“Paquita” was composed by choreographer Joseph Mazilier. From the literary source (“Gypsy Girl” by Cervantes) in the libretto, only the motif of a noble maiden stolen by gypsies when she was a baby remained. Everything else, having disappeared from the sixteenth century, was resurrected in the nineteenth and was reduced to love adventures against the backdrop of the war between the French and the Spaniards in Napoleonic times.

A year after the premiere, the ballet ended up in Russia, where it was staged by a recently arrived young Frenchman - the future master of the imperial ballet, Marius Ivanovich Petipa. Many decades later, the master returned to “Paquita”, rearranging it again, composing a children’s mazurka and “Grand Pas” to the music of Minkus - the apotheosis of women’s dance, a brilliant hierarchical ensemble-divertissement with the participation of the prima, the premiere, the first and second soloists. In this changing parade, inserted variations from other performances easily found a place: Petipa willingly met the wishes of the ballerinas.

After 1917, the Bolsheviks banned “Paquita” from being shown as a relic of the damned tsarism. But “Grand Pas,” as a separate concert show, survived and took on a life of its own, including on the stage of St. Petersburg theaters. Nowadays, the idea of ​​restoring “Paquita” in its entirety has arisen. However, the choreography of the ballet has not been preserved, and the existing recordings of the pre-revolutionary performance are incomplete.

Paquita enthusiasts work with heritage in different ways. Alexey Ratmansky, for example, focused on following archival documents and stylizing the old St. Petersburg style of performance. Pierre Lacotte was looking for ways to show what Mazilier's performance might look like.

No one, of course, could pass by the splendor of the Grand Pas. The director of “Paquita” at the Mariinsky Theater, Yuri Smekalov, also failed, although he approached the ballet radically. Smekalov abandoned the previous libretto. He composed his own, which is really close to Cervantes’ novella. The main character became the Spanish nobleman Andres, who, out of love for the beautiful gypsy Paquita, wanders with her camp. A gypsy girl, stolen in childhood, thanks to the preserved family heirlooms, suddenly becomes a noblewoman, and her found parents not only save Andres from false accusations of theft, but also bless the young couple’s wedding. (Actually speaking, “Grand Pas” in the context of the play is a wedding ceremony).

For some reason, the action in the new libretto takes place, as in the old “Paquita,” not in the time of Cervantes, but in the early nineteenth century, in the time of Goya (the premiere of “Paquita” at the Mariinsky Theater took place on his birthday). The colors of the costumes and details of the scenery (artist Andrei Sevbo) hint at the artist’s paintings.

The main criterion for the production - with reformatted music and inserts of several 19th-century ballet composers - was entertainment. A new, large and colorful costume ballet with classical dance has appeared in the theater; the public especially loves it. On the stage are gypsies with earrings in their ears, gypsies in multi-layered colorful dresses, fruit sellers, a corps de ballet playing with bright cloaks, officers in red uniforms and dancing with sabers at their sides. Huge portraits of noble ancestors on the walls of the house, girls stamping on their heels with roses in their hair, a plump jumping priest. The sun-warmed red walls of houses in bright greenery, “stray” trees, a comic “horse” made up of two dancers - in general, the people are happy. And entertainment in classical ballet is a completely normal desire. In the end, the imperial ballet theater of Petipa’s time was also concerned with the magnificent picture. The proposed link between the old and the new, as a principle, is also not confusing. The co-authors of the ballet call this “a look at “Paquita” from the twenty-first century.” And should we, brought up on Soviet editions of ancient ballets, be afraid of eclecticism? Another thing is how this eclecticism is composed.

Two-thirds of the choreographic performance was composed from scratch. Although Smekalov’s co-author, Yuri Burlaka, a specialist in ballet reconstructions, tried, if possible, to restore the women’s dance in the “Grand Pas” in its original form. Much has been changed compared to the Soviet edition. But Burlaka, a sober-minded and prudent historian-practitioner, did not try to instill in modern artistes all the nuances of the performing style of the 19th century, although such attempts are visible in the positioning of the soloists’ hands. He did not protest against the high lifts in the duet, which did not exist at the time of the creation of the “Grand Pas”. And he added a male variation, composed in the last century. What can you do if the image of the main character is now unthinkable without a solo dance?

