, the commissioned Ratmansky to set a full-length production on the company, and the young choreographer used this opportunity to resurrect The Bright Stream.

Preserving the libretto, condensing the score down from three acts to two, and creating entirely new choreography (Lopukhov’s choreography was never notated, and therefore lost forever), Ratmansky successfully transported contemporary Russian audiences back to the strange and augmented reality of Stalin’s Soviet Union. Similar to Lopukhov’s 1935 premiere, the ballet generated many positive reviews. Because of the ballet’s success, Ratmansky was appointed to become the Bolshoi Ballet’s artistic director in January of 2004. Furthermore, he even received the Critics’ Circle National Dance Award for his version of The Bright Stream in

2006. Ratmansky’s choreography perfectly captured the lyricism of Shostakovich’s music and 3 capitalized on contemporary trends in Russia regarding nostalgia for the Soviet Union and a penchant for Soviet aesthetics. Although there were some objections to the morality of this ballet, raising questions about whether or not audiences can laugh at something with such a dark history, reviews were mostly positive. Ever since, Ratmansky has been revered for his talent of modernizing story ballets.

So how could a single ballet marginalize one choreographer’s career, but then advance another’s? What does this say about the role of politics and ideology in Russian ballet? How does one reconcile in the 21st century a ballet that alludes to one of the most horrific events of mass murder in history? With these questions in mind, I begin to investigate the origins of The

Bright Stream.

4 Chapter 1: Ballet and Ideology in Post-Revolutionary Russia

Soviet Socialist Realism

Defining Socialist Realism is a rather difficult task, even when the First All-Union

Congress of Soviet Writers developed a full-fledged doctrine on the topic in 1934. In a broad sense of the term, Socialist Realism was a movement of art, music, and literature officially condoned under the reign of in the 1930’s. The contradictory term “Socialist

Realism” is best understood by breaking apart the two terms and then putting them back together: “socialist” refers to the political theory, while “realism” is a movement of artistic representation, expressing scenes as they are seen in real life. A realist avoids any sort of supernatural or exotic themes while attempting to portray a realistic and unembellished view of the world. Socialist Realism incorporates this form of artistic expression, characterized by realistic portrayals, yet paradoxically integrates the visionary ideals of communism and promotes a socialist utopia to the common people.

Andrei Zhdanov in his speech to the Soviet Writers Congress in 1934 stated that not only should Soviet works portray the world in a truthful way, but these works should also be used as a tool to augment people’s view of reality and see the world through a socialist filter:

...it means knowing life so as to be able to depict it truthfully in works of art, not to depict

it in a dead, scholastic way, not simply as “objective reality,” but to depict reality in its

revolutionary development. In addition to this, the truthfulness and historical

concreteness of the artistic portrayal should be combined with the ideological remodeling 5 and education of the toiling people in the spirit of socialism. This method in belles lettres

and literary criticism is what we call the method of Socialist Realism (Zhdanov).

This statement seems to be contradicting itself, considering that the aim of realism is to present an unembellished version of the truth. Furthermore, the emergence of Socialist Realism shifted the role of the artist from an individual creator to a guild of governmental employees spreading messages of political ideology. At this same conference, the writer Maxim Gorky exclaims in his speech:

The Writers Union is not being created merely for the purpose of bodily uniting all artists

of the pen, but so that professional unification may enable them to comprehend their

corporate strength, to define with all possible clarity their varied tendencies, creative

activity, guiding principles, and harmoniously to merge all aims in that unity which is

guiding all the creative working energies of the country (Gorky).

Gorky makes it clear that the intent of implementing a unified doctrine for artists to follow was meant to provide a unique and distinct arts culture for the Soviet Union. James C. Vaughn, a scholar of Soviet Socialist Realism, describes four main characteristics that encompasses Soviet

Socialist Realism:

1. Narodnost’ or “people-ness” referring to the reflection of the spirit of the people. The term

“narodnost’” does not have an exact translation into English, but it comes from the word

“народ” or “narod’,” which is associated with words such as folk, nation, and people. That

being said, narodnost’ is not necessarily linked to the common people in the sense of the

artwork’s accessibility to the masses or the level of sophistication needed to understand it.

Narodnost’ more plainly means that there is a presence of commonality and origins-- a

platform that resonates strongly with the masses and can unite them. 6 2. Klassovost’ or “classness” referring to the class-conscious attitude that must be present in

works of Socialist Realism. When analyzing klassovost’, Vaughan says that “all genuine art

contains an objective reflection of at least some basic aspects of the life of the society of the

times and this is the criterion of its realism and its social significance” (Vaughan 10).

Incorporating klassovost’ into Socialist Realist works of art is particularly paramount to

portraying its alleged realism. Throughout human history, existing class have led to

ideological schisms, and should inevitably be incorporated into artwork when portraying the

world through a realist perspective.

3. Partiinost’ or “party spirit” referring to the identification of the artist with the Communist

Party of the Soviet Union, and it is this quality that gives works of Socialist Realism their

unique Soviet flair. Partiinost’ is the open allegiance of art to the cause of the working class,

and a conscious decision on behalf of the artist to use his skills and the opportunity presented

before him to promote socialism and the CPSU (Vaughan 13). With the incorporation of

partiinost’ into the Socialist Realism doctrine, art now fulfils a particular social function,

which is to educate and to set an example for the masses. This particular aspect of Socialist

Realism is what makes the artwork become an active part of the Community Party.

4. Ideinost’ or “ideology” referring to the actual ideological content present in works of

Socialist Realism. It is closely connected with narodnost’ in the sense that it provides “an

organic link with the life of the workers and the expression of the most advanced communist

ideas” (Vaughan 89). Ideinost’ more or less ties together narodnost’ and klassovost’, while

being the driving force behind partiinost’.

Combining these elements, Socialist Realism manifests itself in outputs of rigidly optimistic art works that glorify political ideologies and suggest to its targeted citizens how the world ought to 7 be viewed. That being said, it is important to understand that this kind of Socialist Realism did not necessarily amount to anything realistic.

Building off of that, ballet scholar Christina Ezrahi states in her book, Swans of the

Kremlin: Ballet and Power in Soviet Russia, “Socialist Realism was not just an artistic style but a propagandistic ideology that promoted a view of Soviet life that had little to do with reality.” She further elaborates: “If nineteenth-century realism had tried to draw attention to real social problems by showing life as it was, Socialist Realism showed life as it ought to be-- a happy,

Socialist utopia, where workers, peasants, and different nationalities were united in brotherly comradeship, successfully constructing socialism and celebrating the fruits of their labor in a land of plenty” (Ezrahi 30-31). Overall, it is clear that the hardship found in defining Socialist

Realism lies in its deceiving nature with its strong emphasis on realism yet struggles to actually portray realism. That being said, one cannot help but wonder how ballet, a highly formal art requiring viewers to suspend their sense of reality could have possibly found its place in Socialist

Realism, let alone thrive in a nation where the government pushed this kind of artistic doctrine so aggressively. Vaughan says that “Socialist Realism does not present a set of mechanical rules for application in any work of art, but it does give an indication of the general line that is to be encouraged in given circumstances” (Vaughan 90). It is important to understand this concept when viewing the origins and themes present in ballet at this time of Socialist Realism.

8 Ballet’s Transition and Integration into Soviet Society

After the October Revolution in 1917, ballet underwent a drastic change from pre- revolutionary Russia to the newly formed USSR. Before the October Revolution, ballet was seen as a source of pure entertainment and only served that particular purpose. The great ballets of the

19th century feature fairies, princesses and princes, wonderlands, and magic that had enchanted the upper echelons of Russian society and beyond. However, the birth of Soviet society caused artists of the former to question ballet’s prerogative to exist, particularly as an art directly equated to imperial enjoyment. On March 6th, 1921 the first Soviet Commissar of

Education, , gave a speech at the jubilee of Yekaterina Geltser that promoted ballet’s place in the future of Soviet society:

To lose this thread, to allow it to break before being used as the foundation of a new

artistic culture-- belong to the people-- this would be a great calamity, and, if it depends

on the will of certain persons-- a great crime… Can ballet be abolished in Russia? No,

this will never happen....We need the old art not only because it is valuable in itself,

pleasant and perfect. We need it because new candles are lit from this torch and because

new generations, growing around such artists, thus inherit the traditions of the school

(Roslavleva 191).

In a different speech titled “Why do we Preserve the Bolshoi Theatre?” which was given on the centennial anniversary of the opening of the Bolshoi Theatre 1925, Lunacharsky reasserts the importance and benefits of preserving certain pre-revolutionary cultural elements. In his speech, he says “here in particular ballet will find its place...The gracefulness, the precision of ballet movements, the complete power over one’s own body, the complete power over a moving mass 9 is a token of the huge role that ballet can have in the organization of such performances…”

(Луначарский). Lunacharsky connects the importance of ballet and its function directly to the cultural significance of the Bolshoi Theatre. He continues by stating that the Bolshoi Theatre will one day be the home to great Soviet works of art: “Now, taking into account the necessity and even the inevitability of the emergence of fitting poets, composers and performers, I think that the Bolshoi Theatre, which as an organism is closest to the opportunity to express such tasks, should be carefully preserved” (Луначарский). However, he also addresses the fact that not only is the newly formed Soviet society young, but has virtually no artistic or cultural precedent, and therefore must deal with pre-revolutionary ballets until a strong Soviet arts culture can fully develop:

Not having new productions, or having very few of them, we, of course, must utilize old

ones, while, however, in such a way and so that, our operatic and balletic strengths do not

weaken, but grow and so that our public would have something to pay for and so that this

contribution is used to promote the Bolshoi Theatre until the maybe not-too-distant day

when the first great revolutionary oratorio, the first celebratory performance, will spark

on the stage, capable of reflecting in its bright and concentrated mirror the rising sun of

communism (Луначарский).

Lunacharsky, who was also а prolific writer, essayist, and critic understood the cultural importance of Russian ballet. He understood the power that Russia had as a leading choreographic and balletic institution within Europe and the rest of the world, and the role it could play in creating a strong Soviet arts culture if harnessed properly. That being said, the typical ballet performances of , , or were considered to have aligned with the tastes of the forward-thinking, modern Soviet viewer. As Lunacharsky said, 10 Soviet society inherited the national traditions within Russian ballet and retooled them with a

Soviet flavor. From this time through the 1930’s, huge revisions were applied to these classical ballets, attempting to add a layer of Soviet Socialist Realism to them. For example, the plot of

Swan Lake was revised to feature a young count Siegfried pursuing a swan that represents his ideal of eternal youthful femininity, ultimately leading to his downfall and destruction (Pawlick

53). Although this does not exactly appear to be blatant Socialist Realism, shifting the focus from magical swans to a superfluous young count’s (as opposed to a prince’s) distracted dreams extracts the looked-down-upon theme of exoticism, taking the popular ballet one small step closer to Socialist Realism.

Around this same time in Leningrad, Agrippina Yakovlevna Vaganova started to become relevant in the early 1920’s. Ending her career earlier than usual on the stage, she went on to become the most influential dance pedagogue in Russian history. Dance scholar Catherine

Pawlick describes in her book, Vaganova Today: The Preservation of Pedagogical Tradition, the state of Leningrad’s Imperial Ballet School: “As the country shunned its imperial past, the Ballet

School was accused of ‘deliberate conservatism, backwardness, creative impotence’; the critics demanded its reform ‘from top to bottom’” (Pawlick 29). Agrippina Vaganova was a leading figure of this reform. Putting a strong emphasis on anatomical precision, Vaganova extracted and synthesized the strengths of the French schools, which incorporated beautiful and soft port de bras, as well as the strengths of the Italian schools, which produced strong and virtuosic dancers, to consolidate and unify a method of ballet that is known today as distinctly Russian in style.

After the October Revolution, it was clear that Soviet society’s ideology demanded equality and unity, which in other words can lead to the sacrifice of individuality. Vaganova’s method of teaching showcases some aspects of these ideals. In his memoir Choreographic 11 Frankness, Fyodor Lopukhov wrote about Agrippina Vaganova and her method of teaching:

“Vaganova...tried to create from her students a comprehensive dancer who could perform any role. But the person who is able to dance everything has not yet been born, and will not be born”

(Лопухов 180). That being said, this is exactly what Vaganova’s style of teaching did and bore extremely positive results. She created a distinctly Soviet and uniform method of ballet, which produced some of the famous names in Soviet ballet (and ballet history as a whole): Natalia

Dudinskaya, Marina Semenova, , , Irina Kopalkova, and many others. The success of her pupils led to her appointment as artistic director of the Kirov Ballet in

1931, where she continued on the solidification and unification of a distinctly Russian style for the company until 1937, when she returned her efforts back to the school.

At the same time as the method of teaching ballet was reformed, choreographers pushed classical dance to new heights of modernism. Characterized by smaller dance ensembles, abstract ideas, and the incorporation of acrobats, choreographers conducted avant-garde experiments that distinguished the dance scene of the 1920’s. A particularly revealing work that would characterize this time period would be Fyodor Lopukhov’s Dance Symphony, created in the summer of 1922 after his appointment as Artistic Director of the Kirov Ballet. In his book,

Writings on Ballet and Music, Lopukhov describes the main principles of his concept, the dance symphony, which would feed into his production, as follows:

1. The dance symphony is a choreographic work in several sections executed by any

number of performers

2. The dance symphony is based not on narrative but on an idea that is developed gradually

as the sections of the work unfold

3. Each has total freedom to order the sections as he wishes 12 4. The dance symphony cannot be subdivided into character dances and classical dances but

contain both of these as appropriate (Lopukhov 71).

Dance Symphony premiered on March 7th, 1923 showcasing a plotless experimental performance by Lopukhov, containing an abstract choreographic idea centering around the birth, life, and destruction of the universe that elaborates itself within the several movements of

Beethoven’s Fourth Symphony. Despite the fact that it was only shown once and was not well- received by audiences, Dance Symphony is incredibly important to the development of ballet within this time period. Not only did the production propel ballet into modernism by introducing the concept of plotless ballets, but it marked the beginning of a paradigm shift in the relationship between dance and music. Before, choreography trumped music in terms of priority and importance to the audience. Music was used as a utility for dancers and did not always have the strongest connection to choreography. However, it became more popular to create an intimate and intertwined relationship between choreography and music, where dance became a visual representation of the music and the music was an audio representation of the choreography. As

Lopukhov states in his memoirs:

Only by basing the staging of any dance-- from minor variations to full-scale ballets, not

to mention dance symphonies-- on the principle of thematic choreographic development,

instead of on a random selection of dance movements, even if they are performed in time

to the music. The principle of thematic choreographic development is the very essence of

dance symphonism, whether the dance work being staged is small (a variation) or large (a

whole ballet) (Lopukhov 97-98).

This clearly had a huge impact on at the time, who not only performed in the premiere of Lopukhov’s Dance Symphony, but went on to be one of the most prolific 13 neoclassical choreographers of the 20th century (Ezrahi 38). Dance Symphony premiered in a time period where ballet was still trying to find its place within Russia, and Lopukhov’s vision was just one facet of the many attempts of retooling ballet for the newly-formed Soviet society.

Another way of bringing ballet into the twentieth century involved dramatizing ballet by incorporating pantomime in favor of high-quality virtuoso dance steps. One proponent of this method was the musicologist, Ivan Sollertinsky, who served as a close friend and mentor to

Dmitri Shostakovich throughout his process of composing The Bright Stream. Sollertinsky advocated for the emphasis on ballet to shift from choreography and music to libretto and plot advancement (Ezrahi 44). This idea manifested itself throughout the 1920’s as well.

A ballet known as , which premiered at the Bolshoi Theatre on June 14th,

1927, adhered closely to Sollertinsky’s views. The Red Poppy has been regarded as a turning point for Soviet ballet’s development, leading into the drambalets of the 1930’s. With music by

Reinhold Gliere and libretto by Mikhail Kurilko, The Red Poppy takes place in 1920’s China when a group of Soviet sailors docks and witnesses a group of Chinese workers being mistreated by British capitalists. The Soviet sailors, led by their captain, take on heroic roles and help the

Chinese workers, angering both the British capitalists and their Chinese assistant Li Shan-fu. Tao

Hoa, a tea house dancer who is engaged to Li Shan-fu, sees the Soviet captain’s compassionate efforts and gives him a bouquet of flowers, including a Red Poppy, to show her love and admiration. The British capitalists want to assassinate the Soviet captain, but Tao Hoa ends up sacrificing her life for the captain and paves the way for the liberation of the Chinese workers and unification with their Soviet comrades. At the end of the ballet, and perhaps the most famous part of the ballet, the Soviet sailors perform the sailor folk dance “Yablochko,” where Gliere 14 used the theme from a popular Russian civil war melody. “Yablochko” is still popular in the repertoire of folk dance troupes all over Russia today.

The Red Poppy is a quintessential precursor to what would become the official artistic movement of Socialist Realism. The ballet captures everything that the future Socialist Realism doctrine would emphasize: narodnost’ is rooted in the comradery of the Soviet sailors and the

Chinese workers, klassovost’ is present within the class schisms of the Soviet sailors, Chinese workers, and the British capitalists, partiinost’ is present within the condemnation of capitalism and Tao Hoa sacrificing her life for the greater good of the group, and ideinost’ is rooted in the overarching theme of Soviet ideals triumphing over capitalist ideologies. Furthermore, beyond the ballet’s dramatically authentic characters and contemporary plot, the ballet incorporated circus-like acrobatics, showcasing the popular demands of the time. The dances of the Acrobat with a Ribbon and the Golden Acrobat experienced great success in their own rights as variations, and were often performed separately at recitals (Roslavleva 218). Overall, this ballet experienced incredible success, and it was shown for ten years straight over the course of more than 300 performances (Roslavleva 217). Furthermore, The Red Poppy introduced the concept of a heroic theme in a ballet, and permanently served as a precedent for how a Soviet ballet should be structured.

The styles of the 1920’s can be characterized by visions of youthful, optimistic ideals, and was closely tied to the country’s politics. During this time, the ballet audience themselves also underwent as much of a transformation as the dance form itself. Tickets to the Kirov and

Bolshoi theatres were distributed to mass organizations and factories, so ballet went from being an elite art form to a spectacle for the average Soviet citizen. Soviet dance critic Elizabeth

Souritz wrote in an article about dance in the 1920’s: “The modernity of ballet is defined most 15 often not by whether people of our times, heroes of the past, or fantastic beings are included, but by its major ideas, by the degree to which the author has a modem vision of life and a modern evaluation of phenomena” (Souritz 8). This quote succinctly summarizes the kind of transformation and integration ballet underwent in the newly formed Soviet Russia, and will continue to experience into the 1930’s when The Bright Stream was created.

16 The 1930’s: Introducing the Drambalet

Drambalet, which is defined by Ezrahi as “an attempt to make the expressive nature of ballet by applying lessons from the dramatic theatre” (Ezrahi 51) emerged in the 1930’s and claimed a near monopoly on all new choreographic works that were being produced. This new genre wanted to portray as much realism as possible in ballet, and heavily relied upon national folk dances and pantomime to advance the plot as opposed to formal and strictly aesthetic classical dance. Throughout the 1930’s, Soviet audiences were looking for new heroes and new subject matter in the ballet. Formalistically-inclined choreography had fallen deeply out of fashion, and the artistic community was no longer willing to accept superficial inventions and choreographic tricks that would deter classical dance. After the introduction of The Red Poppy, and in combination with ongoing movements that sparked from Lopukhov’s Dance Symphony, choreography took on a much more socially responsible and meaningful role that prioritized music more highly than ever before. Choreography was utilized as a vehicle to portray human feelings, thoughts, and emotions as sincerely as possible. Dancers transitioned from prima ballerinas to dramatic choreographic actors, becoming more expressive and taking their technique to new heights of virtuosity for the purpose of complete dramatic freedom on stage.

Natalia Roslavleva states in her book, Era of the Russian Ballet, that “the Stanislavsky method, transformed to suit the requirements of ballet, came to help the dancing actors in the creation of truthful characters, in learning the art of being that character on the stage” (Roslavleva 226).

During this fruitful time, Agrippina Vaganova called this period the “new spring of our ballet” (Ваганова) where an apparently realistic popular ballet theatre was being born. The article begins by addressing the skepticism that surrounded the imperial art’s place in society, but 17 Vaganova writes that instead Soviet society produced a “whole constellation of brilliant dancers of classical ballet” (Ваганова). In a succinct manner, she summed up the different points that contributed to the successful revival of ballet and its place in the Soviet world: 1) the significance of the theme present in these new ballets, dealing with historical conflicts like in The

Flames of Paris, 2) intense and dramatically well-developed plots, and 3) realistic characters that are created through classical dance. The title of this article is called “A New Ballet” and will be discussed in great detail later.

In order to gain more insight to this time period and to better understand the context in which the Bright Stream premiered, it is important to be familiar with the other contemporary ballets first. Due to the nature of the drambalet, inspiration for the subject matter of choreographic works looked to Soviet mythologized events or great works of literature from authors like Pushkin, Lermontov, Shakespeare, etc. During this time, great works such as the

Flames of Paris, the Fountain of Bakhchisarai, Laurencia, and Romeo and Juliet, were all produced and still remain active in the repertoires of Russian dance theatres today.

The Flames of Paris, which premiered in 1932 with the Kirov in Leningrad and in 1933 with the Bolshoi, is a true work of Socialist Realism. The plot of this ballet revolves around

Jeanne and Phillipe, two peasants who lead an uprising against the French aristocracy. The ballet was created to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the October Revolution, and is perhaps the exact kind of work that Lunacharsky was referring to in his speech “Why do we Preserve the Bolshoi

Theatre?” This ballet, choreographed by the renowned Vasili Vainonen, incorporates many aspects of classical dance, such as Petipa’s grand pas classique (a duet with the two main characters, male and female solo variations, and then an exciting coda at the end), but also incorporates lots of character dance. This enabled dancers to showcase their great dramatic 18 talents as well as bold and expressive choreographic capabilities. Furthermore, The Flames of

Paris brought about new meaning to character dance. Roslavleva says “With The Flames of

Paris its choreographer, Vasili Vainonen, introduced an amalgamation of character and classical dancing on a scale that had not been met until then. Character dancing, on which Vainonen was a great expert, appeared here as a means of characterization used in various forms” (Roslavleva

225). This was one of the first ballets where character dance served as an actual advancement for the plot, as opposed to an interpolated divertissement, thus capturing the narodnost’ aspect of

Socialist Realism (Roslavleva 224).

Meanwhile, the ballet’s composer, Boris Asafiev, skillfully collaborated with Vainonen and produced a score that was written consciously with the choreographer in mind. Vainonen and Asafiev together were able to blend music and dance to into one strong work of Socialist

Realism. Because of the successful inclusion of character dance and music, promotion of Soviet ideology, class-conscious schism of the peasants and the aristocracy, and the overall aggressively optimistic tone, this is a quintessential Soviet Socialist Realist ballet. Although it takes place in

France, it shows that the political and social movements of the Soviet Union were also occurring elsewhere in the world, and was therefore part of a much larger movement in world history. It was a popular trend at this time to isolate events throughout world history and retool them to serve Soviet ideological purposes in the arts.

Laurencia, premiering just a few years after the Bright Stream at the Kirov in 1939, is similar to the Flames of Paris in the sense that it glorified political movements outside of Russia and promoted Soviet ideology. Taking place in Spain, the ballet centers around the title character, her lover Frondoso, and the villagers of their community rising up against the tyranny of the Commander. This ballet features dramatic feelings and intense choreography to match. It 19 was also successful due to the choreographer Vakhtang Chubukiani’s incorporation of balletic

Socialist Realist elements, including a positive hero that overcomes an oppressor for the good of the people, and the strong emphasis on character dance.

The Fountain of Bakhchisarai, composed by Boris Asafiev and premiered at the Kirov in

Leningrad in 1934, proved as well to be a great success. This ballet marked the choreographic debut of Rostislav Zakharov, who later went on to become the artistic director of the Bolshoi

Ballet between 1936-1939 and then the head of its school from 1946-1949. Zakharov worked hard to fully incorporate the Stanislavsky method of acting into his choreography, which was not only considered revolutionary at the time but was also extremely well-received. As a matter of fact, Zakharov met and sat down extensively with all principal dancers on the psychology of the characters before even beginning choreography. He would work out the biographies of all the main protagonists, divide the roles into scenes, and work with the dancers to determine the main idea and how to best capture the dramatic characters (Roslavleva 230). Regarding the choreography, it was so intrinsically linked and stylized to each character that a strong knowledge of the character was absolutely paramount in order to bring life and depth to the ballet. The libretto by Nikolai Volkov on the poem of the same name by Alexander Pushkin, The

Fountain of Bakhchisarai, owes a lot of its success and popularity to the Stalinist celebration and mythification of the poet. Even after the success of this ballet, Zakharov continued to base his works around Pushkin, including other ballets such as The Prisoner in the Caucasus, Mistress into Maid, and The Bronze Horseman. The plot of this ballet takes place at the Bakhchisarai palace and centers around a love triangle between a Crimean khan, Maria, a Polish princess who has been abducted by him, and Zarema, the khan’s favorite harem concubine who is madly in love with him. The ballet ends in tragedy, where Maria is murdered by Zarema, Zarema is killed 20 by the palace guards because the khan cannot commit the killing himself, and the khan ends up devastated, staring at the Bakhchisarai fountain of tears. Interestingly enough, the ballet’s plot has little to do with the political or ideological elements of Socialist Realism. The khan makes poor decisions which leads to the deaths of two women he loved, there is no sort of political epiphany, and none of these characters model any sort of party ideology. That being said, it was nonetheless well-received due to the dramatic action incorporated into the ballet and the celebration of Pushkin at the time. Furthermore, this ballet had been part of Stalin’s movement to celebrate and mythologize Pushkin as the 1937 premiere was close to the 100th anniversary of the poet’s death (Pouncy 186).

Zakharov’s strong attention to detail regarding the historical accuracy of the ballet’s set did not go unnoticed. In the same way as he approached the character development with his dancers, he deeply explored all aspects of this ballet, going to the Hermitage Museum and researching the details of Persian and Tartar cultures in order to incorporate them into the harem acts as well as other scenes in the ballet (Roslavleva 231). Overall, despite the fact that this ballet did not incorporate any aspect of Soviet Socialist Realism, it turned out to be a huge success and led to fame for the choreographer and his meticulous attention to detail when crafting this choreographic text.

After considering the drambalet, there is one question that comes to mind-- how exactly did 19th century Petipa ballets such as the Sleeping Beauty, the Nutcracker, and even older classics like Giselle survive? It is important to consider the Socialist Realist theory of this time period and compare to what was actually practiced when trying to obtain as complete of a picture as possible of this time period. Ezrahi discusses this topic in her book, saying that

“despite the power of ideological pressure, artistic practice demonstrated an astonishing level of 21 resistance, testifying to the strength of tradition. As the experience of ballet in the Soviet Union shows, the inertia of tradition could be a powerful opponent to ideological demands” (Ezrahi 50).

By this point in time, it is clear that ballet had undergone a surgical procedure to fit the doctrine of Socialist Realism. Ballets were meant to be dramatic, pulling from great works of literature that had complicated and emotional characters. Ballet was supposed to teach Soviet spectators about different events in world history and show that the October Revolution was part of a much larger cause. The purpose of ballet was meant to entertain, but not for entertainment’s sake. Censorship and expectations around what a ballet should and should not be were becoming more important within the artistic community. With this in mind, we look to the story of the

Bright Stream and its creators. 22

Chapter 2:

The Bright Stream in the 20th Century

Fyodor Lopukhov

George Balanchine, who is widely revered as the father of American ballet and one of the most famous choreographers of the 20th century, once said to Solomon Volkov in an interview that “what Lopukhov did was amazing for that time...pure dance, real choreography… Lopukhov was a true genius!” (Volkov 70). It is surprising how Fyodor Vasilievich Lopukhov is relatively unknown in the West, considering the imperative role he played in advancing ballet throughout the 20th century while simultaneously preserving works of the 19th century. He was the first choreographer to introduce the idea of a plotless ballet, and one of the first to incorporate acrobatics into his choreography-- taking classical dance to new heights in the 20th century.

Lopukhov had an immense love for the classics and a strong sense of respect for the traditions of classical ballet.

Fyodor Lopukhov was born in St. Petersburg on October 20th, 1886. Ten years later in

1896, just one year after the world-famous premiere of the Petipa/Ivanov production of Swan

Lake, he was accepted into the Imperial Ballet School of St. Petersburg, known today as the

Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet. At the Academy, Lopukhov trained under the renowned

Nikolai Legat, who was also the teacher of Agrippina Vaganova some years earlier. During this time Lopukhov met and befriended a young Vaslav Nijinsky, who has been considered the greatest dancer of the 20th century and caused a scandal in Paris with his choreographic work 23 The Rite of Spring. Lopukhov was in the midst of a legendary time period for classical ballet-- in

1898, he alongside Nijinsky performed in Petipa’s premiere of with other students in the “Dance of the Arabian Boys.”

Upon graduation in 1905, he joined the where he worked as a dancer until 1922, when he was promoted to the position of artistic director of the ballet company.

During this time, he defined his career and gained recognition through his thoughtful and well- produced revivals and reconstructions of ballets. In 1921, he completely re-choreographed

Mikhail Fokine’s Firebird. In 1922, he revived ’s Sleeping Beauty, which was met with many positive reviews. Furthermore, Lopukhov is actually the choreographer of the famous

Lilac Fairy variation in the prologue of Sleeping Beauty, which is one of the most popular and most commonly taught variations to young students of ballet today. Generally speaking, Petipa’s

Sleeping Beauty is one of the cornerstones of classical ballet, and without Lopukhov this ballet may have been entirely lost (Alovert). Overall, this was a standout point in the choreographer’s career.

In 1924, Lopukhov put to the stage an idea he had formulated back in 1916-- the Dance

Symphony. This ballet, as already mentioned before, was the first plotless and abstract ballet ever, which was not very well received (it was performed in the same evening program as Swan

Lake), but nevertheless made a huge impact on ballet and choreographers for years to come. At this same time in his life, he also created a ballet called The Red Whirlwind, having premiered on

October 29th, 1924, where Lopukhov attempted to show the “birth of socialism, the dawn and development of the revolution, its struggle with counterrevolution, and the birth and affirmation of communism” (Pawlick 49). Many years later upon reflection, Lopukhov considered this ballet to be his “greatest failure” (Lopukhov 255). 24 In 1931, Lopukhov collaborated with the young composer Dmitri Shostakovich to create

The Bolt, a ballet based off of current events that happened in a factory at that time.

Shostakovich composed music that incorporated circus tunes, waltzes, tangos, and marches, while Lopukhov’s choreography played a lot with the idea of dancers imitating factory machines.

This ballet was intended to be not only a joyful lampoon of proletarian drama, but also cast a light on the relationship that existed between the proletariat ideology and the Soviet vanguard that promoted it so aggressively (McBurney). However, Lopukhov’s choreography was labeled as “grotesque” and the ballet was pulled from the repertoire after just one performance

(McBurney). The ballet brought both the choreographer and Shostakovich “serious disappointment” and it led to Lopukhov’s dismissal as artistic director of the Mariinsky Theatre in 1931 (Lopukhov 272). This ballet was heavily criticized for making fun of the Soviet working class and incorporating bourgeois decadence into the ballet. But that being said, Lopukhov was given another chance. The Leningrad regional committee asked Lopukhov in 1931 to organize another ballet company at the Maly Opera House and build out its repertoire around comedies.

Moving forward, he joined the Leningrad State Academic Opera Maly Theatre as its artistic director and created The Bright Stream.

After years of reflection, Lopukhov elaborates in his memoir, Sixty Years in Ballet that

“in The Bright Stream I wanted to show that the mistakes of were a past stage, devoting music and dance to positive characters, to glorify the joy of their lives, their bright and promising labor” (Lopukhov 272). At first, all of these efforts were positively received, which is what ultimately led to Lopukhov’s ballet being invited to be performed at the Bolshoi Theatre.

However, Pravda denounced the ballet only a few months later, saying that when viewing the performance, “balletic nonsense in the foulest sense of the word dominates the stage” (Балетная 25 фальшь). This article eventually led to Lopukhov’s dismissal as director of the Maly Opera

Theatre in 1936.

Although he avoided being arrested and sent to the gulags-- which some speculate is due to the fact that he was the brother in law of the world-renowned British economist John Maynard

Keynes (Mackrell), his artistic career effectively ended. He took on the position of balletmaster of the Leningrad State Choreographic Institute, but all of his choreographic works were removed from the repertoire and were banned from the academies. He even says in his memoirs “that is why my story about myself ends here” (Lopukhov 274) after the anti-formalism campaign on

The Bright Stream occurred.

26 Adrian Piotrovsky

Adrian Ivanovich Piotrovsky was a Soviet dramaturg, literary critic, and former artistic director of Lenfilm. Considered by Shostakovich “a most cultured expert in theatre and balletic drama” (Шостакович), Piotrovsky socialized with the upper echelons of Soviet society before ultimately falling out of favor and becoming a victim of Stalin’s Great Terror. Even though his involvement in The Bright Stream is the main topic of discussion, it is worth mentioning that he was also a highly-regarded figure in the theatre and made significant contributions to early

Soviet translations of classical Greek texts.

The illegitimate son of leading Polish classicist F. Zelinsky, Adrian Piotrovsky studied classical Greek plays and became greatly influenced by his father’s efforts to revive open-air

Greek Theatre (Clark 118-119). Piotrovsky translated from ancient Greek all of Aristophanes’ plays, the tragedies of Aeschylus, Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex, among others, and from Latin he translated Petronius’ Satyricon and Catullus’ Book of Lyrics. Piotrovsky was also mentored by important theatrical figures such as Vsevolod Meyerhold1, and taught classes on Meyerhold’s

“Courses in the Mastery of Staging” (Clark 114).

In 1919, Piotrovsky became a member of OPOYaZ, or the Society for the Study of Poetic

Language, which consisted of a strong and prominent group of literary critics and linguists alike in St. Petersburg. The group was founded in 1919 but eventually dissolved itself in the early

1930’s due to anti-formalist campaigns that were occurring at this time. In 1920, Piotrovsky wrote an article titled “Dictatorship” where he consciously emulated Lenin’s writing style and

1 (1874 – 1940) was a Russian and Soviet theatre director, actor, and producer, known for his provocative experiments that greatly influenced the modern theatre. Similar to Piotrovsky, he was also arrested and executed in the Great Purge. 27 argued for governmental oversight and control of the arts. In this article, he claims that without this kind of governmental control, the arts would fall prey to the “petty shopkeeper” and the

“man on the street.” Even though he had close ties to the Workers’ Youth Theatre, was a prominent theatre activist, and a staunch communist, Piotrovsky had elitist views. In 1920, he made strong claims about his admiration for the October Revolution of 1917, stating that “the twenty-fifth of October has given the world back Aeschylus and the Renaissance. It has given birth to Aeschylus’s fiery soul” (Clark 137).

By the 1930’s, Piotrovsky became artistic director of Lenfilm, and it was during his artistic tenure that the now-cult classic film Chapaev was produced (Clark 25). Throughout the

1930’s, Piotrovsky worked closely with famed composer and fellow theatre director Sergei Radlov to author the libretto of the ballet Romeo and Juliet, which did not premiere in Russia until 1940. This production adhered closely to the popular and officially promoted style of the drambalet. Although most of the work for this ballet occurred in the early half of the 1930’s, it is thought that it did not premiere until 1940 due to the fear and tightened censorship that artists faced directly as a result of the anti-formalist backlash that Piotrovsky,

Shostakovich, Lopukhov, and other targeted artists were facing at this time.

