Ballet “Seven Beauties” at the Moscow Provincial Theater - all the flowers for Kara Karaev! (video). Karaev

Menzer
Aisha, his sister
Shah Bahram Gur
Vizier Rast Rovshan
Seven beauties: Indian, Byzantine, Khorezmian, Slavic, Maghreb, Chinese, Iranian
Chief of the Guard
Military leaders, hermit, cooper, silkmaker, potter, ropemaker, gunsmith, blacksmith, shoemaker, wheelwright, jesters, palace girl

The action takes place in the medieval East.

1. A thunderstorm is raging in the mountains. Shah Bahram, keen on hunting, is forced to take refuge in the ruins of an old castle. The hermit living here shows him images of seven beauties, faded with time, but still beautiful. It seems to Bahram that they have come to life and are spinning in bizarre dances. But as soon as dawn comes, the beautiful maidens disappear.

Bahram leaves the castle and goes home. A meeting on the way delays him: he sees a beautiful girl and a handsome young man competing in archery. This is Aisha and her brother Menzer. Bahram challenges Menzer to a competition. Menzer is defeated. The winner and loser exchange gifts according to custom. Bakhram gives Menzer a belt, who gives him a dagger.

When Menzer leaves, Bahram tells Aisha that love has been kindled in his heart. The girl confesses to the young hunter that she feels the same way. When the servants come running in search of Bakhram, followed by the Vizier, Aisha and Menzer learn that the young hunter is the Shah. The vizier reports that the Khazars have invaded the country.

Having transferred power to the Vizier, the Shah sets out on a campaign. The Vizier comes up with a plan to seize power. He orders his two confidants to change into Khazar dress, catch up with the Shah and kill him.

2. Area. While the Shah at the head of his troops fights enemies, life in the capital goes on as usual. In the square, people are milling about on the benches. A dark procession is moving. Behind the cart, drawn by the arrears and loaded with household goods taken from them, come the girls taken into slavery. The pleas for mercy of the people gathered in the square only embitter the Shah’s servants. They attack the goods displayed in the shops, rob and destroy everything that comes to hand. The people run away in horror.

The vizier is impatient to enjoy power. He descends into the Shah's treasury, puts on luxurious clothes, admires the symbols of the Shah's power, and dreams of the hour when he himself will become a ruler. One of the sent killers runs in and reports that the assassination attempt on Shah was unsuccessful.

3. The sound of a horn is heard. It was Bahram who returned to his capital and, having learned about the conspiracy, hurries to deal with the Vizier. But it is impossible to enter the palace: the guards posted by the Vizier received orders not to let anyone through. Menzer calls armed artisans for help, but at this time a solemn procession headed by the Vizier moves out of the palace gates, who obediently presents the Shah with symbols of his power. No matter how much Menzer Shah convinces of the Vizier’s treachery, he cannot prove anything, because the Vizier, before the Shah’s eyes, kills his close associate - the imaginary organizer of the conspiracy. By order of the Vizier, the guards disarm the people, tie up the artisans and Menzer and imprison them. The vizier threatens to deal brutally with them.

Castle. Having learned that Menzer and his friends are in prison, Aisha runs to the palace, where the Shah and his entourage are feasting. She begs the Shah to return freedom to Menzer and the artisans. Menzer, brought by order of the Shah, fearlessly throws the truth into his eyes. And when the Shah, in memory of his former friendship, frees only one Menzer, he indignantly throws to the ground the belt he received as a gift. The offended Shah orders Menzer to be captured, but he manages to escape.

Wanting to distract Shah out of gloomy thoughts, the Vizier shows him a silk fabric with the image of seven beauties. The Shah remembers the night in the ruins of the castle. Beautiful visions again take possession of his imagination, and he forgets about his worries. The vizier is pleased. Let the Shah enjoy the visions: it will be easier for him to seize power.

4. Village, where Menzer, who fled from the palace, took refuge. The Vizier appears with the guards. The peasants refuse to hand over Menzer. The vizier orders his servants to trample the peasants' crops. The peasants in despair rush to the passing Shah, begging him to spare their fields, but he does not listen to them. His thoughts are occupied with Aisha. He is unable to forget the beautiful girl. But Aisha indignantly rejects the love of the one who doomed the people to hunger. The Shah gives the order to deal with the peasants, and the Vizier orders the village to be set on fire.

