July 7 –August 16, 2014 Lincoln Center Festival is sponsored by American Express July 25 –27 David H. Koch Theater Bolshoi Ballet Spa rtacus Ballet in three acts Music Aram Khachaturyan Libretto by Yuri Grigorovich after the novel by Raffaello Giovagnolli and a scenario by Nikolai Volkov Choreographer Yuri Grigorovich Design by Simon Virsaladze Bolshoi Orchestra Conductor Pavel Klinichev Approximate performance time: 3 hours, including two intermissions Endowment support for the Lincoln Center Festival 2014 presentation of the Bolshoi Ballet is provided by Blavatnik Family Foundation Fund for Dance. Additional support provided by The Joelson Foundation and members of the Producers Circle Major Support for Lincoln Center Festival 2014 is provided by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. This performance is made possible in part by the Josie Robertson Fund for Lincoln Center. Lincoln Center Festival 2014 is made possible in part with public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs and New York State Council on the Arts. The Bolshoi gratefully acknowledges the support of Renova Group, sponsor of its 2014 tour. LINCOLN CENTER FESTIVAL 2014 SPARTACUS July 25, 2014, at 8:00 p.m. Spartacus Spartacus, leader of the Gladiators: Mikhail Lobukhin Crassus, leader of the Roman Army: Alexander Volchkov Aegina, courtesan: Svetlana Zakharova Phrygia, sweetheart to Spartacus: Anna Nikulina Gladiator: Denis Savin MIMES Chinara Alizade, Bruna Cantanhede Gaglianone, Yanina Parienko, Anna Rebetskaya, Anna Tikhomirova, Maria Zharkova, Alexei Matrakhov, Roman Simachev, Egor Sharkov, Vasily Zhidkov THREE SHEPHERDS Denis Medvedev, Alexander Smoliyaninov, Igor Tsvirko FOUR SHEPHERDS Vitaly Biktimirov, Egor Khromushin, Anton Savichev, Alexander Vodopetov SHEPHERDESSES Svetlana Gnedova, Alesya Gradova, Daria Khokhlova, Yulia Lunkina, Svetlana Pavlova COURTESANS Anna Antropova, Anna Balukova, Yulia Grebenshchikova, Kristina Karasyova, Anna Nakhapetova, Oxana Sharova, Maria Zharkova LINCOLN CENTER FESTIVAL 2014 SPARTACUS July 26, 2014, at 8:00 p.m. Spartacus Spartacus, Leader of the Gladiators: Denis Rodkin Crassus, leader of the Roman Army: Vladislav Lantratov Aegina, courtesan: Ekaterina Krysanova Phrygia, sweetheart to Spartacus: Maria Vinogradova Gladiator: Anton Savichev MIMES Chinara Alizade, Bruna Cantanhede Gaglianone,Yanina Parienko, Anna Rebetskaya, Anna Tikhomirova, Maria Zharkova, Batyr Annadurdyev, Anton Kondratov, Egor Sharkov, Dmitri Zhuk THREE SHEPHERDS Alexei Matrakhov, Alexander Smoliyaninov, Igor Tsvirko FOUR SHEPHERDS Vitaly Biktimirov, Evgeny Golovin, Egor Khromushin, Alexander Vodopetov SHEPHERDESSES Svetlana Gnedova, Alesya Gradova, Daria Gurevich, Daria Khokhlova, Yulia Lunkina COURTESANS Anna Antropova, Anna Balukova, Yulia Grebenshchikova, Kristina Karasyova, Anna Nakhapetova, Oxana Sharova, Maria Zharkova LINCOLN CENTER FESTIVAL 2014 SPARTACUS July 27, 2014, at 2:00 pm Spartacus Spartacus, leader of the Gladiators: Mikhail Lobukhin Crassus, leader of the Roman Army: Alexander Volchkov Aegina, courtesan: Svetlana Zakharova Phrygia, sweetheart to Spartacus: Anna Nikulina Gladiator: Denis Savin MIMES Chinara Alizade, Bruna Cantanhede Gaglianone, Yanina Parienko, Anna Rebetskaya, Anna Tikhomirova, Maria Zharkova, Alexei Matrakhov, Roman Simachev, Egor Sharkova, Vasily Zhidkov THREE SHEPHERDS Denis Medvedev, Alexander Smoliyaninov, Igor Tsvirko FOUR SHEPHERDS Vitaly Biktimirov, Egor Khromushin, Anton Savichev, Alexander Vodopetov SHEPHERDESSES Svetlana Gnedova, Alesya Gradova, Daria Khokhlova, Yulia Lunkina, Svetlana Pavlova COURTESANS Anna Antropova, Anna Balukova, Yulia Grebenshchikova, Kristina Karasyova, Anna Nakhapetova, Oxana Sharova, Maria Zharkova LINCOLN CENTER FESTIVAL 2014 SPARTACUS Synopsis Act I, Scene 1 Imperial Rome’s army, led by Crassus, wages a cruel campaign of conquest, destroying everything in its path. Among the chained prisoners doomed to slavery are Spartacus and Phrygia. Spartacus is in despair. Born a free man, he is now a slave in chains. Scene 2 The Slave Market. Slave dealers separate the men and women prisoners before they are sold to the rich Romans. Spartacus and Phrygia are separated. Phrygia is overcome with grief as she thinks of the ordeal ahead. Scene 3 Crassus’ Palace. Mimes and courtesans entertain the guests by making fun of Crassus’ new slave, Phrygia. Aegina draws Crassus into a frenzied dance. Drunk with wine and passion, Crassus demands a spectacle: two gladiators are to fight to their deaths in hel - mets with closed visors. When the first gladiator falls, the victor’s helmet is removed. It is Spartacus. Forced to murder a compatriot, Spartacus’ despair evolves into anger. He will no longer tolerate captivity and his only course of action is to win back