Piotrovsky worked with Lopukhov and Shostakovich to write the libretto for The Bright

Stream around this same time as well. In an article about the ballet co-authored with Lopukhov,

Piotrovsky states that they both “wanted to make a balletic celebration, a ballet that would be thoroughly permeated with fun, joy, and youth” (Лопухов и Пиотровский). One of the biggest challenges that Piotrovsky faced when writing the libretto for The Bright Stream involved striking a balance between the formal culture and traditions of classical ballet and the expectations of Soviet authorities and audiences to incorporate Socialist Realist trends. 28 Lopukhov worked closely with Piotrovsky to develop a plot that was centered around a contemporary theme, but also to make sure that the plot allowed for classical dance. When addressing this, Lopukhov and Piotrovsky state that:

...this is one of the most complex and difficult problems of the Soviet theatre. And it

seemed wrong to us in our first experience to present this problem so harshly. From this,

there is a need to find internal plot motivation for the introduction of classical dance. So,

in our ballet we introduced images of “dancers from the capital” coming to the farm. Two

groups face each other that at first seem to be complete opposites. A group of young

“metropolitan artists,” armed with all the polish of culture, speaking the language of

“classical dance,” and a group of collective-farm youths, kicking off their celebration in

grand “character dances” (Лопухов и Пиотровский).

Having such a prominent role in the Soviet theatre and cinema, Piotrovsky was well aware of what the general attitudes and trends of the time were, and it is clear that he was conscious about his decisions when creating the libretto for this ballet. Furthermore, he and Lopukhov specifically stated that they wanted to portray a “realistic, plot-intense, socially-meaningful dance performance” (Лопухов и Пиотровский). Piotrovsky crafted a plot that would capture these objectives while at the same time, produce “a performance revealing its own idea, outlining its own images not in ‘pantomimes’ and even more so not in the libretto, but in the lively and passionate language of dance” (Лопухов и Пиотровский).

Despite these efforts, the ballet was denounced less than a year later. As a result,

Piotrovsky was arrested by the People’s Commissariat for Internal Affairs, or the NKVD, on July

10th, 1937, and was shot in captivity on November 21st, 1937. 29 Dmitri Shostakovich

Dmitri Shostakovich’s role in this story is perhaps the most interesting. Born in pre- revolutionary St. Petersburg in 1906, Shostakovich showed considerable musical talent from a young age and entered the Petrograd Conservatory, headed by famed composer Alexander

Glazunov at the time, at the age of thirteen. There, he studied composition and piano. Having lost his father at a young age, Shostakovich worked as a piano player in the cinema in order to help earn money for his family. It was also during this time that he began to go to ballet performances at the Mariinsky, which he really loved. Shostakovich achieved initial fame under the patronage of Mikhail Tukhachevsky, the Soviet chief of staff, who later was arrested and shot in the Great

Terror in the late 1930’s.

Before The Bright Stream, Shostakovich already had experience composing two full- length ballets. His first ballet, The Golden Age, with choreography by Vasili Vainonen, Leonid

Yakobson, and V. Chesnakov, premiered in 1930 when the composer was just 24 years old.

Shostakovich’s music took inspiration from cabaret clubs and jazz music that he visited during his trip to Berlin, while Alexander Ivanovsky’s libretto attempted to take on a conventional

Socialist Realist plot set in Western Europe. The ballet was considered a flop, mostly due to the weak libretto, and only experienced a single season of approximately twenty performances

(Новикова). However, it turned out that Sollertinsky was most fond of The Golden Age, which he mentions later in an article that criticizes the music of Shostakovich’s second ballet.

The Bolt was the young composer’s second ballet and first collaboration with Fyodor

Lopukhov. The ballet premiered for the first and last time on April 8th, 1931 at the Leningrad

State Academic Theatre of Opera and Ballet. Similar to The Golden Age, Shostakovich’s second ballet was considered to be “a slap in the face of the Soviet cause” (Morrison 136) with a failed 30 libretto written by Victor Smirnov. The plot of the ballet was considered to be so bad that Sergei

Radlov, who was the director of the Mariinsky Theatre at the time, even said that “Raymonda and Coppelia seem like Shakespeare’s works compared to the dramaturgy of The Bolt”

(Morrison 138). Raymonda and Coppelia are not known for their well-developed plots.

When Lopukhov was commissioned to stage a new comedic ballet in 1933, he reached out to Shostakovich partly due to his great admiration for the composer, but also for them to redeem themselves from The Bolt. By that point in time, Shostakovich had already backed out of a contract with the Nemirovich-Danchenko Theatre in Moscow to create a new ballet from the scores of his failed ballets The Golden Age and The Bolt. Even though Lopukhov had already been working on the libretto with Piotrovsky when he approached Shostakovich, meaning that the composer would have little to no independent creative vision on the project, he decided to do it anyways. On June 13th, 1934, Dmitri Shostakovich signed a contract with the Maly Opera

Theatre to write a ballet. According to Laurel Fay in her book Shostakovich: a Life,

Shostakovich “bent over backward to meet the choreographer’s needs. New musical material was dictated by and sometimes created momentarily in response to Lopukhov’s explanations and demonstrations” (Fay 82).

After the success of the Leningrad premiere, Shostakovich expressed deep concerns to

Sollertinsky, who would later sharply criticize the ballet (see below, p. 47). Only a few short months later the article “Balletic Falsehood” appeared. By this point in time, Shostakovich was already suffering from backlash of a different anonymous article that had just been published.

Titled “,” the anonymous article appeared in Pravda on January 28th,

1936, just two days after Stalin, together with Vyacheslav Molotov, Andrei Zhdanov, and

Anastas Mikoyan, attended the composer’s opera Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District. 31 “Muddle Instead of Music” completely damns the musical score of the opera, calling it a

“...petty-bourgeois, ‘formalist’ attempt to create originality through cheap clowning,” and saying that the music “quacks, grunts, and growls, and suffocates itself… the composer apparently never considered the problem of what the Soviet audience looks for and expects in music”

(“Muddle Instead of Music”).

Many scholars have viewed “Balletic Falsehood” as a follow-up to “Muddle Instead of

Music,” because they are both anonymous articles suspected to be written by government officials per the request of Stalin, coming out within a week of each other. Furthermore, they both blatantly denounce Dmitri Shostakovich. That being said, “Balletic Falsehood” does state that “...in The Bright Stream there is less trickery, less strange and less wild harmonies than in the opera, Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District…” (Балетная фальшь) thus proving that there is a related nature to the articles. However, “Muddle Instead of Music” condemned

Shostakovich’s music and dismissed it for its supposed formalist nature, whereas “Balletic

Falsehood” condemns the score mostly for being from a different ballet: “...we discover that it was partially transferred to the collective farm ballet from the composer’s failed ‘industrial’ ballet known as The Bolt” (Балетная фальшь). This article accuses the libretto and the choreography of a formal, fake, doll-like nature, but does not have quite as harsh of an approach to the music. Both of the articles made extremely harsh comments towards Shostakovich, but

“Balletic Falsehood” probably caused greater damage to the composer’s reputation. Lady

Macbeth of the Mtsensk District had complex and experimental music mixed in with violent and provocative images on stage. These two aspects of the opera should, in theory, invite a lot more criticism and government censorship than the simple and innocent music that Shostakovich composed for The Bright Stream. After these articles, life was not the same for Shostakovich. In 32 a very short period of time, he went from being viewed as one of the most prominent and promising young Soviet composers to an utterly denounced pariah.

In My Third Ballet, he wrote about The Bright Stream around the time of its Leningrad premiere in 1935, claiming that “I cannot guarantee, of course, that the third attempt will not be unsuccessful, but even then, it will in no way turn me away from my intention to take up the composition of the Soviet ballet for the fourth time” (Шостакович). After The Bright Stream,

Shostakovich never wrote another ballet.

33 The Bright Stream Background and Plot

The Bright Stream, which can also be translated as , was one of the few ballets during this time where the libretto drew upon a contemporary setting for inspiration.

As already mentioned, most other ballets at this time centered around mythologized historical events, classical literature, or figures that promoted Soviet ideology in some way or another.

Similar to the ballet Coppelia, The Bright Stream’s plot revolves around romantic intrigues and mistaken identities.

Figure 1: Pyotr Gusev as the Male Dancer, Olga Lepeshinskaya as the Ballerina.2

2 “Танцовщик - Петр Гусев, Танцовщица - Ольга Лепешинская. «Светлый Ручей» (1935).” Cyclowiki.org, 9 марта 2014, cyclowiki.org/wiki/Светлый_ручей_(балет).

34 Set on a 1930’s collective farm just off of one of the branches of the North Caucasian

Railway called “The Bright Stream,” a group of choreographic artists from the city come to visit and celebrate the collective farm’s successful and bountiful harvest. They are met by representatives of the collective farm: Zina, a local amusements’ organizer and the collective farm’s leader of morale, her husband Pyotr, a student of agriculture, Gavrilych, the beloved inspector of quality and activist of the collective farm, Galya, a schoolgirl, and two elderly dacha dwellers that live within the vicinity of the farm. Zina quickly recognizes one of the artists from the troupe as her old classmate from her days at the choreographic academy; they embrace, catch up, and begin to dance together. Afterwards, Zina introduces the Ballerina to her husband Pyotr, who becomes utterly enchanted with her beauty and begins a flirtation with her in front of Zina.

Zina sees the budding courtship and starts to feel a pang of jealousy.

Later, workers from the collective farm mixed with Cossacks and Kubans alike begin to get excited for the following day’s festival. The artists show up and begin to distribute gifts from the city that they brought for the best workers, including a gramophone for Gavrilych and a silk dress for the hardest working milkmaid. The dacha dwellers also arrive to the scene and do a comedic and old-fashioned chaconne together.

Soon after, the artists reluctantly agree to perform for the workers of the collective farm in their street clothes. During this time, the dacha dwellers fall in love with the artists, where the

Elderly Dacha Dweller goes for the ballerina, and the Anxious-to-be-younger-than-she-is Dacha

Dweller goes for the Male Dancer. They both approach their respective love interests and subtly request a rendezvous for later. Now Galya and the Accordionist begin to flirtatiously and merrily dance with each other, which incite workers from the Kuban and the Caucasus to show off their traditional war dances, amazing all of the collective farmers around them. 35

Figure 2: The original set of The Bright Stream3

At this point in time it becomes quite clear that Pyotr is infatuated with the talented and cultured

Ballerina, having absolutely no idea that his modest and humble wife is also an accomplished dancer herself. He runs off with the Ballerina, which makes Zina burst out into tears. Galya,

Gavrilych, and other workers from the village try to cheer her up. When the Ballerina comes back, she reassures Zina that she has no intention of stealing her husband, and encourages the modest wife to tell her comrades about her past history with dance. Zina agrees and shows everyone her skills alongside the Ballerina to everyone’s surprise and amazement. Suddenly, a prank has been proposed: Zina will dress up as the Ballerina and meet Pyotr to teach him a

3 “Оригинальная Сцена «Светлого Ручей».” Михайловский театр, 25 мая 2015, mikhailovsky.ru/press/news/eighty_years_of_the_bright_stream/. 36 lesson, the Ballerina will dress up in the Male Dancer’s costume to meet the Anxious-to-be- younger-than-she-is Dacha Dweller, and the Male Dancer will dress up as the Ballerina to meet the Elderly Dacha Dweller.

The next act opens with an early evening in a meadow where the artists, Zina, Galya,

Gavrilych, and everyone else who knows about the plan is relaxing on a bench. Pyotr and the dacha dwellers casually show up to remind their respective love interests of their plans for later that evening. The Accordionist also shows up to flirt with Galya, having fallen for her earlier when they danced together. The Accordionist whispers to Galya that he needs to go, but wants to see her again later that evening. In order to prevent all of their carefully devised plans from being ruined by the Accordionist’s proposed meeting, the Tractor Driver agrees to dress up as a dog and will accompany Galya to her rendezvous in disguise. As soon as the oblivious and lovestruck targets of the prank leave, the artists, Zina, and the tractor driver all scramble to get dressed. The

Ballerina is in a suit and a peaky cap, Zina has on a white gown with an elegant black masquerade mask, and finally the Male Dancer is hilariously dressed up as a 19th century romantic sylph.

When the Accordionist arrives to meet Galya, he begins a very bizarre, macho dance that works seamlessly with the Carmen-undertones that Shostakovich recycled from The Bolt. Galya is captivated and begins dancing with the man. When she almost gets too carried away, the

Tractor Driver disguised as a dog comes to the rescue and starts playfully attacking the

Accordionist. The Accordionist immediately loses his masculine facade as the dog chases him around the stage. Soon, the others come out and reveal to the Accordionist that he has been part 37 of the prank. Having a good sense of humor, the Accordionist laughs it off and joins in on the fun.

Figure 3: Evgenia Lopukhova as the Anxious-to-be-younger-than-she-is Dacha Dweller, and Feya Balabina as the disguised Ballerina. Taken at the Maly Opera Theatre4

The Elderly Dacha Dweller enters onto the stage riding a bicycle, and the Anxious-to-be- younger-than-she-is Dacha Dweller separately arrives in an old costume and ballet shoes. When the Elderly Dacha Dweller spots his wife, he immediately hides, avoiding confrontation. When she sees her husband’s bicycle she is so angry that she almost has a heart attack. The Male

Dancer (disguised as the Ballerina) appears from the trees and enchants the Elderly Dacha

Dweller. Together they dance a pas de deux that incorporates the same kind of port de bras and steps that are common in the romantic ballets Les Sylphides and Giselle. Being accused of

4 “Дачница - Евгения Лопухова, Балерина - Фея Балабина.” Cyclowiki.org, 8 октября 13, cyclowiki.org/wiki/Светлый_ручей_(балет).

38 flirting by his wife, the Elderly Dacha Dweller is chased off stage. Immediately after, the

Anxious-to-be-younger-than-she-is Dacha Dweller sees the dog riding her husband’s bicycle she believes she is losing her mind and briefly faints. The Ballerina, disguised as the Male Dancer, enters the scene and dances with the Anxious-to-be-younger-than-she-is Dacha Dweller. The

Ballerina then shows off her immense talent by performing the exact same male variation that was present in the first act, just as good if not better than the actual Male Dancer.

The roles then reverse. The Elderly Dacha Dweller and the Male Dancer disguised as a sylph appear on stage and begin to dance. The Male Dancer performs a parody of a romantic variation, capturing the delicate nature of romantic ballet with flowery arms and flapping wrists that lampoon little sylph wings.

Finally, it’s time for Zina (disguised as the Ballerina) and Pyotr to dance. He doesn’t recognize the beautiful Ballerina from the capital as his wife due to her mask. They dance a quintessentially classical pas de deux that flows seamlessly with the music. Pyotr gives her flowers, and they end the pas de deux with a kiss. Now madly in love, Pyotr dances a variation that shows his joy and infatuation for the Ballerina. Zina, seeing that Pyotr is obsessed with the

Ballerina (even though it is actually her), becomes furious but remains tactful. Afterwards she showcases her technical capabilities in a frustrated and passive aggressive manner towards Pyotr.

He tries to embrace her once more, but she storms off the stage.

After an entertaining evening of confused identities and romantic pursuits, the laborers of the collective farm are ready to celebrate the success of their harvest. At the festival, two identical ballet dancers appear and begin to dance, which completely confuses Pyotr. Zina finally takes off her mask to reveal the fact that she is also an extremely talented . Pyotr proceeds to beg her for forgiveness, and she takes him back, knowing that her husband has 39 learned his lesson and truly appreciate her. These actions culminate in a final apotheosis of joy and laughter in the Kuban.

Everyone involved in The Bright Stream in Leningrad knew that this production bared a significant amount of risk. In his memoirs, Asaf Messerer, one of the performers in the original

Leningrad production, said that “putting the milkmaids and other shock workers of the collective farm brigade on pointe shoes was a risky business. Everyone then was convinced of this by the experience of recent ballet performances on a contemporary theme” (Мессерер).

Figure 4: Sulamith and Asaf Messerer. Taken at the Bolshoi Theatre premiere.5 Piotrovsky, Lopukhov, and Shostakovich also published articles about the ballet around the time of the premiere, sharing their thoughts about the production, as well as a justification of their artistic choices. Shostakovich stated in My Third Ballet that “creating a full-fledged ballet

5 “Танцовщица - Суламифь Мессерер Танцовщик - Асаф Мессерер.” Cyclowiki.org, 16 сентября 2013, http://cyclowiki.org/wiki/Файл:SvRMes28426.jpg 40 on a Soviet theme is a difficult and important task. But I do not fear difficulty. Going down the beaten path is, perhaps, easier and ‘safer,’ but it’s boring, uninteresting, and worthless”

(Шостакович). As mentioned earlier, the ballets of this time that had experienced the most success were the drambalets that had socially responsible plots, or were centered around historical events and figures mythologized by Soviet society. These ballets prioritized pantomime over classical dance traditions, viewing the ballet through the lens of a choreographic play as opposed to a classical ballet. However, The Bright Stream did not fit this well-tested formula, which was a decision consciously made by both Lopukhov and Piotrovsky. Lopukhov and Piotrovsky directly address this topic:

The Soviet tragic dance performance and the Soviet monumental heroic ballet are quite

conceivable, revealing in elevated, majestic, and highly dramatic images the most

important, most lofty themes of revolutionary history and Socialist reality. And such

ballets will certainly be created, and they shall strengthen the flowering of Soviet ballet

as a genuinely popular and genuinely national art for the masses (Лопухов и

Пиотровский).

Lopukhov, alongside Adrian Piotrovsky, also stated their purpose and intention for creating The

Bright Stream at its premiere at the Maly Opera Theatre:

We strove to take into account the experiences (unsuccessful or successful) of the

already-staged Soviet ballets. We wanted to avoid the overt topicality of such

performances like The Bolt. In this ballet, we wanted to show simple and lively images of

our country’s people and achievements as opposed to the artificial and exotic world of a

simulated East or a simulated West, as it was in the performances of The Golden Age and

The Red Poppy. And at this same time (and this was one of our most essential principles), 41 we sought to ensure that our ballet was a dance-ballet, so that actual dance was the

essential and main artistic and expressive means of the performance (Лопухов и

Пиотровский).

When he decided to choreograph The Bright Stream, Lopukhov clearly stated that he did not have the intention of creating a controversial ballet that lampooned Soviet society, as did The

Bolt. Alongside Piotrovsky and Shostakovich, Lopukhov wanted to create a ballet for the masses that was light-hearted, fun to watch, and captured the beauty of classical ballet. Even though it is common for composers and choreographers to publish something about their new works, revealing to viewers what their thoughts were behind the creations, it is already apparent that

Shostakovich, Lopukhov, and Piotrovsky used these publications as a means to proactively defend their choices to Soviet authorities and censorship.

They continue by addressing their intentions behind picking a comedy as their creative vehicle for making a production that fits the doctrine of Socialist Realism: “For this reason, as well as for a number of other reasons, it seemed to us more fruitful, creatively more precise to choose a different path for our initial experiments. This path, as already mentioned, is a dance comedy” (Лопухов и Пиотровский). Knowing the risks of creating a ballet that honored the traditions of classical dance on a contemporary Soviet theme, Shostakovich, Lopukhov, and

Piotrovsky all discuss in a proactively defensive and apologetic manner how classical dance can be justified as realist in a ballet about a collective farm. In My Third Ballet, Shostakovich writes:

I consider it deeply wrong to try replacing real ballet with a kind of substitute for

dramatized pantomime...Frankly speaking, looking every time at the so-called “pure

pantomime,” I can’t get rid of the feeling that there is a deaf-and-dumb conversation in

front of me. It would seem that there is some kind of insurmountable unnaturalness in this 42 “realism.” Just as in an opera you would not be able to manage without singing (also a

conventionality), you cannot throw out the dance from ballet. It is necessary not to fight

this convention, but to justify it (Шостакович).

Lopukhov and Piotrovsky took on a similarly defensive tone while discussing the use of classical dance over pantomime:

The fact of the matter lies in that realism within ballet must be implemented by its own

specific means, i.e. first and foremost by means of dance-- classical dance in particular.

To think that in the search of realism it is possible to replace the “conventional” dance

with a supposedly realistic pantomime imitating everyday life — it means defaulting to

an unacceptable impoverishment of ballet, it means sacrificing the search for a genuinely-

realistic style in favor of a superficially understood naturalism (Лопухов и

Пиотровский).

Lopukhov and Piotrovsky seemed to have been aware of potential criticisms regarding the highly formal nature of classical ballet and had to justify their choices before there were even any reviews of the production. What is perhaps most interesting about this section of Piotrovsky and

Lopukhov’s writings, though, is the fact that Agrippina Vaganova appears to have nearly verbatim copied their text. Her article, titled “A New Ballet,” was published in Izvestia only a few weeks after the premiere of The Bright Stream on June 22nd, 1935. Vaganova writes:

But the fact of the matter is that all these tasks must not be solved outside of classical

dance, and not by means of conventional pantomime either, but on the contrary-- these

tasks should be solved in the language of classical ballet. Creating a ballet and fearing the

“conventionality of dance” means to inexcusably impoverish the emotional power of a

ballet performance (Ваганова). 43 This passage has a remarkable number of similarities to the previously cited excerpt from

Lopukhov and Piotrovsky’s article about The Bright Stream. Vaganova’s article, just like

Piotrovsky and Lopukhov’s article, states that incorporating realism into a highly formal art such as ballet needs to be solved within the context of ballet. Furthermore, both of these passages heavily overlap and use similar language by stating that straying away from the traditions of ballet is an inexcusable/unacceptable impoverishment of the art form.

There was one other portion of Vaganova’s article that not only heavily overlapped with

Lopukhov and Piotrovsky’s article, but verbatim quoted the choreographer and libretto of The

Bright Stream. Lopukhov and Piotrovsky write:

We are convinced that fundamentally there are no contradictions between the

conventionality of classical dance and the desired realistic style of Soviet ballet. Classical

dance is the highest expression of intense emotion, it is the lyric essence of the human

movement. Like poetry, like a song (Лопухов и Пиотровский).

Whereas Vaganova writes in “A New Ballet:”

Between the “conventionality” of classical dance and the demands of “realism” there is

absolutely no kind of contradiction. Classical dance is a form of expression to the

movements of human emotions. It is the poetry of human movement, like music, like a

song (Ваганова).

Vaganova directly quotes Lopukhov when comparing ballet to a song, calling it the essence of human movement. However, as stated earlier, Agrippina Vaganova uses this article to discuss the merits of drambalets such as The Fountain of Bakhchisarai, The Flames of Paris, and La

Esmeralda. She makes no mention of Lopukhov or The Bright Stream. From this, one can conclude that perhaps Vaganova supported and agreed with Lopukhov’s views, but did not want 44 to associate herself with the recently-premiered comedy due to the mixed reactions, and therefore uncertainties associated with this ballet.

Overall, The Bright Stream sought to showcase the merits of traditional classical dance while also drawing upon a contemporary theme for inspiration. Lopukhov, Piotrovsky, and

Shostakovich all had impressive qualifications and it seemed as though their collaboration was going to please everyone. The Bright Stream was intended to be a funny and easy-to-follow story with light-hearted and lyrical music and choreography that showcased the sophistication and beauty of classical ballet. Although this idea did not fit the status quo of acceptable ballets of the time, the three creators created the ballet anyways. Even though Lopukhov, Shostakovich, and

Piotrovsky were all united in their vision and proactively defended their artistic choices, it still was not enough to stop the Soviet government’s anti-formalism campaign less than one year later that denounced the ballet. In the next section, we will look at the critical reviews and receptions of the ballet leading up to its denunciation, as well as the denunciation itself and its aftermath.

45 Chapter 3:

Reception of The Bright Stream: 1935 – 1936

On June 6th, 1935, Georgy Polyanovsky wrote an article in Pravda mentioning

Shostakovich’s new ballet premiere at the Leningrad Art’s Festival. One of the first aspects of the new ballet that the author addresses is the libretto. He says that “one should not search for a particularly immersive situation in the new ballet, and the ideological responsibility of the plot isn’t great: light-comedy intrigue, the usage of an old theme—a vaudeville based on characters in disguise are at the core of the plot” (Поляноский). It appears as though the critic is not thrilled by the libretto, but is accepting of it. After all, a viewer never goes to a ballet because of the libretto.

Figure 5: Alexander Radunsky as the Elderly Dacha Dweller at the Bolshoi Theatre6

6 “Александр Радунский - Дачник, «Светлый ручей», Большой театр, 1935/1936”. Cyclowiki.org, 15 сентябя 2013, http://cyclowiki.org/wiki/Файл:Dachnik-Radunsky.jpg 46 Overall, the author gave a positive review. He praised Shostakovich’s music in particular:

“in a cute joke, in an ingenious twist, the composer shows and justifies the festive mood of people who have won their right to joy...Shostakovich, although young, is a brilliant master of cheerful, poignant dance music, overcoming his springy, sharp rhythms” (Поляновский). The praise does not stop there either. The author also comments on Shostakovich’s mastery of capturing different ideas and feelings in his music: “there are so many brilliant pages scattered throughout the score! The Lezginka is saturated with a spontaneous, nearly uncontrollable force; mockery emanates from the tango, deliberately filled up with the dancer’s exaggerated passion in a comedic situation” (Поляновский).

From this initial review of the premiere, it seems as though Shostakovich’s music was well-received by audiences and critics alike. Furthermore, it is important to note that many international musicians were in attendance at the Leningrad Arts’ Festival and saw this ballet, which would have only bolstered Shostakovich’s career further. Lopukhov’s choreography and artistic vision also received praise from the critic, as he said: “...thanks to the skillful staging of

Lopukhov, the dance derives itself from the music. The director’s goal of creating realistic lively ballet scenes was most definitely achieved” (Поляновский).

Despite Polyanovsky’s praise for the music, there were other critics that did not share this same view, namely Ivan Sollertinsky. Shortly after the premiere of the ballet, Sollertinsky wrote an article in the journal called Worker and Theatre, heavily criticizing the ballet’s music:

There is no internal unity in the music of D. Shostakovich. Much of it is built on pieces

from the score of his earlier ballet, The Bolt. The Soviet listener knows from frequent

concert performances the approximate nature of this music — lively, temperamental,

structurally very simple, always with a virtuoso orchestration, sometimes poisonous and 47 biting, sometimes softly humorous, and sometimes sinning by self-repetition, but always

entertaining and fun. The Bright Stream is not one of Shostakovich’s best ballets and, in

any case, is inferior to the score of The Golden Age, which is remarkable for its mastery

of the score (Соллертинский).

This public criticism must have affected Shostakovich quite personally, because Sollertinsky was one of his closest friends and confidants. Furthermore, after the ballet moved to Moscow,

Shostakovich grew more and more nervous about the ballet. In a personal letter to Sollertinsky written in November of 1935, the young composer expressed his concerns regarding The Bright

Stream:

At present, matters stand as follows: today we had the first stage-orchestra rehearsal. It

went very well. Everybody is delighted. But the canker of doubt is gnawing at my soul,

and I am gearing myself up to “agree” to the withdrawal of the ballet, which I am

convinced is going to happen within a few days (Bartlett 73).

Shostakovich got progressively more self-detrimental, stating later in that same letter: “The

Limpid Stream is an ignominious failure for me, and that that has always been precisely my attitude to it from the very first. The only thing I want is that you should believe me when I tell you this was my attitude, and that having believed it, you should forgive me” (Bartlett 73).

Questions have been raised regarding the sincerity of Shostakovich’s tone throughout this correspondence, as both Shostakovich’s writings and compositions are known to be full of encryptions and cannot be taken at face value. However, this particular correspondence was most likely sincere since it took place early on in Shostakovich’s career when he was more naïve and did not have as many reasons to be as paranoid and secretive. Furthermore, the young composer 48 still strongly felt the sting of The Bolt’s failures during this time, which most likely contributed to his lack of confidence surrounding The Bright Stream.

Similar to Polyanovsky, Sollertinsky was also not too fond of the libretto. However,

Sollertinsky took on a slightly more critical tone, not only calling the libretto “not-so-successful” but also stating: “we are all for a jolly choreographic Soviet comedy. We do not require it to solve complex social problems, ethical issues, or psychological conflicts. But we do have the right to insist on a coherent plot, on living characters, and not on the standard musk”

(Соллертинский). Even early on after the Leningrad premiere, critical viewers took note of the supposed shortcomings in the libretto. Similar to Polyanovsky, Sollertinsky gave Lopukhov much praise:

Among the undisputed achievements that determined the success of the performance

should count the first-class work of choreographer Fyodor Lopukhov and the

accomplishments of the performers. In the choreography of The Bright Stream,

Lopukhov finally convinced even his critics that, despite former innovations and the

search for new dance movements, he immaculately owns all the resources of classical

dance (Соллертинский).

Interestingly enough, Sollertinsky apparently actually revised his opinion on the matter and claimed that he liked the ballet after the Bolshoi Theatre premiere of The Bright Stream (Fay 83).

Leningrad audiences appreciated Lopukhov’s work within The Bright Stream, which would lead one to believe that the choreographer successfully struck a balance between contemporary Soviet topics and classical dance. By stating that Lopukhov was able to achieve the idea of a realistic ballet through classical choreography, it would appear that the ballet would 49 not only have its place in the theatre’s repertoire, but perhaps go down in history as the first successful ballet on a contemporary Soviet theme.

After the success of this premiere, Vladimir Mutnykh invited Lopukhov to stage the ballet at the Bolshoi. Mutnykh at that point in time had been serving as the general director of the

Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow for less than a year, having been appointed for the purpose of fulfilling official demands for new Soviet repertoire, moving away from 19th century ballets.

One particular initiative that Mutnykh pushed for at this time was consulting with factory workers and peasants via pre-production and post-production discussions to help develop the theatre’s repertoire. When The Bright Stream was shown to these audience members, they all had extremely positive reactions. One account of a factory worker said: “I’m finding myself at the ballet for only the third time in my whole life, but I have to say, that even for me— an inexperienced person— everything in this ballet was clear and understood… the happy mood of the kolkhozniks celebrating their victory was even transmitted to me” (Ezrahi 59). Another factory worker stated “on the question, does the worker audience like this ballet, I think (all those present second this unanimously), that this is, if you want, the first ballet at the Bolshoi Theatre that will be understood by and be interesting for the workers; everyone will have a great desire to go to it” (Ezrahi 59).

This makes it quite clear that this ballet made a positive and lasting impact on its intended audience. Furthermore, a group of Don Cossacks actually visited the theatre and were amazed by the dancing. One Cossack even wondered “but how did these people learn to dance this way, yes, to jump like birds? Do they really not have some sort of springs in their shoes?” (Ezrahi 59).

There no indication whatsoever that the Don Cossacks, whose cultural backgrounds were 50 featured in the ballet, took any sort of offense to the alleged formalism or conventionalism that the ballet was so heavily criticized for later on.

Around this same time in Moscow, there was much anticipation surrounding the new comedic ballet arriving from Leningrad. Victorina Krieger wrote in her article “The New Ballet

Season” for Pravda that “the brilliantly written music for this ballet belongs to the composer D.

Shostakovich. There are many interesting roles and many dances in The Bright Stream. The plot develops here not by means of pantomime, but purely choreographic techniques” (Кригер). The author makes a call to other Soviet critics to pay more attention to ballet and be more vocal when writing reviews. At this point in time, it seemed as though dance critics were not as outspoken as their counterparts in art, literature, music, and cinema.

The ballet premiered at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow on November 30th, 1935. Just a few days later, A. Erlikh publishes a review of the ballet in Pravda, which overall praised the ballet, but was once again not too impressed with the libretto. The author writes:

One should not search here for a play with intrigue and consistently developing

action...There are no effective, characteristic figures in The Bright Stream due to the

complete absence of plot movement in the performance beyond the ideal conventionality

of all the actors on the stage and the frankly dramaturgical hollowness in the libretto

(Эрлих).

Even when praising other aspects of the ballet, Erlikh shows disdain for the libretto, saying that

“The Bright Stream was created by the composer and director, who by means of their hard work managed to counteract the clumsy libretto’s influence on the performance” (Эрлих). As one of the first reviews of the ballet’s Moscow premiere, it is starting to become more apparent that the strengths of the ballet do not outweigh its weaknesses or the risks incurred by mixing a 51 contemporary Soviet theme with classical dance at this time. Even in the Leningrad reviews that criticized the ballet’s libretto, the authors always made it clear that the music and dance had their own individual merits that deserved praise. However, in this article, the author associates the negative traits of the libretto with the music. He does not necessarily praise the music and the choreography like in other articles about this ballet, but instead just says that they are good enough to counteract the negative effects imposed by the libretto. This article is also the first to criticize the choreographer’s use of classical dance as opposed to more realistic pantomime or character dance. The author write about Fyodor Lopukhov, claiming that “the only thing he can be reproached about is his insufficient expression of the colorful nationality of Caucasian and

Uzbek motifs, as a result of which these dances are generically Eastern in nature” (Эрлих). From this point, the criticisms only become harsher.

On January 10th, 1936, Literaturnaya Gazeta, a weekly Soviet newspaper covering politics and culture, published an article by D. Talnikov called “The Experience of Soviet

Ballet.” Overall, Talnikov presents a mixed view of the ballet. He said that “the performance as a whole stands on a high musical and dance level, it pleases with its optimistic freshness”

(Тальников). However, the article contains a myriad of intense criticisms.

Aligning with the previously published reviews, Talnikov calls the libretto “naively-helpless” and the most “vulnerable” part of the entire production. Furthermore, Talnikov is the first critic to overtly discuss the formalism present within the ballet. Talnikov says:

52

Figure 6: Photograph featured in Talnikov's article7 The libretto of The Bright Stream is, in essence, only an “excuse” for dancing, hence the

formalistic nature of the entire performance. Generally speaking, the libretto is the most

vulnerable part of The Bright Stream. The theme taken in it is purely superficial, and the

storyline is completely undeveloped. The lack of a comprehensive plot which would

allow the artist to develop his demeanor in the performance is combined with another

significant defect of this naively-helpless libretto (whose author is Adrian Piotrovsky).

The libretto of a ballet is supposed to give a specific dramatic image, which the music

and the dance fill with live content, but it is precisely these images that are not present in

this plotless libretto, it lacks shape (Тальников).

This review takes on a much sharper tone than the previously written articles. Even

Sollertinsky’s criticisms of Shostakovich’s music were not as harsh and still had hints of encouragement towards the ballet. In regards to Shostakovich’s music, Talnikov begins by

7 “Ермолаев и арт. Васильева («Светлый ручей» в ГАБТ СССР).” Литературная Газета, 10 января 1936, стр. 5. 53 praising the young composer, saying that “the ballet music, written by our most talented composer, Shostakovich, who creates a high dynamic and dictates entirely the brilliantly-swift pace of the performance, is acutely temperamental, fresh, and vigorous” (Тальников). However, for the rest of the paragraph Talnikov writes the harshest criticism of the composer’s music yet.

The author brings up the fact that Shostakovich recycled excerpts of music from his previously- failed ballet, The Bolt, and disparages the composer, pointing out that the industrial-factory theme “has almost completely morphed into the music of the collective farm village...there is no general choreographic-symphonic idea that develops throughout the entire performance— it’s a mosaic that consists of separate musical episodes mounted purely on the surface” (Тальников).

Without hesitation, right into the next sentence, Talnikov utilizes even more critical language:

The inorganic nature of the music is evident from the clearly perceptible influence of

classical Viennese operetta and grotesquely-parodically refracted turns of “philistine”

romance, perky polkas, and “passionate tango.” The task of the music to a certain extent

is formal: a “polemical” degradation of high musical style (Тальников).

Once again, Talnikov speaks negatively about the formalistic nature that presents itself within

The Bright Stream. He calls Shostakovich’s composition polemical because the composer emulated the musical divertissement style of 19th century Petipa and Ivanov ballets, but incorporated contemporary styles of music that were taken from The Bolt. However, Talnikov does express his appreciation for the performers and the quality of dance:

Finally, after all the ballet experiments of the last period, presenting certain tendencies to

move away from dance to pantomime - “the language of the deaf-and-dumb” (such

examples are found in Three Fat Men and The Fountain of Bakhchisarai), we again see 54 the return of the ballet to its dance essence. The striking success of the performance and

the enthusiasm with which artists perform it lie precisely in this (Тальников).