As the Vizier looks triumphantly at the fire engulfing the houses of the village, seven young peasants and artisans suddenly appear. The people's revenge is being taken. The vizier falls dead.

Trying to get rid of thoughts about Aisha, The Shah again comes to the ruins of the castle, seeking oblivion in the contemplation of the seven beauties. A terrible clap of thunder. The castle walls are parting. Seven envoys of the people appear before the Shah. According to ancient custom, they present him with a staff and a cloak, as a sign that he must abdicate the throne and leave the country.

And a moment later Aisha appears in front of him. She says that she still loves him, she loves not the Shah in him, but the young hunter who was caught in the mountains by a thunderstorm. Let him give up power, and it will follow him wherever he goes. But the Shah becomes enraged and mortally wounds the girl with a blow of his dagger. The people come to say goodbye to the dying Aisha and expel the Shah from their country.

In the early 1950s, the composer Kara Afulfaz oglu Karaev (1918-1982) was asked by his friend - actor, director and librettist I. Idayat-zade - to write a ballet based on the work "Hasme" ("Quintuples"), which includes 5 poems the great Azerbaijani poet and philosopher Nizami Ganjavi (about 1141 - about 1200): “Treasury of Secrets”, “Khosrow and Shirin”, “Leili and Majnun”, “Seven Beauties” and “Iskander-name”. Karayev had previously turned to Nizami’s work, having written the symphonic suite “Seven Beauties” in 1949. Now it was necessary to translate this theme on stage. The libretto of the ballet was written by Idayat-zadeh together with the writer, playwright and librettist S. Rahman. In it, in addition to the poem "Seven Beauties", the "Tale of the Old Woman and Sultan Sanjar" and the "Tale of the Oppressive King and the Truthful Man" from the "Treasury of Secrets", the parable of the ruler of Merv from "Leili and Majnun" and individual episodes were used some other poems.

In October 1951, the score was completed. The Azerbaijan Composers Union approved it, but during the audition a number of significant shortcomings in the script were noted. Having assessed the critical comments, Karaev decided to rework the ballet. He was helped in this by two of the largest ballet figures in Leningrad - librettist and ballet scholar Yuri Slonimsky (1902-1978) and Leningrad choreographer Pyotr Gusev (1904-1987). The script has been completely reworked.

As Slonimsky recalled, “the novelty of the genre, the system of images, as well as the multi-linearity of dramaturgy, showed us that there is only one opportunity to make a ballet “according to Nizami” - this is to compose your own plot in the spirit of Nizami, drawing motifs from his other poems... In "In ancient performances, as a rule, there was one dramatic line - the fate of a pair of lovers. In Soviet drama, the drama became more complicated - a second line appeared, crossing with the first. Nizami obliged us to combine almost five lines of action in the play. One is led by Bakhram; the other - by the Vizier; the third - Aisha; the fourth - the people; the fifth - the five messengers. These lines are intertwined with each other. They have both private and general development."

The composer had to largely rewrite the score, introducing new scenes and new characters. As a result, a new artistic concept with different dramatic accents arose. Choreographer Gusev in the choreography of “Seven Beauties” organically combined elements of Azerbaijani folk dances with classical ones, and the dance principle with pantomime-recitative.

“The music of “Seven Beauties” is truly symphonic music, with scale and broad breathing. Almost the entire ballet is perceived as an integral, continuously developing and growing musical action” (D. Shostakovich).

The music of the ballet belongs to the outstanding Azerbaijani composer K. Karaev - a student of D. Shostakovich, the author of two ballets, numerous symphonic and chamber works, music for a number of dramatic performances and films, winner of the Lenin Prize (1967). Bright, colorful music represents the strongest side of the performance; the spirituality and emotional power of the entire ballet largely comes from it. Musical dramaturgy is based on two components: Aisha, her brother, artisans - on the one hand, the Shah, the Vizier, the courtiers - on the other. There are several cross-cutting themes in the music - people's lament, people's anger, the greatness of the people. The themes of the seven beauties, the sublime love of Aisha and the low deceit of the Vizier also stand out.

