Music by Boris Tishchenko
Libretto by Vladimir Varnava
Musical Director: Valery Gergiev
Conductor: Ivan Stolbov
Choreographer: Vladimir Varnava
Set and Costume Designer: Galya Solodovnikova
Lighting Designer: Igor Fomin
Video Graphics Designer: Ilya Starilov
Principal Chorus Master: Andrei Petrenko
Chorus Master: Konstantin Rylov
The performance has one interval
SYNOPSIS
I. Dissension
Tempted by Div, Prince Igor dreams of "the first glory themselves kidnapped, and back themselves to share".
One can hear the groaning of the Russian lands. Here there is intestine strife - nothing unusual. Murder comes as no surprise. Div is intoxicated by the smell of new blood. The heavens descend. The saints lament murder, but the people do not listen to them.
Princess Yaroslavna, however, has seen a terrifying future through the eyes of the dead.
All of the princes want power, but not all of them will receive it. And Igor's armed force is out for revenge. The young prince inspires them. Their blood boils. The young men join the irregulars and stand before Igor's banner in order to bring themselves honour and glory for the prince. The men of the campaign are assembled. Igor commands them to destroy the enemy - "Praise Igor!"
Yaroslavna has too little time with Igor. She is unable to dissuade her husband who is convinced he is in the right. The prince gives the command for the campaign to commence. Div calls out, anticipating a blood-bath.
The sun vanishes. It is an eclipse.
II. The Black Act
The campaign continues. The army arrives in the darkened Polovtsian lands. The Steppe is stupefying. Here there are glimmers of past disasters and spectres of impending catastrophes. It is terrifying. But the first battle against the Polovtsians delivers an easy victory. Each gets his reward: Igor receives a trophy and the impassioned army can be entertained by the Polovtsian maidens.
But when the warriors fall asleep a maiden carries in a bleeding sacrifice in order to announce her tribe. The Polovtsians' night-time premonitions are proved right. They all merge together in a shamanistic dance and pray to an idol. Div is content.
III. Salvation
Upon awakening, the prince knows no peace. Igor convinces the remnants of his army to march onwards.
Suddenly an oasis appears! How their dear friends meet the armed force! Everything the warriors have dreamed of on the road - here it is! Food, drink and women... And the most important gift is for the prince!
But in fact it is an ambush. The second battle is lost ingloriously. The warriors are in the Steppe of death.
The princess feels it: death is all around, but Igor is still alive. The wind brings in Yaroslavna's lament: she is ready to beg the gods, the waters and the earth if only her husband comes back.
Igor is in captivity. The souls of dead warriors fly past in a flurry.
Div is triumphant. He is prepared to arrange an escape so that Igor can assemble a new army.
Yaroslavna is in despair. She is finished. She has neither energy nor hope. The boy promises that he will return. But Igor's return is overcast by grief.
A new conscription is announced. The sword has been forged and the enemy is gathering. Shall we go?
And what will the prayer be about - of future victories or of peace?
ABOUT THE PRODUCTION
Boris Tishchenko wrote the ballet Yaroslavna (The Eclipse) in 1974 for the Maly Opera Theatre in Leningrad. The production choreographed by Oleg Vinogradov and directed by Yuri Lyubimov was one of the ballet highlights of the 1970s. The innovative masterpiece was acclaimed not only by the Soviet public and critics, but also by the guests of the prestigious Festival d'Avignon. At the core of the production lies a radically different interpretation of The Tale of Igor's Campaign from the one we have seen in the opera Prince Igor. This production features spectacular director's work and Tishchenko's piercing music, which has hypnotised the audience for 14 years - the number of years the production ran at the theatre. The author of a new scenic incarnation of Tishchenko's work is the choreographer Vladimir Varnava. "When reading the text of The Tale of Igor's Campaign, I am trying to show parallels with myself, and in my production I am looking for emotions and images close to the people of today," the choreographer says. "My story is about a man; I try to imagine what might be going through the heart of someone who acts solely for the purpose of satisfying his own ambitions, boosting his ego, feeding his inner demon. It could be about anyone of us, and I want every spectator to consider his or her own actions while watching the production. Yaroslavna is not about some heroic feat, not about a liberator, it's a tragedy. It's like Macbeth in reverse - that's the hashtag I'd give our production. In Macbeth we observe the darkening of a man's soul, while here, from darkness through trials and the greatest guilt of all for the death of a huge number of people, the hero comes to light. The theme of the insight of one at the cost of many lives is present in The Tale of Igor's Campaign, and my task as a choreographer is to portray that idea."
- Home
- |
- Tours
- |
- Day tours
- |
- Rail tours
- |
- Shore excursions
- |
- My trip
- |
- About
Group Tour Packages
Company Information
US office
3422 Old Capitol Trail Suite 1252,
Wilmington DE, 19808 USA.
US toll-free: 1-888-845-8877
Russian office
Ligovsky pr. 57, Office 19,
191040, St. Petersburg, Russia
tel: +7-812-309-5339
© 2001 – 2024 by Northern Crown, Ltd. uVisitRussia and uVisitRussia.com are registered trademarks. Terms & Conditions Privacy Policy
Why Do You Need Our Travel Expert
Contact our experts, and they will help you to plan your best trip to Russia, with attention to every detail!
Our Experts have been in the travel industry for many years, guarantee to offer first class customer service, excellent value for money and unbiased advice. They are standing by to find and build your dream holiday to one of the world's most fascinating destinations - Russia.
Your personal Travel Expert will guide you through each stage of the travel process, from choosing a program that fits you best to support during your trip.
Just tell us your e-mail, and we'll take care of everything!
Ask a Travel Expert
Leave your phone number
Your tour request has been received. Thank you !
We have sent you the confirmation message to [email]
Please make sure that you receive this message (sometimes e-mail messages may go to the spam/junk mail).
If you did not get this message, it means you will not get message with the tours' selection as well. If you use a Yahoo!, Gmail, AOL or Hotmail, we recommend to add request@uvisitrussia.com to your address book.
We recommend to leave your phone number. If we will not heard back that you received the e-mail with the tours' selection, we will contact you by phone.
And you will not miss the best tour for you.
Thank you ! Your request for Travel Expert assistance has been sent. We will e-mail you within 1 hour.