From this, it seems as though Lopukhov’s choreography was the most-praised aspect of

Talnikov’s article. He says that the “positive side of Lopukhov's work is the great sophistication of the dance, its sharp dynamism, the very ‘danceability’ of the ballet” (Тальников). However, despite the compliment there was still a tinge of criticism by starting off the sentence with the

“positive side…” implying that Lopukhov’s merits also had negatives associated with them.

Overall, Talnikov praises the efforts of the dancers and the caliber of the choreography, despite the fact that it does not fit with the libretto. Talnikov also asks his readers whether or not the collective farmer costumes were even necessary, and whether or not it would have been better for the dancers to just wear tutus because the libretto was already so hopeless. These criticisms could have served as a source of ideas for the anonymous author of “Balletic

Falsehood.” Throughout the article Talnikov makes broad theoretical statements that are complicated to unpack such as: “dancers have to dance not images and not complex emotions, but complex choreographic figures that correspond to purely technical performance objectives”

(Тальников). What performance objectives does a ballet have, other than to portray images and emotions? The anonymous article in Pravda also maintains a similarly stagnant and pretentious tone, making broad and vague statements that draw upon circular reasoning.

Before delving into The Bright Stream, the anonymous author of Pravda states that “for it is most difficult to break out of the traditions of convention instilled by the tastes of the pre- revolutionary public. The oldest of these traditions is the doll-like, fake attitude towards life. In ballet, constructed on these traditions, it is not people acting, but dolls” (Балетная фальшь). The 55 anonymous author of “Balletic Falsehood” also may have drawn inspiration from Talnikov about the ridiculousness of the costumes. Talnikov states:

It is precisely because there are no authentic live images of our reality on the stage that

the costume decides the whole matter; change the costume - and there will be other

external images in front of us, precisely because there are no signs of internal organic

typicality and generality in them (Тальников).

Figure 7: Costume sketches for the 1935 production8 Similarly, “Balletic Falsehood” states that “the ballet dancers perform numbers with no relation between each other. Some sort of people in costumes, having nothing to do with the clothes of the Kuban Cossacks, jump around the stage, rampaging” (Балетная фальшь).

8 “Костюмы из «Светлого ручья».” Михайловский театр, 25 мая 2015, https://mikhailovsky.ru/press/news/eighty_years_of_the_bright_stream/ 56 “Balletic Falsehood” came out on February 6th, 1936, which was just a few weeks after

Talnikov’s article, and less than a week after “Muddle Instead of Music.” This article is by far the most infamous, most damning, and most absurd. The rather short article compares the characters of the ballet to dolls, disparaging Lopukhov and Piotrovsky for not performing due diligence on collective farmers and the cultural and ethnic dances of the North Caucasus, as well as criticizes the production for its use of formalism and Shostakovich’s recycling of music from

The Bolt. That being said, however, it is important to note that the article appeared to have appreciated the music in The Bright Stream more than Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District, saying “it is true that in The Bright Stream there is less trickery, less strange and less wild harmonies than in the opera, Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk” (Балетная фальшь). However, the compliment is short-lived, as the article continues to say “in the ballet the music is simpler, but it has absolutely nothing to do with collective farms or the Kuban people” (Балетная фальшь).

The anonymous author of “Balletic Falsehood” calls The Bright Stream “balletic nonsense in the foulest sense of the word” (Балетная фальшь). The article further elaborates upon the supposed balletic nonsense that occurs within the production, saying that “there are

‘Paysans’ who have jumped out of a pre-revolutionary box of chocolates, depicting ‘joy’ in dances, having nothing in common with folk dances in the Kuban nor anywhere else” (Балетная

фальшь). This is essentially saying the same thing that Erlikh said in December of 1935, however it takes on a much more accusatory, intense, and stressful tone.

Unlike other reviews that have criticized the ballet, claiming that The Bright Stream is not a solution for incorporating a suitable contemporary theme into a ballet for the Soviet spectator, the anonymous author of Pravda took on a rather dogmatic tone, offering words of wisdom that resemble a boring lecture. The author says that it “it is necessary to work hard, to 57 conscientiously study the new life of the people of our country, avoiding in one’s productions coarse naturalism and aestheticizing formalism” (Балетная фальшь).

Although most scholars stop there, “Balletic Falsehood” was not the end of anonymously published articles criticizing The Bright Stream. Six days after “Balletic Falsehood,” Pravda ran another anonymously written article on February 13th, 1936 titled “Clear and Simple Language in Art.” The article stated that both “Balletic Falsehood” and “Muddle Instead of Music” caught

“the masked apologists of bourgeois formalism and bourgeois decadent music” and showed the

Soviet theatre that it needs to free itself from “deadly, stagnant, swampy formalism” (Ясный и

простой язык в искусстве). Although it may seem impossible, this article took on an even more aggressive tone than “Muddle Instead of Music” and “Balletic Falsehood.” However, it should be made clear that “Clear and Simple Language in Art” does not criticize The Bright Stream so much as it criticizes the responses (or lack thereof) to “Balletic Falsehood.” The article states:

Formalistic tricks and sugar-coated falsehoods, having nothing in common with Soviet

reality, have grown like weeds not only in music and ballet. The articles in Pravda should

have stirred up not just the musical community. We wrote that the leftist ugliness in

music has the same roots as the “leftist ugliness” in painting, in literature, and in all other

areas of art (Ясный и простой язык в искусстве).

The article continues to attack various different responses to the ballet that were made in other newspapers, such as Soviet Art. At one point, the absurdity of the article reaches its apex when the anonymous author practically reveals its complete discontent not only to the ballet, but to anyone that would try to interpret “Balletic Falsehood” and “Muddle Instead of Music.” The article states: “but we must immediately warn the muddle-heads who would try to drown out in everyday general conversation about ‘creative problems’ the absolutely clear and specific 58 instructions of our articles. This is also the danger facing Soviet Art” (Ясный и простой язык в

искусстве). Stating this right after the article’s criticisms of the responses present in Soviet Art, it is clear that Soviet authorities were tightening their censorship and trying to gain an even stronger control over the arts at this time.

To further bolster this notion, that Soviet censorship was tightening and that there was an even stronger desire to control the broader artistic scene by making an example out of The Bright

Stream, is the desperate tone that this article takes on at the end. The article ends with a few petty and angry sentences:

It is surprising to note that the Literary Gazette interpreted Pravda's articles as a matter

completely alien and uninteresting for literature. It has not said a single word so far.

Apparently, the matter of Soviet art is of no concern to this happy newspaper. Oh, holy

simplicity! Other newspapers are in the same blissful state of ignorance. Izvestia? Silent.

Next to them in the same “position” is the usually energetic Komsomolskaya Pravda. Do

these newspapers really have nothing to say (Ясный и простой язык в искусстве)?!

As already mentioned, “Balletic Falsehood” was published on February 6th, 1936, and “Clear and Simple Language in Art” was published on February 13th, 1936. The fact that authorities did not even wait a full week before publishing a follow-up piece shows how severe of an impact this ballet made.

Something else that is interesting to note is the title of this article— “Clear and Simple

Language in Art.” In My Third Ballet, Shostakovich specifically states that he “deliberately tried to find here a clear, simple language, equally accessible to both the viewer and the performer”

(Шостакович). The anonymous article of “Clear and Simple Language in Art” is most likely quoting Shostakovich in the title. From this, it seems as though the proactively apologetic tone 59 that Shostakovich, Lopukhov, and Piotrovsky took on when discussing The Bright Stream in

Leningrad was not overly-cautious, but actually ended up being used against them less than a year later.

One of the last major articles that criticized The Bright Stream was none other than

Agrippina Vaganova’s publication in Krasnaya Gazeta on March 9th 1936. Titled “No Need for

Balletic Falsehoods” Vaganova provides a thorough and thoughtful analysis of the mistakes made by The Bright Stream. In summary, she states that there are three main issues with the ballet: 1) the storyline does not have a strong foundation, 2) classical ballet is not appropriately used within the context of the story ballet, and 3) the character dance was not well-developed and did not match the kinds of dances that are performed in the North Caucasus. Her tone, although still critical of the libretto, calling it “pretty helpless,” is much less aggressive and accusatory compared to the anonymously-written articles in Pravda. Her tone is less intense and aggressive than Talnikov’s article in December of 1935 as well. Similar to the proactively apologetic tone that Shostakovich, Lopukhov, and Piotrovsky took on when writing about The

Bright Stream in the spring and summer of 1935, Vaganova used the same caution at the end of her article when discussing a new ballet that was being staged at the Kirov, stating: “that being said, we will take all measures in order to not repeat the mistakes of The Bright Stream and to show the audience an exciting and truthful performance” (Ваганова). The impact of “Balletic

Falsehood” and the denunciation of The Bright Stream clearly shook up the ballet community and made artists extremely cautious when staging new works.

After analyzing all of these different reviews and articles, we notice that there are some common themes throughout. The ballet’s biggest criticism was its accusation of being formalist in nature. The libretto of the ballet was not popular as well. However, earlier articles from 60 Leningrad appeared to have been more forgiving of the libretto’s shortcomings, while later reviews in Moscow were much more critical. With the exception of Sollertinsky, Shostakovich’s music was more or less only condemned for the fact that it was taken from The Bolt. The main points of the criticisms surrounding the score of the ballet lie in the fact that the music did not match the libretto, which was due to the fact that some (but not all) of the music was taken from his previous ballet. Lopukhov’s choreography was admired for its sophistication and success in creating a ballet by means of classical dance, as opposed to pantomime. That being said, his choreography was criticized for not realistically portraying life on a collective farm, particularly in the North Caucasus region. Lopukhov was further criticized for not incorporating the cultural dances present in this area of the Soviet Union. All in all, even before “Balletic Falsehood” there were strong criticisms about the ballet. However, none of them were strong enough to have justified the denunciation of Shostakovich, the dismissal of Lopukhov, and the eventual execution of Piotrovsky. After “Balletic Falsehood” the ballet lay dormant until the beginning of the 21st century. 61

Chapter 4:

The Bright Stream in the 21st Century

Ballet’s Transition and Integration into Post-Soviet Society

After it was denounced, banned, and put on the shelf for over sixty years, The Bright

Stream was brought back to life by the Russian Danish choreographer Alexei Ratmansky. During this time, Russia was experiencing a transition of politics, economics, and culture. By 2003, the

Soviet Union had already been dismantled for more than ten years, yet clung to many of its cultural symbols. On December 31st, 1999 President Boris Yeltsin resigned and Vladimir

Vladimirovich Putin became acting president. In 2000 Putin won against Communist party opponent Gennady Zyuganov to become president of the Russian Federation. Putin has been known ever since to glorify the achievements of the Soviet Union, calling the collapse of the

USSR “the greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the century” (“Putin: Soviet Collapse a ‘Genuine

Tragedy’”). It was during this time that a study done by the Levada Center9 revealed that approximately 70% of expressed regret for the collapse of the Soviet Union. Overall, this time period can be characterized as nostalgia for the Soviet Union, where even in 2004 an entire TV Channel dedicated to this topic was created. In her book, Secondhand Time: The Last of the Soviets, Svetlana Alexievich characterizes the emotional mood on the post-Soviet period and Putin’s ascent via the gathering of oral histories. She writes:

9 The Levada Center is an independent, non-governmental polling and sociological research organization based in Moscow. 62 There is a new demand for everything Soviet. For the cult of Stalin. Half of the people

between the ages of nineteen and thirty consider Stalin an “unrivaled political figure.”

...Everything in Soviet is back in style. “Soviet-style cafes” with Soviet names and Soviet

dishes. “Soviet” candy and “Soviet” salami, their taste and smell all too familiar from

childhood. And of course, “Soviet” vodka. There are dozens of Soviet-themed TV shows,

scores of websites devoted to Soviet nostalgia (Alexievich 10-11).

It is generally thought that this mood is attributed to the fact that to many former Soviet citizens, the USSR represented a time period of stability as well as a time period of living in a vast, multiethnic empire that was viewed as a formidable world superpower.

Ekaterina Kalinina, a researcher on post-Soviet nostalgia at Copenhagen University, says:

“Taking into consideration that Russian people know little about the Soviet period and given the positive myths spread by documentaries of a questionable quality, this nostalgia for the Soviet

Union that some might experience is a longing for a time and country that have never existed, or existed only in Soviet propaganda” (Christine). Denis Volkov, a researcher at the Levada Center, furthers this idea by stating “this notion is a complicated sentiment, probably explained more by reactions to present conditions than any real desire to return to the past” (Christine). This is important to note when characterizing the time period and mood of the Bolshoi Theatre and its audiences when The Bright Stream premiered in 2003. Ratmansky’s choreography, the revival of

Shostakovich’s music, and Boris Messerer’s retro-Soviet set designs coupled with the myth and mystery that surrounds the ballet all contribute to the mood and culture of Soviet nostalgia.

Classical dance in Russia also experienced an enormous evolution in terms of style since

“Balletic Falsehood.” The Bolshoi Ballet went through a time period characterized by staleness and stagnation. By 2003, the company had experienced a number of short-lived artistic 63 directorships after the 30+ year reign of Yuri Grigorovich, who not only choreographed

Spartacus, which is now considered to be an invaluable symbol of the Bolshoi Theatre, but was eventually ousted due to accusations of letting the company stagnate. Paraphrasing Ratmansky in a 2006 interview, Joan Acocella states that Ratmansky felt Grigorovich heavily contributed to the stagnation of the dancers and style of the Bolshoi Theatre: “the primary culprit, he felt, was the repertory — Grigorovich, mainly.” He further states that “...Grigorovich was a bad influence.

In the rainbow of human feeling... Grigorovich was only one color” (Acocella).

In a 2001 interview Altynai Asylmuratova, the artistic director of the Vaganova Ballet

Academy in St. Petersburg, revealed her thoughts on ballet dancers of the 21st century: “We lived in an entirely different time, and had a totally different mentality. The dancers today enjoy greater freedom, but they also bear more responsibility. We didn’t have much opportunity to decide things for ourselves” (Stolyarova). Asylmuratova is a graduate of the Vaganova

Academy, and was a and prima ballerina of the Mariinsky Theatre from 1982-

2000. During this time, she also reflects on the sort of stagnation that was present not only within the Bolshoi Theatre, but throughout Russian ballet as a whole:

Sadly, my generation was deprived of its share of brilliant choreographers. We had to

make do with ballets originally designed for others, and we could only dream of dancing

a piece tailor-made for us. We did benefit from more open relations with the West. We

got the chance to dance George Balanchine’s ballets, to work with . But

again, these works were not staged for us (Stolyarova).

Similar to the exodus of talented choreographers and dancers to the West after the October

Revolution in 1917, the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 led many of the best choreographers, dancers (including Ratmansky), and pedagogues to the West, thus leaving the 64 former Soviet Union void of some of its top talent. Asylmuratova expands upon this idea when discussing the lack of choreographic talent present in Russia at the turn of the 21st century:

It’s hard to say. I think one reason was that after the fall of the Iron Curtain, when we

were suddenly exposed to the achievements of Europe and the United States in modern

and contemporary dance, we fell into a period of confusion, dismay and uncertainty.

Russian choreographers tried, perhaps unconsciously, to imitate their Western

counterparts, rather than expressing themselves. This was the wrong move. Imitation

involves a loss of individuality, and choreographers must be original (Stolyarova).

Alexei Ratmansky was hired at a time when Russian ballet needed to be revitalized. After he was invited to stage a full-fledged production for the Bolshoi, he also received a message from the general director of the Bolshoi Theatre, Anatoly Iksanov, asking him to become the troupe’s artistic director. At this point in time, The Bright Stream had not even premiered on stage, showing Iksanov’s confidence in the young choreographer's potential and the immense need for revitalization. At thirty-five years old, Ratmansky became artistic director of the Bolshoi Ballet.

Ratmansky was not necessarily met with complete enthusiasm by some of the more senior dancers of the company, unimpressed by the fact that he was just “someone from

Denmark, and where is that?” (Kisselgoff). Nikolai Tsiskaridze, a legendary star of the Bolshoi

Theatre, who is currently the artistic director of the Vaganova Academy in St. Petersburg, said that Ratmansky’s biggest problem was his lack of experience. He tells Acocella that “at first, we only smiled when he attempted to make certain remarks to the soloists after the classical ballets he had never danced himself” (Acocella), showing their initial lack of respect for him.

Furthermore, it was not just the mood and the repertoire of the Bolshoi Ballet that had stagnated, but also the technique of the dancers. Ratmansky wanted to show the world through the Bolshoi 65 Theatre that they had a noble and artistic history from the twentieth century that was “deep, daring, intelligent” (Acocella) but “...the Bolshoi principals wanted no part of this. Grigorovich was the style they were used to” (Acocella). Ratmansky also told Acocella in this same interview that a lot of the dancers within the company were having trouble with the physically demanding steps and pulled out of the new works that he introduced to the company in fear of looking bad on stage.

Due to this resistance the new artistic director received from more senior dancers, he tapped into the talent of the younger, more enthusiastic artists that had only recently joined the theatre at that time, which included the now world-famous and .

When Ratmansky took the Bolshoi on tour in 2007 to , a review said that the “overboard reception has taken note of not just the astonishing individual dancing, but also the overall look, speed and spirit of the company revitalized under Alexei Ratmansky” (Perlez).

Even though Ratmansky emigrated from both the Soviet Union and the Russian

Federation, he does share an affinity for Soviet culture as well, saying that “...Soviet ballets like

The Bright Stream, no one else has them. They are unique to us. We need to treasure them”

(Mackrell). At this time, Ratmansky brought back not only The Bright Stream, but many other

Soviet-era ballets of the 1930’s as well, including Flames of Paris, The Bolt, and revived Yuri

Grigorovich’s staging of The Golden Age.

Overall, the time period surrounding Putin and Ratmansky’s ascensions can be characterized by a confused sense of national identity and a longing for the lost past. When a country suddenly shifts to a different form of government and economy, but not necessarily a different form of culture, it can easily be understood that its citizens would experience a sense of confusion in terms of national identity. This search to find a national identity once again 66 manifests itself throughout popular and artistic culture, with Soviet-styled cuisine, television shows, and with Ratmansky-- Soviet-styled ballets. Whether or not this lost past that Russian citizens yearn for truly existed is another question. In order to gain a more complete understanding of Ratmansky’s motivations behind reviving The Bright Stream, as well as other

Stalinist and Soviet era ballets, I discuss the choreographer’s background and biography before analyzing receptions of his ballet.

67 Alexei Ratmansky

Dance critics, artistic directors, and dancers alike all have praised Alexei Ratmansky.

Natalia Kolesova, a reporter for the Moscow News has called the man a “young and gifted choreographer with an unmistakable humorous streak… and one of the most striking representatives of domestic choreography… because of his witty and unorthodox view of the art of ballet” (Kolesova). Kevin McKenzie, currently the artistic director of the American Ballet

Theatre, once said in an interview that his “single best accomplishment after 20 years is hiring

Alexei Ratmansky” (Morris). Born in Leningrad in 1968, Ratmansky has had a diverse set of experiences in the USSR, in contemporary Russia, in the East, and in the West. He trained at the

Moscow State Academy of Choreography under Pyotr Pestov, who was also the teacher of famed dancers Nikolai Tsiskaridze and Vladimir Malakhov. Upon graduation in 1986, he joined the Shevchenko Theatre of Opera and Ballet in Kiev, Ukraine. Maintaining an interest in choreography, Ratmansky also studied at the State Institute of Theatre Arts, which was considered to be a premiere training ground for Soviet choreographers.

In 1992, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, he decided to expand his artistic horizons by taking on jobs in the West. That same year he joined the in Canada, and then in 1997 transferred to Copenhagen to dance at the . It was here that he got to perform works by famous choreographers such as George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, and Maurice Bejart.

Some may view Ratmansky’s style as conservative due to his adherence to the classics, but one of his biggest virtues is his ability to make individual and unique characters emerge from choreography. Ratmansky has a strong respect for ballet’s past, saying that in order to make ballets, which may have been created centuries ago for a completely different kind of audience, 68 relevant for the 21st century is “a balancing act, you need to be fair to the original, you need to try to carry the idea of the original but at the same time you need to update it” (Morris).

Ratmansky has revived classic ballets such as Sleeping Beauty, Raymonda, , Romeo and Juliet, The Nutcracker, , The Little Humpbacked Horse, and others. According to

Kevin McKenzie on Ratmansky’s works, the talented choreographer “took great pains to be sure that they were authentic, that the passages of choreography were as close to historically accurate as possible” (Morris).

In an interview with one of the leading ballet critics in Russia, Violetta Mainiece,

Ratmansky says that he is a “balletomane at heart and a sincere admirer of The Bright Stream”

(Майниеце). He first got acquainted with the music by listening to a recording of the full score conducted by Gennady Rozhdestvensky and immediately fell in love with it. In the same interview, he elaborates: “When I examined the score, I thought how terribly unfair it was that such a work should lie for decades unused… when the Bolshoi Theatre asked me to stage something for them, I chose the Shostakovich ballet” (Майниеце). At that point in time, he had been trying to decide between the Shostakovich ballet, Prokofiev’s The Buffoon, or Beethoven’s

Prometheus.

Although Ratmansky said to Violetta Mainiece that it would be impossible to stage this ballet with another company and that “only with such a troupe could I stage my version of The

Bright Stream,” referring to the Bolshoi Theatre, the ballet was also staged years later in 2011 when Ratmansky became the ’s resident choreographer.

As previously mentioned, Ratmansky signed a contract to become the artistic director of the Bolshoi Ballet in early 2004. He was described as “practically perfect for the job” by Anna

Gordeyeva in an article published in Vremya Novosti. During his time as artistic director, 69 Ratmansky also brought back other famed Soviet classics, notorious or not, including The

Flames of Paris and The Bolt.

Ratmansky has a particular fondness for the music of Dmitri Shostakovich. The choreographer has produced 7 ballets to the composer’s music, one of his first and most notable being Concerto in DSCH, which is set to Dmitri Shostakovich’s Concerto no. 2 in F Major, op.

102. After becoming the resident choreographer of the American Ballet Theatre in 2009,

Ratmansky avidly talks about his admiration for the composer: “My love for Shostakovich, I can’t really explain it. I can say that I’m Russian, and this is Russian music, and this is Russian music that I grew up with. I’ve been listening to Shostakovich since I was fifteen. I always wanted to choreograph him” (Morris). In general, the choreographer is an avid lover of music and makes it his first priority for his choreography. Ratmansky has choreographed new work and refreshed old works on music composed by the likes of Stravinsky, Tchaikovsky, Asafiev, and

Prokofiev. “I really would listen to the music a million times to know it by heart and then try to sense the rhythmical structure or the overall idea or the overall picture that I would like to have at the end. I really envisioned ballet, the whole thing before I go to the studio” (Morris).

Currently, Ratmansky still resides as the resident choreographer of the American Ballet

Theatre in New York City, and has a contract there until 2025. Looking forward to the future, the choreographer is not sure where he will be, but has many ideas that he would like to implement.

The talented choreographer says “well, many ballets— story and abstract and I have a big list of music that I’m going to use and I’m happy that there is a place where I can realize my ideas and

I’m supported. I feel very lucky” (Morris).

70 The Bright Stream Background and Plot in the 21st Century

Although Ratmansky remained faithful to Piotrovsky’s libretto, he condensed

Shostakovich’s score from three acts down to two acts and had to completely reimagine

Lopukhov’s lost choreography. Since Shostakovich wrote the music side-by-side with the choreographer, Ratmansky comments on how he was able to get a strong sense of Lopukhov’s choreography:

In the music he wrote for the ballet’s first libretto, by Adrian Piotrovsky and Fyodor

Lopukhov, Shostakovich conscientiously conveys all the peripeteia of the plot. It seemed

to me that everything in it was alright and justifiable. Another matter was how to present

all this. We cut Shostakovich’s three-act ballet to two acts, doing away with the

repetitions (Майниеце).

Ratmansky remained thoughtful and conscious in his choreographic choices and decisions, performing his due diligence and working closely with Boris Messerer in order to remain as close to Lopukhov, Piotrovsky, and Shostakovich’s vision as possible while still making the production appealing to modern audiences. Ratmansky paid homage throughout the ballet to

Lopukhov by incorporating elements of acrobatics such as cartwheels and trapeze swings alongside purely classical dance steps. Just like most other classical ballets, Ratmansky included

Petipa-styled grand pas classiques, including an introduction, a duet, male and female variations, and then a coda, as well as other divertissements that showcase the technical capabilities of the soloists and corps de ballet. In the same interview with Violetta Mainiece around the time of the ballet’s premiere, he says:

My version of The Bright Stream is no more concert-like than are the ballets of classical

heritage. They all had divertissements — it is a ballet form that has been well-established. 71 It’s this particular genre, and therefore it seemed to me that it should be presented this

way. To create a narrative drambalet, you need a different kind of music, not the kind that

Shostakovich wrote (Майниеце).

Figure 8: Ruslan Skyortsov as the Male Dancer, Andrei Melanyin as the Elderly Dacha Dweller10 Furthermore, Ratmansky also put the Male Dancer not only in a sylph costume in the second act, but also in pointe shoes. This particular scene attracted a lot of publicity around the ballet, often being the center point of their advertising campaigns, particularly because in 2003 it was extremely uncommon for men to wear pointe shoes, let alone dance so skillfully in them. The ballet concludes in an apotheosis, where the dancers end up linking arms with one another, as if taking a photograph, and happily waving goodbye to the audience.

In an interview with Natalia Kolesova in the Moscow Times, Ratmansky states that he staged The Bright Stream “without a trace of irony…Shostakovich was sincere when he was

10 Юсупов, Дамир. “Классический танцовщик - Руслан Скворцов, Пожилой дачник - Андрей Меланьин.” Большой театр, https://www.bolshoi.ru/performances/61/. 72 composing his ballet, and whatever he meant to say on the subject can be heard in the music… I nearly tried to pick up all the impulses” (Kolesova). He goes on further to defend his choice for staging this particular ballet, stating “As for the Stalin era per se… were people fully aware of the horrendous executions? Were they afraid to face up to the truth? My 95-year-old grandmother assures me that they sincerely believed in communism and in Stalin. The music and the libretto are devoid of any irony, and it would be foolish to look for it there” (Kolesova).

73 Chapter 5:

Reception of The Bright Stream: 2003 – Present

Reviews from the Bolshoi Theatre’s premiere were positive. Anna Gordeyeva praised

Alexei Ratmansky for successfully staging a comedic ballet. Right after the 2003 April premiere, she wrote in Vremya Novosti that “in the comedy ballet (an extremely rare genre), the balance between pure and more sophisticated dance-jokes is important. Ratmansky maintains this balance remarkably” (Гордеева). Gordeyeva loved the humor present in the ballet, and she thought the backdrop, created by Boris Messerer, was well-done — although she was not too fond of the set created by him. Gordeyeva briefly brings up the scene where the grim reaper enters, the only part of the ballet that touches upon the actual history of collective farming, but dismisses it as quickly as she brings it up, saying that “a droplet of fear, anxiety, and excitement will not prevent any good comedy. The Bright Stream is a very good comedy” (Гордеева).

Figure 9: Backdrop created by Boris Messerer11

11 Юсупов, Дамир. “ «Плакатный» занавес.” Большой театр, https://www.bolshoi.ru/performances/61/. 74 Maya Krylova, who wrote another article about the premiere for Nezavisimaya Gazeta one day after Gordeyeva published her article, also gave the ballet a great review. She shares the view that Alexei Ratmansky was to pay homage “in a respectful manner to the authors of the first version of The Bright Stream of 1935, who in a few words put on an ideologically sustained performance, but in fact composed a multi-faceted dance divertissement” (Крылова). Overall, it appeared that critics appreciated both the choreographer and set designer’s creative dedication, striking a balance between bringing the ballet to 21st century audiences while tastefully preserving many aspects of the original production. One reporter, Elena Gubaidullina, praised the strong attention to detail that was implemented throughout the production, saying that “the costumes are stich-for-stich exactly the same as the ones that the legendary Asaf and Sulamith

Messerer (the set designer’s father and aunt) danced in in 1935” (Губайдуллина).

Figure 10: Poster promoting Ratmansky’s upcoming ballet, featuring Asaf and Sulamith Messerer. Poster by V. Milovanov.12

12 Милованов, В. “Светлый ручей.” Журнал «Третьяковская галерея», http://www.tg-m.ru/catalog/picture/9008 75 Similar to Gordeyeva, Krylova loved the humorous aspect of the ballet, saying that “all the attributes of Socialist Realism, from tractors on the heel at the beginning to the parade of vegetables at the end, are just a pretext for half-circus gags and good laughter, which reduces all social implications down to a minimum” (Крылова). Furthermore, like Gordeyeva, she avoids discussing the horrors of collectivization in this ballet about collective farming. She says “to seek in such a ballet the likeness of a real village of the thirties is the same as to explore the twelfth- century Provence in Raymonda or the German Middle Ages by Giselle” (Крылова). However,

Krylova takes it one step further than Gordeyeva by ending her article with a small joke, saying

“And the arrival in the theatre of Comrade Stalin, to once again ban The Bright Stream, fortunately, is not expected” (Крылова).

The ballet was for the most part a large success among American dancers and audiences as well. Susan Jaffe, a former principal dancer with the American Ballet Theatre and now the company’s balletmaster, expressed immense enthusiasm when Ratmansky came to the United

States to stage this ballet on the company. She says that The Bright Stream is “absolutely fantastic” with “full-blown characters that are really thought all the way through from beginning to end.” (“‘The Bright Stream’ at the Music Center”). Jay Rogoff, who published a review of the ballet in January of 2012 in the Hopkins Review, called the ballet a “huge hit” where nothing in the production “fell flat” and offered “profound pleasures of a different kind” (Rogoff). Alastair

Macaulay, who served as The New York Times’ chief dance critic through the end of 2018, also expressed positive remarks about the ballet. In 2011, he wrote about Ratmansky’s staging of the production with the American Ballet Theatre, writing that “at each performance a whole number of supporting roles were real hits, several group dances made strong impressions, and the lively interplay between the many characters had unusual piquancy” (Macaulay). However, as a 76 seasoned dance critic, Macaulay believed that Ratmansky needed to grow as an artist, saying “to call Alexei Ratmansky, some of whose works have their obvious flaws, the most fascinating choreographer alive is unfair to such illustrious and older choreographers as Paul Taylor, Twyla

Tharp, Mark Morris, and Matthew Bourne, each of whom have made several more provably enduring masterpieces. Yet it’s tempting to do so” (Macaulay).

Figure 11: Scene from Act I13 Macaulay in his article also rather half-heartedly addresses the morbid nature of the ballet’s setting, similar to Krylova: “It’s a marvel that we today can laugh with a ballet that has the nerve to perpetuate the optimistic Stalinist ideal of the Russian collective farm. You could fret about the political and historical incorrectness of this, but then you might as well agonize why other ballets feature unhappy peasants” (Macaulay). Due to the dark history of this particular Soviet ballet that Ratmansky brought back, some critics have taken a different viewpoint than

13 Юсупов, Дамир. “Сцена из I акта.” Большой театр, https://www.bolshoi.ru/performances/61/. 77 Gordeyeva, Krylova, and Macaulay, and have actually fretted about the political and historical incorrectness of the ballet.

Many critics, particularly Russians that have immigrated to the United States, do not share the same positive viewpoints and have raised questions about Ratmansky’s intentions when resurrecting this ballet. Nina Alovert, a well-respected dance photographer and critic who immigrated to the United States from the Soviet Union in 1977, discusses her feelings towards the ballet in an opinion piece she wrote for Russian Bazaar:

Funny? More like scary. In any case I think that people of my generation, those who

know the true bloody history of collectivization and remember how we were taught lies

about the allegedly ever-growing well-being of the Soviet people, probably have

ambivalent feelings on this view. Of course, my peers and I are a passing generation; we

lived in that country for a long time, and it’s possible that we are just not ready yet to

laugh at its terrible history. It would be interesting to know how audience members to

whom Soviet reality is just a textbook story perceive this ballet Does the scary sense of

irony of the ballet’s contemporary authors get through to them? Did the young

choreographer think about this? (Аловерт).

Alovert makes a strong point. Stalin’s government was responsible for a region-wide famine lasting from 1932-1933 and has been estimated to have killed anywhere from 3 to 14 million people. As already alluded to by Alovert, this information was suppressed throughout Soviet history and did not surface until the 1980’s. It was not even until 2008 that the Russian State

Duma issued an official statement, saying that between 1932 and 1933 approximately 7 million people died within the territories of Povolzhye, the Central Black Earth Region, the Northern

Caucasus, Ural, Crimea, Western Siberia, , Ukraine and Belarus (Государственная 78 дума, Б.В. Грызов). Meanwhile, when discussing his intentions on The Bright Stream with Joan

Acocella of The New Yorker, Ratmansky states:

We don’t need to be angry anymore. Soviet art — we see in the distance as a complete

style, which has many virtues, good things about it. For me, it’s the last big style in

Russian ballet, actually. I think it’s the same if you look at Stalinist architecture in

Moscow. It’s very impressive. It’s the landmarks of Moscow (Acocella).

In the ballet, Ratmansky only includes one brief scene that references these horrors. In the second act, after a phony duel between the Ballerina, dressed up as the Male Dancer, and the

Elderly Dacha Dweller, the grim reaper appears. However, everyone is gleefully waltzing while the grim reaper swings at them. Unafraid of death during such a wonderful time of merriment, humor, and prosperity, Galya and the Tractor Driver push the grim reaper off the stage and continue to dance. Although the grim reaper appears because of the duel, this character serves as a strange and darkly humorous reminder to the audience of the realities of collective farming during this time.

Alovert’s attitude towards the ballet does not drastically differ from other citizens of the former Soviet Union that immigrated to the United States. Eleanor Randolph, a writer for the

New York Times, wrote in July of 2005 when the Bolshoi came to the Metropolitan Opera House that Russians were outside begging for tickets to see the show, similar as to in Moscow.

Emigrants from the former Soviet Union came from all over the United States to see the Bolshoi perform their classics, like Spartacus or . However, she noted that one production that did not sell out tickets was Ratmansky’s The Bright Stream. Randolph interviewed a young

Russian man who attended Ratmansky's showing of The Bright Stream and asked him why he 79 wanted to go see the ballet, to which he just shrugged his shoulders and replied “we couldn’t get tickets for the other ones” (Randolph).

Figure 12: Apotheosis from Act II14 Some American critics expressed distaste or disappointment for the ballet’s lack of political statement as well. One American author in particular even went as a far as to agree with the statements made in “Balletic Falsehood.” Wendy Lesser, founder of the American literary journal The Threepenny Review, called The Bright Stream “somehow flimsy, tinselly,” and

“false.” She says that “as so often Pravda’s dangerously cranky criticism of Shostakovich, a grain of artistic truth was swimming amidst the fetid official language” (Lesser). Lesser does praise the dancers of the American Ballet Theatre for bringing out different and unique aspects of each character within the choreography, but still does not seem impressed with Ratmansky’s overall production. She says “...the strengths of Ratmansky’s excellent performers only underline

14 Юсупов, Дамир. “Апофеоз из II акта.” Большой театр, https://www.bolshoi.ru/performances/61/. 80 the weaknesses of the ballet, for this was a plot that could not sustain the weight of serious character portrayal” (Lesser). This statement bears a lot of similarities to the claims made in

“Balletic Falsehood,” particularly when concerning the realness of the characters in the ballet.

Lesser also wrote in her review: “To say I was disappointed would be inaccurate. I was confused and unsettled and not at all sure what I felt. I went to the ballet twice in three days, and the second time I was even more impressed that the first — but I was still unsettled” (Lesser). This viewpoint aligns with another dance critic, Jennifer Homans, who also wrote a review about

Ratmansky’s version of The Bright Stream in 2011.