Smekalov’s performance, seemingly tailored according to proven canons, is always missing something. Directing - consistency: many ends of the plot are simply torn off. The choreography is diverse: its simplicity is clearly different from the elegant combinations of Petipa, who could build an entire plastic world on the “leitmotif” of one step. Smekalov’s gypsies and nobles dance almost the same way. Some solutions are unclear. Why, for example, was it necessary to give male soloists the traditionally female dance with cloaks, described in ballet literature (as a historical fact!), where “the gentlemen were performed by travesty dancers”? The street crowd is too lethargic, lacking the passionate Southern vitality. The pantomime is not very intelligible and, in addition, fussy. Apart from the detailed scene of the accusation of theft, the rest of the story, even the recognition of the parents and the wedding (for some reason, not in a church, but in prison) seems to happen in a few seconds. However, by combining dancing in heels with dancing on pointe shoes, and the ideas of Spanish folk dance with the basic poses and steps of the classics, Smekalov, as best he could, conveyed greetings to the rich traditions of Russian ballet Spain, starting, of course, with Don Quixote.

Photo: Natasha Razina/Mariinsky Theater

Of course, the Mariinsky Theater troupe largely makes up for the shortcomings of the production. The winning manner of Victoria Tereshkina (Paquita), with her clear fixation of poses and “sharp” foot, looked especially good in the finale, with a whirlwind performance of fouettes, alternating simple and double. Ekaterina Kandaurova’s paquita was gentle, slightly “blurred” in the lines, the fouetté was performed worse, but it created more feminine coziness on stage. Timur Askerov (Andreas), smiling dazzlingly, took off spectacularly in jumps and pirouettes, periodically suddenly collapsing, probably from fatigue. Andrei Ermakov jumped even easier in the second cast, but he was not quite ready to play the Spaniard in love. And what the Mariinsky Theater is famous for is its middle level of ballet - soloists in variations, who quite diligently (although not without reservations for some ladies) worked out the “Grand Pas”. Petipa's masterpiece, which closes the performance, rightfully takes the place of the semantic center of the ballet. Everything else is essentially just a long preface.

The solemn procession of ballet troupes continues, dedicated to the 200th anniversary of the birth of our ballet “everything” Marius Petipa. Paquita at the Ural Opera Ballet (Ekaterinburg) joined the festive ranks of demonstrators led by Don Quixote at the Leonid Yakobson Theater. I attended the premiere on February 22 and 23 bloha_v_svitere. This “Paquita” is destined to become a hit and the most striking phenomenon of the current ballet season, although its appearance was preceded by the tragic and sudden death of director Sergei Vikharev at the beginning of the rehearsal process. The premiere shows received memorial status, Yekaterinburg - the most unusual, fascinating and absolutely unpredictable "Paquita", choreographer Vyacheslav Samodurov - an unplanned ballet that he had to complete and release into free swimming. The brilliant stylist and reenactor of classical choreography Sergei Vikharev, in collaboration with Pavel Gershenzon, composed a completely provocative performance, without changing a single plot move of the libretto by Paul Fouché and Joseph Mazilier from 1846 and carefully placing all the more or less preserved choreography of Petipa into the travel bag. In the Yekaterinburg “Paquita” there is not a single formal change in the script and the choreography is familiar at the level of instincts. Still the French aristocrat, kidnapped in childhood, considers herself a Spanish gypsy, rejects the claims of the head of the camp, Inigo, falls in love with a brilliant officer and saves his life, destroying a complex conspiracy with poisoned wine, four murderers and a secret passage in the fireplace; identifies the murdered parents from family portraits and marries the handsome rescued boy. The soloists of Pas de trois are still chanting the tired ballet chorus-chorus “glissade - jeté, glidesade - jeté”, they are still prancing in the wedding Grand pas of the “fours” and “twos” in the textbook “Spanish” chant “pa galya - pa galya – cabriole – pose.” But this is perceived as archaeological artifacts found during the construction of, say, a bridge, and built into it as evidence of the existence of civilization in that particular place.

Yes, the Yekaterinburg “Paquita” is a bridge that boldly connected the incompatible: the island of a ballet legend of the 19th century with the materialistic reality of the 21st century, relying on the choreographic rationalism of the 20th century. Its main designers, Vikharev and Gershenzon, confidently drove the piles of fantasy into the shaky ground of non-obvious ballet documentary, established the supports of iron logic, despite the powerful countercurrent of historical anecdotes and incidents, and streamlined the movement in both directions - from historicism to modernity and back. Paquita of the 19th century, having boarded a gypsy caravan, arrived in the third millennium at the wheel of her own racing car, not at all surprised by the transformations that had taken place.