“Colorful dance music,” noted musicologist Svetlana Katonova, “stuns with a variety of bizarre melodies, metro-rhythmic flexibility and richness of harmonic language; it reflects the subtlest nuances of lyrical feelings - from languor, bliss, flirtatious play to raging passion and triumphant love. Particularly noteworthy is the synthesis of dance symphony with various forms of Azerbaijani folklore, which added unique features to the score of “Seven Beauties.”

At the premiere in Baku, the main roles were performed by Leila Vekilova (Aisha), Yuri Kuznetsov (Bakhram), Konstantin Batashov (Menzer), Anatoly Urvantsev (Vizir). The ballet was firmly entrenched in the theater's repertoire and was updated several times (1959, 1964, 1969). In 1978, Karaev created a new edition, enhancing the generalized imagery and poetic beginning. The new production was carried out by choreographers Rafiga Akhundova and Maksud Mamedov. In 2007, a major resumption of the ballet is planned at the M. Akhundov Opera and Ballet Theater, where it has not been performed for several years. Its resumption is timed to coincide with the opening of the theater building after reconstruction.

In November 1953, the ballet in the Baku edition was staged by Pyotr Gusev at the Leningrad Maly Opera Theater (designer Simon Virsaladze, conductor Eduard Grikurov). The choreographer's desire to embody complex, effective episodes in dance forms paved the way for more daring quests of new generations of domestic choreographers. Masters and artistic youth actively showed themselves in the performance: Vera Stankevich, Maria Mazun (Aisha), Veniamin Zimin, Yuri Malakhov (Bakhram), Yuri Litvinenko, Adol Khamzin (Menzer), Nikolai Filippovsky (Vizir). The colorful performance lasted 201 performances.

“In “Seven Beauties,” noted ballet historian Vera Krasovskaya, “under the lush veils of the plot there was an edifying thought: the ruler should be kind and think about the people's good. This idea was affirmed mainly from the opposite - in an excess of stage temptations. Music was to blame for the latter , bursting with truly oriental splendor, sparkling with flowery and rich colors. The choreographic implementation was, however, not so original. In the dances of the performance, old ballet cliches of languor and coquetry came to life. The suite of beauties themselves was completed by the performance of the Most Beautiful: wrapped in a transparent fabric, she descended from the velvet sky on a gilded half-moon to perform a waltz. But in the last act there was a moral about the dangers of temptation. The beauties disappeared, and the disgruntled people drove away the careless ruler."

Over the next decades, “Seven Beauties” repeatedly appeared on the stages of many theaters, including abroad.

A. Degen, I. Stupnikov

We present to your attention the libretto of the ballet "Seven Beauties" in four acts. Composer K. Karaev. Libretto by Y. Slonimsky, S. Rakhman, I. Idayat-zade based on the poems of Nizami. Staged by P. Gusev, consultant G. Almas-zade. Artists F. Husak, E. Almas-zade.

Characters: Menzer. Aisha, his sister. Shah Bahram. Vizier. Seven beauties: Indian, Byzantine, Khorezmian, Slavic, Maghreb, Chinese, Iranian. Chief of the guard, military leaders. Hermit. Cooper, codemaker, potter, ropemaker, gunsmith, blacksmith, shoemaker, wheelwright. Jesters. Palace girl.

A thunderstorm is raging in the mountains. Shah Bahram, keen on hunting, is forced to seek shelter in the ruins of an ancient castle. The Hermit who lives here shows him images of seven beauties, faded with time, but still beautiful. It seems to Bahram that they have come to life and are spinning in bizarre dances. But as soon as dawn comes, the beautiful maidens disappear.

Bahram leaves the castle and goes home. A meeting on the way delays him: he sees a beautiful girl and a handsome young man competing in archery. This is Aisha and her brother Menzer. Bahram challenges Menzer to a competition. Menzer is defeated. The winner and loser exchange gifts according to custom. Bakhram gives Menzer a belt, who gives him a dagger.