Author of ’s Angels: A , Homans appeared to have shared a similar view to Wendy Lesser in this regard. She wrote in an article for The New Republic about

Ratmansky’s production, offering a scholarly view on the topic. Initially, she praises

Ratmansky's choreography and the quality of the production, stating that the ballet was “so finely done that we hardly notice that any lingering sense of the ballet’s ugly history has altogether evaporated, dissolved in charm” (Homans). However, unlike many of the critics in Moscow, she does not just gloss over the topic or brush it off, but unpacks this idea a little further. She says:

Ratmansky has freed it from this ugly past, but in the process, he has also deliberately

depoliticized it. There are other ways to retrieve works from Stalin’s era: when William

Kentridge restaged Shostakovich’s (1930) at the Metropolitan Opera last year,

he made it more explicitly political and more bitingly satirical, not less. The Bright

Stream works more by what it doesn’t say than by what it does. Ratmansky makes his

point, but there is also something blank—a feeling of blankness—about picking up a lost

trail precisely to erase it before our eyes (Homans). 81 By comparing Ratmansky’s production to a different production that was resurrected from the

Soviet era, she implies that Ratmansky had almost some sort of a political responsibility to pay tribute to the horrors of collective farming. However, Ratmansky’s capitalization on this sort of

“blankness” that Homans describes was most likely intentional. As already stated, the choreographer created this production without a trace of irony, and stated that his motivations behind this ballet were because of Shostakovich’s ingenious and incredibly danceable musical score. Furthermore, this ballet is virtually impossible to “depoliticize” due to its history and identity. Recreating The Bright Stream as closely as possible to the vision of Lopukhov,

Piotrovsky, and Shostakovich is a statement within itself. Ratmansky’s production of The Bright

Stream in no way denies or tries to cover up the horrors of collectivization or Stalinist terror, it just does not provide overt commentary on them, thus allowing the viewer to watch the ballet and make an opinion for himself or herself.

Ratmansky’s version of The Bright Stream garnered a similar set of diverse reviews that can be compared to Lopukhov’s original-- although Ratmansky’s production did not result in the marginalization of anyone’s career or lead to anyone’s arrest and subsequent execution. Some present-day viewers, such as Russian citizens in Moscow, seem to maintain a view more closely aligned with Ratmansky’s, that it is time to forget and that the ballet should be enjoyed for its divertissements, humor, and artistic merits. For the most part, it appears that American and international audiences enjoyed the ballet as well. Some share a similar viewpoint to Russians and Ratmansky, saying that the ballet should be enjoyed as a divertissement, while others criticize the ballet for not making enough of a political statement. Russian immigrants in the

United States do not appear to be too fond of the ballet, either because of the dark history that is associated with the ballet and the memory of collectivization that it evokes, or they just preferred 82 to see a more traditional ballet like Don Quixote or Swan Lake. Regardless of the reasons why some critics enjoyed the ballet and others do not, everyone has praised the works of Ratmansky and agree that he is a uniquely talented choreographer and a driving force of ballet in the 21st century. 83

Conclusion

After the October Revolution, the newly formed Soviet Union experienced a cultural revolution that provided the necessary backdrop for The Bright Stream to be created, well- received, denounced, and then ultimately banned. In an artistic time period characterized by the rigid yet ambiguous doctrine of Soviet Socialist Realism, the boundaries of officially acceptable art became more unpredictable than ever as criticisms grew harsher. This environment made it especially risky for Fyodor Lopukhov, Adrian Piotrovsky, and Dmitri Shostakovich to take on a ballet with contemporary themes, choreography that emphasized classical dance over drama, and music with a variety of Western influences all throughout the score. Despite the ballet’s initial success, the Soviet government published an editorial attack on The Bright Stream less than a year after its premiere, resulting in severe consequences for the careers of Shostakovich,

Lopukhov, and especially Piotrovsky.

The Bright Stream did not resurface again until the beginning of the 21st century, when

Alexei Ratmansky recreated the production as a commission for the struggling Bolshoi Ballet.

Although Ratmansky had a growing reputation at the time as a talented choreographer, this ballet experienced immense international success and brought him to much higher levels of fame. The

Bright Stream was well-liked both in Russia and abroad, despite criticisms on the ballet’s alleged depoliticization of collectivization, a very dark and serious topic in Soviet history.

However, Ratmansky did exactly the opposite when he deliberately remained faithful to

Lopukhov, Piotrovsky, and Shostakovich’s vision throughout the entire process of reviving The

Bright Stream. By producing a ballet as close to the original as possible, the choreographer 84 transported all of the political implications and sinister themes associated with the Stalinist ballet into the 21st century, honoring the visionaries who risked their reputations, careers, and ultimately their lives to help create a unique cultural identity for their country. Ballet has always played an important ideological and political role in the Soviet Union, so it would be impossible to completely divorce politics from a piece as controversial as The Bright Stream. However, this does not mean it should be reverted into historical oblivion. Through a strongly executed artistic endeavor, Ratmansky proved that he could express both pride and appreciation for his Soviet cultural heritage without supporting the atrocities committed by its government.

Shostakovich, Lopukhov, and Piotrovsky were all leading figures in their respective fields, and implemented their talents and passions within the framework of an extremely oppressive censorship. Because of this, The Bright Stream’s artistic merits should not be overshadowed by Stalin’s associations with it. When we live in a time period where political rhetoric is so polarizing, it is convenient to link aspects of a country’s culture to the ongoing agendas of its government, and this is why the message of The Bright Stream is just as important today as it was in 1936. Ratmansky extracted the glory and nostalgia that many Russians feel today towards Soviet culture, acknowledging its intertwined nature with politics, and successfully divorced it from the horrors of Stalin’s regime.

Ratmansky created a complicated yet fascinating experience for his viewers, letting them enjoy the brilliance of Shostakovich’s music while also witnessing a propaganda piece directly associated with one of the darkest times in Soviet history. Ratmansky successfully revived what would otherwise be a cultural artifact lost in history, giving the world a glimpse back in time of not the historical, factual, politically correct truth, but the muddled, forced, and unsettling truth that Soviet citizens were subjected to. Although this contains a different depiction of history than 85 what contemporary critics might have expected, it gives them greater insight into the formidable role that ideology played during the 1930’s, regardless of whether or not this ballet properly depicts the life and times of a Kuban collective farm.

I believe that this trend of nostalgia for the Soviet Union greatly contributed to the ballet’s success in Moscow, as audiences loved Ratmansky’s choreography and Shostakovich’s music while avoiding, yet still acknowledging, the dark political history surrounding the ballet’s first run. The revival of this ballet captured the same kind of light, jolly, and comedic vision that glorifies the strengths and sophistication of classical dance that Lopukhov would have wanted in his ballet. Since Ratmansky’s top priority was to remain faithful to the artistic visions of the ballet’s original creators, it most likely was not his intention to create what some critics have considered to be a dark comedy. But whether it was his intention or not, this ballet makes a powerful statement by revealing, without actually commenting on them, the monstrous and deranged absurdities of Soviet propaganda and censorship. The Bright Stream is not about the horrors of collective farming, nor was it ever intended to be. Instead, it evokes the memory of collectivization and leaves viewers to form their own conclusions about it, which actually makes a much stronger impact than forcing overt commentary upon the production. Ratmansky’s efforts also bring to light the dark history of The Bright Stream, which would have otherwise been completely unknown to anyone outside of the limited realms of the ballet scholarship.

Overall, The Bright Stream shows just one aspect of the tangled and complicated relationship that Post-Soviet Russia maintains with its national identity, culture, and government.

This ballet is an example of how the arts, history, pride in one’s country, and courage cannot be stomped out by even the most oppressive regimes. Even though it ruined nearly all of the original creators’ careers and took over sixty years for a choreographer in Denmark to rediscover 86 it, The Bright Stream not only survived, but found its permanent place in the repertoires of the world’s best ballet companies today. Finally, in the 21st century, Piotrovsky, Shostakovich,

Lopukhov, and their comedic ballet rightfully got the last laugh.

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Appendix A:

Cast of Characters From The Bright Stream

Premiere at the Leningrad State Academic Maly Opera Theatre on June 4th, 1935: Zina, a local amusement organizer: Z.A. Vasilevna Pyotr, an agricultural student: P.A. Gusev Ballerina: F.I. Balabina Male Dancer: N.A. Zubkovsky Anxious-to-be-younger-than-she-is Dacha Dweller: E.V. Lopukhova Elderly Dacha Dweller: M.A. Rostovtsev Gavrilych, Inspector of Quality: F.I. Chernyshenko Accordionist: A.A. Orlov Galya, a school girl: G.I. Isaeva Highlander: A.B. Lopukhov Uzbek: S.P. Dubinin Kuban: E.V. Nikolayev

Premiere at the Bolshoi Theatre on November 30th, 1935: Zina, a local amusement organizer: Z.A. Vasilevna Pyotr, an agricultural student: P.A. Gusev Ballerina: S.M. Messerer Male Dancer: A.N. Yermolayev Accordionist: B.B. Smoltsov Elderly Dacha Dweller: B.A. Rybstev Anxious-to-be-younger-than-she-is Dacha Dweller: I.M. Ilyushenko Galya, a school girl: I.A. Charnotskaya Highlander: A.A. Tsarman Kuban: B.I. Matorin Uzbek: I.A. Moiseyev Old Collective Farmer: L.A. Pospekin

Premiere at the Bolshoi Theatre on April 18th, 20th, 22nd, 24, and 27th 2003: Zina: Inna Petrova, Anastasia Yatsenko Pyotr: Yuri Klevtsov, Vladimir Neporozhny Ballerina: , Elena Andrienko, Ekaterina Shipulina Male Dancer: Sergey Filin, Yan Godovsky, Ruslan Skvortsov Accordionist: Gennady Yanin, Ruslan Pronin, Denis Savin Elderly Dacha Dweller: Andrei Melanin, Alexey Loparevich Anxious-to-be-younger-than-she-is Dacha Dweller: Lyubov Filippova, Irina Zibrova Gavrilych, Inspector of Quality: Vladimir Moiseyev, Yegor Simachev Galya, a school girl: Ksenia Pchelkina, Daria Gurevich, Irina Yatsenko Milkmaid: Anastasia Yatsenko, Anna Antropova Tractor Driver: Alexander Voytyuk, Vasili Zhidkov, Andrey Bolotin 88

Appendix B:

Select Translations

Анатолий Луначарский. Для чего мы сохраняем большой театр? / Why do we Preserve the Bolshoi Theatre? by Anatoly Lunacharsky— 1925: ...Тут в особенности найдет свое место …Here in particular ballet will find its place. балет. Мне кажется, не стоит даже It seems to me that it’s not even worth it to особенно долго останавливаться на этом, dwell on it, because this element ignites the ибо стихия эта необычайно зажигает masses extraordinarily and in any case, no массы и, во всяком случае, не меньше, чем less than singing, is capable of emitting a пение, способна дать острое выражение strong expression to any feeling. The любому переживанию. Стройность, gracefulness, the precision of ballet точность балетных движений, полнота movements, the complete power over one’s власти над своим телом, полнота власти own body, and the complete power over the над подвижной массой —вот залог moving mass is the token of the huge role that огромной роли, которую балет может ballet can have in the organization of such иметь в организации таких спектаклей. performances. Now, taking into account the Вот, принимая во внимание necessity and even the inevitability of the необходимость и даже неизбежность emergence of fitting poets, composers and появления соответственных поэтов, performers, I think that the Bolshoi Theatre, композиторов и исполнителей, я и думаю, which as an organism is closest to the что Большой театр, который, как организм, opportunity to express such tasks, should be всего ближе к возможности выразить carefully preserved. подобные задания, должен быть тщательно сохраняем.

А сохранять не значит взять его на And to preserve doesn’t mean to retire it, but пенсию, а значит постоянно продолжать в it means to constantly continue operations in нем работу, которая, по меньшей мере it, which at least leaving at present level its оставляя на нынешнем уровне его technical perfection, will be carried on техническое совершенство, будет вести его forward. вперед.

Не имея новых произведений или имея их Not having new productions, or having very мало, мы, конечно, должны пользоваться few of them, we, of course, must utilize old старыми, при этом, однако, такими и так, ones, while, however, in such a way and so чтобы наши оперные и балетные силы не that, our operatic and balletic strengths do not хирели, а росли и чтобы публике нашей weaken, but grow and so that our public было бы за что платить и этой платой would have something to pay for and so that своей содействовать сохранению this contribution is used to promote the Большого театра до того, может быть, Bolshoi Theatre until the maybe not-too- недалекого дня, когда на сцене у него distant day when the first great revolutionary 89

вспыхнет первая великая революционная oratorio, the first celebratory performance, оратория, первый праздничный спектакль, will spark on the stage, capable of reflecting в ярком и концентрирующем зеркале in its bright and concentrated mirror the rising своем способный отразить восходящее sun of communism. солнце коммунизма.

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Федор Лопухов и Адриан Пиотровский. Балет «Светлый ручей» / The Bright Stream by Fyodor Lopukhov and Adrian Piotrovsky—1935: «Светлый ручей» - важное и существенное The Bright Stream is an important and звено в тех попытках обновления, essential link in those attempts of renovating реформирования балетного спектакля, and reforming the ballet performance which которые последовательно осуществляются are consistently carried out by the Maly Opera Малым Оперным театром и, в частности, Theatre and, in particular, by the authors of авторами этих строк. these lines.

Какова направленность этих попыток? ... What is the focus of these attempts? … The Это направленность на реалистический, focus is on a realistic, plot-intense, socially- фабульно-напряженный, социально- meaningful dance performance, and what’s осмысленный танцевальный спектакль и more-- a performance revealing its own idea, притом спектакль, раскрывающий свою outlining its own images not in “pantomimes” идею, очерчивающий свои образы не в and even more so not in the libretto, but in the «пантомимах» и тем паче не в либреттной lively and passionate language of dance. «литературе», а на живом и страстном языке танца.

Путем к осуществлению такого спектакля As a way to implement such a performance, мы избрали комедийный балет. Конечно, we have chosen a comedic ballet. Of course, это далеко не единственный путь. Вполне this is not the only way. The Soviet tragic мыслим советский трагедийный dance performance and the Soviet танцевальный спектакль, вполне мыслим monumental heroic ballet are quite советский монументальный героический conceivable, revealing in elevated, majestic, балет, в приподнятых, величественных и and highly dramatic images the most высоко драматических образах important, most lofty themes of revolutionary раскрывающий самые большие, самые history and Socialist reality. And such ballets патетические темы революционной will certainly be created, and they shall истории и социалистической strengthen the flowering of Soviet ballet as a действительности. И эти балеты, genuinely popular and genuinely national art разумеется, будут созданы, и они укрепят for the masses. расцвет советского балетного искусства, как искусства подлинно-массового, подлинно-народного.

Но, идя по такому пути, приходится But, going down this path, one has to face the столкнуться с огромной инерцией и enormous inertia and conventionalism of условщиной классического балета, в classical ballet, which for the entire 19th течение всего XIX столетия century developed mainly along the lines of a развивавшегося главным образом именно “big” romantic and atmospheric dance по линии 'большого' романтического и performance. обстановочного танцевального спектакля.

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По этой причине, так же как и по ряду For this reason, as well as for a number of других оснований, нам казалось более other reasons, it seemed to us more fruitful, плодотворным, творчески более creatively more precise to choose a different правильным избрать для первоначальных path for our initial experiments. This path, as наших опытов другую магистраль. Эта already mentioned, is a dance comedy. магистраль, как уже сказано, - танцевальная комедия.

[...] […] Мы старались учесть опыт (неудачный или We strove to take into account the удачный) уже поставленных советских experiences (unsuccessful or successful) of балетов. Мы хотели избежать the already-staged Soviet ballets. We wanted неприкрытой публицистичности таких to avoid the overt topicality of such спектаклей, как «Болт». Нам хотелось performances like The Bolt. In this ballet, we показать на балетной сцене жизненные и wanted to show simple and lively images of простые образы людей и дел нашей our country’s people and achievements as страны, а не искусственный и opposed to the artificial and exotic world of a экзотический мир условного Востока или simulated East or a simulated West, as it was условного Запада, как это было в in the performances of The Golden Age and спектаклях «Золотой век» и «Красный The Red Poppy. And at this same time (and мак». И вместе с тем (и в этом - одна из this was one of our most essential principles), существеннейших наших установок) мы we sought to ensure that our ballet was a стремились к тому, чтобы наш балет был dance-ballet, so that actual dance was the балетом танцевальным, чтобы танец был essential and main artistic and expressive основным и главным художественно- means of the performance. Such a выразительным средством спектакля. requirement does not go at all against the Такое требование отнюдь не противоречит search for a realistic style. The fact of the поискам реалистического стиля. Но в том- matter lies in that realism within ballet must то и дело, что реализм в балете должен be implemented by its own specific means, быть осуществлен своими i.e. first and foremost by means of dance-- специфическими средствами, т.е. прежде classical dance in particular. To think that in всего средствами танца и в частности - the search of realism it is possible to replace танца классического. Думать, что можно в the “conventional” dance with a supposedly поисках реализма заменить «условный» realistic pantomime imitating everyday life — танец якобы бытоподобной, якобы it means defaulting to an unacceptable реалистической пантомимой, — это значит impoverishment of ballet, it means sacrificing идти на недопустимое обеднение the search for a genuinely-realistic style in балетного спектакля, это значит favor of a superficially understood naturalism. жертвовать поисками подлинно- реалистического стиля в угоду его поверхностно-понятого натурализма.

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С такими требованиями мы (и композитор With such requirements, we (and the Дмитрий Шостакович) подошли к поискам composer, Dmitri Shostakovich) approached сюжета и материала нового балета. Мы the search for the new ballet’s plot and захотели сделать балет-праздник, material. We wanted to make a balletic балетный спектакль, который был бы celebration, a ballet that would be thoroughly насквозь пронизан весельем, радостью, permeated with fun, joy, and youth. молодостью.

[...] […]

Праздник урожая, образы старых A harvest festival, images of old collective колхозников, …образы деревенской farmers...images of rural youth, operators of молодежи, комбайнеров, доярок и т.д. combine harvesters, milkmaids, etc. bring into вносят в спектакль разнообразную и the performance a diverse and cheerful wave жизнерадостную волну так называемого of the so-called “character”' movement and «характерного» движения, «характерного» “character” dance. But classical dance today танца. Но основой балетного искусства remains the foundation of ballet. It would be наших дней остается танец классический. an impoverishment of the expressive Было бы обеднением выразительных possibilities of Soviet ballet if we decided to возможностей советского балета, если бы expel from it that highest and most perfect мы решили изгнать из него ту culture of dance, an expression of which to высочайшую и наиболее совершенную this day remains the mastery of classical культуру танца, выражением которой по ballet, which developed over centuries. The сей день остается столетиями problem of classical dance in the Soviet разработанное мастерство классического realistic ballet is therefore one of the most балета. Проблема классического танца в difficult and complex problems. We are советском реалистическом балете является convinced that fundamentally there are no потому одной из труднейших и contradictions between the conventionality of сложнейших проблем. Мы убеждены в classical dance and the desired realistic style том, что по сути дела никаких of Soviet ballet. Classical dance is the highest противоречий между условностью expression of intense emotion, it is the lyric классического танца и искомым essence of the human movement. Like poetry, реалистическим стилем советского балета like a song. Just as no one would call a verse нет. Классический танец есть высшее “an unrealistic view of human speech” and no выражение напряженной эмоции, это one would conceive the idea of limiting the лирика человеческого движения. Как и use of poetry in our reality, it would also be поэзия, как и песня. Подобно тому, как wrong to confine the limits of expressiveness никто не назовет стих «нереалистическим of classical dance. видом человеческой речи» и никто не вздумает ограничивать возможности применения поэзии в нашей действительности, точно так же было бы неверным ограничивать пределы выразительности классического танца. 93

[...] […]

Но, повторяем, здесь одна из сложнейших But, we repeat, this is one of the most и труднейших проблем советского театра. complex and difficult problems of the Soviet И нам казалось неправильным в первом же theatre. And it seemed wrong to us in our first нашем опыте ставить эту проблему со всей experience to present this problem so harshly. резкостью. Отсюда возникает From this, there is a need to find internal plot необходимость найти бытовую motivation for the introduction of classical мотивировку для введения классического dance. So, in our ballet we introduced images танца. Так родились в нашем балете of “dancers from the capital” coming to the образы «танцовщиков из столицы», farm. Two groups face each other that at first приезжающих в колхоз. Сталкиваются две seem to be complete opposites. A group of группы, на первый взгляд кажущиеся young “metropolitan artists,” armed with all такими противоположными. Группа the polish of culture, speaking the language of молодых «столичных артистов», “classical dance,” and a group of collective- вооруженных всем блеском культуры, farm youths, kicking off their celebration in говорящих на языке «классического grand “character dances.” танца», и группа колхозной молодежи, развертывающей свой праздник в больших «характерных танцах». [...] [...]

Авторы хотели бы, чтобы зритель унес с The authors would like the viewer to take собой веру в прекрасные возможности with him faith in the wonderful possibilities советского балетного театра, в создании of the Soviet ballet theatre. The Bright Stream которого одной из первых попыток, может is the first attempt, perhaps naive, perhaps быть наивных, может быть несколько somewhat awkward, towards creating such a неуклюжих, является «Светлый ручей». ballet theatre.

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Дмитрий Шостакович. Мой третий балет / My Third Ballet by Dmitri Shostakovich— 1935: Трудное и ответственное дело - создать Creating a full-fledged ballet on a Soviet большой балет на советской тематике. Но theme is a difficult and important task. But I я не боюсь трудностей. Идти по do not fear difficulty. Going down the beaten проторенной дорожке, пожалуй, легче и path is, perhaps, easier and “safer,” but it’s «безопаснее», но скучно, неинтересно, boring, uninteresting, and worthless. никчемно.

... Группа советских артистов едет на ...A group of Soviet artists go to the Kuban, Кубань, где она встречается с кубанскими where they meet with Kuban collective колхозниками. Эта встреча происходит farmers. This meeting is happening for the впервые. Колхозники, полагая сперва в first time. The collective farmers, at first артистах людей какой-то иной, незнакомой believing the artists are some sort of different сферы, не знают, как и с какой стороны к kind of people, from an unfamiliar sphere, do ним подойти. И артисты не сразу находят с not know how to approach them. And the колхозниками общий язык. artists are not immediately able to find a common language with the collective farmers, either.

Очень скоро, впрочем, обе стороны Very soon, however, both sides discover that выясняют массу общих точек they have a lot in common. They are both соприкосновения. Те и другие строят building a Socialist life: the first on the социалистическую жизнь: первые - в collective farm, and the others on the artistic колхозе, другие – на фронте искусства. front. Romantic peripeteias, arising in the lap Любовные перипетии, возникшие на лоне of Kuban nature, bring together both brigades, кубанской природы, еще больше the collective farmers’ and the actors’, even сближают обе бригады - колхозную и more. актерскую.

Сюжет этот – очень простой и This plot is very simple and uncomplicated, незамысловатый – талантливо разработан talentedly developed by A. Piotrovsky, a most культурнейшим знатоком театра и cultured expert in theatre and balletic drama. балетной драматургии А. Пиотровским. А And the participation of such an участие такого своеобразного мастера, как original master as choreographer F. балетмейстер Ф. Лопухов, и художника М. Lopukhov, and the artist M. Bobyshev, who Бобышева, сделавшего прекрасный макет, made a beautiful layout, allows one to count позволяет рассчитывать на яркое, on a bright, colorful spectacle. колоритное зрелище.

Музыка в этом балете, на мой взгляд, The music in this ballet, in my view, is весела, легка, развлекательна и, главное, cheerful, light, entertaining and, most танцевальна. Я намеренно старался найти importantly, danceable. I deliberately tried to здесь ясный, простой язык, одинаково find here a clear, simple language, equally 95

доступный для зрителя и исполнителя. accessible to both the viewer and the Танцевать на ритмически и мелодически performer. To dance on rhythmically and рыхлом материале, по-моему, не только melodically fragile material, in my opinion, is трудно, попросту – невозможно. not only difficult, but it is simply impossible.

Я считаю глубоко неправильными I consider it deeply wrong to try replacing попытки подменять настоящий балет real ballet with a kind of substitute of неким суррогатом драматизированной dramatized pantomime. Once in Leningrad, I пантомимы. Мне довелось однажды видеть happened to see (it was several years ago) an в Ленинграде (это было несколько лет evening of the talented Leningrad назад) вечер талантливого ленинградского choreographer Yakobson (he now works in балетмейстера Якобсона (сейчас он Moscow), who at that time denied the работает в Москве), отрицавшего в ту пору primacy of dance in ballet and reduced ballet примат танца в балете и сводившего балет to mere pantomime. I admit, this idea, к сплошной пантомиме. Признаюсь, эта implemented in practice, seemed to me hardly идея, реализованная на деле, показалась convincing at all. мне мало убедительной.

Откровенно говоря, глядя всякий раз на Frankly speaking, looking every time at the так называемую «чистую пантомиму», я не so-called “pure pantomime,” I can’t get rid of могу отделаться от ощущения, что передо the feeling that there is a deaf-and-dumb мною происходит разговор глухонемых. conversation in front of me. It would seem Есть в этой, казалось бы, that there is some kind of insurmountable «реалистичности» какая-то непреодолимая unnaturalness in this “realism.” Just as in an ненатуральность. Как в опере не opera you would not be able to manage обойдешься без пения (тоже ведь without singing (also a conventionality), you условность), так и не выкинешь танца из cannot throw out the dance from ballet. It is балета. Не бороться с этой условностью necessary not to fight this convention, but to надо, а оправдать ее. justify it.

Мне кажется, что в поисках принципов It seems to me that in search of the principles нового советского балетного спектакля на of the new Soviet ballet performance the наиболее верном пути стоит Leningrad Maly Opera Theatre is on the right ленинградский Малый Оперный театр. Не track. Without conflicting with the вступая в противоречие с «условностью» “conventionality” of the dance, moreover, танца, более того, сохраняя даже классику retaining even the classics as a system of как систему танцевального движения, dance movement, the theatre tries to find a театр пытается специфическими realistic style of a ballet performance with танцевальными средствами найти specific dance means. реалистический стиль балетного спектакля.

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И «Арлекинада» (муз. Дриго) и And Harlequinade (music by Drigo) and «Коппелия» (муз. Делиба) в постановке Ф. Coppelia (music by Delibes) staged by F. Лопухова - два, на мой взгляд, блестяще Lopukhov are in my opinion, two brilliantly удавшихся опыта фабульного, successful experiments of plot-- meaningful осмысленного (в специфике классического (in the specificity of classical dance) and танца) реалистического балета. Обе эти realistic ballets. Both of these dance comedies танцевальные комедии - отличный are an excellent springboard from which the трамплин, с которого театр уже может theatre can already make the leap to the сделать прыжок к советскому балетному Soviet ballet performance without the risk of спектаклю без риска сломать себе шею. breaking its neck.

«Светлый ручей» – мой третий по счету The Bright Stream is my third ballet on a балет на советскую тематику. Первые два Soviet theme. I consider the first two - The – «Золотой век» и «Болт» - в Golden Age and The Bolt - extremely драматическом отношении я считаю unfortunate from the point of view of крайне неудачными. Мне кажется, главная dramatic content. It seems to me that the main ошибка кроется в том, что авторы mistake lies in the fact that the authors of the либретто, пытаясь показать в балетном libretto, trying to show our reality in the ballet спектакле нашу действительность, performance, did not take into account the совершенно не учли балетной специфики. specificity of the ballet at all. This is a very Это очень серьезная вещь – отражение в serious thing - the reflection in the ballet of балете социалистической socialist reality. It cannot be approached действительности. К ней нельзя подходить superficially. And, say, episodes such as the поверхностно. А такие, скажем, эпизоды, “Dance of Enthusiasm” or a pantomime как «Танец энтузиазма» или пантомимное image of the labor process (hammering on the изображение трудового процесса (битье anvil) expose an insufficiently thought-out молотом по наковальне), обличают approach to the problem of a realistic ballet недостаточно продуманный подход к performance based on Soviet themes. проблеме реалистического балетного спектакля, построенного на советской тематике.

Я не могу поручиться, конечно, что и I cannot guarantee, of course, that the third третья попытка не окажется неудачной, но attempt will not be unsuccessful, but even даже и тогда это ни в коем случае не then, it will in no way turn me away from my отвратит меня от намерения и в четвертый intention to take up the composition of a раз взяться за сочинение советского Soviet ballet for the fourth time. балета.

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Георгий Поляновский. Новый балет Шостаковича/ Shostakovich’s New Ballet by Georgy Polyanovsky -- June 6th, 1935: 4 июня Ленинградский государственный On June 4th, the Leningrad State Maly Opera Малый оперный театр показал первое Theatre showed the first staging of представление нового балета Шостаковича Shostakovich’s new ballet: The Bright Stream. — «Светлый ручей». Премьера, The premiere, coinciding with the Leningrad совпавшая с ленинградским фестивалем Arts’ Festival, aroused significant interest искусств, вызвала значительный интерес from the side of international guests, mostly со стороны иностранных гостей, musicians by profession. Evgeny Moravsky, музыкантов по профессии. Евгений the director of the Warsaw Conservatory, Моравский, директор Варшавской Leopold Godowsky, a world-renowned Консерватории, и Леопольд Годовский, pianist, Czechoslovakian professor Zdeněk пианист с мировым именем, Nejedlý, and a number of other foreigners чехословацкий профессор Неедлы boisterously expressed their delight, enthralled и ряд других иностранцев бурно выражали by the general enthusiasm of the concert hall. свои восторги, зараженные общим энтузиазмом зала.

На Балетной сцене, где все так условно, In ballet, where everything is so conventional, где доныне парят невесомые сильфиды и where weightless sylphs float and overseas «высоким стилем» изъясняются в своих princes express their feelings for them in a чувствах к ним заморские принцы, вдруг lofty style, suddenly other moods and other смело, громко и решительно прозвучали pictures boldly, loudly, and decisively came иные настроения, иные картины. through. Collective farm abundance, born Колхозное изобилие, рожденное упорным through hard work and in turn rightfully трудом и в свою очередь законно giving rise to fun, joy, and the need for a рождающее веселье, радость, потребность noisy, bright, wholesome repose soars on в шумном, ярком, многодетном отдыхе stage in the picturesque golden sheaves of rye парит на сцене в живописных, set by the artist Bobyshev. Swings swing полыхающих золотом ржаных снопов highly and with ease across the whole stage. декорациях художника Бобышева. The North Caucasus and Kuban give breadth Через всю сцену легко и высоко взлетают to the composer and director’s invention. Folk качели. Северный Кавказ, Кубань дают dances of mountain men and Kubans, Russian простор выдумке композитора и round dances, folk dances of old men to those постановщика. пляски горцев и кубанцев, who wish to be young again, these dances are русские хороводы, пляска стариков, на resourcefully, sonorously, and wittily желающих стать от молодежи, эти танцы coordinated with the orchestra. изобретательно, звонко и остроумно звучат в оркестре.

Не следует искать в новом балете особо One should not search for a particularly углубленную ситуацию, не велика и immersive situation in the new ballet, and the идейная нагрузка сюжета: ideological responsibility of the plot isn’t легкокомедийная интрига, использование great: light-comedy intrigue, the usage of an 98

старой темы— водевиль с old theme—a vaudeville based on characters переодеванием— стержень действия. in disguise are at the core of the plot.

В колхоз «Светлый ручей» накануне On the eve of the harvest celebration, a праздника урожая приезжает бригада brigade of ballet artists from the city come to балетных актеров из города. Встреча the collective farm known as the “Bright подруг, балерины и бывшей ее товарки из Stream.” The meeting of a friend, a ballerina балетной школы, ныне затейницы в and her former classmate who is now an колхозе, ряд бытовых зарисовок любовные entertainer on the collective farm, a series of приключения, наказанная ревность и domestic sketches involving romantic благополучное развязывание escapades, punishments of jealousy, and миниатюрной «любовной» интриги — это prosperous and successful undoings of только фон, только внешняя завязь всего miniature “love” intrigues-- this is only the действия. Самое же действие — в background, only the outer layer of all the цветущем здоровые, полноте новой action. Most of the action is in the blossoming колхозной жизни. and healthy, fullness of the new collective farm life.

Сатирическому жалу, обычному и острому The satirical sting, Shostakovich’s usual and оружию Шостаковича, почти негде найти sharp weapon, was almost nowhere to be себе применение. В балете почти нет found. In the ballet, there were almost no отрицательных фигур. Весь талант unfavorable characters. All of the musical музыкальной у Шостаковича talent that Shostakovich has was switched to переключается на иные рельсы. В милой another track. In a cute joke, in an ingenious шутке, в остроумном гротеске композитор twist, the composer shows and justifies the показывает и оправдывает праздничную festive mood of people who have won their настроенность людей, завоевавших право right to joy. на радость.

Как много блестящих страниц разбросано There are so many brilliant pages scattered в партитуре! Стихийной, еле throughout the score! The Lezginka* is сдерживаемой силой насыщена лезгинка; saturated with a spontaneous, nearly насмешкой веет от танго, наполненного uncontrollable force; mockery emanates from нарочито преувеличенной страстью the tango, deliberately filled up with the танцуемого в комической ситуации. dancer’s exaggerated passion in a comedic situation.

Радует и восхищает во всех танцах The exceptional technique in all the dances of исключительлая техника молодых the young artists Vassileva, Balabina, and балетных артистов: Васильевой, Gusev calls for joy and admiration. Балабиной, Гусева.

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В балете Шостаковича, благодаря умелой In Shostakovich’s ballet, thanks to the skillful постановке Лопухов, танец сам собой staging of Lopukhov, the dance derives itself вытекает из музыки. Стремление from the music. The director’s goal of creating постановщика сделать балетные сцены realistic lively ballet scenes was most реальными жизненными достигает своей definitely achieved. цели.

Шостакович— молодой, но чудесный Shostakovich, although young, is a brilliant мастер жизнерадостной, острой master of cheerful, poignant dance music, танцевальной музыки, побеждающей overcoming his springy, sharp rhythms. He is своим упругим, четким ритмом. Он persistently looking for new means to identify упорно ищет новых средств для выявления the fullness of life that he feels and seeks to той полноты жизни, которую сам ощущает reveal in his musical images. The language of и стремится раскрыть в своих the orchestra of Shostakovich, always музыкальных образах. Язык оркестра contagiously young, juicy, perky, acquired a Шостаковича, всегда заразительно юный, number of colorful everyday features. The сочный, задорный, обрел ряд красочных dance of individual numbers is unrestrained, it бытовых черт. Танцевальность отдельных absorbed the best traditions of classical dance номеров безудержна, она впитала в себя music from Strauss to Glazunov. The clarity лучшие традиции классической and definition of the idea, the beautiful танцевальной музыки от Штрауса до melody-- it’s a great merit of the composer. Глазунова. Ясность и четкость замысла, прекрасная мелодичность — огромная заслуга композитора.

Георгий Поляновский Georgy Polyanovsky

*A Caucasian dance that is characterized by a fast 6/8 rhythm.