The authors of the play placed the three acts of “Paquita” in three different eras with an approximate increment of 80 years. The first act, with a leisurely exposition, with the introduction of the main characters, with the beginning of the conflict (neither the Spanish governor nor the director of the gypsy camp likes officer Lucien, who decide to kill him for this), lulls the audience with a high-quality reconstruction of one of the iconic performances of the heyday of ballet romanticism . It has everything that you expect from “Paquita” and Mr. Vikharev, a brilliant connoisseur of archival choreography: naive stage positions, inventive and bewitching dances, detailed pantomime dialogues, ideal characters, lovely costumes from Elena Zaitseva, in which the dancers bathe in the lush foam of frills and little frills.

A shocking awakening awaits the touched and vigilant spectator in the second act. It seems that the authors of the play were just waiting for the moment to rip off all this false romantic veil, shamefully pulled over another physical entity. The most melodramatic almost half-hour pantomime scene, extremely beloved by balletomanes for its virtuoso acting, even in the case of the most meticulous stylization of the techniques of ballet theater of the mid-19th century, would have looked ridiculous, at best archaic. The director, like Bulgakov's Woland, conducts a session of magic followed by its revelation, transferring the vulgar (in general) scene into an ideal aesthetic environment: silent cinema of the early twentieth century. The puzzle pieces matched perfectly! The long-eyed handsome Lucien and the femme fatale Paquita, goggle-eyed with long eyelashes, actively give lines that are projected on the screen; sinister thugs with terrifying grimaces are waving sharp knives; the ideal scoundrel (Gleb Sageev and Maxim Klekovkin), laughing demonically, carries out his vile deed and himself falls victim to his own cunning, picturesquely writhing in his death agony. The action is rapidly rushing towards the denouement, the brilliant pianist-demiurge German Markhasin (and, as you know, the young Dmitry Shostakovich worked part-time as a pianist in cinemas) mercilessly destroys romantic illusions, which in the third act, drunk with coffee from a coffee machine, are resurrected to sum up and glorify those eternal values ​​contained in Petipa's Grand pas.

But before the Grand pas you still have to get through the dense layer of people relaxing during the intermission of the performance in the theater artists' buffet. In the new reality, Lucien and Paquita become the premieres of the ballet troupe, Lucien’s dad becomes the director of the theater, and the Spanish governor, who plotted the murder of the main character, becomes the general sponsor of the troupe. Vyacheslav Samodurov, the Nostradamus of our time, already two days before the final predicted the victory of Russian hockey players at the Olympics, placing a TV broadcasting the match on the stage of the theater he directed. Dramatic reality, sports and theatrical, are woven together: against the backdrop of sweet hockey victories, the rootless orphan Paquita acquires a surname, the exposure of theatrical corrupt officials and the combination of arrests and celebrations, crowned with a wedding Grand pas.

The Grand pas is danced almost perfectly: a well-trained troupe cuts through the space of the stage quite synchronously, glamorous with cabrioles and seductive with cancan ambuate. In the Grand pas, the dancers’ heads are decorated not with “Spanish” combs protruding victoriously from their kitties, but with charming French hats from the “Moulin Rouge”, and on their feet are black tights and black pointe shoes, which, coupled with charming smiles, give Petipa’s bronzed, academic choreography a purely Parisian look flair, playfulness and frivolity, completely erased in the past century. Miki Nishiguchi and Ekaterina Sapogova perform the main part with a sweet French swagger and careless indifference; they do not look for industrial records in the choreography and do not “fry” fouettés with an air of ultimate truth, but all their dance statements are impeccably precise and brilliantly articulated. Alexey Seliverstov and Alexander Merkushev, who took turns performing the role of Lucien, appreciated the plastic variability proposed by the directors - the ideal gentleman-darling in the first act, the reflective neurotic hero in the second and the impeccable aristocrat-premier in the third.

But “Paquita” became like this thanks to composer Yuri Krasavin, the author of the “free transcription” of the score by Eduard Deldevez and Ludwig Minkus. He created a musical breakthrough, reincarnating simple tunes and little songs into the powerful polyphonic sound of an incredibly integral and fascinating work. These transformations and the musical charades conceived by Mr. Krasavin plunge one into frantic delight. The introduction of an accordion, a xylophone and the increased role of percussion, sometimes carefully and delicately, sometimes chopping from the shoulder and preparing the “applause” step, added to the score of “Paquita” by Krasavin even greater plasticity and “Frenchness”. However, the blows of the whip in the most energetically intense moments do not allow one to be lulled by the charm of a deceptively ancient ballet.