Menzer leaves. Bahram tells Aisha that love has kindled in his heart. The girl confesses to the young hunter that she feels the same way. When servants come running in search of the missing Bakhram, followed by the vizier, Aisha and Menzer learn that the young hunter is the Shah. The vizier reports that the Khazars have invaded the country.

Having transferred power to the vizier, the Shah sets out on a campaign. The vizier comes up with a plan to seize power. He orders two of his close associates to change into Khozar dress, catch up with the Shah and kill him.

While the Shah at the head of his troops fights against enemies, life in the capital goes on as usual. People scurry around the square, lingering at the shops and workshops of artisans. A dark procession is moving. Behind the cart, drawn by the arrears and loaded with household goods taken from them, come the girls taken into slavery.

The pleas of the people gathered in the square for mercy only harden the Shah’s servants. They attack the goods displayed in the shops, rob and destroy everything they can get their hands on. The people run away in horror.

The vizier is impatient to enjoy power. He descends into the Shah's underground treasury, puts on luxurious clothes, admires the symbols of the Shah's power and dreams of the hour when he himself will become a ruler. One of the sent assassins runs in and reports that the assassination attempt on the Shah was unsuccessful.

The sound of a horn is heard. It was Bahram who returned to the capital and, having learned about the conspiracy, hurries to deal with the vizier. But it is impossible to enter the palace: the guards posted by the vizier received orders not to let anyone through. Menzer calls armed artisans for help, but at this time a solemn procession headed by the vizier emerges from the gates of the palace, who obediently presents the shah with symbols of his power. No matter how much Menzer convinces the Shah of the vizier’s treachery, he cannot prove anything, because the vizier, in front of the Shah’s eyes, kills his close associate - the imaginary organizer of the conspiracy.

By order of the vizier, the guards disarm the people, tie up the artisans and Menzer, who rushed to their aid, and imprison them. The vizier threatens to brutally deal with them. Having learned that Menzer and his friends are in prison, Aisha runs to the palace, where the Shah is feasting with his entourage. She begs the Shah to return freedom to Menzer and the artisans. Brought by order of the Shah, Menzer fearlessly confronts him with the bitter truth. And when the Shah, in memory of his former friendship, decides to release only Menzer, he indignantly throws to the ground the belt he received as a gift. The offended Shah orders Menzer to be executed, but he manages to escape.

Wanting to distract the Shah from gloomy thoughts, the vizier shows him a silk fabric on which seven beauties are depicted. The Shah remembers the night spent in the ruins of the castle; again his imagination is taken over by beautiful visions, and he forgets about what recently worried him.

The vizier is pleased. Let the Shah enjoy the visions: it will be easier for him, the vizier, to take power into his hands.

Menzer, who fled from the palace, took refuge in the village. The vizier appears with the guards. Despite persistent orders, the peasants refuse to hand over Menzer. The vizier orders the servants to trample the peasants' crops. The peasants in despair rush to the passing Shah and beg him to spare their fields, but he does not listen to them. His thoughts are occupied with Aisha. He is unable to forget the beautiful girl. But Aisha indignantly rejects the love of the one who doomed the people to hunger. The Shah gives the order to the vizier to deal with the peasants, and the vizier orders the village to be set on fire.

When the vizier looks triumphantly at the fire engulfing the houses of the village, seven young artisans and peasants suddenly appear next to him. The revenge of the people is accomplished. The vizier falls dead.

Trying to get rid of thoughts about Aisha, the Shah again comes to the ruins of the castle, seeking oblivion in the contemplation of the seven beauties. A terrible clap of thunder. The walls of the castle part, and seven envoys of the people appear before the Shah. They give him a staff and a cloak as a sign that he must abdicate the throne and leave the country.

And a moment later Aisha appears in front of him. She tells the Shah that she still loves him, she loves not the Shah in him, but the young hunter who was caught in the mountains by a thunderstorm. Let him give up power, and it will follow him wherever he goes. But the Shah becomes enraged and mortally wounds the girl with a blow of his dagger. The people come to say goodbye to the dying Aisha and expel the Shah from their country.