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Иван Соллертинский. «Светлый ручей» в Малом оперном театре / The Bright Stream at the Maly Opera Theatre by Ivan Sollertinsky—1935: 1 1 Премьера балета «Светлый ручей» в The premiere of the ballet, The Bright Stream, Малом оперном театре прошла с шумным in the Maly Opera Theatre was a great успехом. Бесконечно вызывали обеих success. Both dancers, F. Balabin and Z. балерин — Ф. Балабину и З. Васильеву. Vasilyeva, had endless curtain calls. There Громкими аплодисментами награждали was loud applause awarded to Fyodor Федора Лопухова, кстати, оказавшегося Lopukhov, who, by the way, turned out to be юбиляром: 30 лет работы на сцене... the man of the hour: celebrating his 30th Если измерять масштаб удачи количеством anniversary of work on the stage ... хлопков — это несомненная победа театра. If you measure the scale of success by the Победителей обычно судить не принято. number of claps, then this is an undoubted Мы вынуждены отклониться от этого victory of the theatre. Winners are usually not почетного правила. Пусть триумфаторы и judged. We are forced to deviate from this останутся триумфаторами, но победа honorable rule. The triumphant may remain одержана театром на чрезвычайно triumphant, but the victory was won by the скользком пути: на пути отказа от theatre on an extremely slippery slope: on the осмысленного сквозного действия. Зритель path of abandoning meaningful action. The видит непрерывный трехактный audience sees a continuous divertissement in дивертисмент. Каждый танец, взятый в three acts. Each dance taken separately is отдельности, хорош, иные просто good, while others are simply magnificent, великолепны, но вся беда в том, что любой but the trouble is that any one of them can be из них может быть вынут из балета, иметь removed from the ballet, have independent самостоятельное хождение на правах circulation as a vaudeville number or be эстрадного номера или быть вставлен в inserted into some other ballet. какой-нибудь другой балет. “Do you want to find a fundamental idea in Вы хотите непременно найти в балете ballet?” the ballet defenders exclaimed at the идею? — восклицали на премьере premiere. What pedantry! Is the content in защитники балета. — Что за педантизм! Да ballet important? As long as there are good разве в балете важно содержание? Были and cheerful dances, everything will be in бы хорошие и бодрые танцы, и все будет в order! порядке!

Такие вот рассуждения, подкрепленные Such reasoning, supported by references to ссылками на успех «Светлого ручья», the success of The Bright Stream, already представляют уже некоторую опасность. presents a bit of a danger. First of all, because Прежде всего, потому, что могут в какой- it can to some extent disorient those young то мере дезориентировать тех из молодых choreographers who, like R. Zakharov in The балетмейстеров, которые, подобно Р. Fountain of Bakhchisarai or L. Lavrovsky in Захарову в «Бахчисарайском фонтане» или To Katerina, persistently work to create a Л. Лавровскому в «Катерине», не ballet that is meaningful with regard to прельщаясь легким успехом от наворота psychology and plot, without appealing to the 64 или 128 фуэте, упорно работают над easy success of the 64 or 128 fouettes. Of 101

созданием психологически и сюжетно course, this is less flashy, but, in any case, осмысленного балета. Конечно, это менее more closely aligned with the main trends in эффектно, но, во всяком случае, более the development of Soviet art. близко основным тенденциям развития советского искусства.

2 2 В не слишком удачном либретто Адриана In the not-so-successful libretto of Adrian Пиотровского то, что с некоторой Piotrovsky, what can be considered an натяжкой можно счесть за интригу, intrigue with some stretch, unfolds as follows: развертывается следующим образом. On the collective farm known as the “Bright В колхозе «Светлый ручей», где много Stream,” where there are many merry and веселых и разбитных ребят, живет boisterous guys, lives an agricultural student студент-агроном с женою. Он with his wife. He is 100 percent hearty; we стопроцентный бодрячок; недавно мы с recently met him on screen in The Private ним познакомились на экране в «Частной Life of Pyotr Vinogradov*. She is lyrical, жизни» Петра Виноградова. Она лирична, prone to daydreaming and reading and, склонна к мечтательности и чтению и, moreover, has a complete choreographic кроме того, имеет законченное education, which for some reason she hides хореографическое образование, которое from her husband and everyone else around почему-то скрывает от мужа и всех them. The librettist needed this choreographic окружающих. Это хореографическое education in order to motivate the heroine’s образование либреттисту нужно, чтобы classical dances. However, in the last act, in мотивировать классические танцы the most sophisticated choreographic trio (or героини. Впрочем, в последнем акте, в quintet) the agronomist himself, with the изощреннейшем хореографическом трио support of his assistants from the collective (или квинтете) трудную классическую farm, performs a difficult classical dance, and поддержку осуществляет сам агроном и apparently according to the plot, he did not два его помощника из колхоза, по- train in a ballet school. There lies, as recently видимому, — по ходу действия — в said, a discrepancy. балетной школе не обучавшиеся. Происходит, как недавно говорили, неувязка.

Далее, в колхозе или поблизости Furthermore, there are a couple of elderly проживает чета пожилых дачников. Они dacha dwellers who live on the collective участвуют в колхозных празднествах и farm or just in the vicinity of it. They даже танцуют там чакону — старинный participate in collective farm festivals and придворный танец, который уже в XVIII even dance a chaconne there, which is an old веке был архаическим. У дачника court dance that was already archaic by the страшные полковничьи усы à la 18th century. The Elderly Dacha Dweller has Вильгельм, но это не замаскированный a terrible colonel mustache “à la Wilhelm,” вредитель, а просто галантный чудак. Он и but is not a disguised saboteur, but just a его супруга во II акте подвергаются gallant oddball. He and his spouse in Act II 102

осмеянию. Ибо, по словам Пиотровского, are then subjected to ridicule. For their flaw, их порок в том, что они гоняются за according to Piotrovsky, is that they are поверхностным блеском, за призрачной chasing a surface brilliance, a ghostly романтичностью и не видят настоящей romanticism and do not see the real beauty of красоты жизни около себя. Это звучит life around themselves. It sounds a bit немного выспренне, но... допустим. bombastic, but ... let's allow it for now.

В колхоз приезжает бригада столичных A team of metropolitan artists arrives at the артистов. Среди них — балерина, collective farm. Among them are the школьная подруга затейницы Зины (жены Ballerina, the school friend of the village агронома). Бодрячок-агроном влюбляется entertainer Zina (the agronomist’s wife). The в нее. Молодежь его мистифицирует: на peppy agronomist falls in love with her. The ночное свидание к нему приходит его young people play a prank on him: his own собственная жена в шелковой полумаске. wife in a silk half mask comes to him for a Страсть, по-видимому, ослепила агронома: nightly rendezvous. Passion, it seems, has он танцует с супругой длинный дуэт, так и blinded the agronomist; he dances a lengthy не признав своей партнерши. На duet with his wife, yet never recognizes his следующий день он видит перед собой уже partner. The next day, he sees in front of him двух танцовщиц в полумасках. Наконец, two dancers in half masks. Finally, the faces лица незнакомок открываются. of the strangers are revealed. The delighted Восхищенный агроном воочию agronomist is convinced by his own eyes that убеждается, что жена вертит туры не хуже his wife turns the tours no worse than the заезжей гастролерши. По-видимому, это visiting guest performer. Apparently, this обстоятельство (а других мотивировок circumstance (and the librettists do not give либреттисты не дают) заставляет any other motivations) forces the gusty ветреного агронома вернуться в объятия agronomist to return to the embrace of his супруги. Общее веселье. Танцы. spouse. General fun. Dancing.

Мы — за веселую советскую We are all for a jolly choreographic Soviet хореографическую комедию. Мы не comedy. We do not require it to solve требуем от нее, чтобы она разрешала complex social problems, ethical issues, or сложные социально-этические проблемы psychological conflicts. But we do have the или психологические конфликты. Но мы right to insist on a coherent plot, on living вправе настаивать на живом сквозном characters, and not on the standard musk. действии, на живых действующих лицах, а не стандартных бодрячках.

3 3 Нет внутреннего единства и в музыке Д. There is no internal unity either in the music Шостаковича. of D. Shostakovich. В значительной части она построена на Much of it is built on pieces from the score of кусках из партитуры предшествующего ей his earlier ballet, The Bolt. The Soviet listener балета «Болт». Советский слушатель по knows from frequent concert performances 103

частым концертным исполнениям знает the approximate nature of this music - lively, примерный характер этой музыки — temperamental, structurally very simple, живой, темпераментной, конструктивно always with a virtuoso orchestration, очень несложной, всегда виртуозно sometimes poisonous and biting, sometimes инструментованной, подчас ядовитой и softly humorous, and sometimes sinning by хлесткой, подчас мягко юмористической, self-repetition, but always entertaining and порою грешащей самоповторениями, но fun. The Bright Stream is not one of всегда занимательной и веселой. «Светлый Shostakovich’s best ballets and, in any case, ручей» — не из лучших по музыке балетов is inferior to the score of The Golden Age, Шостаковича и, во всяком случае, which is remarkable for its mastery of the уступает замечательной по мастерству score. партитуре «Золотого века».

Постановщиками «Светлого ручья» The producers of The Bright Stream did not музыка Шостаковича использована не always use the music of Shostakovich всегда удачно. В середину II акта, successfully. In the middle of Act II, for например, введен развернутый финал II example, the detailed finale of The Bolt’s Act акта «Болта» (в несколько укороченном II was introduced (in a somewhat shorter виде, отчего он конструктивно form, which causes it to play a constructively проигрывает). В «Болте» на этой музыке weaker role). In The Bolt, there was a шла отвратительная обывательская оргия, disgusting philistine orgy to this music, with a с пьяным надрывом, великолепно drunken anguish, beautifully conveyed in the переданным в музыке, с истерическими music, with hysterical tears, at a feverish pace слезами, в лихорадочно ускоряющемся that accelerated. The culminating point was темпе; кульминационным пунктом было the highly dramatic and at the same time угарно-драматическое и одновременно parodic appearance of the motive “O пародированное появление мотива «О bayadera, tararim-tararam!**” The result was баядера, тарарим-тарарам!». Получилась a bold and grotesquely characteristic musical дерзкая и гротескно-характерная picture. In The Bright Stream, the schoolgirl музыкальная картина. В «Светлом ручье» Galya, an Accordionist— yet another hearty на этой же музыке добродушно and overly optimistic person—and a отплясывают школьница Галя, гармонист collective farmer dressed up as a dog kind- — тоже очередной бодрячок — и naturedly dance to the same music. The whole переодетый собакой колхозник. Вся murderous and satirical character of the music убийственная сатирическая характерность is immediately paralyzed by what is being музыки сразу же парализована тем, что done on the stage. делается на сцене.

Снижение театром музыки Шостаковича The degradation of Shostakovich's music by шло и по другой линии. На каком бы the theatre also went down another line. No качественном уровне ни находились matter how high-quality the individual pages отдельные страницы его балетной of his ballet score were (certainly from the партитуры (разумеется, с точки зрения тех point of view of the strictest requirements that 104

строжайших требований, которые только и only a composer of such an exceptional scale должно предъявлять к композитору такого should have), they are always elegant, исключительного масштаба), они всегда spectacularly written, witty and, vulgarly нарядны, эффектно написаны, speaking, elegantly made. This elegance and остротеатральны и, вульгарно выражаясь, brilliance did not work out in the performance шикарно сделаны. Вот этой-то нарядности of P. Feldt, a cultured and talented musician, и блеска не получилось в исполнении П. but a sluggish conductor who lacks Фельдта, культурного и талантливого temperament. As a result, the pace was vague, музыканта, но вялого и highly grotesque passages often blurred, and бестемпераментного дирижера. В typical Shostakovich contrasts were shaded. результате темпы оказались расплывчатыми, острогротескные места зачастую смазанными, типичные для Шостаковича контрасты — затушеванными.

Кстати, проблема молодых дирижерских By the way, the problem of young conductors кадров является вообще наиболее is generally the most vulnerable part of the уязвимым местом деятельности Малого Maly Opera house and its artistic director S. оперного театра и его художественного Samosud. And it seemed that Samosud could руководителя С. Самосуда. А казалось, bring up in the theatre a whole phalanx of Самосуд мог бы воспитать в театре целую talented young conductors. фалангу талантливых молодых дирижеров.

4 4 К числу бесспорных удач, определивших Among the undisputed achievements that успех спектакля, должны быть отнесены determined the success of the performance первоклассная балетмейстерская работа should count the first-class work of Федора Лопухова и достижения choreographer Fyodor Lopukhov and the исполнителей. accomplishments of the performers. В хореографии «Светлого ручья» Лопухов In the choreography of The Bright Stream, окончательно убедил даже своих Lopukhov finally convinced even his critics противников, что, несмотря на былое that, despite former innovations and the новаторство в поисках новых search for new dance movements, he танцевальных движений, он immaculately owns all the resources of безукоризненно владеет всеми ресурсами classical dance. From a professional point of классического танца. С профессиональной view, the most interesting thing is the точки зрения наиболее интересен magnificent classical quintet with великолепный классический квинтет с simultaneous double support from P. Gusev, одновременной двойной поддержкой у who masterfully copes with it, built by мастерски справляющегося с нею П. analogy with the musical form of fugato: two Гусева, построенный по аналогии с ballerinas form two choreographic voices, of музыкальной формой фугато: две which the second is present in the movements балерины образуют как бы два identical to the first, but enters a few bars 105

хореографических голоса, из которых later. This is a truly brilliant composition, one второй — в движениях тождественный of the best opuses of Lopukhov. The dance of первому — вступает на несколько тактов Kuban and Highlanders is bright, позже. Это действительно блестящая temperamental and courageously made. One композиция, принадлежащая к числу should also mention the interesting corps-de- лучших опусов Лопухова. Ярко, ballet round dances of weavers, not without темпераментно и мужественно сделан elements, however, of music hall-like танец кубанцев и горцев. Интересен imitations of machine movements. кордебалетный танец-хоровод ткачих, не без элементов, впрочем, мюзик-холльной имитации машинных движений.

Из исполнителей на первом месте — Of the performers in first place is артистка ГАТОБа Балабина, проводящая GATOB’s*** Balabina, who executes her свою партию с поразительной яркостью, role with amazing brightness, technical технической законченностью, completeness, and phenomenal stability with феноменальной устойчивостью при любом any number of tours or pirouettes. This artist количестве туров или пируэтов; эта is literally re-unveiled in The Bright Stream артистка буквально заново раскрыта в and this alone proves the benefit that working «Светлом ручье», и одно это доказывает, with an experienced, mature, and creatively какую пользу может принести молодым inventive master can bring to young dancers. танцовщицам работа с опытным, зрелым и Rising to the occasion of The Bright Stream, творчески изобретательным мастером. and proving himself to be a complete and Сильно вырос на работе по «Светлому competent classical dancer was another one of ручью», показав себя законченным GATOB’s artists, N. Zubkovsky. The fact классическим танцовщиком, и другой that Andrei Lopukhov is the best Leningrad артист ГАТОБа Н. Зубковский. О том, что dancer in terms of softness, silent grace, Андрей Лопухов по мягкости, бесшумной elasticity and characteristic temperament has грации, эластичности и характерному been repeatedly written. Vasilieva, the dancer темпераменту является лучшим from MALEGOT****, had great success-- ленинградским танцовщиком, писалось she was graceful, lyrical, and extremely неоднократно. Большие успехи делает poised. Gusev is the best Leningrad champion малеготовская балерина — изящная, of virtuoso support, standing completely лирическая и все более unopposed in this art. совершенствующаяся Васильева. Гусев — лучший ленинградский чемпион виртуозной поддержки, в этом искусстве стоящий совершенно особняком.

Это — о танцевальной стороне, хуже с актерскими образами. Нет материала в But this is about the dance side, it’s worse in сценарии. Досадно, что даже такие terms of acting. There is no material in the блестящие представители старой гвардии, script. It is a shame that even such brilliant 106

как Е. Лопухова, М. Ростовцев и А. Орлов, representatives of the old guard as E. использованы на редкость неинтересно. Lopukhova, M. Rostovtsev, and A. Orlov are Созданы ли, в частности, образы советских deployed in an extremely uninteresting way. людей? Если молодость и And were these images of Soviet people? If жизнерадостность достаточны сами по youth and cheerfulness are sufficient in себе для лепки образа советского человека, themselves to model the image of a Soviet тогда, пожалуй, с оговорками можно будет person, then, perhaps, with reservations, you ответить утвердительно. Я сказал бы: can answer in the affirmative. But I would созданы не советские образы, а советские say: it wasn’t Soviet images that were created, типажи. Так, типажно, хорошо запомнился but Soviet traits. Thus, from the point of view Ф. Чернышенко, старый колхозный of traits. F. Chernyshenko, who played the бригадир, или Н. Латонина — доярка. inspector of quality, or N. Latonina, the milkmaid, left a memorable impression. 5 Очень хорошо, что театр заново взялся за 5 когда-то вульгаризированную идею балета It is very good that the theatre has taken up на советскую тематику. Но досадно, что он the once vulgarized idea of a ballet on Soviet взялся за нее не с той стороны, что он themes. However, it’s a bit annoying that the пошел от водевильного пустячка (к тому theatre took it from the wrong side, that it же беспомощно сделанного) и от drew upon a vaudevillian trifle, cheap дивертисмента — пусть в красочных entertainment (which couldn’t be helped) -- бобышевских колхозных нарядах, — а не despite colorful collective farm outfits created от хорошей сюжетной комедии, от by Bobyshev -- and not from a good comedic увлекательного действия. Тогда мы storyline or from exciting action. Then we увидели бы в советском балете не только would see in the Soviet ballet not only good хорошие танцы, но и живых людей, наших dances, but also living people and our современников. В нашем балетном театре contemporaries. In our ballet theatre there are есть превосходные танцовщицы и excellent dancers, inventive choreographers, танцовщики, изобретательные bright artists, and talented musicians. The балетмейстеры, яркие художники, dramaturgs, however, are lacking. одареннейшие музыканты. Остановка — за хореографическим драматургом.

И. И. Соллертинский I.I. Sollertinsky

*A 1934 Soviet comedy film about a man who gets entangled with a woman that is not his girlfriend.

**Sollertinsky was probably referring to the Hungarian composer Emmerich Kalman’s operetta, titled “Die Bajadere.” The plot revolves around an Indian prince falling in 107 love with a Parisian singer, By referencing this operetta, Sollertinsky most likely wanted to draw attention to the striking similarities of Shostakovich’s music in this scene to Kalman’s, as well as the melodramatic absurdity present in that particular moment of the ballet.

***State Academic Theatre of Opera and Ballet, the name given to the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg between 1917 and 1935.

****Maly Leningrad Opera Theatre, the name given to the Mikhailovsky Theatre between 1918 and 1998.

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Агриппина Ваганова. Новый балет / A New Ballet by Agrippina Vaganova—June 22nd, 1935: Еще не так давно кое-кто пытался It was not so long ago that certain people tried «хоронить» классический танец. Для to “bury” classical dance. For vulgar- вульгарно-социологического мышления sociological thinking, it seemed undeniable: казалось неоспоримым: классический classical dance, inextricably linked with the танец, неразрывно связанный с bourgeois, or rather even with the feudal буржуазной, а вернее даже с феодальной culture, should die with them, and the system культурой, должен погибнуть вместе с of movements supposedly generated by the ними, а на смену этой «буржуазно age of socialist industrialization should феодальной» системе движения должна replace this “bourgeois-feudal” system of прийти система движений якобы movement. Such movements were considered порожденная веком социалистической acrobatics, physically demanding dances. But индустриализации. Таковыми движениями our lively life, the life of our country and our считались акробатика, физкультурные art has created a whole constellation of танцы. Но наша живая жизнь, жизнь brilliant dancers of classical ballet. The great нашей страны и нашего искусства создали skill of such artists like Ulanova, Vecheslova, целую плеяду блистательных танцовщиц и Chabukiani, Dudinskaya, Jordan, Sergeev and танцовщиков классического балета. others have fascinated the masses and could Мастерство таких артистов, как Уланова, not but help put fascinate them, since they Вечеслова, Чабукиани, Дудинская, have been electrified by youth, cheerfulness, Иордан, Сергеев и других, очаровывало optimism. The construction of socialist life in массового зрителя и не могло не our country has rejected vulgar sociological очаровывать, так как оно наэлектризовано schemes. The reality turned out to be more молодостью, жизнерадостностью, full-blooded and more genuinely dialectical оптимизмом. Строительство than these schemes. The Soviet theatre faced социалистической жизни в нашей стране the task of not only preserving, but also опровергло вульгарно-социологические deepening and reworking the ancient art of схемы. Действительность оказалась classical dance, carrying this art into the wide творчески полнокровнее и подлинно range of creative challenges contained in the диалектичнее, чем эти схемы. Перед magnificent and fruitful concept of socialist советским театром встала задача не только realism. сохранить, но и углубить и переработать старинное искусство классического танца, ввести это искусство в широкий круг творческих проблем, охватываемых великолепным и плодотворным понятием социалистического реализма.

Началась новая весна нашего балета. A new spring of our ballet has begun. Staging Постановка за постановкой балетов after staging of ballets such as Swan Lake, «Лебединое озеро», «Пламя Парижа», The Flames of Paris, The Fountain of «Бахчисарайский фонтан», «Эсмеральда», Bakhchisarai, , every new role каждая новая роль таких виртуозных of such virtuoso artists of classical dance such 109

художников классического танца, как as Ulanova, Vecheslova, Chabukiani, Уланова, Вечеслова, Чабукиани, Dudinskaya, Jordan, Sergeyev and others-- Дудинская, Иордан, Сергеев и другие, все show more and more brightly and insistently настойчивее и ярче говорят о том, что that a genuinely popular, national, and рождается подлинно народный realistic ballet theatre is being born. реалистический балетный театр.

Каковы принципиальные исходные What are the initial principles of this renewal позиции этого совершающегося на наших of the ballet theatre that are happening before глазах обновления балетного театра? our very eyes? First of all, the significance of Прежде всего значительность темы. Такие theme. Such ballets like The Flame of Paris балеты, как «Пламя Парижа» или or The Fountain of Bakhchisarai do not cover «Бахчисарайский фонтан», не случайно historical conflicts and the clashing of entire охватывают исторический конфликты и eras by accident. A dramatically meaningful столкновения целых эпох. Затем and intense plot followed by, finally, full- драматически осмысленный и fledged realistic artistic images. But the fact напряженный сюжет и, наконец, of the matter is that all these tasks must not be полноценные реалистические solved outside of classical dance, and not by художественные образы. Но в том то и means of conventional pantomime either, but дело, что все эти задачи должны быть on the contrary-- these tasks should be solved разрешены не вне классического танца, in the language of classical ballet. Creating a вопреки ему, не средствами условной ballet and fearing the “conventionality of пантомимы, а именно на языке dance” means to inexcusably impoverish the классического балета. Создавать балет и emotional power of a ballet performance. бояться «условности танца», это значит Between the “conventionality” of classical непростительно обеднять эмоциональную dance and the demands of “realism” there is силу балетного спектакля. Между absolutely no kind of contradiction. «условностью» классического танца и требованиями «реализма» нет никакого противоречия.

Классический танец — это форма Classical dance is a form of expression to the выражения в движении человеческих movements of human emotions. It is the эмоции. Это поэзия человеческого poetry of human movement, like music, like a движения, как и музыка, как и песня. Надо song. It is necessary to understand this dance только понять этот танец, как движение as a socially and emotionally meaningful социально и эмоционально осмысленное, movement, and it is necessary to introduce it надо ввести его в самое существо into the very essence of the action, building действия, строя на нем действие и up both the action and movement of the движение художественного образа. Так artistic form. So, a meaningful, realistically- утверждается сквозной осмысленный, motivated, emotionally intense dance has реалистически-мотивированный, been established. It has been established and эмоционально напряженный танец. Он created in our wonderful country, and like no утверждается и создается в замечательной other country in the world, all conditions have 110

нашей стране, где как ни в одной стране been created for the rapid growth and мира созданы все условия для быстрого flourishing of genuine artistic talents. роста и расцвета подлинных артистических талантов.

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Викторина Кригер. Новый балетный сезон / The New Ballet Season by Victorina Krieger – September 7th, 1935: Открылись двери Большого театра. The doors of the Bolshoi Theatre have Осенний сквознячок пролетел по opened. An autumn draft flew through the коридорам. Снова стоят за кулисами corridors. Again, the actors are standing актеры, томясь в «предвыходном» backstage, languishing in opening-night волнении. Дирижерская палочка Юрия jitters. The conductor Yuri Fayer’s baton gave Файера подала сигнал оркестру, и уже the signal to the orchestra, and the music of прозвучала музыка первого балета. the first ballet has already sounded. Сезон 1935—1936 года мчался. Что даст The 1935-1936 season year will fly by. What нам новый балетный сезон? Заглянем в will the new ballet season give us? Let's look художественный план Большого театра. at the Bolshoi Theatre’s artistic plan. В ближайшую половину сезона театр по- In the next half of the season, the theatre will кажет жизнерадостный, в плане легкой ко- show in terms of light comedy, a cheerful медии, балет «Светлый ручей» в постанов- ballet called The Bright Stream staged by an ке заслуженного артиста республики Ф. В. honored artist of the republic, F.V. Lopukhov. Лопухова. Блестяще написанная музыка к The brilliantly written music for this ballet этому балету принадлежит композитору Д. belongs to the composer D. Shostakovich. Шостаковичу. В «Светлом ручье» много There are many interesting roles and many интересных ролей и много танцев. Сюжет dances in The Bright Stream. The plot развивается здесь не средствами пантоми- develops here not by means of pantomime, мы, а чисто хореографическими приемами. but by purely choreographic techniques.

В балете «Светлый ручей» —- две ней- In the ballet, The Bright Stream, there are two тральные роли, которые должны испол- neutral roles that must be performed by two няться двумя танцовщицами ведущего по- leading dancers. Their parts were mounted on ложения. Их партия построена на вирту- a virtuoso classic technique. Future озной классической технике. В число бу- productions also include Tchaikovsky's дущих постановок включена также «Спя- Sleeping Beauty (with the choreographer щая красавица» Чайковского (балетмей- being the same honored artist F. V. стер—тот же заслуженный артист Ф. В. Lopukhov). The renewal of this wonderful Лопухов). Возобновление заново этого ballet in its music aims to revive the strictly замечательного по своей музыке балета classical form of dance. ставит своей целью воскресить строго классическую форму танцевального действия.

Великолепные эскизы декораций к этому The magnificent sketches of scenery for this балету написаны художником Ис. Рабино- ballet were painted/created by the artist Is. вичем. И наконец, готовится очень инте- Rabinovich. And finally, a very interesting ресная новинка в предстоящем сезоне — novelty in the upcoming season is awaiting us — the ballet Romeo and Juliet, with music by Sergei Prokofiev. 112

балет «Ромео и Джульетта», музыка Сер- гея Прокофьева.

Таким образом, сезон обещает быть очень Thus, the season promises to be very интересным как в музыкальном, так и в interesting in both musical and purely чисто хореографическом отношении. choreographic terms. Will our critics finally Заговорят ли, наконец, наши критики? speak?

Мы постоянно читаем отчеты о драме, о We constantly read reports about drama, новых картинах в кино, о новых about new films in the cinema, and about new симфонических произведениях. Нас symphonic works. We are introduced to all знакомят со всеми «звездами» па оперном the “stars” on the opera horizon. But we горизонте. Но о балете нам почти никогда almost never get to read about ballet. не приходится читать.

Товарищи критики! Почему вы не Comrade critics! Why do you not notice that замечаете, что в московском балете young talent is growing every year on the подрастают с каждым годом молодые Moscow ballet scene, that there are talented дарования, что в нем есть талантливые choreographers, and that they live a балетмейстеры, что здесь живут кипучей vigorously creative life? Last year the ballet творческой жизнью? В прошлом году был Three Fat Men was staged. The press, with поставлен новый балет «Три толстяка». few exceptions, was silent on this Печать за малым исключением, обошла performance. What is the secret of such молчанием этот спектакль. В чем секрет ignoring? If there is something not to like, подобного игнорирования? Если не then give some advice, say what specifically понравилось, так скажите, что именно, was lacking. Criticize, point out to the young чего не хватает, посоветуйте. choreographer his mistakes and also take note Покритикуйте, укажите молодому of the great and valuable aspects, which, балетмейстеру на его ошибки и отметьте without a doubt, are present in this ballet. то большое и ценное, что, несомненно, есть в данном балете.

Или еще пример: в прошлом сезоне де- Or another example: in the last season, the бютировала в «Коньке-Горбунке», в talented young dancer Mina Shmelkina made партии «Царь-девицы», молодая даровитая her debut in The Little Humpbacked Horse, in танцовщица Мина Шмелькина. the part of the Tsar Maiden. Did anyone say a Обмолвился ли хоть кто-нибудь словом, word, did any of the critics encourage the ободрил ли кто- нибудь из критиков young dancer, did any of the critics point out молодую танцовщицу, указал ли на какие- any shortcomings of her performance? No! нибудь недостатки ее исполнения? Нет!

Окрепла и превратилась в блестящую по Sulamith Messerer has become a brilliantly технике балерину Суламифь Мессерер. И virtuosic ballerina. And again, no one wrote about her, no one paid attention to her 113

опять-таки никто о ней не писал, никто не creative growth! Has anyone criticized the уделял внимания ее творческому росту! great mastery of the emerging dancer Olga Критиковал ли кто-нибудь большое ма- Lepeshinskaya or our other brilliant young стерство формирующейся балерины Ольги dancers— Lazarevich, Vudkina, Galya Лепешинской или других наших блестя- Petrova, Charnotskaya, both Vasilievs, щих молодых танцовщиц и Tsarman and others? No, no and no! танцовщиков— Лазаревич, Вудкиной, Гали Петровой, Чарноцкой, обеих Васильевых, Цармана и других? Нет, нет и нет!

Мы вправе требовать здоровой, полезной We have the right to demand healthy, useful критики: она приносит нам большую criticism: it brings us great real benefits, it реальную пользу, она учит, как искоренять teaches us how to eradicate shortcomings, and недостатки, и зажигает нас, подымая к it ignites us, raising us to new achievements. новым достижениям.

В новом, только-что начавшемся сезоне In the new just-beginning season, we want to мы хотим услышать ваши слова, товарищи hear your words, comrade critics, and see that критики, и увидеть, что на страницах на- finally due and well-deserved attention will шей прессы будет, наконец, уделено долж- be paid on the pages of our press not only to ное и заслуженное внимание не только drama, cinema, and opera, but also to our art драме, кино, опере, но также и нашему of choreography. искусству — хореографии.

Викторина Кригер Victorina Krieger

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А. Эрлих. «Светлый ручей» в Большом театре / The Bright Stream at the Bolshoi Theatre by A. Erlikh, December 2nd, 1935: Ветер колышет густые, спелые поля. The wind rustles the dense, ripe fields. The Мгновенный мрак переносит зрителей по instant darkness carries the audience to the ту сторону колхозной страды: окончена other side of the collective farm’s harvest: the уборка, наступает пора отдыха в harvest is over, the time for rest and rejoice ликований, в колхоз приезжают артисты, has come, artists arrive at the collective farm, колхозники вместе с гостями весело, the collective farmers together with the guests молодо, горячо проводят в танцах are jolly, youthful, passionately performing праздник изобилия, праздник урожая, dances in celebration of an abundant harvest праздник вознагражденного труда. Таково and the payoff of their labor. Such a plot содержание нового балета Д. makes up the new ballet of D. Shostakovich. Шостаковича.

Не следует искать здесь пьесы с интригой One should not search here for a play with и последовательно развивающимся intrigue and consistently developing action. действием. Единственный в сущности In reality, the only plot-like element is сюжетный штрих сводится к следующему: reduced to the following: Pyotr, a student студент практикант Петр и некая intern, and Zina, an entertainer of sorts, are in затейница Зина, по выражению the words of the librettist “noticeably drawn либреттистов, «заметно расположены друг towards each other.” In a jolly moment, Pyotr к другу». В веселую минутку Петр got carried away flirting with the guest излишне полюбезничал с гостьей actress, to which the aforementioned Zina актрисой, чему вышеупомянутая Зина turned out to be an unintentional witness. The оказалась нечаянной свидетельницей. young man was embarrassed, but fortunately, Молодой человек смутился, но, к счастью, the unfortunate circumstance did not have any злополучное обстоятельство не имело more decisive consequences and in no way больше никаких решительных impacted the magnificent, jovial, fascinating последствий и ни в какой мере не musical/dance divertissement. отразилось на великолепном, жизнерадостном, увлекательном музыкально танцевальном дивертисменте.

Без опасений преувеличить можно сказать, Without fear of exaggeration, it can be said что Д. Шостакович написал множество that D. Shostakovich wrote many wonderful замечательных музыкальных номеров, musical numbers that F. Lopukhov and B. которые Ф. Лопухов и Б. Мордвинов Mordvinov staged in a most talented manner, талантливо поставили, а балерины и and that the dancers of the Bolshoi Theatre танцовщики Большого театра исполнили с performed with brilliance worthy of the блеском, достойным советского балета. Soviet ballet.

Оба адажио, эти важнейшие лирическо- Written by D. Shostakovich with great танцевальные номера в каждом балете, mastery, both adagios, the most important 115

вальс перед вторым актом, почти все lyrical pieces in every ballet, the waltz before вариации и шутливые, полные the second act, and almost all variations and лирического юмора и уморительного dances were so playful, full of lyrical humor задора танцы написаны Д. Шостаковичем and side-splitting enthusiasm. The only thing с большим мастерством. В упрек ему he can be reproached about is his insufficient можно поставить лишь недостаточно expression of the colorful nationality of выраженную колоритность национальных Caucasian and Uzbek motifs, as a result of кавказских и узбекских мотивов, which these dances are generically Eastern in вследствие чего танцы эти носят nature. We gave a lengthy description of this абстрактно восточный характер. wonderful piece of music already in June, Пространную характеристику этому when the ballet was staged at the Leningrad поводу чудесному музыкальному Maly Theatre (Pravda, June 6th 1935). произведению, мы давали уже в июне, когда балет был поставлен в Ленинградском Малом театре («Правда», б июня 1935 г.).

С обаятельной мягкостью и с With charming softness and exceptional исключительны техническим technical perfection, Z. Vasilieva and P. совершенством исполняют адажио 3. Gusev performed the third adagio. With Васильева и П. Гусев. С великолепной magnificent lightness and plasticity, A. легкостью и пластичностью танцуют Yermolaev and S. Messerer danced the most труднейшие вариации А. Ермолаев и С. difficult variations. The joyful dances of N. Мессерер. Веселые танцы Н. Капустной и Kapusta and Y. Gerber, V. Ryabtseva and E. Ю. Гербер, В. Рябцева и Е. Ильющенко Ilyushchenko generate delight and laughter in порождают восторги и смех в зале. А. the hall. A Tsarman, the Caucus, and Царман — кавказец и особенно И. especially I. Moiseyev, the Uzbek, both Моисеев — узбек создают в танце created lasting impressions in their dances. запоминающиеся образы.

Высоко оценивая с музыкальной и Highly appreciating the musical and хореографической сторон новый спектакль choreographic sides of the Bolshoi Theatre’s Большого театра, удачно оформленный new performance, successfully designed by художником В. Дмитриевым, приходится the artist D. Dmitriev, we have to express выразить сожаление, что Д. Шостаковичу regret that D. Shostakovich was once again снова не повезло с либреттистами. not lucky with the librettists.

Действенных, характерных фигур нет в There are no effective, characteristic figures «Светлом ручье» за полным отсутствием in The Bright Stream due to the complete сюжетного движения в спектакле, за absence of plot movement in the performance идеальной условностью всех действующих beyond the ideal conventionality of all the лиц на сцене, за откровенной actors on the stage and the frankly драматургической бессодержателностью в dramaturgical hollowness in the libretto. либретто. Меж тем, Д. Шостакович явно Meanwhile, D. Shostakovich is clearly 116

ищет полновесной канвы для своих looking at a full-bodied canvas for his опытов в области балетной музыки. Он experiences in the area of ballet music. He пишет: «Светлый ручей» — мой третий по writes: “The Bright Stream is my third Soviet- счету балет на советскую тематику. themed ballet. The first two were The Golden Первые два — «Золотой век» и «Болт» — в Age and The Bolt, and I consider them драматургическом отношении я считаю extremely unsuccessful from a dramaturgical крайне неудачными». perspective.”

Неудачен в этом отношении и «Светлый The Bright Stream is unsuccessful as well in ручей» — этот богатый, красочный, this regard-- this rich, colorful, melodic мелодичный музыкально-танцевальный dance-music divertissement, which the дивертисмент, которому примитивное и primitive and naive libretto did not cause наивное либретто не наносит significant harm to. The Bright Stream was существенного вреда. «Светлый ручей» created by a composer and director, who by создан композитором и постановщиками, means of their hard work managed to которым удалось обними усилиями counteract the clumsy libretto’s influence on нейтрализовать воздействие на спектакль the performance. неуклюжего либретто.