Act one

Scene 1. Valley in the vicinity of Zaragoza. Large, crudely sculptured stone bulls can be seen on the hills in the distance. To the right are huge rocks with a natural staircase. There is a gypsy tent right there.
The sculptor carves an inscription on a marble board. Spanish peasants lie and stand in groups. The French general appears, accompanied by the governor of the Spanish province and his sister Serafina. Lucien supports his grandmother. The general orders to show the inscription that the sculptor carved. It is as follows:
"In memory of my brother Charles d'Hervilly, killed with his wife and daughter on May 25, 1795."
Examining the inscription, he recalls in a mimetic story this sad event that happened on his last trip to Spain. As a Frenchman and a winner in this country, and therefore having the right to command, he demands that this inscription be carved on the rock in the very place where his brother died from the dagger of robbers. Lucien and his grandmother share his grief. The governor, wanting to somehow dispel the gloomy mood, announces to them a big village holiday, which is scheduled right there and on the same day, and after the holiday he promises to fulfill his brother’s will regarding the monument. Don Lopez takes care of visiting guests, especially since he has in mind to connect with them.
The general is not against this union and, taking Serafina’s hand, connects it with Lucien’s hand, with the consent of the first. It is noticeable that although outwardly the governor agrees to this alliance, forced by political circumstances and the superior strength of the victors, internally he is far from this. The governor, as a Spaniard, harbors in his soul a hatred of the French - a hatred that was more than once the cause of so many murders in the last Spanish war.
Meanwhile, the grandmother quietly asks her grandson if he loves the bride. “No,” the grandson answers, “and my heart is still free.” - “You’ll make it!” You will have time to fall in love, time has not passed,” says the old woman, and all three, at the invitation of Don Lopez, go for a walk and admire the picturesque surroundings of Zaragoza.
Lively and cheerful music heralds the arrival of the gypsy camp. They come down from the mountains. Wagons, stretchers with belongings and other belongings slowly stretch across the plain. Everyone is having fun in anticipation of the upcoming holiday, but Inigo, the head of the camp, looking around him, notices that Paquita, his first, most beautiful and skillful dancer, is not there.
By his order, some return to the road for her, but at this time she appears on the mountain. Without taking her sad gaze off the bouquet in her hands, Paquita slowly descends. Approaching her friends, she gives them flowers that she collected along the way. Inigo is angry and angry that she was late. It's hard to hold him. He gives various orders regarding the holiday, and everyone enters the tent.
Left alone with Paquita, Inigo tells her about his feelings, that it is in her hands to make him her most obedient slave from a proud and indomitable master. Paquita is burdened by her slavery, but still prefers it to Inigo’s love. She bounces away from him, runs, dances in some kind of oblivion, as if trying to drown out both Inigo’s proposals and the sad feelings that they inspired. Inigo thinks in vain to stop her: Paquita stops him with one look, in which there is obvious indignation. Confused, Inigo leaves.
Left alone, Paquita takes out the portrait hidden on her chest, which she has not parted with since childhood. It shows neither the clan nor the homeland of the person it depicts. But Paquita imagines that it depicts the sweet features of the one to whom she owes her life - the one with whom all the joys and delights of quiet family happiness are associated. Getting ready to go to her friends and looking around the surrounding area, she suddenly stops, recognizing with horror the place where a bloody event took place before her eyes, of which only a vague memory remains. Here, in this very place, the officer who carried her in his arms fell dead, then she was grabbed, carried away by strangers, then... But the noise and the gathering crowds of spectators and participants interfere with Paquita’s memories and remind her of the sad reality. She goes into the gypsy tent.
The stage is filling up. The general, his mother, Serafina, and the governor return and take the places prepared for them. Gypsies in elegant costumes come out of the tent. Dancing. After them, Inigo, counting on Paquita’s beauty, orders her to go around the audience and collect money from them. Paquita obeys, but shyly, sadly, reluctantly. Passing by Lucien, she makes a strong impression on him. The collection is over. But despite the generosity of the young officer, the greedy Inigo is unhappy. He wants to replenish the amount collected and, again counting on Paquita, orders her to start dancing. Is Paquita up to that? She is less inclined to dance than ever, she is sad, she is bored, she refuses. Inigo loses his temper and wants to force her, but Lucien stands up for the unfortunate