his freedom. Scene 4 The Gladiators’ Barracks. Spartacus incites the gladiators to revolt. They swear an oath of loyalty to him and break out of the barracks to freedom. Intermission Act II, Scene 1 Having escaped captivity, Spartacus and his followers find themselves on the Appian Way, Spartacus’ followers call upon the area’s shepherds to join the uprising. The shep - herds and the rest of the population proclaim Spartacus as their leader. The thought of Phrygia’s fate as a slave causes Spartacus deep unrest. He is haunted by continual memories of her. Scene 2 Spartacus’ search for Phrygia leads him to Crassus’ villa. The reunited lovers are over - joyed, but are forced to hide due to the arrival of a procession of patricians led by Aegina. Aegina has long dreamed of seducing and gaining power over Crassus. Her goal is to win him over and gain legal admittance to the world of the Roman nobility. Scene 3 At his villa, Crassus celebrates his victories as the patricians sing his praises. The festiv - ities are cut short by news that Spartacus and his men have surrounded the building. The LINCOLN CENTER FESTIVAL 2014 SPARTACUS panic-stricken guests disperse and Crassus and Aegina flee. Spartacus breaks into the villa, renewing his faith that the uprising will be successful. Scene 4 Spartacus’ men have taken Crassus prisoner and are intent upon killing him. However, Spartacus is not bent on revenge and suggests that the two men engage in single- handed combat. Crassus accepts the challenge but is defeated when Spartacus knocks the sword out of his hand. Crassus prepares for death, but Spartacus lets him go. The public knowledge of Crassus’ dishonor is punishment enough. The jubilant insurgents praise Spartacus’ victory. Intermission Act III, Scene 1 Crassus is tormented by his disgrace. Fanning his hurt pride, Aegina calls upon him to take his revenge. There is only one way to proceed: death to the insurgents. Crassus summons his legions, and Aegina sees him off to battle. Spartacus is also Aegina’s enemy too; Crassus’ defeat would also be her downfall. Aegina devises a plan to spread unrest in Spartacus’ encampment. Scene 2 In Spartacus’ encampment Spartacus and Phrygia are happy to be reunited, but his mili - tary commanders bring the news that Crassus is approaching with a large army. Spartacus decides to engage in battle but some of his warriors are overcome by cow - ardice and desert their leader. Scene 3 Aegina infiltrates the ranks of the traitors who might still be persuaded to return to Spartacus. She and the courtesans seduce the men with wine and dance. Once she has lured the traitors into a trap, she hands them over to Crassus. Crassus is consumed by his desire for revenge. Spartacus will pay with his life for the humiliation he forced Crassus to undergo. Scene 4 Spartacus’ forces are surrounded by the Roman legions and his loyal followers perish in an unequal combat. He fights fearlessly up until the last moments when Roman soldiers close in on the wounded hero and crucify him on their spears. Phrygia, mourning her beloved, retrieves Spartacus’ body from the battlefield. Raising her arms toward the sky, she appeals to heaven that the memory of Spartacus will live forever. LINCOLN CENTER FESTIVAL 2014 SPARTACUS Spartacus 1825, when the classical-style Petrovsky About Theatre was opened. Designed by Ossip The libretto of is derived from a Spartacus Bovet and Andrei Mikhailov, the building book by Raffaello Giovagnolli that details was fronted by eight Doric columns, its events in a first-century B.C.E Roman slave portico surmounted by a bronze Apollo revolt. Commonly known as the Third Servile driving his four-horse chariot. The drama War it was led by Spartacus, a Thracian company moved to the newly opened Maly warrior who was captured in battle and Theatre while the Bolshoi Petrovsky forced into slavery. The rebellion’s high point, Theatre devoted itself to the production of both literally and figuratively, was its seizure of opera and ballet. At that time the ballet was Mount Vesuvius as a stronghold. After two comprised of only 47 dancers. In 1853 fire years of unrest, the rebellion was ultimately again destroyed the interior of the theater. put down by Marcus Licinius Crassus, and The building was restored by the Venetian Spartacus died in battle. The surviving rebels, architect Alberto Cavos (son of the com - numbering more than 6,000, were crucified poser Caterino Cavos and grandfather of along the Appian Way. renowned designer and painter Alexander Benois) and reopened its doors in 1856. The ballet’s story takes considerable dramatic Today the Bolshoi is considered the princi - liberties from historical fact, but captures the pal national theater of the Russian Federation, distinct setting and sentiment