Талантливый композитор обещает в The talented composer promises for the fourth четвертый раз «взяться за сочинение time “to take on a composition for a Soviet советского балета». Пожелаем ему ballet.” We wish him a happy meeting with счастливой встречи с достойными его plots worthy of his mastery. ~ A. Erlikh мастерства сюжетами. ~А. ЭРЛИХ.

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Д. Тальников. Опыт Советского Балета: «Светлый ручей» в ГАБТ / The Experience of Soviet Ballet: The Bright Stream at GABT by D. Talnikov—January 10th , 1936: На первый взгляд здесь все необычно: на At first glance, everything here is unusual: on сцене, где порхали сильфиды в пачках и the stage where sylphs wearing tutus used to грациозно умирала тоскующая лебедь- flutter and a melancholic swan was gracefully женщина, танцуют колхозные парни dying, there are collective-farm guys in t-

в;майках, пиджаках и парусиновых shirts, jackets, and canvas trousers, female брюках, активистки в модных туфельках activists in fashionable high-heeled shoes, на каблуках, доярки и трактористы в milkmaids and tractor drivers in greasy boots, смазных сапогах, городские молодые люди young urban people in fashionable, ironed в модных выутюженных брюках, и на trousers, and a Chekhovian* “dacha dweller” велосипеде приезжает чеховский «дачник» arriving on a bicycle in a silk jacket with в чесучовом пиджаке с покупками. packages.

Сначала кажется смешным, когда эта At first it seems ridiculous when this too слишком «прозаическая» публика “prosaic” group gets into ballet poses and становится в балетные позы и совершает performs classical tours and pirouettes; there классические туры и пируэты; налицо is a discrepancy between naturalism and the несоответствие между натурализмом и obvious conventionality of the ballet: the яркой условностью балета: получается result is a “paysan russe**” style! But soon, стиль «рюс пейзан»! Но вскоре, под благо- under a nicely-invented pretext, Zina, the видным предлогом, у активистки Зины activist, reveals that she had a long-standing обнаруживается давнее хореографическое choreographic upbringing, the disguised воспитание, ряженые танцорку обретают dancers unearth their original ballet tunics and свои подлинные балетные туники и a real ballet divertissement unfolds. The развертывается настоящий балетный degradation of the high ballet style turned out дивертисмент. to be only formal, and the whole masquerade, Снижение высокого балетного стиля to everyone’s relief, ended soon. оказалось лишь формальным, и весь маскарад, ко всеобщему благополучию, кончился скоро.

Либретный сценарий «Светлого ручья» в The libretto of The Bright Stream is, in сущности только «предлог» для танцев, essence, only an “excuse” for dancing, hence отсюда формалистический характер всего the formalistic nature of the entire спектакля. Вообще сценарий — наиболее performance. Generally speaking, the libretto уязвимое место «Светлого ручья». Тема is the most vulnerable part of The Bright взята в нем чисто внешне, и сюжетная Stream. The theme taken in it is purely линия совершенно не разработана. superficial, and the storyline is completely Отсутствие сквозного действия, которое undeveloped. The lack of a comprehensive позволило бы артисту строить свое plot which would allow the artist to develop поведение в спектакле, сочетается с his demeanor in the performance is combined другим значительнейшим дефектом этого with another significant defect of this naively- наивно-беспомощного сценария (автор helpless libretto (whose author is Adrian 118

его—Адр. Пиотровский). Сценарий Piotrovsky). The libretto of a ballet is балетного либретто призван дать supposed to give a specific dramatic image, конкретный драматургический образ, which the music and the dance fill with live который живым содержанием наполняют и content, but it is precisely these images that музыка, и танец, во именно таких образов are not present in this plotless libretto, it lacks нет в этом бессюжетном либретто, оно — shape. безобразно.

Музыка балета, написанная талан- The ballet music, written by our most talented тливейшим нашим композитором composer, Shostakovich, who creates a high Шостаковичем, создающая высокую ди- dynamic and dictates entirely the brilliantly- намику спектакля, диктующая весь swift pace of the performance, is acutely блестяще-стремительный темп его, остро- temperamental, fresh, and vigorous. However, темпераментная, свежая, бодрая, однако, it is also not organically connected to the тоже не соотнесена органически к subject matter of the ballet and is not based on тематике балета и не строится на the musical characteristics of the live acting музыкальных характеристиках живых images of the performance. Therefore, it is действующих образов спектакля. Поэтому not by chance that the score of the previous, не случайно, что в музыку колхозной unsuccessful ballet by Shostakovich, The деревни почти целиком влилась партитура Bolt, on the industrial-factory theme, has предыдущего, не имевшего успеха балета almost completely morphed into the music of Шостаковича «Болт», на индустриально- the collective farm village. In the music there заводскую тему. В музыке нет общей is no general choreographic-symphonic idea танцевально-симфонической идеи, that develops throughout the entire развивающейся на протяжении всего performance-- it’s a mosaic that consists of спектакля, она мозаична, состоит из separate musical episodes mounted purely on отдельных музыкальных эпизодов, the surface. The inorganic nature of the music смонтированных чисто внешне. is evident from the clearly perceptible Неорганичность музыки явствует из явно influence of classical Viennese operetta and ощутимого в ней влияния музыки grotesquely-parodically refracted turns of классической венской оперетты и “philistine” romance, perky polkas, and гротескно-пародийно преломленных “passionate tango.” The task of the music to a оборотов «мещанского» романса, задорной certain extent is formal: a “polemical” польки или «страстного танго» Задача degradation of high musical style. музыки — в известной мере формальная: «полемическое» снижение высокого музы- кального стиля.

Музыка, по определению самого The music, by definition of the composer композитора, «легка, развлекательна и, himself, is “light, entertaining and, most главное, танцевальна», и эти чисто importantly, danceable,” and these purely формальные качества ее характерны и для formal qualities are also characteristic of the всего спектакля в целом. entire performance as a whole. 119

Отсутствие драматических и му- The absence of dramatic and musical images зыкальных образов в спектакле опре- in the performance determines the most деляет собою и самое существенное — significant thing - the absence of danceable отсутствие танцевальных образов в нем. images in it.

Танцовщикам, балетным артистам, Dancers have to dance not images and not приходится танцевать не образы и не complex emotions, but complex сложные эмоции, а сложные, отвечающие choreographic figures that correspond to чисто техническим заданиям исполнения, purely technical performance objectives. хореографические фигуры.

Некоторую нагрузку национально- The dances of ethnic-national groups-- этнографической характерности носят collective farmers, mountaineers (the танцы народных групп — колхозников, Lezginka was remarkable in its swiftness in горцев (замечательная в своей the 1st act), had a certain element of national- стремительности лезгинка в 1-м акте), но и ethnographic character, but it was also all то очень относительно. Сама very relative. The very nature here is stylized. характерность здесь стилизованная. Why is there a dance of a milkmaid with a Почему это танец доярки с трактористом? tractor driver? Just because the milkmaid Только потому, что доярка носит красное wears a red dress, the tractor driver wears платье, у тракториста наглазники на лбу? protective eyeglasses? Collective farmers in Колхозницы в ярких платьях, заменяющие bright dresses replacing the corps de ballet in кордебалет в пачках, — отчасти в стиле tutus - partially in the style of grotesque гротесковых «джазистых», акцентов “jazz” accents of the music - are interpreted музыки — разрешены танцевально в плане choreographically as “girls,” who pass in a «герлс», типичной по своей композиции typically composed column before the public колонной проходящих «цепочкой» перед and while dancing “piquantly” wave the hems публикой и во время танцев «пикантно» of their skirts. It is precisely because there are размахивающих подолами юбок. Именно no authentic live images of our reality on the потому, что на сцене нет подлинных stage that the costume decides the whole живых образов нашей действительности, matter; change the costume - and there will be костюм решает все дело; перемените other external images in front of us, precisely костюм — а перед нами будут другие because there are no signs of internal organic внешние образы, именно потому, что нет в typicality and generality in them. But then the них признаков внутренней органической question arises, is this costume in such a типичности и обобщенности. Но тогда purely external quality necessary at all, and возникает вопрос, нужен ли вообще этот would it not be more honest and effective to костюм в таком своем чисто внешнем rely, here too, on the original conventionality качестве, и не было ли бы правдивее и of the classical ballet costume? After all, the эффективнее вериться и здесь к very content of this dance, its quality and its первоначальной условности классического techniques, its fouette and cabrioles, are балетного костюма? Ведь и самое classically conventional. содержание этого танца, его качество и его 120

приемы, его фуэттэ и кабриоли, классически условны.

Правда, приемы несколько обновлены True, the techniques are somewhat revitalized постановщиком балета Лопуховым. Но by the ballet director Lopukhov. But this was сделано это только в плане формальной done only in terms of the formal difficulty of затрудненности изощренности. И sophistication. And thanks to the exceptional благодаря исключительной технической technical difficulty, the dances are given the трудности танцам приданы черты features of acrobatics and gymnastic-like акробатики и физкультурной eccentricity, features that the talented эксцентричности, черты далеко не choreographer was recently enthusiastic about изжитых талантливым балетмейстером and that he is far from having overcome. The своих недавних увлечений. positive side of Lopukhov's work is the great Положительной стороной работы sophistication of the dance, its sharp Лопухова является большая dynamism, the very “danceability” of the разработанность танца, его острая ballet. Finally, after all the ballet experiments динамичность, самая танцевальность of the last period, presenting certain балета. Наконец, после всех балетных tendencies to move away from dance to опытов последнего периода, обозна- pantomime - “the language of the deaf-and- чивших определенные тенденции ухода от dumb” (such examples are found in Three Fat танца к пантомиме — «языку глухонемых» Men and The Fountain of Bakhchisarai), we (таковы и «Три толстяка» и again see the return of the ballet to its dance «Бахчисарайский фонтан»), мы опять essence. The striking success of the видим возвращение балета к своей performance and the enthusiasm with which танцевальной сущности. Яркий успех artists perform it lie precisely in this. спектакля и увлечение, с которым его исполняют артисты, кроются именно в этом.

«Светлый ручей» построен прежде всего с The music’s author, Shostakovich says that тем «учетом балетной специфики», о The Bright Stream was staged primarily with которой говорит и автор музыки его, a “ballet specificity” in mind. It is danceable Шостакович. Он танцевален с начала до from beginning to end. All of its thematic конца. Все его тематическое содержание, content, like we have seen, is only an external как мы видели, только внешний «предлог» “excuse” for the staging of an externally для инсценированного и внешне designed, openly and completely danceable оформленного, откровенно и сплошь entertainment in three acts, which it is танцевального дивертисмента в 3-х актах, essentially and in which the artists of каким он и является по существу и в GABT*** show with such a genuine passion котором показывают с таким подлинным their wonderful art of dance. увлечением свое прекрасное искусство танца артисты ГАБТ.

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В ленинградской артистке 3. Васильевой In the Leningrad actress Z. Vasilyeva, who превосходно исполняющей у нас роль excellently executed for us the role of Zina, Зины, много мягкости, пленительности и there was a lot of softness, charm, and light, легкой изящной и задумчивой graceful, and thoughtful plasticity, and in пластичности, и в плане этой чарующей terms of this charming artistic individuality, артистической индивидуальности образ ее her image of Zina is not inherently different Зины ничем внутренне не отличается от from the image of the “male classical dancer” образа «классической танцовщицы», that Messerer dances, coping well with the которую танцует Мессерер, хорошо technical difficulties of her role. справляясь с техническими трудностями Lepeshinskaya is less elegant than Vasilyeva, своей роли. Лепешинская менее изящна, simpler, more physical, more characteristic чем Васильева, проще, телеснее, and more dynamic, and thus closer to the характернее и динамичнее, и тем самым generic nature of Zina's image. The excellent ближе к жанровой природе образа Зины. dancer Yermolayev, strong, courageous and Превосходный танцовщик Ермолаев, very temperamental, is dynamic with perfect сильный, мужественный и очень ease. In his dance all the technical difficulties темпераментный, динамичный c seem simply imperceptible. Asaf Messerer совершенной легкостью. В его танце все seems more fragile, graceful, and soft. Gusev технические трудности кажутся просто performs very well the technical tasks of the незаметными. Асаф Мессерер кажется “partnering” and the “double” load that более хрупким, грациозным, мягким. Lopukhov gives him in the performance. Гусев очень хорошо выполняет Tsarman is distinguished by his dynamism технические задания «поддержки» и ту and brilliance. Very subtly, without any «двойную» нагрузку, которую дает ему strain, and with captivating humor, Лопухов в спектакле. Выделяется своей Ilyushenko conducts her parody role of the динамичностью и блеском Царман. Очень “Anxious-to-be-younger-than-she-is Dacha тонко, без всякого нажима, с Dweller.” подкупающим юмором проводит свою пародийно-характерную роль «молодящейся дачницы» Ильюшенко. . Подлинная эмоциональность Исполнения The true emotionality of all the soloists and в целом всех солистов и групп, вместе с groups of the performances as a whole, эмоциональностью и мажорным блеском together with the emotionality and the major- самой музыки преодолевают тот key brilliance of the music itself, overcome формализм спектакля. о котором мы the formalism of the performance which we говорили выше. Спектакль в целом стоит spoke about above. The performance as a на высоком музыкально-танцевальном whole stands on a high musical and dance уровне, он радует своей оптимистической level, as it pleases with its optimistic свежестью. Но проблема построения freshness. But the problem of building a fully полноценного балета, на современной realized ballet on a contemporary Soviet советской тематике не разрешена опытом theme is not resolved by the experience of «Светлого ручья». The Bright Stream.

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Эта проблема ждет своего органического This problem waits for its own organic and внутреннего разрешения в системе образов internal resolution in the system of images — — драматических, музыкальных и dramatic, musical and choreographic. танцевальных.

Д. ТАЛЬНИКОВ D.Talnikov

*Referring to Anton Chekhov (1860 – 1904), a Russian playwright and short-story writer who is famous for creating a distinct atmosphere in his works by focusing on trivialities in life.

**French for “Russian peasant.”

***State Academic Bolshoi Theatre

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Балетная фальшь / Balletic Falsehood by Anonymous—February 6th, 1936: «Светлый ручей» — это название колхоза. The Bright Stream is the name of a collective Либретто услужливо указывает точный farm. The libretto helpfully indicates the exact адрес этого колхоза: Кубань. Перед нами address of this collective farm: Kuban. We новый балет, все действие которого have before us a new ballet, all of the actions авторы и постановщики пытались взять из of which the authors and directors made an нынешней колхозной жизни. attempt to take from the current collective- Изображаются в музыке и танцах farm life. Depicted in the music and dances is завершение уборочных работ и праздник the completion of the harvesting and the урожая. По замыслу авторов балета, все harvest festival. According to the authors of трудности позади. На сцене все счастливы, the ballet, all hardships are in the past. On stage, everyone is happy, cheery, and joyful. веселы, радостны. Балет должен быть The ballet must be permeated by light, festive пронизан светом, праздничным восторгом, молодостью. delight, and youth.

Нельзя возражать против попытки балета One shouldn’t object to ballet’s attempt to приобщиться к колхозной жизни. Балет — become familiar with life on a collective это один из наиболее у нас farm. Ballet is one of the most conservative консервативных видов искусства. Ему forms of art we have. For it is most difficult всего труднее переломить традиции to break out of the traditions of convention условности, привитые вкусами instilled by the tastes of the pre-revolutionary дореволюционной публики. Самая старая public. The oldest of these traditions is the из этих традиций — кукольное, фальшивое doll-like, fake attitude towards life. In ballet, отношение к жизни. В балете, constructed on these traditions, it is not построенном на этих традициях, people acting, but dolls. Their passions are действуют не люди, а куклы. Их страсти doll passions. The fundamental difficulty in — кукольные страсти. Основная трудность Soviet ballet lies in the fact that here, dolls are в советском балете заключается в том, что impossible. They would look unbearable here, тут куклы невозможны. Они выглядели бы they would cut the eyes with insincerity. нестерпимо, резали бы глаза фальшью. This has imposed serious obligations on the Это налагало на авторов балета, на authors of the ballet, on the directors, and on постановщиков, на театр серьезные the theatre. If they wanted to present the обязательства. Если они хотели collective farm on the stage, they need to представить колхоз на сцене, надо изучить study the collective farm, its people, its way колхоз, его людей, его быт. Если они of life. If they set out with the goal of задались целью представить именно presenting a Kuban collective farm, then they кубанский колхоз, надо было would have needed to get acquainted with the познакомиться с тем, что именно characteristics of a Kuban collective farm. A характерного в колхозах Кубани. serious topic requires a serious attitude and a Серьезная тема требует серьезного lot of hard and scrupulous work. Before the отношения, большого и добросовестного authors of the ballet, before the composers труда. Перед авторами балета, перед would have opened the richest sources of композитором открылись бы богатейшие creativity in folk songs, in folk dances, and games. 124

источники творчества в народных песнях, в народных плясках, играх.

Жизнь колхоза, его новый, еще только The life of a collective farm, its new, still складывающийся быт, его праздники — evolving customs, its celebrations - this is a это ведь очень значительная, важная, very significant, important, big topic. One большая тема. Нельзя подходить к этому с cannot approach this frivolously, without налета, с кондачка — все равно, в драме thinking- it doesn't matter whether it is in a ли, в опере, в балете. Тот, кому drama, in an opera, in a ballet. He to whom действительно дороги и близки новые new relations, new people on the collective отношения, новые люди в колхозе, не farm, are really dear and close, will not allow позволит себе превратить это в игру с himself to turn it into a game with dolls. куклами. Никто не подгоняет наше Nobody rushes our ballet and musical art. If балетное и музыкальное искусство. Если you do not know a collective farm, if you do вы не знаете колхоза, если не знаете, в not know, in particular, a collective farm in частности, колхоза на Кубани, не спешите, the Kuban, do not hurry, do your work, but do поработайте, но не превращайте ваше not turn your art into a mockery of the искусство в издевательство над зрителями audience and listeners, do not vulgarize life и слушателями, не опошляйте жизни, full of joy of creative work. полной радости творческого труда.

По либретто Лопухова и Пиотровского на On stage, the libretto of Lopukhov and сцене изображен колхоз на Кубани. Но в Piotrovsky depicts a collective farm in the действительности здесь нет ни Кубани, ни Kuban. But in actuality, there is neither колхоза. Есть соскочившие с Kuban nor a collective farm here. There are дореволюционной кондитерской коробки “paysans” who have jumped out of a pre- сусальные «пейзане», которые изображают revolutionary box of chocolates, depicting «радость» в танцах, ничего общего не “joy” in dances, having nothing in common имеющих с народными плясками ни на with folk dances in the Kuban nor anywhere Кубани, ни где бы то ни было. На этой же else. On the same stage of the Bolshoi сцене Большого театра, где ломаются Theatre, where puppets painted in a sort of куклы, раскрашенные «под колхозника», “collective farmer” style are acting up, подлинные колхозники с Северного genuine collective farmers from the North Кавказа еще недавно показывали Caucasus have not long ago shown the изумительное искусство народного танца. amazing art of folk dance. It was the В нем была характерная именно для individuality which is characteristic for the народов Северного Кавказа people of the North Caucasus. There is no индивидуальность. Нет нужды need to directly reproduce these dances and непосредственно воспроизводить эти games in the art of ballet, but only by taking пляски и игры в искусстве балета, но them as a basis can one build a truly popular только взяв их в основу и можно collective farm ballet. построить народный, колхозный балет. 125

Либреттисты, впрочем, всего меньше The librettists, by the way, least of all thought думали о правдоподобии. В первом акте about plausibility. In the first act there appear фигурируют кукольные «колхозники». В doll-like “collective farmers.” In the прочих актах исчезают всякие следы и following acts, all traces disappear of even такого, с позволения сказать, колхоза. Нет such a—so to speak—collective farm. There никакого осмысленного содержания. is no kind of sensible/meaningful content. Балетные танцовщицы исполняют ничем The ballet dancers perform numbers with no между собой не связанные номера. Какие- relation between each other. Some sort of то люди в одежде, не имеющей ничего people in costumes, having nothing to do with общего с одеждой кубанских казаков, the clothes of the Kuban Cossacks, jump прыгают по сцене, неистовствуют. around the stage, rampaging. Balletic Балетная бессмыслица в самом скверном nonsense in the foulest sense of the word смысле этого слова господствует на сцене. dominates the stage.

Под видом колхозного балета To simulate a collective-farm ballet, they преподносится противоестественная смесь present an unnatural mixture of false folk ложно-народных плясок с номерами dances with numbers of dancers in “packs.” танцовщиц в «пачках». Пейзан не раз Such “paysans” appeared more than once in показывал балет в разные времена. ballet of different periods. There came Выходили принаряженные кукольные dressed-up puppet “peasants” and «крестьяне» и «крестьянки», пастухи и “peasantesses,” shepherds and shepherdesses пастушки и исполняли танцы, которые and performed dances, which were called назывались «народными». Это не был “folk.” It technically wasn’t fraudulent. It was обман в прямом смысле. Это было the doll-like art of its time. Occasionally these кукольное искусство своего времени. ballet peasants attempted to maintain Иногда эти балетные крестьяне старались ethnographic fidelity within their costumes. сохранить этнографическую верность в [Nikolai] Nekrasov* wrote ironically in 1866: своих костюмах. Некрасов писал иронически в 1866 году:

«Но явилась в рубахе крестьянской “But she appeared in Petipa’s peasant shirt Петипа — и театр застонал!.. - and the theatre groaned! .. Все — до ластовиц белых в рубахе - Everything - to a white gusset in a shirt -

Было верно: на шляпе цветы,

was true: on the hat there were flowers, Удаль русская в каждом размахе…» Russian bravado in every way ...”

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Именно в этом и была невыносимая Precisely in this was the unbearable falsehood фальшь балета, и Некрасов обращался с of the ballet, and Nekrasov appealed to the просьбой к балерине: ballerina:

“...Houri of Jannah! «…Гурия рая! You're cute, you're airy and light, Ты мила, ты воздушно легка, So dance ‘The Virgin of the Danube’, Так танцуй же ты ‘Деву Дуная’, And leave the peasants alone!” И в покое оставь мужика!»

Наши художники, мастера танца, мастера Our artists, dance masters, and masters of музыки безусловно могут в music can certainly show the modern life of реалистических художественных образах the Soviet people in realistic artistic images, показать современную жизнь советского using their creativity, songs, dances, and народа, используя его творчество, песни, games. But for this it is necessary to work пляски, игры. Но для этого надо упорно hard, to conscientiously study the new life of работать, добросовестно изучать новый the people of our country, avoiding in one’s быт людей нашей страны, избегая в своих productions coarse naturalism and произведениях, постановках и грубого aestheticizing formalism. натурализма и эстетствующего формализма.

Музыка Д. Шостаковича подстать всему The music of D. Shostakovich is befitting of балету. В «Светлом ручье», правда, the whole ballet. It is true that in The Bright меньше фокусничанья, меньше странных и Stream there is less trickery, less strange and диких созвучий, чем в опере «Леди Макбет less wild harmonies than in the opera, Lady Мценского уезда». В балете музыка Macbeth of the Mtsensk District. In the ballet проще, но и она решительно ничего the music is simpler, but it has absolutely общего не имеет ни с колхозами, ни с nothing to do with collective farms or the Кубанью. Kuban people.

Композитор так же наплевательски The composer treated the Kuban folk songs in отнесся к народным песням Кубани, как the same dismissive manner as the author’s авторы либретто и постановщики к libretto and the directors did the folk dances. народным танцам. Музыка поэтому Therefore the music is so characterless. It бесхарактерна. Она бренчит и ничего не thrums and expresses nothing. From the выражает. Из либретто мы узнаем, что она libretto we discover that it was partially частично перенесена в колхозный балет из transferred to the collective farm ballet from неудавшегося композитору the composer’s failed “industrial” ballet «индустриального» балета «Болт». Ясно, 127

что получается, когда одна и та же музыка known as The Bolt. It is clear what happens должна выразить разные явления. В when the same music has to express different действительности она выражает только phenomena. In actuality, it expresses only the равнодушное отношение композитора к composer's indifferent attitude to the theme. теме. Авторы балета — и постановщики и композитор — по-видимому, The authors of the ballet, and the directors рассчитывают, что публика наша так and the composer, seem to expect that our нетребовательна, что она примет все, что public is so undemanding that it will accept ей состряпают проворные и everything that is concocted by nimble and бесцеремонные люди. unceremonious people.

В действительности нетребовательна лишь In reality, only our musical and artistic critics наша музыкальная и художественная are that undemanding. They often over-praise критика. Она нередко захваливает works that don’t deserve it. произведения, которые этого не заслуживают. *Nikolai Nekrasov (1821 – 1878) was a Russian poet and journalist whose work became famous for its themes of compassion for the sufferings of peasants.

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Обзор печати: Ясный и простой язык в искусстве / Press Review: Clear and Simple Language in Art by Anonymous – February 13th, 1936: Статья «Сумбур вместо музыка» и The articles "Muddle Instead of Music" and «Балетная фальшь» всколыхнули "Balletic Falsehood” stirred up the Soviet советскую музыкальную и театральную musical and theatrical community. общественность.

Статьи «Правды» врасплох застали The articles of Pravda have caught the маскировавшихся апологетов буржуазного masked apologists of bourgeois formalism формализма, буржуазной упадочной and bourgeois decadent music. This is where музыки. Отсюда их растерянность и злоба. their confusion and malice comes from. «Идеолог» того направления, которое Sollertinsky, the “ideologist” of the direction изуродовало музыку Шостаковича, that disfigured Shostakovich’s music, the неутомимый трубадур «левацкого tireless troubadour of the “leftist ugliness,” уродства» Соллертинский правильно correctly assessed the situation when he said оценил положение, когда сказал на at a meeting of Leningrad music critics that собрании ленинградских музыкальных he had nothing more to do in Soviet musical критиков, что ему нечего больше делать, в art and he would cease his “activity.” The советском музыкальном искусстве и он mask has been torn away: the Sollertinskies of прекращает свою «деятельность». Маска the world have said their piece. But the сорвана: Соллертинские заговорили своим Sollertinskys of the world have also языком. Но Соллертинские сразу же immediately found themselves all alone. оказались в одиночестве.

Подавляющая и лучшая часть советской The overwhelming and best part of the Soviet музыкальной общественности правильно music community correctly understood and поняла и оценила статьи «Правды» как appreciated Pravda’s articles as a call to призыв к советской музыке, к советскому Soviet music, to the Soviet theatre to free театру освободиться от мертвящего, itself from deadly, stagnant, swampy затхлого, болотного формализма, от formalism, from lifeless and barren falsehood, безжизненной бесплодной фальши и and to go out into the vastness of socialist выйти на широкий простор creativity, to join the masses who live a bright социалистического творчества, к массам, and most rich life, who speak a clear, simple которые живут яркой, богатейшей жизнью, powerful language, who grow wonderfully которые говорят ясным, простым могучим and take possession of all the treasures of языком, чудесно растут и овладевают world culture. всеми сокровищами мировой культуры.

В газете «Советское искусство» молодой In the newspaper titled Soviet Art, the young советский композитор М. Коваль пишет: Soviet composer M. Koval writes:

«1936 год для музыкального фронта “1936 was a truly happy year for the musical явился поистине счастливым годом. front. The articles of Pravda, like crushing Статьи «Правды», как сокрушительные bullet shells, blew up the already ossified 129

снаряды, взорвали уже костеневшее swamp of the formalist lie, arrogance and болото формалистикой лжи, спеси и petty-bourgeois adaptation to petty-bourgeois мелкобуржуазного приспособленчества к tastes. ” мещанским вкусам».

В ряде статей и заметок «Советское In a number of articles and notes, Soviet искусство» правильно оценило указания Art correctly evaluated Pravda’s instructions «Правды» на ошибки, которые сделаны on the mistakes which were made by musical были музыкальной и художественной and artistic criticism, including the lack of критикой, на недостаток бдительности н vigilance and exactness, the praising of such требовательности, на захваливание таких works that demanded a sharp and passionate произведений, которые требовали резкого rebuff, Soviet Art says that the fight against и Страстного отпора «Советское formalistic trickery, against the roughest искусство» говорит что борьба с naturalism, against falsehood in music and on формалистическим трюкачеством с stage is not only a matter of music and ballet. грубейшим натурализмом, с фальшью в музыке и на сцене это дело не только музыки и балета.

«Две статьи в «Правде» -- «Сумбур вместо The two articles in Pravda, “Muddle Instead музыки» и «Балетная фальшь»-- подымают of Music” and “Balletic Falsehood” raise a целый ряд важнейших художественно- number of the most important artistic, политических и творческих проблем political and creative problems of Soviet art. советского искусства»

Это верно. Но надо тут же предостеречь This is all true. But we must immediately путаников, которые попытались бы в warn the muddle-heads who would try to общих разговорах о «творческих drown out in everyday general conversation проблемах» потопить совершенно ясные и about “creative problems” the absolutely clear конкретные указания наших статей. Эта and specific instructions of our articles. This опасность стоит и перед «Советским is also the danger facing Soviet Art. искусством».

В статье «Против фальши и примитива» In the article “Against Falsehood and газета пытается так истолковать Primitivism,” the newspaper tries to interpret содержание наших статей: the content of our articles like this:

«Если первая из этих статей говорит “If the first of these articles talks about the о серьезнейшей опасности музыкального gravest dangers of musical formalism and формализма и о вредном влиянии на about the harmful influence on Soviet musical советское музыкальное творчество музыки creativity of the modern bourgeois music of современного буржуазного Запада, то the West, the second article is directed against вторая статья направлена против the tendencies of primitivism and servile тенденций примитивизма, adaptability in Soviet art. Thus, Pravda is 130

приспособленчества в советском fighting on two fronts - against those who искусстве. Таким образом, «Правда» ведет replace the problem of creating a new style of борьбу на два фронта — против тех, кто Soviet music, its new language, accessible to проблему создания нового стиля советской the masses, simple, colorful, close to folk art, музыки, нового ее языка, доступного with formalist "petty-bourgeois innovation," широким массам, простого, красочного, and also against those who, hiding behind the близкого народному искусству, подменяет slogan of simplicity and accessibility, want to формалистским «мелкобуржуазным propagate primitivism in Soviet music and новаторством», и против тех, кто, thereby impoverish and deplete Soviet art.” прикрываясь лозунгом о простоте и доступности, хочет насаждать в советской музыке примитив и тем самым обеднить и обескровить советское искусство”.

Это путанное изображение «двух This is a confusing image of “two fronts.” фронтов». И первая и вторая статьи наши Both our first and second articles are directed направлены против чуждой советскому against a lie and falsehood that is alien to искусству лжи и фальши, -- Soviet art - formalistic trickery in Lady формалистические-трюкаческой в «Леди Macbeth, and sugar-coated puppetry in The Макбет», сусально кукольной в «Светлом Bright Stream. Both of these works are ручье». Оба эти произведения одинаково equally far from the clear, simple, truthful далеки от ясного, простого, правдивого language that Soviet art should speak. Both языка, каким должно говорить советское works are dismissive of the art of the people. искусство. Оба произведения относятся The point is precisely this, and not in the пренебрежительно к народному supposedly “primitive” music of ballet. With творчеству. Дело именно в этом, а не в all the frills, the music of Lady Macbeth is якобы «примитивной» музыке балета. При miserable, scanty, primitive in the worst sense всех выкрутасах музыка «Леди Макбет» of the word in its content. убога, скудна, в худшем смысле слова примитивна по своему содержанию.

Формалистические кунштюки и сусальная Formalistic tricks and sugar-coated фальшь, ничего общего не имеющие с falsehoods, having nothing in common with советской действительностью, сорной Soviet reality, have grown like weeds not травой разрослись не только в музыке и only in music and ballet. The articles in балете. Статьи в “Правде” должны были Pravda should have stirred up not just the всколыхнуть не только музыкальную musical community. We wrote that the leftist общественность. Мы писали о том, что ugliness in music has the same roots as the левацкое уродство в музыке имеет те же “leftist ugliness” in painting, in literature, and корни, что и “левацкое уродство” в in all other areas of art. живописи, в литературе, во всех областях искусства.

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С некоторым запозданием это поняла With some delay, this was understood by the газета «Кино», которая пишет: newspaper Cinema, which wrote:

«Правда» в редакционной статье «Сумбур “Pravda in its editorial article ‘Muddle вместо музыки» исключительно четко и с Instead of Music’ with extreme accuracy and большой острой поставила вопрос об great sharpness raised the question of the опасности левацких тенденций в музыке, о danger of leftist tendencies in music, of «мелкобуржуазных формалистических ‘petty-bourgeois formalistic spasms,’ of потугах», о «претензиях создать ‘claims to create originality by means of оригинальность приемами дешевого cheap oddities,’ and of attempts to substitute оригинальничания», о попытках socialist realism with offensive naturalism. подменить социалистический реализм This danger of depriving reality of its грубейшим натурализмом. Эта опасность meaning, the danger of an art with obstructed обессмысливания действительности, perception is directly related not only to опасность искусства затрудненного music, but also to other areas of art. In the восприятия имеет прямое отношение не cinema, for example, the nests of formalism только к музыке, она также реальна и для have not been completely devastated, flat, других областей искусства. В кино, creeping naturalism has not been completely например, еще не до конца разорены finished off, and there are still remnants of гнезда формализма, не совсем добит ‘Meyerholdism*’ and ‘intellectualism’ in a плоский, ползающий по земле натурализм, number of our films.” немало еще пережитков «мейерхольдовщины», «интеллектуализма» в ряде наших фильмов».

С удивлением приходится отметить, что It is surprising to note that the Literary «Литературная газета» истолковала статьи Gazette interpreted Pravda's articles as a “Правды” как дело для литературы совсем matter completely alien and uninteresting for постороннее и даже неинтересное. Она не literature. It has not said a single word so far. проронила до сих пор ни одного слова. По- Apparently, the matter of Soviet art is of no видимому, «хата» счастливой газеты concern to this happy newspaper. Oh, holy находится совсем «с краю» советского simplicity! искусства. О, святая простота!

В таком же блаженном состояния Other newspapers are in the same blissful неведения находится и другие газеты. state of ignorance. Izvestia? Silent. Next to Молчат «Известия». Рядом с ними в той them in the same “position” is the usually же «Позиции»—обычно энергичная energetic Komsomolskaya Pravda. Do these «Комсомольская правда». Неужели этим newspapers really have nothing to say?! газетам также нечего сказать?! *Referring to Vsevolod Meyerhold (see above, p. 26). “Meyerholdism” refers to Meyerhold’s influence on modern theatre, 132 focusing on symbolism and the physical being.

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Агриппина Ваганова. Не надо балетной фальши / No Need for Balletic Falsehoods by Agrippina Vaganova—March 9th, 1936: Не буду повторять многих справедливых I will not repeat the many fair statements высказываний, которые были сделаны за which have recently been made in the pages последнее время на страницах of the Leningrad and Moscow press about the ленинградской и московской печати по articles in Pravda about “Muddle Instead of поводу статей в «Правде» о «Сумбуре Music” and “Balletic Falsehood.” вместо музыки» и «Балетной фальши».

В Театре имени Кирова мы работаем над At the Kirov Theatre, we are working on a советским хореографическим спектаклем и Soviet choreographic performance and came пришел к следующим выводам. to the following conclusions. Pre- Дореволюционный классический балет по revolutionary classical ballet, due to its своей драматургии и характеру актерской dramatic technique and the nature of the игры не давал возможности сразу перейти acting, did not give the opportunity to move к современной тематике в танце. immediately to a representation of modern themes in dance.

Мы начал с реформы сценарной основы We began with a reform of the basic blueprint спектакля. Мы стремились к созданию of the performance. We sought to create such такого драматургического каркаса, a dramatic framework that would allow to который позвонил бы смотреть балет, как watch ballet as a play. At the same time, it пьесу. Одновременно нужно было was necessary to turn ballet dancers into превратить танцовщиков и танцовщиц в choreographic actors. хореографических актеров.