woman. Calming Paquita, he peers at her carefully. The tenderness of her face, whiteness, nobility amazes him. Everything suggests that she is not a gypsy, that there is some fatal secret that hides both her life and origin. Lucien takes Paquita to his grandmother, who is equally amazed by the girl’s beauty and expresses her concern for her. Lucien asks Inigo who this girl is. Inigo replies that she is his relative. Lucien doesn’t believe it and asks Paquita herself. Paquita says that she has one thing that can explain who she is and where she comes from - this is a portrait, and begins to look for it, but alas... The portrait has disappeared. Inigo, seeing the turn this explanation was taking, and fearful of its consequences, secretly stole the medallion from her pocket. Paquita blames Inigo for her grief and despair. Lucien orders his detention, but the governor intervenes and frees the gypsy. Lucien insists that Paquita should not be forced to dance. Jealous Inigo is far from insisting otherwise. But Paquita, wanting to somehow express her gratitude for the participation and intercession of the young man, involuntarily responding to his feelings and driven by an irresistible instinct of the most innocent and natural coquetry, she herself wanted to dance. Now Inigo is preventing this. Here the governor intervenes and orders not to interfere with Paquita to do what she wants.
Encouraged by Llucien's presence, she dances. His love inflames more and more, and Mendoza, having conceived some evil, joyfully watches the emerging passion. He invites the general and his family to dinner, which the servants who enter let him know about. The guests leave, but the governor remains for some time under the pretext of the need for his presence at the end of the celebration.
Left alone with Inigo, the governor asks him if he is angry with Lucien. “Of course!” - Inigo answers. “And if I promise not to pursue you, will you kill him?” - "His? Your future son-in-law? - “Yes, the future son-in-law... But I don’t want him to be my son-in-law and therefore I’m persuading you to kill him...” - “But aren’t you helping him get closer to Paquita?” “And this is not without purpose,” Mendoza replies. “Let Paquita be an involuntary instrument of our revenge.”
Paquita returns. Mendoza goes to his guests. Inigo tells Paquita that he wants to go, and retires to the tent to raise his entire camp immediately on a hike.
Paquita is alone, but not even a moment has passed when Lucien comes running. The young people fell passionately in love with each other at first sight. Lucien, still taking her for a simple and, therefore, corrupt gypsy, offers her money, but the offended Paquita refuses it with dignity. Lucien promises her to arrange her fate differently, vows to free her from the captivity in which she is, and asks her to follow him, but Pahita, seeing the difference in their positions - Lucien’s nobility and the insignificance of her own origin - does not agree to this. Lucien begs her to at least allow him to see her sometimes and, as a pledge of this permission, asks for a bouquet of flowers, which she has in her hands, but Paquita refuses him this too. Distressed Lusien leaves. Pakhita feels sorry for him, she repents of her cruelty and rushes after him... And then Paquita meets Inigo’s mocking and jealous gaze. He was here, he saw everything, he heard the last words of their explanation. Paquita stops; Having a presentiment that Lucien is in danger of death, and not wanting to be her instrument, she rejoices at her intransigence in the previous scene.
Inigo comes to the governor and tells him about the meeting of the young people and about the bouquet that Paquita did not agree to give to Lucien. The governor immediately comes up with a sure plan for Lucien’s death. Meanwhile, the departure of the French general is announced. As if concerned only with seeing off, the governor makes various orders on this occasion and, among other things, orders all the peasants to collect flowers and bouquets and bring them to his guests as a sign of special respect for such worthy allies of Spain. However, he does not put Paquita’s bouquet in a common basket, but quietly gives it to one young gypsy, having previously taught her what and how to do.
The general and the old countess arrive, accompanied by Lucien and Serafina. During the offering of bouquets, a young gypsy woman approaches Lucien and secretly hands him a bouquet. Lucien is delighted to recognize Paquita's bouquet. He questions the gypsy, who confirms his guess and shows where Paquita lives, adding that Lucien can see her at any time. Without delay, Lucien immediately wants to ride into the city alone on horseback and announces this to his relatives. The general and the old countess do not hold him back, but only ask that he not be late for the upcoming ball, at which his wedding with Seraphina is to be celebrated. Lucien hurries, puts on his traveling cloak, says goodbye and leaves. Peasant women surround the governor's guests, while the gypsy camp, led by Inigo and Paquita, also sets off on a hike. Lucien follows them from a distance.

