On March 3 and 4, the Astana Ballet Theatre will show the famous ballet “The Legend of Love” staged by the outstanding choreographer of our time Yuri Grigorovich. For the first time ever, the performance will be accompanied by the symphony orchestra of the Astana Ballet Theatre under the baton of maestro Arman Urazgaliyev.
This is a performance of strong passions and deep thought, combining brilliant components, which have elevated the art of ballet to an unprecedented height: the libretto is based on a philosophical play by playwright Nâzım Hikmet, Arif Melikov composed vivid and colourful music, and Simon Virsaladze created elegant and impressive scenography.
The audience will be presented with a story about the limitless power of Queen Mekhmene Banu and the world of mysterious oriental art, which is represented by the stonemason artist Ferkhad, a story about wisdom and grief, about love blindness, vulnerability of feelings and dedication. The oriental plot seems to have been created for ballet with its love of exoticism and contrasts, the opposition of love and hate, courage and weakness, and Yuri Grigorovich’s choreography contains the incredible power of expression combined with the layering of possible colours.
By the way, for the first time “The Legend of Love” was shown in 1961 and immediately turned out to be a kind of aesthetic revolution in the world of high choreographic art. Today, the ballet, which has become a classic of the XX century, does not lose its relevance due to the unique and complex choreography. This production takes a special place among the many works of the brilliant choreographer, and the 30-year golden “Grigorovich era” at the Bolshoi Theatre began exactly with it. It is amazing that today the performance looks just as up-to-the-minute and modern.
Musical accompaniment unexceptionally evokes special emotions among the audience: due to the director conductor Arman Urazgaliyev, it seems that music is both the beginning and the natural extension of the movements of the dancers’ bodies. Under his baton, the symphony orchestra of the Astana Ballet Theatre will brilliantly perform the music of Azerbaijani composer Arif Melikov, demonstrating the most splendid performing skills. Captivating music merges with dance and elevates the ancient Persian legend to the heights of philosophical generalization.
The events will be held with the assistance of the Ministry of Culture and Sports of the Republic of Kazakhstan.