Постановки «Пламя Парижа», The productions of Flames of Paris, The «Бахчисарайский фонтан», Fountain of Bakhchisarai, the reconstruction реконструированное «Лебединое озеро», of Swan Lake, Esmeralda, and, finally, Lost «Эсмеральда» и, наконец, «Утраченные Illusions not only possess a new quality of the иллюзии» не только обладают новым ballet scenario, but also develop the strengths качеством сценария в балете, но и of the actors. They educated dozens of young развернули актерские силы. Они actors in their work of mastering form, воспитали десятки молодых актеров на character, and bringing the dramatis personae работе по овладению образами, характера to life. и действующих лиц.

Первая ошибка «Светлого ручья» как раз в The first mistake of The Bright Stream lies том и заключается, что его сценарий даже exactly in the fact that its storyline, even for для старого балета достаточно the older styles of ballet, is pretty helpless, беспомощен, не говоря уже о том without even speaking about the false display фальшивом показе современности, of modernity, which Pravda mentioned. But который отмечала «Правда». the main question is the suitability of classical dance as the main source for the performance 134

Но основным является вопрос о of Soviet themes. We do not hold the view пригодности классического танца, как that classical dance is all-powerful, but we do главного средства для спектакля советской distinguish classical dance from the тематики. Мы не стоим на той точке “classics.” Before our very eyes, classical зрения, что классический танец всесилен, dance changes its forms and means of но различаем классику от «классики». На expression depending on the plot’s dramatic наших глазах классический танец меняет purpose, the epoch that is being shown, etc., свои формы и средства выражения в etc. зависимости от сюжетно драматической цели, показываемой эпохи и т.д., и т.д.

Для посетителей балета ясна огромная For audiences of a ballet, it is evident that разница между классическим танцем, there is a vast difference between the classical например, в «Спящей красавице», с одной steps, like in Sleeping Beauty on the one стороны, и диалогом Марии и Заремы в hand, and the dialogue between Maria and «Бахчисарайском фонтане» -- с другой. Zarema in The Fountain of Bakhchisarai, on the other.

Несомненно, чтобы создать хороший Undeniably, in order to create a good Soviet советский спектакль, нужен иной подход к performance, a different approach to classical классическому танцу. В том-то и dance is needed. And in this lies the second заключается вторая ошибка авторов mistake of the authors of The Bright Stream, «Светлого ручья», что классической танец namely that their classical dance is indifferent у них безразличен к действию, эпохе, to action, era, plot, etc. With success, any сюжету и т.д. С успехом любые kind of entertaining numbers can go into The дивертисментные номера могут идти в Bright Stream and in any other ballet as well. «Светлом ручье» и в любом другом балете. To realize a Soviet play through such Такой «классикой» решать советский “classics” only means discrediting the theme спектакль значит только дискредитировать and classical dance in general. и тему, и классический танец.

Еще серьезнее обстоит дело с характерным Even more serious is the situation with the национальным танцем и его national character dance and its use in ballet. использованием в балете. За восемнадцать Eighteen years after the October Revolution, лет после Октября качество исполнения the performance quality of character dances характерных танцев сильно выросло. has greatly increased. The success in The Успех в «Пламени Парижа» сцены на Flame of Paris scene on the square and the площади и танца басков во многом обязан Basque dance is mainly due to the excellent именно отличной постановке и знанию production and the choreographer’s балетмейстером характерный танец knowledge of characteristic dance. In ballets обезличен. В балетах есть, например, there are, for example, “Eastern dances.” And «восточные танцы». А какие «восточные», what kind of “Eastern,” when in the East there 135

когда на Востоке десятки и сотни разных are tens and hundreds of different национальностей? На это ответа нет. nationalities? To this, there is no answer.

В этом третья ошибка авторов «Светлого This is the third mistake of the authors of The ручья». Они дали характерные танцы, но Bright Stream. They gave character dances, это танцы «вообще», не имеющие but these are “general” dances not having any никакого отношения к современному kind of relation to the modern North Северному Кавказу, тем более к колхозной Caucasus, let alone to the collective farms of Кубани. the Kuban.

Мы перечислили выше наши работы. Все Above, we have listed our work. They are all они основаны на принципе параллельного based on the principle of parallel development развития сценической в музыкальной of scenical and musical dramaturgy. The plot драматургии. Сюжет движется, выражаясь moves, expressing itself in dance and in в танце и в музыке. Музыкальные темы, music. The musical themes, the leitmotifs of лейтмотивы мелодии имеют танцующую the melody have a dancing connection with связь с основными идеями спектакля. the main ideas of the performance.

And in this The Bright Stream did not take the И в этом «Светлый ручей» не стал на right path of musical dramaturgy associated верный путь музыкальной драматургии, with the action. No, this is the music of связанной с действием. Нет, это музыка individual numbers in which incoherent отдельных номеров, в которых тонут scraps of plot drown. бессвязные обрывки сюжета.

Сейчас в работе Театра имени Кирова Now the Kirov Theatre is working on a new находится балет на советскую тематику— ballet with a Soviet theme-- Partisans (music «Партизаны» (муз. Б. В. Асафьева). by B.V. Asafiev). I confess that the entire Признаюсь, весь актив театра в большом theatre is in great creative excitement. творческом волнении. Повышенные Increased demands from the Soviet spectator, требования в первую очередь нашу as mentioned in Pravda, are our first and бдительность и осторожность. Тема foremost concerns. The topic of Partisans «Партизан» – ответственная. Показ carries great responsibility. Showing the героики гражданской войны в балете – heroism of the Civil War in a ballet is not дело нелегкое. Во всяком случае, мы easy. That being said, we will take all примем все меры к тому, чтобы не measures in order to not repeat the mistakes повторять ошибок «Светлого ручья» и of The Bright Stream and to show the показать зрителю волнующий и правдивый audience an exciting and truthful спектакль. performance.

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Федор Лопухов. Шестьдесят лет в балете / Sixty Years in Ballet (excerpts) by Fyodor Lopukhov—1966: Нам удалось склонить к сочинению We managed to persuade the young музыки молодого композитора, которого composer, whom we loved and worshipped мы любили и перед которым преклонялись from his first steps, to compose the score. с первых его шагов. В особенности после Especially after hearing his opera Lady того, как услышали его оперу «леди Macbeth. We are talking about Shostakovich. Макбет». Речь идет о Шостаковиче. До Before The Bright Stream we worked together «Светлого ручья» мы вместе работали над on the ballet The Bolt, which brought us балетом «Болт», принесшим нам тяжкие serious disappointment. In The Bright Stream, разочарования. В «Светлом ручье» I wanted to show that the mistakes of The хотелось показать, что ошибки «Болта» - Bolt were a past stage, devoting music and пройденный этап, посвятить музыку и dance to positive characters, to glorify the joy танец положительным героям, воспеть of their lives, their bright and promising радость их жизни, их светлый, labor. Shostakovich wrote easy-to-understand, предвещающий счастье труд. Шостакович melodious music with great humor and lyrics. написал доходчивую, мелодичную музыку No wonder it’s often heard on the radio today с большим юмором и лирикой. Недаром and is used in other productions. Outstanding она и сегодня часто звучит по радио, talent, illuminated by a sense of modernity, используется в других постановках. allowed Shostakovich to rise above our naive Выдающийся талант, озаренный чувством and clumsy idea. In his music, he is certainly современности, позволил Шостаковичу not responsible for our mistakes and подняться над нашей наивной и misconceptions. неуклюжей затеей. В своей музыке он безусловно не отвечает за наши ошибки и заблуждения. […] [...] Премьера, казалось бы, окончательно The premiere, it would seem, conclusively рассеяла мои сомнения. Публика dispelled my doubts. The audience liked the принимала спектакль лучше, чем какой- show more than any other. Performances либо другой. Представления следовали followed one after another in the sold out одно за другим при переполненном зале. theatre. I was invited to stage The Bright Меня пригласили ставить «Светлый Stream at the Bolshoi Theatre. P. Gusev and ручей» в Большом театре. Туда же Z. Vasiliev were transferred there as well. I перевели П. Гусева и З. Васильеву. Я went to Moscow, did the show, and received поехал в Москву, сделал спектакль, an offer to direct the Bolshoi Ballet. And in получил предложение руководить балетом Moscow The Bright Stream enjoyed great Большого театра. И в Москве «Светлый success, too. But the articles in Pravda, ручей» пользовался большим успехом. Но criticizing Lady Macbeth and The Bright выступления «Правды» с критикой «Леди Stream, caused a big discussion; Макбет» и «Светлого ручья» вызвали Shostakovich’s opera and ballet music, as большую дискуссию; музыка оперы и well as my production were accused of балета Шостаковича и моя постановка formalism. With this, my work at the Maly 137

были признаны формалистическими. На Opera Theatre stopped. It also stopped at the этом моя работа в Малом оперном театре Bolshoi Theatre. прекратилась. Прекратилась она и в Большом театре.

Вряд ли я могу до конца объяснить все I am hardly in a position to fully explain all происшедшее, хотя свои ошибки и that has happened, although I now see my слабости в этом спектакле сейчас вижу mistakes and weaknesses quite well. I think довольно хорошо. Думаю, что другие that others will draw broader and more извлекут более широкие и объективные objective conclusions from the lessons of The выводы из уроков «Светлого ручья». Я не Bright Stream. I do not want to make excuses, хочу ни оправдываться, ни ссылаться на nor refer to any objective reasons. какие-то объективные причины.

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Асаф Мессерер. Танец. Мысль. Время / Dance. Thought. Time. Excerpts by Asaf Messerer—1979: После возвращения с гастролей [в Турции After returning from a tour [in Turkey в марте 1935 - прим. сост.] мы с approximately in March 1935], Sulamith and Суламифью начали работать над балетом I began working on the ballet The Bright 'Светлый ручей' Д. Д. Шостаковича, Stream by D. D. Shostakovich, which at that который в это время ставился в Большом time was staged at the Bolshoi Theatre by F. театре Ф. В. Лопуховым. Режиссуру V. Lopukhov and directed by B. Mordvinov. осуществлял Б. Мордвинов. Партии The parts of the Male Dancer and the Классической танцовщицы и Ballerina, besides us, were also performed by Классического танцовщика, кроме нас, Olga Lepeshinskaya and Alexei Yermolaev. исполняли также Ольга Лепешинская и Алексей Ермолаев.

[...] […]

Мое отношение к этому балету было My feelings about this ballet were difficult. сложным. И не только к балету, но и к его And it wasn’t only with the ballet, but also создателю Ф. В. Лопухову. with its creator, F.V. Lopukhov.

[...] […]

В «Светлом ручье» меня смущал сюжет, In The Bright Stream, I was confused by the легковесный, очень наивный. Когда я plot, for it was very naive and lightweight. спрашивал Федора Васильевича, что же, When I asked Fyodor Vasilyevich, what, собственно, это за характер - actually, is this character - a male classical Классический танцовщик? Лопухов dancer? Lopukhov replied: “Don’t get wise отвечал: «Что вы мудрите! Танцуйте with me! Just dance yourself!” Such an самого себя!» Такой ответ, конечно, answer, of course, could not give me ничего не мог мне дать. anything.

Я не был «среднеарифметический I was not an average arithmetic dancer, but a танцовщик», а живой человек. Примет же living person. The choreographer did not характера, судьбы, а тем более характера explain to me the characteristic features of the современного человека хореограф мне не character and his fate, let alone the character предлагал. Просто я танцевал of a modern person. I just danced classical классические вариации и па де де. К слову, variations and a pas de deux. By the way, the танцовщица и танцовщик введены были Ballerina and Male Dancer were introduced Лопуховым для того, чтобы дать простор by Lopukhov in order to give scope to the классике, чтобы она стала в балете classical tradition, so that it would become органичной. Недаром и другая героиня organic in ballet. It was not for nothing that балета, Зина, колхозная затейница, когда- another character of the ballet, Zina, a то училась в балетной школе. Ставить же collective farm events’ organizer, once на пуанты доярок и прочих ударниц studied at a ballet school. Putting the milkmaids and other shock workers of the 139

колхозной бригады было рискованным collective farm brigade on pointe shoes was a делом. В этом все тогда убедились на risky business. Everyone then was convinced опыте недавних балетных спектаклей на of this by the experience of recent ballet современную тему. performances on a contemporary theme.

И в то же время мне близки были And at the same time, the theoretical теоретические декларации Ф. В. Лопухова. declarations of F. V. Lopukhov were close to me.

[...] […]

Время все расставило по местам. Со Time put everything in place. With his truths, своими истинами Лопухов, по его Lopukhov, in his own personal words, “did собственным словам, «достучался не до not reach choreographic sons, but хореографических сыновей, а до внуков». grandchildren.” Many contemporary Soviet Многие современные советские choreographers consider him their teacher. хореографы считают его своим учителем.

[...] […]

В «Светлом ручье» я был исполнителем In The Bright Stream, I was the performer of его замыслов. Признаться, не все, что his visions. To admit, not everything that the предлагал хореограф, казалось мне тогда choreographer had offered seemed interesting интересным. Я и по сей день думаю, что to me then. To this day, I still think that the теоретик в нем был сильнее практика. theorist in him was stronger than his practice.

9 февраля 1936 года в «Правде» появилась On February 9th, 1936, the article “Balletic статья «Балетная фальшь». Falsehood” appeared in Pravda.

[...] […]

Раскритикована была и музыка Дмитрия Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich's music Дмитриевича Шостаковича. «Светлый was also criticized. The Bright Stream was ручей» немедленно был снят с репертуара. immediately removed from the repertoire.

После этого на художественных советах и After that, art councils and meetings began to собраниях все чаще стали повторять, что repeat that the Bolshoi Theatre is an Большой театр — это образцовый театр. В exemplary theatre. It was not a place to не место для экспериментов. Только experiment. Only the best performances лучшие спектакли, созданные в других created in other theatres that are then tested театрах, принятые критикой и зрителями, and accepted by critics and spectators can be 140

то есть апробированные, могут быть transferred to the main stage of the country. перенесены на главную сцену страны. И And since the Kirov Theatre could так как Кировский театр мог experiment, it retained balletic superiority. экспериментировать, он и сохранял One after another, performances from балетное первенство. В Большой театр Leningrad began to be “imported” to the один за другим стали «импортироваться» Bolshoi Theatre. спектакли из Ленинграда.

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Алексей Ратманский: Я балетоман и искренний поклонник «Светлого ручья» Интервью Виолетты Майнеиеце / Alexei Ratmansky: I’m a Balletomane and Real Fan of the Bright Stream Interview by Violeta Mainiece—2003: Ратманский был неуловим. Ратманский Ratmansky was elusive. Ratmansky was был неумолим. Он с головой окунулся в relentless. He plunged head first into The «Светлый ручей», откуда выловить его Bright Stream, from which point it turned out оказалось чрезвычайно трудно. На to be extremely difficult to get a hold of him. I короткое блиц интервью удалось поймать managed to catch Alexei for a short blitz of Алексея в буфете между прогоном и an interview in the buffet between the run- репетицией. Зная его с детских лет, в through and the rehearsal. Having known him разговоре с ним, тем не менее, перешла на since childhood, in conversation with him, уважительное «вы». Он известный however, I switched to a formal register. He балетмейстер, ставит и в Дании, и в is a famous choreographer, staging ballets in России в Большом, в Мариинском… Denmark and in Russia at the Bolshoi, at the Словом знаменитость! Прежде всего Mariinsky ... In short, a celebrity! Primarily, I полюбопытствовала об истоках влечения was curious about the origins of Ratmansky's Ратманского к «Светлый ручьем» attraction to The Bright Stream by Шостаковича, который благодаря Shostakovich, which, thanks to the typical типично балетной дивертисментности ballet divertissements of the score, is in some партитуры в чем-то является прямым respect a direct “descendant” of Delibes’ and «потомком» балетов Делиба и Минкуса. Minkus’ ballets.

-- Алексей, когда вы впервые услышали о -- Alexei, when did you first learn of the существовании полузабытого «Светлого existence of the semi-forgotten Bright ручья»? Stream?

-- Не вспомню. Давно. Скорее всего в -- Don’t remember. A long time ago. Most школе на уроке по истории балета. Знал, likely at school during a ballet history lesson. что с ним приключилась беда. I knew that something bad had happened to it.

-- Когда и как он «пробился», в вашу -- When and how did it “get into” your life? жизнь?

-- Я в душе балетоман и искренний -- I am a balletomane at heart and a sincere поклонник «Светлого ручья». С его admirer of The Bright Stream. I got музыкой я познакомился по записи, acquainted with its music from a recording сделанной Геннадием Рождественским со made by Gennady Rozhdestvensky with the Стокгольмским Королевским Stockholm Royal Symphony Orchestra. After симфоническим оркестром. Послушав, listening, I thought-- what great dance music! подумал - какая великолепная танцевальная музыка!

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-- Сейчас наметился повышенный интерес -- A heightened interest in our own past is к собственному прошлому - в театре, characteristic of today -- in theatre, cinema, кино, искусстве. Что конкретно вас and art. What was it exactly that attracted привлекло в этом балете тридцатых you about this ballet of the ‘30’s on a годов на колхозную тему, который collective farm theme, one of the innocent значится в списке невинных жертв victims of the Stalinist repressions in the field сталинских репрессий в области of culture? культуры?

-- Балет овеян передающимися из -- The ballet is surrounded by secret поколения в поколение таинственными memories, passed down from generation to воспоминаниями о его грандиозном успехе generation, of its grandiose success in в Ленинграде, а потом столь же Leningrad, and then an equally grandiose грандиозном скандале в Москве, когда он scandal in Moscow when it was denounced in был разгромлен в 1936 году. Но дело даже 1936. But that’s not even the point. Both its не в этом. И его сюжет, и его музыка - plot and its music are very balletic in the best очень балетные в лучшем смысле этого sense of the word. When I examined the слова. Когда я посмотрел партитуру, то score, I thought how terribly unfair it was that подумал: ужасно несправедливо, что такая such a work should lie for decades unused on вещь десятилетиями лежит на полке в a shelf in a music library and not be нотной библиотеке и не идет на сцене. performed on stage. When the Bolshoi Когда Большой театр мне предложил что- Theatre asked me to stage something for то поставить, я остановил свой выбор на them, I chose the Shostakovich ballet. балете Шостаковича. Геннадий Gennady Rozhdestvensky, who was then in Рождественский, который тогда руководил charge of the Bolshoi Theatre, approved it. So Большим, его одобрил. Так балет появился the ballet appeared in the repertoire plans. в репертуарных планах

-- Не возникало ли у вас желания -- Did you not have any wish to revise the пересмотреть либретто, признанное libretto, recognized as “inferior,” even back «неполноценным», ещё в дни премьерные в in the days of the premiere in the ‘30’s, as did 30-е годы, как это в 1982 году сделали Yuri Grigorovich and Simon Virsaladze* for Юрий Григорович и Симон Вирсаладзе при the staging of Shostakovich’s The Golden постановке «Золотого века» Age? How do you explain your attachment to Шостаковича? Чем объясняется ваша the first, fully vaudeville version? привязанность к первому, вполне водевильному варианту?

-- Музыка написана по первому либретто -- In the music he wrote for the ballet’s first Адриана Пиотровского и Федора Лопухова libretto, by Adrian Piotrovsky and Fyodor - Шостакович добросовестно передал все Lopukhov, Shostakovich conscientiously перипетии сюжета. Мне кажется, что в нем conveys all the peripeteia of the plot. It seems все правильно и закономерно. Другой to me that everything in it is alright and 143

вопрос - как всё это подать, трёхактный justifiable. Another matter was how to present балет Шостаковича мы сократили до двух all this. We cut Shostakovich’s three-act актов, убрали повторы. ballet to two acts, doing away with the repetitions.

-- По сути теперь на сцене огромный -- What we have on stage now amounts in концерт, состоящий из номеров на essence to a huge concert, composed of сюжет из деревенской жизни… numbers of themes from rural life…

-- Мой «Светлый ручей» не более -- My version of The Bright Stream is no концертен, чем балеты наследия. Во всех more concert-like than are the ballets of были дивертисменты — это устоявшаяся classical heritage. They all had балетная форма. Это такой жанр, и divertissements -- it is a ballet form that has поэтому мне кажется, что так и должно been well-established. It’s this particular быть. Чтобы создать повествовательный genre, and therefore it seems to me that it драмбалет нужна другая музыка, а не та, should be presented this way. To create a что написал Шостакович. narrative drambalet, you need a different kind of music, not the kind that Shostakovich wrote.

-- Дивертисменты многие ваши балеты -- There are a lot of divertissements in your «Золушка», «Щелкунчик», «Сны о ballets Cinderella, The Nutcracker, and Японии». Вереница миниатюр - ваша Dreams of Japan. Is a string of miniatures излюбленная форма спектакля? your favorite form of performance?

-- Не могу сказать. Все зависит от -- I can’t say. It all depends on the score-- if партитуры- если в ней дивертисменты, то there are diversions in it, then I will adhere to и я придерживаюсь этой формы, где он this form, it should be just as it was задуман, там должен быть. А если ставлю conceived. On the other hand, if I were to симфоническую вещь, не stage a symphonic work that was not предназначенную для балета - другое дело. originally meant to be a ballet that is a Там музыка диктует иную форму, иной different matter. There the music dictates a подход. different form, a different approach.

-- Комедия - крайне редкий гость на -- Comedy is a very rare visitor to the ballet балетной cцene. «Светлый ручей» - stage. The Bright Stream is a pleasant приятное исключение настоящий exception; a real ballet vaudeville which was балетный водевиль, о чем писалось еще в written in the ‘30’s... 30-е годы…

-- Я шел по тому же пути, по которому -- I opted for the same approach as did шли Лопухов и Шостакович - композитор Lopukhov and Shostakovich -- the composer был очень доволен своей партитурой. Я и 144

поставил комедию, так как уважаю was very pleased with this score. I mounted a авторское право. Что касается артистов, то comedy because I respect the author’s rights. работать с ними - большое удовольствие. As far as concerns the dancers, it was a great Я хорошо знаю труппу - кого-то с pleasure to work with them. I know this школьных лет, других - по предыдущим troupe well, some people from my school постановкам. С первых дней установился years and others from previous productions. хороший контакт, хотя до сих пор From the first day we established good сожалею, что некоторые танцовщики по contact with each other, though I still regret разным причинам отказались от участия в that some dancers for various reasons постановке. declined to take part in the production.

-- Возможно ли подобное в западной -- Would this be possible with a western труппе после того, как артист назначен troupe after particular parts are assigned to на партию? particular dancers?

-- Нет. Я впервые столкнулся с такой --No. I encountered such a situation for the ситуацией. Там каждый стремится к чему- first time. Everyone there [in the West] is то новому. Зато очень порадовал looking for something new. That being said, кордебалет - замечательный и в I’m very pleased with the corps de ballet, they физическом и артистическом плане. И are all wonderful in both physical and artistic солисты тоже. Только с такой труппой я terms. Soloists, too. Only with such a troupe мог поставить свой «Светлый ручей» could I stage my version of The Bright Stream.

-- Ваш метод работы - вы приходите с -- What about your work method -- do you готовым материалом или сочиняете в come to a rehearsal with “ready-made” зале? material, or do you compose it as you go along?

-- Имея предварительный план -- While having an initial plan for the постановки, весь хореографический текст production, I composed all the choreographic сочинял в Москве - по утрам дома, а после text in Moscow -- in the mornings at home обеда разучивал этот материал с артистами and, after lunch, trying it out with the dancers. в зале.

-- Настаиваете ли вы на точном -- Do you insist on the precise reproduction of воспроизведении вашего your choreographic text-- or is improvisation хореографического текста - или в комедии permissible in comedy? допустила импровизация? 145

-- Текст очень важен, но каждый его по- -- The text is very important, but each dancer своему произносит: Его не надо менять. pronounces it in his or her own way. The text Но интерпретацию я приветствую. should not be changed, but I welcome interpretation.

-- Ваше отношение к работе художник - -- Your relationship with the artists’ work, the декорациям и костюмам... decorations, the costumes...

-- Я занимаюсь своим делом, художник - -- I do my job and the artist does his. It is своим. Важно, чтобы мы шли в одном important that we are on the same page. We направлении. Мы заранее подробно discussed in detail all the models and обговорили все макеты и костюмы, но costumes in advance, but I saw them in their увидел я их во всей полноте только в entirety only on the eve of the premiere, as канун премьеры, так как они шились в they were made in St. Petersburg. As for the Петербурге. Что касается декораций, то я scenery, I respect the artist’s vision. It’s not уважаю авторское право. Не мне давать my place to try and advise a master, even советы мастеру - у него cвoe виденье темы, though our views don’t always coincide-- he хотя мы не во всем совпадали. Я рад, что has his own vision of the theme. I’m glad The «Светлый ручей» снова идет в Большом. Bright Stream is back again at the Bolshoi. Это справедливо. That is as it should be.

*Simon Virsaladze (1909 – 1989) was a Georgian Soviet designer of ballet, film, and opera.

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Анна Гордеева. Чистая радость. Алексей Ратманский поставил «Светлый ручей» / Pure Happiness. Alexei Ratmansky stages The Bright Stream by Anna Gordeyeva—April 21st, 2003: Над разноцветными полями летят Over the colorful fields planes are flying, самолеты, им навстречу катятся тракторы, tractors are rolling to meet them, farmers who убравшие урожай колхозники готовятся к have harvested the harvest are preparing for приезду столичных гостей - и вот уже the arrival of the capital’s guests - and here is паровоз с дымящейся трубой деловито a train with a smoking pipe busily running пробегает из левой кулисы в правую... from the left backstage to the right ... «Светлый ручей» Шостаковича, семьдесят Shostakovich's The Bright Stream, crushed лет назад придавленный статьей- seventy years ago by an article-decree of постановлением «Правды» «Балетная Pravda’s “Balletic Falsehood” and re-set by фальшь» и заново поставленный нынче choreographer Alexei Ratmansky and хореографом Алексеем Ратманским и conductor Pavel Sorokin, from the first дирижером Павлом Сорокиным, с первых seconds of the overture sound so pure, easy секунд увертюры звучит так чисто, легко и and fun that all doubts about the collective весело, что отлетают все сомнения по farm plot fly away. Who cares about a Kuban поводу колхозного сюжета. Подумаешь, village! This whole crazy story with кубанское село. Вся эта безумная история disguises, mistakes, and cross-over love, of с переодеваниями, ошибками, course, is related to ballroom stories, a little перекрестными влюбленностями конечно frivolous, crafty - with Die Fledermaus, for же в родстве с историями бальными, чуть example, and not with the hefty and hearty фривольными, лукавыми - с «Летучей Kuban Cossacks. мышью», например, а не со здоровенно- румяными «Кубанскими казаками».

Сюжет вьется, хихикает, жмурится под The plot twists, giggles, and blinks under the солнцем. Колхозный агроном Петр sun. Pyotr, the collective-farm agronomist, влюбляется в заезжую балерину. (Та falls in love with a visiting ballerina. (She приехала танцевать на празднике урожая; came to dance at the harvest festival; сопровождают ее Классический accompanying her was the Male Dancer and танцовщик и аккомпаниатор - хм - the Accordionist). He does not know that his Гармонист.) Он не знает, что его жена, wife, the local amusement organizer the местная затейница, также заканчивала kolkhoz club director, also graduated from the хореографическое училище, более того - dance school, moreover, she and the Ballerina они с Балериной были лучшими were best friends. And of course, the подругами. И конечно же, Балерина тут же Ballerina immediately reports to her long- сообщает давно не виденной товарке о time-no-see companion about Pyotr's поползновениях Петра. Женщины inclinations. The women contrive a plot for затевают назидательную месть. Затейница, revenge. The amusement organizer, disguised, переодевшись, является на тайное will have a secret meeting with her own свидание к собственному мужу. husband.

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Но это только одна линия. Еще за But this is only one line. The Anxious-to-be- Танцовщиком начинает ухаживать younger-than-she-is Dacha Dweller begins to Молодящаяся дачница, а за Балериной - court the Male Dancer, and the elderly dacha Пожилой дачник. Безжалостные артисты dweller takes a fancy to the Ballerina. The решают над ними подшутить - и unrelenting artists decide to make fun of them Танцовщик облачается в «шопеновскую» - the Male Dancer puts on a “Chopiniana” юбку, а Балерина - в мужской костюм. Еще skirt, and the Ballerina puts on a men's suit. два дуэта-розыгрыша. И, наконец, The two perform duets as practical jokes. столичный Гармонист назначает свидание And, finally, the metropolitan Accordionist школьнице Гале, а ревнующий has a rendezvous with the schoolgirl, Galya, Тракторист, переодевшись собакой (! - and the jealous Tractor Driver, dressed as a размером с гризли), ему старательно dog (! - the size of a grizzly bear), diligently мешает. prevents him.

В балетной комедии (жанр чрезвычайно In the comedy ballet (an extremely rare редкий) важен баланс между чисто genre), the balance between pure and more игровыми хохмами и шутками изощренно sophisticated dance-jokes is important. танцевальными. Ратманский этот баланс Ratmansky maintains this balance выдерживает замечательно. В remarkably. In the enchanting duet of the феерическом дуэте притворившегося Male Dancer () pretending to be a сильфидой Танцовщика (Сергей Филин) и sylph and the bemused Elderly Dacha ошеломленного Дачника (Андрей Dweller (Andrei Melanin), for example: the Меланьин), например: вот только что Male Dancer was just rehashing from his Танцовщик от души перепевал heart the “sylphide” and Giselle-like motifs, «сильфидные» и «жизельные» мотивы, с with delicately arms crossed, with devoted полуобморочным скрещиванием рук, с tilts of the head, but suddenly, having crashed обреченными наклонами головы, - а вот onto the stage, he demands a hip flask from он, рухнув на сцену, требует у Дачника the Elderly Dacha Dweller, having for a фляжку, на секунду забыв про роль и сев second forgotten his role and sitting like a по-мужски широко расставив ноги. Но man with his legs wide apart. But an instant мгновение самоконтроля и снова принята of self-control — and again the languid томная поза (а фляжка от губ еще не posture was resumed (but the flask from his убрана). Филин, в классическом lips had not yet been removed). Filin, who in репертуаре отлично танцующий и the classical repertoire is a great dancer of Джеймса, и Альберта (ловителей сильфид both James and Albert (catchers of sylphs and и вилис), делает эту роль сильфиды- willies), masterfully performs this role of вилисы виртуозно: без намека на sylphide-willies: without a hint of mannerism, манерность, со снисходительной истинно but with a condescending and perfectly мужской насмешкой над женскими masculine mockery of female ballet clichés. балетными штампами.

Но не только Филин в этом спектакле But it wasn’t just Filin in this performance заслуживает восторженных слов. Геннадий that deserves enthusiastic words. The Янин - Гармонист: о, какой бриолин, как 148

он клеит школьницу, как кругло поводит Accordionist, Gennady Yanin-- oh, what плечами, как падает на скамейку, brilliantine, how he tries to seduce the обнаружив, что с девицей бросается schoolgirl, how he moves his broad shoulders, танцевать собака! И, конечно же, Мария how he falls on a bench, having discovered Александрова - Балерина: не расставаясь с that a dog is dancing with a girl! And, of абсолютно современной манерой танца, course, Maria Alexandrova - the Ballerina: чуть отстраненной и насмешливой, она not diverging from an absolutely modern сумела намекнуть на манеру довоенную. dancing style, a little detached and mocking, Не так, чтобы запахло архаичным и she managed to hint at the pre-war style. Not опасным нафталином, - но чтобы ожил и so that it smells of archaic and perilous зацокал языком славный московский миф mothballs - but so to revive the glorious о танце безрассудном (Александрова Moscow myth of daredevil and victorious кидается в руки партнеру как когда-то dance (Alexandrova in the hands of her Лепешинская) и победительном. partner just as Lepeshinskaya once was).

Алексей Ратманский в интервью обычно In interviews, Alexei Ratmansky usually отрицает, что роли в его спектаклях тесно denies that in his performances, roles are спаяны с тем артистом, на кого closely connected to the artist for who the part непосредственно сделаны. Должно быть, was made. This must be the case when the это тот случай, когда художник сам себя artist deceives himself: there are no more обманывает: нет более личностно- personality-oriented productions than ориентированных постановок, чем балеты Ratmansky’s ballets. One can perform well in Ратманского. В его спектакль можно his choreographic works, but to do it better ввестись, и ввестись хорошо - но сделать than the original artist it was set on, no one роль лучше того артиста, что с has yet to succeed. Therefore, it didn’t come балетмейстером первоначально as a surprise that the role of Zina did not turn репетировал, пока не удавалось никому. out well for Inna Petrova - her darling heroine Поэтому в том, что роль Зины не удалась with numerous spins paled in comparison to Инне Петровой - ее милая героиня с the virtuoso Galina Stepanenko, whom the трудом наворачивала многочисленные part was choreographed for. The real surprise вращения, поставленные для виртуозки was Stepanenko’s non-participation in the Галины Степаненко, - нет ничего performance: the ballerina, without comment, удивительного. Удивительно именно refused to rehearse shortly before the неучастие Степаненко в спектакле: premiere. As a result, in the finale scene it балерина без комментариев отказалась от turned out that the two ballet dancers were not репетиций незадолго до премьеры. В equal, and the fact that the agronomist did not результате на сцене в финале не оказалось distinguish his wife from a virtuoso guest had двух равносильных балерин, и то, что to be attributed only to theatrical convention. агроном не отличил свою жену от Ensembles and mass dances were perfectly виртуозной гостьи, пришлось отнести done in the performance (from the sloping, лишь к театральной условности. В curling six girls accompanying Zina on a спектакле отлично сделаны ансамбли и collective-farm holiday to the mountaineers and Kuban dances). 149

массовые танцы (от клонящейся, вьющейся шестерки девушек, сопровождающих Зину на колхозном празднике, до плясок горцев и кубанцев).

А вот чего в нем совсем нет - так это But what was not in it at all was the “epoch.” «эпохи». Борис Мессерер украсил, Of course, Boris Messerer decorated the конечно, занавес лозунгами 30-х годов, но curtain with slogans of the 1930s, but in the в остальном явно смог себя сдержать, и его rest he obviously managed to restrain himself, фантазия на тему ВДНХовского фонтана and the “Golden Ear,” his fantasy theme on «Золотой колос» выглядит вполне забавно. the VDNKh* fountain looked quite amusing. (Хотя легкому, летучему, непафосному (Although the light, volatile, non-pathos air of воздуху этого спектакля все же подошли this performance would still be suited for less бы менее жирные краски). Тончайший oily paints). The subtlest hint was just a намек - лишь вальс-макабр во втором macabre waltz in the second act, when after a действии, когда после игрушечной toy-duel, Death appears on the scene with a «дуэли» на сцене появляется Смерть с scythe; but he is quickly kicked off the stage - косой; но ее быстренько пинками and was it really attributed to the “era?” A спроваживают со сцены - да и относить ли droplet of fear, anxiety, and excitement это к «эпохе»? Капелька страха, тревоги, cannot hurt any good comedy. The Bright волнения не помешает любой хорошей Stream is a very good comedy. комедии. А «Светлый ручей» - комедия очень хорошая. *Exhibition of Achievements of National Economy. It is the largest exposition, museum, and recreational complex in Russia, and was opened in 1939.