This Monday, February 21, Moscow ballet connoisseurs had the opportunity to touch the amazing and original culture of the East, attracting thousands of people from all over the world. The company of the Azerbaijan Opera and Ballet Theater came on tour to the Bolshoi Theater of the Russian capital with the famous ballet production “Seven Beauties” to the music of the outstanding Azerbaijani composer Kara Garayev.

This work, like much in the culture of Azerbaijan, has its origins in ancient times. The Azerbaijani-Persian poet Nizami Ganjavi wrote the poem “Seven Beauties” (Khamsa) in 1197, based on which a ballet was staged almost 8 centuries later (in 1952).

The premiere of yesterday's performance was first held in 2008 in Baku. A large team consisting of Azerbaijani, Turkish and Russian theatrical artists took part in the creation of this production.

Yesterday the Bolshoi Theater hosted not only Azerbaijani artists, but also many representatives of the Azerbaijani diaspora, who, together with Moscow art connoisseurs, came to support the culture of their native country. Among those present one could notice the composer and Ambassador of Azerbaijan to Russia Polad Bul-Bul Ogly, the first deputy general director of ITAR-TASS and a native of Baku, Mikhail Gusman, and others. The Ministers of Culture of Russia and Azerbaijan, Alexander Avdeev and Abulfaz Garayev, addressed the audience with a welcoming speech.

According to the new libretto, divided into 2 acts, Shah Bahram, the young and strong ruler of a large country, during a hunt ends up in a cave, where seven beauties appear in a vision. Their appearance captivates the young Shah. Returning from the hunt, he sets off to wander around the world, visiting the most beautiful girls in order to find the one who will calm his heart and brighten up his life.

But none of them, no matter how beautiful they are, can dispel the melancholy in the soul of the Shah. Each of them is beautiful in its own way, but in each there is something that repels Bahram. Finally, exhausted by his search, he finds an Azerbaijani beauty in whom all the beauty of the world has merged for him.

Feeling happy and freed from the painful search, he goes with his servants on a hunt, during which he again ends up in the same cave where he was visited by an amazing vision. And there, left alone, he again sees seven beauties dancing around a magical dance. The Shah understands that the beauty of this light is dimming before them and nothing can be more beautiful than them. Then he leaves his beloved and his throne to remain forever in a cave, surrounded by fairy-tale beauties.

This story, embodied in dance by Azerbaijani artists, shocked those present at the Bolshoi Theater with its scale and beauty. We can say that the creators did a great job. Huge and colorful scenery, amazing costumes, impeccable performances by the performers - all this plunged those present into a whirlpool of feelings and passion following the main character of the ballet.

After watching “Seven Beauties,” even a person far from art could become a devoted fan of ballet. Although the meaning of the new libretto was somewhat different from what was in the original version of 1952, the directors managed to breathe new breath into this story, as old as Azerbaijani patterns.

After the curtain fell on the ballet performance “Seven Beauties,” which took place at the Moscow Provincial Theater in honor of the centenary of the Soviet and Azerbaijani composer Kara Karayev, who wrote the music for this ballet, the stage was drowned in flowers.

The artists were called for an encore countless times, rewarded with new applause, and the Bolshoi legend, once a brilliant dancer, and today the artistic director of the Russian Ballet Theater Vyacheslav Gordeev quietly said:

This entire holiday belongs to Kara Karaev. I would like his ballet to be performed in all countries of the world, in all cities of Russia. Thank you for the flowers, they are for Kara Karaev, first of all for him...

It so happened that the performance coincided with National Unity Day, and indeed, the hall was full of Russians and Azerbaijanis, Muscovites and Bakuvites. For former Baku residents who have lived in Moscow for a long time, this performance, familiar from childhood, is especially dear. And the feelings of the son of composer Kara Karayev, Faraj, who was present in the auditorium, are probably difficult to convey in words. My father has been gone for a long time, but such evenings, filled with his music, are so similar to a meeting...

