Bolshoi Ballet 1956

[K2356]

I bought a 1956 souvenir booklet of the Bolshoi

theater from a used book internet site and the

booklet lists 11 ballets for the season.

Some of the ballets of the 1956 Bolshoi are several favorites like SWAN LAKE,SLEEPING BEAUTY,

RAIMONDA,GISELLE,FLAMES OF PARIS,FOUNTAIN OF

BAKHCHISARAI,ROMEO & JULIET,CINDERELLA

But three ballets listed are new to me and they

are STORKING(?),LAURENCIA,and SHURALE

Am i missing something or are the last three

less popular works ?

The LAURENCIA pages have a wonderful photo of

Plisetskaya.

STORKING is listed a Ballet by Dmitri Klebanov

and SHURALE is listed a ballet by Farid Yarullin

also costumes look Tarter(shurale).

KEVIN

[rg]

i think you are referring to "the baby stork" which is in the bolshoi repertory/catalogue w/ choreography by 3 separate balletmasters as follows:

Baby stork--Original title: Aistenok. Chor: Nicolai Popko, Lev Pospekhin and Aleksandr Radunskii; mus: Dmitri Klebanov; lib: M. IA. Pinchevskii; scen: R. Makarov, T. D'iakonov and V. Zimin. First perf: Moscow, Bolshoi Theater Filial, June 6, 1937, graduate examination of Moscow Choreographic Institute.//Revived: Moscow, Bolshoi Theater, Nov. 14, 1955, under title: Druzhnye serdtsa. Scen: V. Zimin.

Cyril Beaumonts' "Ballets past and present". London, 1955. discussed the ballet on pp. 181-185.

additionally, yuri grigorovich, long associated with moscow's bolshoi ballet, but who began his career w/ leningrad's kirov ballet, also did choreography for this theme. the library lists his version thus:

Baby stork--Original title: Aistenok. Chor & lib: IUrii Grigorovich; mus: Dmitri Klebanov. First perf: Leningrad, Gorki Palace of Culture, 1947 or 1948.

very likely the Shurale you refer to is this one listed by the dance collection thus:

Shurale--Chor: Leonid IAkobson; mus: Farid IArullin with instrumentation by V. Vlasov and V. Fere; lib: A. Faizi and Leonid IAkobson after a Tatar folk tale; scen: A. Ptushko, L. Mil'chin and I. Vano. First perf: Leningrad, Kirov Theater, May 28, 1974, Kirov Ballet (Company).

(as you can see, and as you've noted the theme is a tartar folk tale.)

i have seen photos of both these works but have not personally seen them on stage or on film or video.

rg

[ December 23, 2001: Message edited by: rg ]

[Alexandra]

Laurencia was quite popular for awhile. I think this was a Chabukyani vehicle -- with Dudinskaya. Perhaps it was so associated with him that it didn't stay in repertory. It was revived for the very young Nureyev (also withi Dudinskaya). I don't know how long it stayed in repertory after he defected.

I saw a film of it once, but I barely remember it. Lots and lots of ballet-Spanish dancing. I read a review once that called it "Don Quixote on steroids."

I've never seen "Shurale" and know nothing about "Storking." Anyone else know?

[vagansmom]

Good timing - I just read today about "Shurale" in Plisetskaya's a/b. She states that Leonid Yakobson staged it for her using music by the Tatar composer Yarullin. The story of Yarullin's death is quite amazing. He died as a very young man, as part of a massive group of frontline soldiers in WW2 armed with nothing but their own bodies. It was called the "people's militia" - an enormous, senseless slaughter of unarmed people by the Germans who had no idea these people held no weapons. Yarullin could've avoided this apparently but decided that the "Homeland needed defending" and signed up.

"Shurale" premiered January 29, 1955. Plisetskaya danced the girl-bird Syuimbike, Levashov was the evil forest spirit Shurale, and Yuri Kondratov danced the role of the hero Ali-Batyr. According to Plisetskaya, Yakobson was most "original and inventive" in his successful and warmly received production of "Shurale".

She refers to "Laurencia" as "Krein's ballet" and says it's based on "Fuente Ovejuna" by Lope de Vega so that explains all the Spanish dancing. P. danced "Laurencia" about the same time as "Shurale". "Laurencia" was Chabukiani's choreography and on the opening night of this particular production, Krushchev was in attendance along with many other big Party members. This was danced by P. during the time of her greatest persecution when she was desperately trying to contact Krushchev to be allowed to travel on the overseas tours. (She got as far as his son-in-law who was then punished for trying to help her).

Perhaps as I read on, I'll find some mention of "Storking" as well. I've just gotten to 1956 in the book. If only this book had an index....!

[ December 28, 2001: Message edited by: vagansmom ]

[K2356]

Vagansmon

When you get through the 1956 section of P's

a/b can you tell us if any thing is said about

"The Fountain of Bakhchisarai".I have a 1956

video of P.(as Zarema)& Galina U.(as Maris) also

my Bolshoi booklet has photo of P. and Rasia

Struchkova.Moreover i have the 1956 Ballet Annual

where there is a review of (F.of B.) at the

Royal Opera,Covent Garden.The author does not

like the ballet but loves the preformances.

I am interested if there is any comments of

P. regarding her work with Galina U.

[Lovebird]

Kevin,she does write about working with Galina Ulanova in her book. She had a very high opinion of her as a person as well as a dancer.Of her technique, she writes that Galina never "fudged" a single step and that she danced very lightly.As a person she tells an anecdote with the moral being that Galina knew that silence was worth more than words.By the way,I have seen Laurencia and Shurale on video,the name of which is The Glory of the Bolshoi.Laurencia is in the style of Act one of Don Q. Spanish style ballet.

[ January 02, 2002: Message edited by: Lovebird ]