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Елена Губайдуллина. Карнавал кубанских казаков. В Большом театре появился «Светлый ручей», балет на музыку Дмитрия Шостаковича, когда-то не понравившийся Иосифу Сталину / A Carnival of Kuban Cossacks. The Bright Stream appears at the Bolshoi Theatre, a ballet with music by Dmitri Shostakovich, which was once disliked by Joseph Stalin by Elena Gubaidullina—April 21st, 2003: Премьера вызвала неслыханный ажиотаж. The premiere caused an unprecedented stir. In В зале Нового здания Большого театра не the hall of the new building of the Bolshoi было ни свободных мест, ни свободных Theatre there were neither empty seats nor ступенек. Ждали тройной интриги. Во- empty stairs. They waited for triple intrigue. первых, на легендарный балет Дмитрия First of all, Alexei Ratmansky, the main hope Шостаковича замахнулся Алексей of our choreography, took a shot at the Ратманский - главная надежда нашей legendary ballet of Dmitri Shostakovich. хореографии. С его легкой руки балетные Thanks to Ratmansky, the stars of the Bolshoi звезды Большого перевоплотились в ballet transformed into milkmaids, tractor доярок, трактористов и гармонистов - и drivers and harmonists, and the audience публика чуть было не сгорела от almost combusted from all the impatience to нетерпения увидеть любимых солистов в see their favorite soloists in an unusual form. непривычном облике. А третью, пожалуй, And finally, the most important reason for the самую главную причину успеха объясняет success is perhaps explained by the genre of жанр спектакля. «Светлый ручей» - the performance. The Bright Stream is a смешной водевиль с переодеваниями. А в funny vaudeville with disguise, and there балетном репертуаре не так уж много really aren’t too many of these cheerful развеселых спектаклей. performances in the ballet repertoire.

«Светлый ручей» родился в тридцать The Bright Stream was made in 1935. It пятом. Казалось, все его создатели были seemed as though all of its creators were тогда абсолютно счастливы. И Дмитрий absolutely happy then. Dmitri Shostakovich, Шостакович, сочинивший оптимистичную, who composed optimistic, playful, and игривую, местами даже хулиганскую sometimes even mischievous music (at that музыку (тогда композитору не было еще и time the composer wasn’t even thirty years тридцати). И маститый балетмейстер old). The veteran choreographer Fyodor Федор Лопухов - автор остроумной и Lopukhov, who was the author of this witty живой хореографии (затейливое либретто and lively choreography (he wrote an intricate про колхозные и театральные чудеса он libretto about collective farming and theatrical написал вместе с Андрианом miracles together with Adrian Piotrovsky). Пиотровским). Счастливые артисты с The happy artists danced their parts with наслаждением танцевали свои партии, pleasure and the audience and critics admired спектаклем восторгались зрители и the performance. The successful production критики. Успешную постановку of Leningrad’s MALEGOT was soon ленинградского МАЛЕГОТа вскоре transferred to the Bolshoi Theatre. But then перенесли в Большой театр. Но однажды Joseph Stalin came. And then Pravda, which спектакль посетил Иосиф Сталин. И mercilessly denounced “Balletic Falsehood,” недолгое счастье оборвала назидательная cut short the happiness. All Soviet theatre and «Правда», беспощадно обличившая 151

«Балетную фальшь». Про статью с таким music history textbooks have later mentioned названием потом упомянули все советские this particular article. учебники по истории театра и музыки.

Название злополучной статьи стало The name of the ill-fated article became the главной темой балета, только что main theme of the ballet, staged by поставленного Ратманским на основе Ratmansky on the basis of the preserved сохранившегося либретто. Но "Светлый libretto. But The Bright Stream is a ballet- ручей" - балет-перевертыш, следующий shapeshifter, following the laws of carnival. законам карнавала. И теперь фальшь стала And now the falsehood has become not a не недостатком, а достоинством. disadvantage, but an advantage. Boris Оформивший спектакль Борис Мессерер Messerer, who designed the production, подчеркнул игрушечную сущность emphasized the toy-like essence of the балетного колхоза. На фоне аккуратно balletic collective farm. Against the backdrop нарисованного поля проезжают of a neatly drawn field, miniature tractors and миниатюрные тракторы и пролетают planes pass and fly by. Cotton countrymen самолетики. Хвастают трудовыми boast of the success of their labors. успехами ситцевые сельчане и сельчанки.

Лихачат в танце кавказцы, гармонисты, Caucasians, accordion players, tractor drivers трактористы и местный дед Щукарь. and even the local grandfather Schukar* Советские образы превратились в are all horsing around. Soviet images have смешные маски вроде арлекинов и transformed into funny masks in the likes of коломбин из комедии дель арте. А harlequins and columbinas from the пышные гирлянды из цветов и колосьев commedia dell’arte. And lush garlands of напоминают и об убранстве ВДНХ, и о flowers and ears of corn remind us of the ярмарочных балаганах. Сценограф не decorations of VDNKh and fairground пользовался старыми эскизами, позволив booths. The set designer didn’t use past себе лишь одну цитату - щегольские sketches, only borrowing one thing - the nifty галифе и кепки столичных артистов, breeches and caps of the metropolitan artists приезжающих на концерт в колхоз arriving at the concert in the collective farm «Светлый ручей». Костюмы точь-в-точь known as the Bright Stream. The costumes такие же, в каких в 35-м танцевали are stitch-for-stitch exactly the same as the легендарные Асаф и Суламифь Мессереры ones that the legendary Asaf and Sulamith (отец и тетя художника). Messerer (the set designer's father and aunt) danced in in 1935.

Балерина и Классический танцовщик (на The Ballerina and the Male Dancer (at the премьере эти роли иронично и виртуозно premiere, these roles were performed исполнили Мария Александрова и Сергей ironically and virtuously by Maria Филин) привозят в колхоз еще одну Alexandrova and Sergei Filin) bring to the «фальшь» - фальшь балетных штампов и kolkhoz yet another “falsity”-- the falsity of театральных спектаклей, воспетую лихими ballet stamps and theatrical performances актерскими капустниками. По сути anthemized through bold actor skits. In fact, спектакль Ратманского - не что иное, как Ratmansky’s production, framed with 152

бесконечный капустник «про балет», luscious Kuban fun, is nothing more than an обрамленный сочным кубанским весельем. endless skit “about ballet.” Group dances at Массовые танцы на Празднике урожая the Harvest Festival work off even the most отрабатывают самые банальные формы banal forms of corps de ballet constructions. кордебалетных построений. Разноцветные Multi-colored milkmaids split off into доярки расходятся на диагонали и diagonals and gather in a circle, flirtatiously собираются в круг, кокетливо перебирают perusing about en pointe, just like snowflakes пуантами, совсем как снежинки или or swans. The operetta-grotesque dacha лебеди. Откуда ни возьмись появляются dwellers (Andrey Melanin and Lyubov опереточно-гротескные Дачник и Дачница Filippova) appear out of nowhere. Artists, (Андрей Меланьин и Любовь Филиппова). accordion players, rural entertainers, Артисты, гармонисты, сельские затейники, agronomists and highbrow-dacha dwellers агрономы и дачники-интеллигенты flirt and mess with each other’s heads. флиртуют и дурят друг другу головы.

Но, похоже, вся бестолковая путаница But it looks like all the tangled confusion was замышлялась ради одной грандиозной planned out for the sake of one grand parody. пародии. Сергей Филин, переодетый в Sergei Filin, disguised as a sylph, clowns балерину-сильфиду, паясничает от всей around entirely from the soul. And the души. А колхозная затейница Зина collective farm entertainer Zina (a poetic and (поэтичная и воздушная Инна Петрова) aerial Inna Petrova) unexpectedly turns out to неожиданно оказывается балериной be a real ballerina. This circumstance helps настоящей. Это обстоятельство помогает her to get back her husband-agronomist, who ей вернуть внимание мужа-агронома, got attracted to the visiting artist (Yury заглядевшегося на приезжую артистку Klevtsov dances Pyotr in an audaciously (Юрий Клевцов танцует Петра по- Komsomol manner). A considerable share is комсомольски отчаянно). Немалую долю added by the Tractor Driver, riding a bicycle сюда добавляют и тракторист, in a dog’s hide, and the female dacha dweller разъезжающий на велосипеде в шкуре dressed up as Carmen, and the furious собаки, и дачница, переодетая в костюм resentment of the comical jealousy of the Кармен, и яростные негодования Accordionist (Gennady Yanin’s bright role комического ревнивца Гармониста (яркая was an undoubted success of the роль Геннадия Янина - несомненная удача performance), and pretend gunshots спектакля), и бутафорские выстрелы, alternately striking the poor lovers. The попеременно сражающие всех горе- confusion is such that at the beginning of a влюбленных. Неразбериха стоит такая, что new sketch you do not remember what в начале нового скетча уже не помнишь о happened a few seconds ago. том, что было несколько секунд назад.

Тем не менее жизнерадостный балет Nevertheless, I want to praise the cheerful Алексея Ратманского хочется хвалить, ballet of Alexei Ratmansky, no matter what. несмотря ни на что. Ведь «Светлый ручей» After all, The Bright Stream is a playfully - карнавальный балет-перевертыш, игриво confusing carnival ballet-shapeshifter, of both путающий недостатки и достоинства. failures and virtues.

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*Grandfather Schukar, or Дед Щукарь, is one of the characters of Mikhail Sholokhov’s novel Virgin Soil Upturned («Поднятая целина»), published in 1935.

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Майя Крылова. Шутка юмора. Премьера балета «Светлый ручей» в Большом театре / A Joke of Humor. The Premiere of the Ballet The Bright Stream at the Bolshoi Theatre by Maya Krylova— April 22nd, 2003: Спектакль в постановке Алексея The performance staged by Alexei Ратманского – та же по-своему органичная Ratmansky is in its own way the same смесь стеба с ностальгией, которая подвигла organic mixture of styob* with nostalgia that телевидение на «Старые песни о главном», prompted television to push ahead with Old Бориса Гребенщикова – на фильм «Два Songs about Main Things, Boris капитана-2», а режиссера Александра Grebenshchikov to push ahead with the film Тителя - на оперу «Золотой петушок» в Two Captains 2, and director Alexander Музыкальном театре, где персонажи одеты Titel to push ahead with opera The Golden советскими дворниками а-ля Ильф и Петров. Cockerel in the musical theatre, where the В новый «Светлый ручей» стеклись characters are dressed as Soviet road традиционная комедия положений, стиль и sweepers à la Ilf and Petrov**. In the new форма «реалистического» «драмбалета» 30- ballet The Bright Stream, the style and form 50-х, воспоминания о шутовстве деда of a “realistic” “drambalet” of the 30-50's Щукаря из романа Шолохова и неизбежная flocked to the traditional sitcom, memories ирония наших дней по поводу натужного of buffoonery and grandfather Schukar from советского оптимизма. Но главное, что Sholokov’s novel and the inevitable irony of хотел сделать хореограф, – это склониться в our day about the strained Soviet optimism. уважительном реверансе перед авторами But the main thing that the choreographer первого «Ручья» 1935 года, которые на wanted to do was to bow in a respectful словах ставили идеологически manner to the authors of the first version of выдержанный спектакль, а на деле сочинили The Bright Stream of 1935, who in a few многоликий танцевальный дивертисмент. words put on an ideologically sustained Искать в таком балете подобие реальной performance, but in fact composed a multi- деревни тридцатых годов – то же самое, что faceted dance divertissement. To seek in исследовать Прованс двенадцатого века по such a ballet the likeness of a real village of «Раймонде» или немецкое Средневековье по the thirties is the same as to explore twelfth- «Жизели». Либретто о приезде городских century Provence in Raymonda or the артистов в кубанский колхоз (специально German Middle Ages by Giselle. The оставленное без изменений) напоминает libretto about the arrival of metropolitan пародию на мексиканский телесериал. Для artists in the Kuban collective farm Ратманского это плюс, а не минус – можно (specially left unchanged) resembles a поразвлечься. На гребне театральной parody of a Mexican television series. For интриги сочинить сложную (не чета Ratmansky this is a plus, not a minus, «драмбалетам») классическую лексику, because you can have fun. On the crest of заправленную в нужных местах легкой theatrical intrigue one can compose a имитацией «производственных процессов», complex classical vocabulary (unlike a совсем не по старинке соединить россыпи “drambalet”) tucked in the right places танцующих масс, тонко скрестить цитаты из easily imitating the “industrial processes” in собственных и чужих спектаклей, поставить a not at all old-fashioned manner, combine уморительный мужской танец на женских scatterings of group dances, subtly crossing пуантах. quotes from one’s own and others’ 155

performances, and hilariously have a male dance in women's pointe shoes.

Сценограф Борис Мессерер отдал дань The scenographer Boris Messerer paid уважения отцу, выдающемуся советскому tribute to his father, the outstanding Soviet танцовщику Асафу Мессереру, dancer Asaf Messerer, who danced in the танцевавшему в старом «Ручье». Удачны old version of The Bright Stream. The ballet занавесы к балету: черно-белый, curtains were a success: one black and расписанный лозунгами и газетными white, painted with slogans and newspaper цитатами сталинской эпохи, и цветной, в quotations from the Stalin era, and the other котором земной шар «сшит» из веселенького colored, in which the globe is “stitched” расписного ситчика. Менее удались from a cheerfully painted seam. The scenery декорации - сады с плодами, сыплющимися was less successful - gardens with fruits из рога изобилия (первый акт), и неуместно sprinkling from a cornucopia (the first act), унылый кипарисовый парк, украшенный and an inappropriate and dull cypress park гигантской девушкой с веслом (второе decorated with a giant girl holding an oar действие). Еще до премьеры «Светлого (the second act). Even before the premiere ручья» можно было предположить, что на of The Bright Stream, it was possible to сцене появится нечто вроде ВДНХ глазами assume that something like VDNKh would нашего современника. У Мессерера appear on the stage through the eyes of our получилась одномерная сатира на фонтаны contemporary. With Messerer, it came out as «Дружба народов» и «Золотой колос». a one-dimensional satire on the “Friendship Костюмы персонажей специально цитируют of Peoples” and “Golden Ear” fountains. одежды героев первого «Ручья», но в The costumes of the characters specifically моменты массовых танцев налицо эффект quote the clothes of the heroes of the first «пестрого на пестром». Stream, but at the moments of mass dancing there is a “motley on motley” effect.

Бутафорское изобилие балета не дает забыть The sham-like abundance of the ballet does о хорошо знакомых фильмах. Но сходство с not allow us to forget about familiar films. «Кубанскими казаками» - кажущееся. В But the similarity with the “Kuban веселом кино из всех щелей лезла невеселая Cossacks” is only superficial. In the merry пропаганда, в «Ручье» царит кристально movie unhappy propaganda emerged from чистая водевильность. Недаром многие all the cracks, whereas crystal clear мизансцены заканчиваются прямым vaudeville reigns in The Bright Stream. Not обращением к зрителям в виде пластических without reason do many stage settings end «привет, привет!», а в последний момент with a direct appeal to the audience in the спектакля, после заключительного общего form of a plastic “hello, hello!” And at the танца, колхозники и горожане дружно last moment of the performance, after the валятся набок, словно устав от собственного finale, the collective farmers and комикования. Все атрибуты соцреализма, от townspeople fall together on one side, as if тракторов на заднике в начале до парада tired of their own joke. All the attributes of 156

овощей в конце - лишь повод для Socialist Realism, from tractors on the heel полуцирковых гэгов и доброго смеха, at the beginning to the parade of vegetables сводящего социальный подтекст к at the end, are just a pretext for half-circus минимуму. И если подтекст все же gags and good laughter, which reduces all чувствуется, то не больше, чем заложено в social implications down to a minimum. выразительнейшей партитуре Дмитрия And if the subtext is still felt, then no more Шостаковича. На своем, гениальном, уровне than is laid down in the extremely композитор продолжает традиции expressive score of Dmitri Shostakovich. At старинных балетов, его сочинение his ingenious level, the composer continues танцевально, как у какого-нибудь the traditions of the old ballets, his простецкого Минкуса в «Дон Кихоте». А composition is danceable like some simple какое эмоциональное изобилие! Лирические Minkus in Don Quixote. And what an вариации для классических танцовщиков emotional abundance! Lyrical variations for (два развернутых адажио – виолончельное и classical dancers (two detailed adagios with валторновое), оптимистические мелодии для cello and horn), optimistic melodies for колхозных плясок, пародийные мотивы для collective farm dances, and parody motifs розыгрышей с переодеваниями. Зато и от for cross-dressing. But on the other hand, артистов требуется особая чуткость: не artists need a sort of special sensitivity: not просто играть в танце, а в меру наигрывать, just to play in the dance, but to play rather чтобы жесты, позы и ракурсы слегка softly so that the gestures, poses, and «зашкаливали». foreshortenings slightly “spill over.”

Классическая танцовщица Марии The Ballerina Maria Alexandrova, the Александровой, нарочито томный expressly languid Male Dancer Sergei Filin, Классический танцовщик Сергея Филина и and the deliberately determined Jan нарочито решительный - Яна Годовского из Godowsky from the second composition, the второго состава, бесподобный incomparable Byronic Accordionist байронический Гармонист Геннадия Янина, Gennady Yanin, the inspector of quality -- старик Гаврилыч от маститого Владимира by veteran Vladimir Moiseyev -- and young Моисеева и молодого Егора Симачева, Yegor Simachev, the milkmaid Anastasia доярка Анастасии Яценко, нежно Yatsenko, the gentle Anxious-to-be- молодящаяся дачница Любови Филипповой younger-than-she-is Dacha Dweller Lyubov и дачница-«львица» Ирины Зибровой, Filippova and another dacha dweller, secular школьница Галя Ксении Пчелкиной и lioness Irina Zibrova, the schoolgirl Galya особенно Дарьи Гуревич. Эти солисты Ksenia Pchelkina and especially Daria сполна донесли до публики дух лирической Gurevich. These soloists brought to the буффонады, которая придется по сердцу audience the spirit of lyrical slapstick, which современному зрителю. А приход в театр will be to the heart of the modern audience. товарища Сталина, чтобы еще раз запретить And the arrival in the theatre of Comrade 157

«Светлый ручей», к счастью, не Stalin, to once again ban The Bright Stream, предвидится. fortunately, is not expected.

*The term “стёб” is used to describe a specific kind of cynicism that is identified with Soviet and post-Soviet themes. Mark Lipovetsky, a professor of Russian at the University of Colorado Boulder describes the term as “the comic adoption of an official or authoritarian symbol or ritual, the act of hyperidentifying with an authoritarian rhetorical construction in such a way as to undermine it by decontextualising it” (Lipovetsky).

**Ilf and Petrov were two Soviet prose authors who were known for their satirical writings.

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Нина Аловерт. Светлый ручей / “The Bright Stream” by Nina Alovert— July 28th, 2005: Балет поставлен Алексеем Ратманским, The ballet was staged in 2003 by Alexei художественным руководителем балетной Ratmansky, who is the artistic director of the труппы Большого театра, в 2003 году. На Bolshoi Ballet. This is not the first time that сцене Большого балет с таким названием a production bearing this name has been танцуют не первый раз. История performed on this stage. The story of Fyodor предыдущей постановки Федора Лопухова Lopukhov’s previous production to the music на музыку Дмитрия Шостаковича — of Dmitry Shostakovich is a tragic story. трагическая история.

Я много раз писала на страницах газеты о I have written about Fyodor Vasilyevich Федоре Васильевиче Лопухове - Lopukhov many times in the newspaper. He танцовщике, хореографе, открывателе was a dancer, choreographer, and discoverer новых идей в балете ХХ века, человеке of new ideas in the ballet during the 20th эрудированном и проницательном. По century, overall an erudite and astute man. In моему убеждению, в балетном мире он мог my opinion, in the ballet world, he could have бы стать фигурой не менее значительной, become a figure no less significant than чем Сергей Павлович Дягилев. Лопухов Sergei Pavlovich Diaghilev. Lopukhov could мог бы сделать не меньше для русского и have done so much for ballet in both Russia мирового балета, но “черт дернул” его and throughout the rest of the world, but “the жить и работать в советской России! Devil prompted him*” to live and work in Soviet Russia! […] […]

Конечно, сегодня мы не можем серьезно Of course, today we cannot take the plot воспринимать сюжет, но возвращение seriously, but the return of Shostakovich’s действительно “великолепной truly “magnificent dance” music to the stage танцевальной” музыки Шостаковича на of the Bolshoi Theatre is in itself an event. сцену Большого театра — само по себе событие.

Авторы балета 1935 года искренне хотели The authors of the 1935 ballet sincerely создать современный балет, балет wanted to create a modern ballet, the Ратманского — ироничен. Только ли Ratmansky ballet is ironic. Is it only ironic? ироничен? […] […]

Смешно? Скорее — страшно. Во всяком Funny? More like scary. In any case I think случае, думаю, люди моего поколения, that people of my generation, those who know которые знают подлинную кровавую the true bloody history of collectivization and историю коллективизации и помнят, как remember how we were taught lies about the нас учили лжи о якобы растущем allegedly ever-growing well-being of the благосостоянии советского народа, Soviet people, probably have ambivalent feelings on this view. Of course, my peers and 159

наверно, испытывают двойственные I are a passing generation; we lived in that чувства на этом представлении. Конечно, я country for a long time, and it’s possible that и мои сверстники — уходящее поколение, we are just not ready yet to laugh at its мы долго жили в той стране, возможно, мы terrible history. It would be interesting to еще не созрели для веселого смеха над ее know how audience members to whom Soviet дикой историей. Интересно, а как reality is just a textbook story perceive this воспринимают этот балет те зрители, для ballet Does the scary sense of irony of the которых советская действительность — ballet’s contemporary authors get through to история книжная? Доходит ли для них them? Did the young choreographer think страшноватый смысл иронии современных about this? It is a pity that I did not ask this авторов балета? Думал ли об этом молодой question to Ratmansky during the interview… хореограф? Жаль, не задала я этого вопроса Ратманскому во время интервью...

С моей точки зрения, “Светлый ручей” — From my point of view, The Bright Stream is “черная комедия”. Я не жду, что мнение a dark comedy. I don’t expect that the opinion зрителей, видевших балет, совпадет с of the audience who saw the ballet will моим, но с любой позиции смотреть coincide with mine, but from any position it is “Светлый ручей” — интересно. interesting to watch The Bright Stream.

Не понравилось мне оформление I did not like the design of the first act by Мессерера первого акта. Я понимаю, что в Messerer. I understand the irony behind this этой гиперболизации снопов на hyperbolization of sheaves on a drawn рисованном заднике заключена ирония. backdrop. By itself, the embellishments and Вероятно, сами по себе декорации в макете the backdrop look wonderful. But on stage, кажутся замечательными. Но на сцене the actors somehow “disappear” against this актеры как-то “пропадают” на этом фоне. background. The colorful costumes also Пестрые костюмы еще усугубляют exacerbate the color confusion, and all of this цветовую неразбериху, и все это мешает interferes with the perception of the ballet. As восприятию балета. Я, зритель, должна a spectator, I had to make an effort to focus делать усилие, чтобы отвлечься от on the dancers and not get distracted by the сценической пестроты и сосредоточить scenery. In the second act, when most of the внимание на танцовщиках. Когда во action takes place “in the darkness of the втором акте большая часть действия night,” you can better understand the происходит “во мраке ночи”, лучше intentions of the choreographer. вникаешь в замыслы хореографа.

На премьере в Москве и на спектакле в At the Moscow premiere and at a New York Нью-Йорке я видела разных исполнителей. performance I saw various different Должна сказать, что все они, за небольшим performers. I must say that all of them, with a исключением, хороши на своих местах, не few exceptions, performed their parts well, so буду всех перечислять. Артисты явно с I will not list them all. The artists clearly enjoyed performing in comedic situations. 160

удовольствием разыгрывают комедийные ситуации.

Хочу все-таки выделить троих That being said, I still want to highlight three танцовщиков. Среди женщин— это dancers. Among the women, there was Светлана Лунькина (Зина), (Zina), who was charming очаровательная, абсолютно естественная в and absolutely natural in even the most absurd самых абсурдных ситуациях. О Марии situations. And I have already spoken about Александровой (классической Maria Alexandrova (Ballerina). The танцовщице) я уже говорила. Выступление performance of the Ballerina in this ballet is балерины в этом балете — работа мастера. the work of a master.

Особое место в ряду танцовщиков-мужчин A special place among the male dancers was занимал Николай Цискаридзе в роли held by Nikolai Tsiskaridze as the classical классического танцовщика — гастролера dancer, a guest performer from the capital. No из столицы. Как бы ни нравились мне matter how I liked the other performers for другие исполнители этой партии, this part, Tsiskaridze approached his character Цискаридзе подошел к своему герою по- in a different way. The artist himself другому. Сам артист прокоментировал мне commented on his participation in the свое участие в спектакле такими словами: production as follows: “I am an outsider in “Я в этом балете — посторонний. Я — this story. I am an intellectual from the city. интеллигент из города. Год 1935-й? Ну, да, 1935? Well, yes, I am an intellectual who has я интеллигент, которого еще не успели not yet been arrested and shot, so I went to a арестовать и расстрелять, вот я и поехал в collective farm ... ” So, a dual attitude колхоз...” Значит, двоякое отношение к towards a vaudeville on collective farming is водевилю на колхозную тему возможно не possible not only for the audience, but also for только у зрителя, но и у исполнителя. the performer.

[…] […]

Зрители отнеслись к спектаклю с большим The audience reacted with great enthusiasm to энтузиазмом, бурно аплодируя как во the performance, applauding vigorously both время, так и после окончания during and after the performance. представления.

На спектакли Большого театра пришло Many Russians came to the Bolshoi Theatre’s много русских зрителей. От руководителей performances. But from tour managers I heard турне я слышала, что меньше всего их that the smallest turnout was to The Bright было на “Светлом ручье”. Интересно — Stream. I wonder why? почему? *Referring to a famous quote that Alexander Pushkin wrote to his wife in a letter on March 18th, 1936, saying "... черт догадал меня родиться в России с душою и с талантом!" or “the devil suspected me to be born in 161

Russia with soul and talent!” In other words, Alovert is lamenting that Lopukhov was born in such a place and time period that limited his talents.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

Acocella, Joan. “Dance With Me.” The New Yorker, 27 June 2011,

www.newyorker.com/magazine/2011/06/27/dance-with-me.

Aleksievich, Svetlana, and Bela Shayevich. Secondhand Time: the Last of the Soviets. Random

House, 2017.

Alovert, Nina. “From St. Petersburg to Leningrad: Lopukhov's Legacy.” Dance Magazine, Mar.

1989, pp. 42–46.

Bartlett, Rosamund, editor. Shostakovich in Context. Oxford University Press, 2000.

Christine, Caroline. “Exploring the Rise of Soviet Nostalgia in Russia.” Document Journal, 24

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blog/2014/dec/31/the-bolt-shostakovich-ballet-history. 164

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Press of Florida, 2011.

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genuine-tragedy/#.XAH5AS2ZOb9.

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Bibliography of Russian Sources

Аловерт, Нина. Светлый ручей. Русский базар, 28 июля 2005, www.russian-

bazaar.com/ru/content/7324.htm. See Appendix B for translated excerpts of “The Bright

Stream” by Nina Alovert.

Балетная фальшь. Правда, 28 января 1936. See Appendix B for translation of “Balletic

Falsehood.”

Ваганова, Агрипинна Яковлевна. Новый балет. Известия, 22 июня 1935. See Appendix B

for translation of “A New Ballet” by Agrippina Vaganova.

Ваганова, Агриппина Яковлевна. Не надо балетной фальши. Красная Газета, 9 марта

1936. See Appendix B for translation of “No Need for Balletic Falsehoods” by Agrippina

Vaganova.

Волков, Н.Д. и Ю.Н. Сломинский, редакторы. Агриппина Яковлевна Ваганова: Статьи,

Воспоминания, Материалы. Искусство, 1958.

Гордеева, Анна. Чистая радость. Online Время Новости, 21 апреля 2003,

www.vremya.ru/print/35196.html. See Appendix B for translation of “Pure Happiness”

by Anna Gordeyeva.

Государственная дума, Б. В. Грызов. О Заявлении Государственной Думы Федерального

Собрания Российской Федерации «Памяти Жертв Голода 30-х Годов На

Территории СССР», 2 апреля 2008. duma.consultant.ru/documents/955838.

Губайдуллина, Елена. Карнавал кубанских казаков. В Большом театре появился «Светлый

ручей», балет на музыку Дмитрия Шостаковича, когда-то не понравившийся

Иосифу Сталину. Известия, 21 апреля 2003. See Appendix B for translation of “A 167

Carnival of Kuban Cossacks. The Bright Stream appears at the Bolshoi Theatre, a ballet

with music by Dmitri Shostakovich, which was once disliked by Joseph Stalin” by Elena

Gubaidullina.

Кригер, Викторина. Новый балетный сезон. Правда, 7 сентября 1935, стр. 4. See Appendix

B for translation of “The New Ballet Season” by Victorina Krieger.

Крылова, Майя. Шутка юмора. Премьера балета «Светлый ручей» в Большом театре.

Независимая Газета, 2003. See Appendix B for translation of “A Joke of Humor. The

Premiere of The Bright Stream at the Bolshoi Theatre” by Maya Krylova.

Лопухов, Фёдор и Адриан Пиотровский. Балет «Светлый ручей», 1935,

www.ballet.classical.ru/h_creek.html. See Appendix B for translation of “The Bright

Stream Ballet” by Fyodor Lopukhov and Adrian Piotrovsky.

Луначарский А. В. Для чего мы сохраняем большой театр? 1925,

www.lunacharsky.newgod.su/lib/ss-tom-3/dla-cego-my-sohranaem-bolsoj-teatr/. See

Appendix B for translation of “Why do we Preserve the Bolshoi Theatre?” by Anatoly

Lunacharsky.

Майниеце, Виолетта. Алексей Ратманский: Я -- балетоман и искренний поклонник

«Светлого ручья». Большой Театр, 2003. See Appendix B for translation of “Alexei

Ratmansky: I am a Balletomane and Real Fan of The Bright Stream” by Violetta

Mainiece.

Мессерер, Aсаф. Танец. Мысль. Время. Искусство, 1979. See Appendix B for translation of

Dance. Thought. Time. by Asaf Messerer. 168

Новикова, Катерина, начальник пресс-службы Большого театра. Балет «Светлый Ручей»

Шостакович - Большой Театр. Rutube, 28 января 2016,

rutube.ru/video/f38191218dec6ea5ddce2527b35b84b5/?ref=search.

Поляновский, Георгий. «Новый балет Шостаковича». Правда, 1935 June1935, стр. 4. See

Appendix B for translation of “Shostakovich’s New Ballet” by Georgy Polyakovsky.

Соллертинский, Иван. «Светлый ручей» в Малом оперном театре. Рабочий и театр, 1935.

See Appendix B for translation of “The Bright Stream at the Maly Opera Theatre” by

Ivan Sollertinsky.

Тальников, Д. Опыт советского балета: «Светлый ручей» в ГАБТ. Литературная Газета,

10 января 1936, стр. 5. See Appendix B for translation of “The Experience of Soviet

Ballet: The Bright Stream at GABT” by D. Talnikov.

Лопухов, Ф.В. Хореографические откровенности. Искусство, 1972.

Лопухов, Ф.В. Шестьдесят лет в балете. Искусство, 1966. See Appendix B for translated

excerpts of Sixty Years in Ballet by Fyodor Lophukov.

Шостакович, Дмитрий. Мой третий балет, 1935, www.ballet.classical.ru/m_creek.html. See

Appendix B for translation of My Third Ballet by Dmitri Shostakovich.

Эрлих, А. «Светлый ручей» в Большом театре. Правда, 2 декабря 1935, стр. 6. See

Appendix B for translation of “The Bright Stream at the Bolshoi Theatre” by A. Erlikh.

Ясный и простой язык в искусстве. Правда, 13 февраля 1936, стр. 4. See Appendix B for

translation of “Clear and Simple Language in Art.”

Erika E. Pugh [email protected] ACADEMIC VITA

Education

Penn State University: Schreyer Honors College, Paterno Fellows Program Class of 2019 Bachelor of Science (B.S.), Finance | Smeal College of Business Relevant Coursework: Corporate Finance, Financial and Managerial Accounting, Fundamentals of Financial Analysis, Multinational Financial Management, Security Analysis and Portfolio Management, Derivative Markets, Financial Markets and Institutions

Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), Russian | College of the Liberal Arts Minor in Global and International Studies Relevant Coursework: Russian Culture and Civilization, Russian Literature (1800 – 1870), Culture of Stalinism and Nazism, Advanced Russian Grammar, Advanced Russian Translation, Advanced Russian Conversation, Russian Film, War and Revolution in 20th Century Russian Poetry

Research Focus: Soviet ballet’s relationship with politics, ideology, and cultural identity Thesis Title: The Rise, Fall, and Renaissance of Shostakovich’s Third Ballet: Reconciling The Bright Stream with Post-Soviet Culture Thesis Supervisor: Dr. Adrian Wanner Thesis Advisor: Dr. Irina Mikaelian

IES Abroad, Paris Business and International Affairs Spring 2018 Relevant Coursework: French Language, History of Paris in Architecture and Art, International & Intercultural Management, Emerging Markets & Development Strategies, Luxury Marketing

N.I. Lobachevsky State University of Summer 2016 Relevant Coursework: Advanced Russian Grammar Other: host family immersion, adherence to mandatory contract, weekly meetings with Russian language partners, cultural excursions to Vladimir, Suzdal, Cheboksary, Moscow, St. Petersburg, and Kazan

Professional Experience

BDT Capital Partners, LLC Summer 2019 Analyst Chicago, IL • Affiliated investment fund of BDT & Company, a merchant bank that provides advice and long-term capital management to family and founder-led businesses

Bank of America Merrill Lynch Summer 2018 Investment Banking Summer Analyst, Global Healthcare Group New York, NY • Performed industry research alongside discounted cash flow, precedent transactions, trading comparables, and other relevant analyses across healthcare industries including providers & services, medical equipment & supplies, and life sciences • Analyzed ~3,000 licensing transactions to develop a comprehensive deck of 20 precedent Preclinical/Phase I oncology partnerships that was presented to the CEO of a biotechnology company

Activities

Nittany Lion Fund, Fund Manager & Director of Monthly Reports 2017 – 2019 • Managed Healthcare and Information Technology portfolio performance of student investment fund with ~$9 MM AUM by researching holdings and creating valuation models using data from SEC filings, Bloomberg Terminal data, and FactSet data • Co-led weekly educational meetings with ~15 students, covering topics such as accounting, financial markets, trading comparables & ratios, discounted cash flow analysis, and other valuation techniques • Developed monthly communications within PowerPoint highlighting investment performance, company events, macroeconomic trends, and organization happenings for 400+ investors and alumni stakeholders

Women on Wall Street, Lead Coordinator and Panelist 2017 – 2019 • Organized a panel of 6 upperclassmen females who interned in finance to share advice and insights to underclassmen students, with the goal of encouraging more women to pursue careers in finance • Connected over 20 underclassmen interested in financial services to mentors who completed internships in investment banking, sales & trading, asset management, wealth management, and capital markets

Phi Beta Lambda, Executive Board Member and Director of Recruitment 2015 – 2019 • Coached 24 new members through weekly behavioral/technical interviews, resume reviews, networking, and professional development workshops • Led a 3-person committee to launch 6 events for 150+ candidates during the Business Fraternity Council recruitment week on a $1,200 budget

Volunteer Work

Penn State Global Brigades, Small Business Development Volunteer 2018 • Educated small business owners on business development practices as well as financial literacy, inventory management, accounting, and marketing alongside four other Penn State students • Created a personalized ledger for a client to aid in product profitability analysis

American Red Cross, Onsite Coordinator 2017 • Managed volunteer groups of 5-10 students in blood drive operations, including advertising, scheduling, sign-in procedures, and aftercare for blood donors

Honors & Awards:

• Phi Beta Kappa National Honor Society 2019 • Dobro Slovo – Slavic National Honor Society 2019 • Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowship (Russian) 2019 • Carey Lynne DeMoss, Esq. Memorial Award 2018 • Critical Language Scholarship (Russian) 2016 • Dean’s List (All Semesters) 2015 – 2019

Languages:

• Russian: Advanced level coursework, LTI OPI Score of Advanced-Mid (8 out of 10) as of August 2016 • French: Intermediate level coursework