The first of the three premiere shows of the famous ballet “The Legend of Love” by an outstanding contemporary choreographer Yuri Grigorovich was staged on July 3. The present, prepared for the day of the city by the Astana Ballet theater team, was liked by the residents and guests of the capital, which was confirmed by stormy ovations, the unceasing "bravo" and the delight with which the audience discussed the performance after the premiere.
In Nur-Sultan, “The Legend of Love” is held for the first time, among the many works of Yuri Grigorovich, this production occupies a special place. An ancient Persian legend that formed the basis of the plot, as if created for a ballet with his love for exoticism and contrasts, oppositions of love and hate, courage and weakness, which were enhanced by the scenography of the Georgian artist Simon Virsaladze and the music of Azerbaijani Arif Melikov.
But still the main thing here is choreography. Not a single movement of artists escaping the attention of the public, telling about the unlimited power of Queen Mekhmene Banu and the world of mysterious oriental art, which personifies the stonecutter Ferkhad, about wisdom and grief, about love blindness, helplessness of feelings and selflessness. The spectators appreciated the scenes of a corps de ballet of women with jugs that made them feel the sufferings that the people experienced, and the gigantic picture of the procession in which dozens of corps de ballet dancers were engaged was indifferent, sweeping away everything alive from their path.
The costumes and decorations for the premiere in Nur-Sultan were created by the joint efforts of the Russian and Kazakhstan masters under the guidance of the artist on the restoration of the scenography of Dmitry Cherbadzhi. The laconic design of the scene, combined with the rich colors of the light form of the ballet, immersed the audience into the atmosphere of ancient oriental legends. The scenery in the form of an open book leaves the stage space at the mercy of the artists, where they talk about love in blood-red colors, when Queen Mekhmene dominates the stage, and soft blue shades, when beloved Ferkhad and Shirin are in the center of the plot.
By the way, for the first time “The Legend” was shown in 1961 and immediately turned out to be akin to an aesthetic revolution in the world of high choreographic art. Today, the ballet, which became a classic of the 20th century, does not lose its relevance due to the unique and complex choreography. Many groups dream of putting on a performance by the famous choreographer on their stage, but not everyone succeeds: the famous choreographer is very careful in choosing a ballet troupe for his works.
“The Legend of Love” is called ballet at the limit of its abilities. High jumps, the hardest support - all below the line: physical and emotional. In addition, the artists had to combine this with the feelings that their characters overwhelmed - passion, jealousy, despair. Assistants to the choreographer Yuri Grigorovich - Ruslan Pronin and Oksana Tsvetnitskaya did a great job with the artists of the Moscow theater.
On the first day, the image of Queen Mekhmene Banu was embodied by the talented dancer Aizhan Mukatova. Her ruler is relentless, strong and domineering, but at the same time - desperately unhappy and broken by her own inflexibility to Shirin and Ferkhad’s love.
The party of the Tsar’s younger sister was performed by the consummate Tatyana Ten. The brilliant technique of execution, supplemented by the emotional component of the party, allowed to create on the stage a canonical image of Shirin - the embodiment of lightness, tenderness and, at the same time, strength of mind.
The leading soloist of the “Astana Ballet” Theater, Farkhad Buriyev, who was destined to play the parts of beautiful princes by the very fate, in the role of the artist Ferkhad, showed an incomparable technique and scale of artistic personality. His hero, who has become an unwitting prisoner of the queen’s unrequited love, nevertheless, breaks free from her power when he renounces love and decides to get water for the suffering people.
Amir Zheksenbek, who was loyal Vizir of Queen, was wonderfully sang, their joint scenes with Aizhan Mukatova as Mekhmene Banu tore a barrage of applause. The image of the frightening and mysterious Stranger, accurate to the nuances, was conveyed to Nelson Peña.
The audience enthusiastically responded to all the complex support, jumps and variations of artists. Musical accompaniment caused special emotions: the conductor-director Arman Urazgaliyev managed to create the impression that the music was both the beginning and the natural continuation of the movements and bodies of the ballet dancers. Under his leadership, the State Academic Symphony Orchestra brilliantly played the music of the Azerbaijani composer Arif Melikov, demonstrating the peaks of performance skills.
There are still two premiere shows on July 5 and 6, where other compositions of artists performing the main parts will be brought to the attention of the public, which means that the performance will acquire new bright and saturated colors.