Scene 2. Interior decoration of a small gypsy dwelling.
Paquita enters, sad and thoughtful. She dreams of Lucien. Will she ever see him?... Suddenly a noise is heard. Paquita opens the shutters, a masked stranger walks towards the house and climbs the stairs. Paquita, suspecting something evil, hides behind the closet.
The disguised Governor and Inigo enter. The governor arranges for the death of their intended victim, who will not be late to appear in a few minutes. Inigo does not need any advice or incitement: he has already stocked up on a narcotic drug that he will mix into the drink of the expected traveler, and then Lucien will inevitably die. Inigo hides the drink in the closet and locks it, unaware that Paquita is watching his every move. The Governor leaves, presenting Inigo with a purse for his future service. After this, Inigo calls four comrades through the window, who should be his assistants in the bloody plan, and gives them part of the payment he received. At midnight a crime must be committed. Inigo, meanwhile, hides two of his accomplices behind the fireplace wall, which moves and rotates on its own, facing the door on the other side. Suddenly, at this very time, Paquita, wanting to leave and warn the unfortunate victim, touches the chair and thereby involuntarily reveals herself. Inigo turns around, sees Paquita and grabs her hand - ruin for her if she overheard the secret... But Paquita assures that she just entered, and the reassured Inigo leaves her. At this moment there is a knock on the door. There is no longer any hope of salvation - Lucien enters.
Lucien's joy at meeting Paquita - and Paquita's horror, realizing that the person facing death is Lucien...
Inigo thanks him for this honor with feigned servility. Something completely different is noticeable in all movements, in all signs of Paquita - she seems to be asking: “Why are you here? Why are you going to your death? In response, Lucien shows her a bouquet supposedly sent by her. Paquita denies - but in vain: Lucien does not believe and does not understand her. Inigo orders Paquita to serve the guest. Lucien gives the saber to Inigo and Paquita the cloak. Paquita, as if accidentally, throws it over Inigo’s head and explains to Lucien what danger threatens him, but Lucien does not believe her: he looks at her and thinks only about her, alien to any fears. Meanwhile, Inigo offers dinner to Lucien and, leaving, gives orders for it, then takes Paquita with him, who, as she leaves, never ceases to make signs for Lucien to be careful and ready for danger.
Lucien is left alone and notices that there is indeed something strange and suspicious both in the home itself and in its owner; he goes to the window - it is locked, to the doors - the same thing. Here he remembers that they took his saber; he looks for it, but it is hidden. While he is thinking about means of protection, they enter the room again.
Paquita enters first with cutlery and plates. Behind her is Inigo. Dinner is being served. Inigo wants to leave, Paquita signals to Lucien to hold him and not lose sight of him for a minute. Lucien forces Inigo to stay and have dinner with him. After much ceremony, Inigo agrees. Inigo pours a glass of wine for Lucien, Paquita makes a sign that he can drink - Lucien obeys. Meanwhile, Paquita, while serving, manages to steal Inigo’s pistols and pour gunpowder from the shelves. Inigo, not noticing this and seeing only Paquita’s caresses and helpful treatment, invites her to dance in front of Lucien. While he goes to get the castanets, the young people manage to give each other several warning signs. Returning, Inigo pours the rest of the bottle into Lucien's glass, while it is still full, and, as if remembering something, hits himself on the forehead, goes to the closet and takes out a poisoned bottle of supposedly the best wine, which he wants to treat the young officer . Paquita signals to Lucien that this bottle is poisoned. Inigo, having poured it, invites him to drink, but Lucien refuses. At this time, Paquita drops the plates. Inigo turns around and angrily goes to see what is broken, while Paquita manages to move the glasses. Everything calms down, but the roles change. Now Lucien invites Inigo to drink with him in one gulp. Inigo, suspecting nothing, agrees. After which, fully confident that his plan was a success, he invites Paquita to dance and dances a gypsy dance with her. During the dance, Paquita manages to let Lucien know both the number of killers and the hour appointed for the murder. Moreover, she orders him to pretend to fall asleep. Lucien obeys, and Inigo triumphs, believing that the opponent is in his hands, but suddenly he himself stops, yawns and involuntarily closes his eyes. In vain he tries to resist the effect of the sleeping potion - he unbuttons his dress and drops the medallion, which Paquita immediately picks up. Inigo staggers towards the table, falls onto a chair and falls asleep. Then Paquita lets Lucien know that there is not a minute to waste and explains the current situation to him in detail. Lucien grabs the pistols, but - alas - there is no gunpowder on the shelves. Lucien is looking for his saber, finds it, but what can he do against four killers armed with pistols! Meanwhile, midnight strikes and the fireplace door begins to turn. Paquita grabs Lucien by the hand and runs with him to the door; they lean against her and with her turn they disappear from the room - they are saved. Meanwhile, assassins appear and, mistaking Inigo for Lucien, kill him.