“I’m watching “Seven Beauties” performed by the Russian Ballet Theater for the second time,” Faraj Karaev, a professor at the Moscow Conservatory, who once co-wrote with his father the music for the film “Goya, or the Hard Path of Knowledge,” told Moscow-Baku. . – And you know, I am very glad that “Seven Beauties” was staged by Vyacheslav Gordeev’s theater, “Russian Ballet”. Of course, there are some changes, but the production is still gorgeous. A wonderful theater, I have known it for a long time and well, excellent performers who very subtly feel and convey the national flavor, movements, character - all this plays an important role. In a word - very great pleasure...

Photo: "Moscow-Baku"

Now the ballet “Seven Beauties”, directed, by the way, by Vitaly Akhundov, People’s Artist of Russia and Azerbaijan, who once danced the role of the Shah in “Seven Beauties” and still considers it his favorite, is being performed in two cities. In Moscow and Saransk. But “Seven Beauties”, created based on the plot of the poem by the greatest poet of the East, Nizami, still should not complain about fate. One can only envy the long, very long life of this ballet! Largely, of course, thanks to the bewitching music of Kara Karaev and, probably, to the themes touched upon by Nizami’s plot: love, treachery, thirst for power, human variability, blind trust and unexpected twists of fate, due to which Shah Bahram, who fell in love with Aisha at first sight , in the finale becomes her killer.

For the first time, viewers saw “Seven Beauties” in 1952 in Baku. The famous composer Dmitry Shostakovich, who, as is known, was the teacher and friend of Kara Karaev, was present at the premiere and said that the main thing in this ballet is music. Truly great music. And her “wide breathing.” “We can safely say that Kara Karaev has risen to the level of world achievements in this genre,” noted, in turn, the outstanding conductor Evgeny Svetlanov.

More than sixty years have passed since then, and “Seven Beauties” has not left the stage. This performance was a huge success in Leningrad at the Maly Opera and Ballet Theater, “Seven Beauties” enchanted Paris at an international festival in the seventies, and in the early eighties the film “Seven Beauties” appeared with choreography by Rafiga Akhundova and Maksud Mamedov. At the beginning of the new millennium, the ballet was staged in Sweden, and in this production an international troupe danced, which included dancers from eighteen countries! In 2008, a new production was born, where the famous choreographer Vasily Medvedev acted as the main choreographer, and three years ago Vitaly Akhundov decided to try himself in this role.

If we turn again to the performance that took place on Sunday at the Moscow Provincial Theater, then its only drawback, despite its many advantages, is worth recognizing just one. True, for discerning art connoisseurs it is very significant. There is no orchestra pit in the theater building, so Kara Karaev’s music was, alas, not performed by a live orchestra, it sounded recorded...

The ballet Seven Beauties will be a pleasant discovery for all lovers of classical ballet. It is based on the work of the famous poet Nizami, who worked in medieval Persia. The date of birth of the ballet is considered to be 1952. It was then that the famous Azerbaijani composer Kara Garayev created an original score for this amazing oriental poem. In the center of the plot is the story of the dramatic love of young heroes - the beautiful Aisha and Shah Bahram. The lovers have to face the treachery and intrigues of the cruel Vizier. Themes of love, friendship, thirst for power, devotion, and honor are revealed to the audience.

With the passage of time, the performance was reworked. Guests of the theater will see it staged by Vitaly Akhundov, a talented dancer and choreographer who brilliantly performed the role of Shah Bahram in the past. The libretto was also revised - Alexander Maksakov became the author of the new version. All roles are performed by young professional ballet dancers. Their skill and experience allow them to create an amazing, mesmerizing performance on stage. The production harmoniously combines the motifs of Azerbaijani folk dances and elements of classical choreography.

The images of the seven beauties were also masterfully created. For each of them, a special melody was invented with the expressive intonations of folk music, as well as a special dance pattern. Viewers will be able to make a real eastern journey to Persia - the color of this amazing country is so recreated in the play. The brightness of the characters’ costumes is complemented by a colorful video installation created by Pavel Suvorov. Folk instruments are used in the musical parts, which further emphasizes the oriental flavor. To enjoy the wonderful work of a large creative group, you should definitely buy tickets to the Seven Beauties ballet.