Act two

A magnificent hall in the house of the French commandant of Zaragoza. The architecture is Moorish, with decorations from the imperial era. A large portrait with a full-length figure in an officer's uniform in the foreground of the hall. Ball in the traditions of that time. Military men of all ranks and years, courtiers of all classes and both sexes, in the most brilliant uniforms and costumes of the imperial era. In addition to the French, you can also see several Spaniards in national clothes.
Count d'Hervilly comes out with his future daughter-in-law and her father, the governor. The old countess is surprised by Lucien's absence. The count calms her down and persuades her not to worry. At his request, the quadrille begins. The old woman is worried, and this time the count shares her fears. But suddenly the crowd steps aside, Lucien appears, leading Paquita by the hand. Lucien's story about the danger he escaped arouses not only everyone's surprise and joy, but also the horror of the governor. Meanwhile, Lucien announces to whom he owes his salvation and what feelings they are filled with for each other. Lucien asks not to interfere with their connection, but Paquita herself does not want this, understanding the difference in their position in society. She is glad that she managed to save Lucien, and Lucien wants to leave, but if she objects, he is ready to follow her everywhere. The count and the old countess are trying to persuade Lucien, especially since the governor is here and is ready to demand the fulfillment of his word to marry Lucien to his sister Seraphina. But horror! Paquita peers at the governor and clearly recognizes him as the stranger who incited Inigo to murder. The governor's embarrassment further convinces everyone of this, and he is arrested and taken away. Serafina follows him. Paquita still does not agree to the happiness offered to her, but, wanting to leave again, she notices a portrait on the wall, peers at it, takes out her medallion, compares it with the portrait, and - oh joy! - this portrait is a portrait of her father, brother of Count d'Ervilly, and she herself is the same child who was rescued during the terrible crime of 1795 and raised in the gypsy camp of Inigo. The general kisses Paquita. The old woman takes her away. Paquita changes clothes. The General gives a sign, and the ball continues.

Characters: Paquita, Lucien de Ervilly, Inigo - the head of the gypsy camp, Don Lopez de Mendoza - the governor of a province in Spain, Count de Ervilly - a French general, Lucien's father, a gypsy child.

ACT I

PICTURE ONE

Blooming spring has arrived in the mountains of Zaragoza. The rising sun breaks through the fog and illuminates the valley; in the distance rises the castle of the French general Comte de Ervilly.

Not far from the castle there is a gypsy tent. Gypsies are descending along a narrow path. Following them appears the leader of the gypsy camp, Inigo, with his young servant. Among them, he does not see the best dancer of the camp, Paquita, with whom he is madly in love, and leaves, continuing his search. The girl goes down the path and approaches the gypsies. Inigo returns, he is outraged by Paquita’s absence, but the girl does not react to the gypsy’s reproaches, she is completely immersed in her memories. Inigo asks everyone to leave, inviting only Paquita to stay. The gypsies are leaving. Inigo tries to tell the beautiful Paquita how much he loves her, but the girl rejects his advances, making it clear that she has no feelings for him.

After some time, all the gypsies return. The governor of the province of Saragossa comes with them with his friend - the French general Comte de Ervilly and his son Lucien. The governor asks the gypsies to dance in honor of the noble guests from France.

The gypsy baron calls his best dancer Paquita and orders her to perform a dance. The girl doesn't want to dance. Inigo is angry with the gypsy and swings at her in anger, but Lucien stops the head of the camp. Inigo retreats. The young count draws attention to the extraordinary beauty and nobility of her facial features. He falls in love with Paquita at first sight. In gratitude for the protection, the girl dances for Lucien and the noble guests. Everyone is having fun.

The governor thanks the gypsies for their magnificent dancing. Everyone leaves.

Paquita is left alone. The girl takes out a medallion that she has had since childhood. The portrait shows the familiar features of a man whom she cannot remember. Thoughts gradually tire Paquita, and she falls asleep.

PICTURE TWO

Paquita's dream.

The girl sees herself at a ball in the palace among the courtiers, and most importantly, the beautiful Lucien is next to her.

While sleeping, the gypsy kid steals the girl's medallion. The dream is over, Paquita is back in reality. At this moment, Lucien appears next to her and wants to confess his love to Paquita. The lovers do not notice that Inigo is watching them. When Lucien leaves, the gypsy instructs his little servant to run to the gypsy house to prepare dinner. Inigo started an insidious plan to kill his lover Lucien. Paquita secretly watches the gypsy baron and his servant. She rushes after the gypsy child to prevent the murder of her lover.

ACT II

PICTURE THREE

Gypsy house. The little servant carries out Inigo's instructions; he prepares the table for dinner.

Hearing a noise behind the door, he opens it and, seeing a terrible mask, faints, dropping the stolen medallion.

Paquita was hiding behind the mask, she picks up the medallion and hides in the house. Lucien and Inigo follow her into the house. While the young count is inspecting the home, the insidious baron secretly adds sleeping pills to the glass of wine intended for Lucien. Paquita sees everything that is happening. Inigo invites Lucien to drink wine, the girl understands that there is no time to hesitate. She attracts attention by pretending that she just entered. The Count is glad to see his beloved, but Inigo, on the contrary, is trying to send Paquita out. The girl starts dancing just to stay in the room. Paquita takes advantage of the opportunity to distract Inigo. She tells Lucien about the baron's insidious plan and switches the glasses.

Inigo returns, he raises a toast to the Count, and both drink wine. The gypsy, fully confident that his plan was a success, starts dancing with Paquita. Inigo's legs begin to tangle, his eyelids stick together, and he feels feverish. Inigo, staggering and losing strength, gets to the table and falls asleep. The lovers leave their home safely.

PICTURE FOUR

Ball at the castle of the Comte de Ervilly. In the midst of a social event, Lucien and Paquita run into the hall, they talk about the danger that they managed to avoid. The young count, in the presence of everyone, thanks Paquita for saving him. The general sees a medallion with a familiar image on the girl’s neck; having examined it closely, he sees that in front of him is an image of his deceased brother. The general realizes that Paquita is her brother's missing daughter. Lucien asks for the girl's hand. Now lovers can unite their hearts. The ball continues in honor of Paquita and Lucien's engagement.

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Federal State Budgetary Educational Institution of Higher Professional Education "Moscow State Academy of Choreography"

Abstract on the topic:

"Paquita" on the world stage from Mazilier to Lacotte

Completed:

Second year student

Tyablikova I.V.

“Paquita” (or “Paquita”) (French: Paquita) is a ballet to the music of composer Edouard-Marie-Ernest Deldevez (French: Edouard-Marie-Ernest Deldevez; 1817-1897) with subsequent musical additions by composer Ludwig Minkus.

The first performance took place in Paris, on the stage of the Grand Opera Theater, on April 1, 1846, staged by choreographer Joseph Mazilier to music by Ernest Deldevez.

Characters:

Lucien d'Hervilly

Inigo, head of the gypsy camp

Don Lopez de Mendoza, provincial governor in Spain

Count d'Hervilly, French general, father of Lucien

Sculptor

Doña Serafina, Don Lopez's sister

Countess, mother of Count d'Hervilly

Young gypsy.

IN Spain The beautiful Paquita lives in a gypsy camp. But she is not a gypsy. Her appearance in the camp is connected with some terrible crime in 1795 and is shrouded in mystery. Paquita carefully keeps a miniature portrait of her father, but who is he and why was he killed? -- she doesn't know. She was very young and only remembers how someone took her away.

But then the Count d'Hervilly, a French general, arrives in the valley in the vicinity of Saragossa, where a gypsy camp lives. He demands to erect a monument to his brother Charles, who was once killed with his wife and daughter in this very place.

Meanwhile, the Governor of the Spanish province, Lopez de Mendoza, is weaving intrigues on how to marry his sister Serafina to Lucien d'Hervilly. And Inigo, the head of the gypsy camp, is weaving his own intrigues -- he wants to achieve the love of the beautiful Paquita. However, he notices that tender feelings flare up between Lucien and Paquita. Inigo comes to the governor Don Lopez de Mendoza, and they develop a plan to destroy Lucien: give him wine laced with sleeping pills, and then specially hired killers will come.

But their plans are not destined to come true -- Paquita overheard their conversation and saves Lucien by replacing the bottles of wine and giving sleeping pills to Inigo. The hired killers, having received orders to kill the one in the house, mistakenly kill Inigo himself instead of Lucien.

And the main characters, Paquita and Lucien d'Hervilly, together, alive and unharmed after all the troubles, come to the place where the big ball is being prepared and where the portrait of the murdered hero Charles d'Hervilly is sculpted.

Paquita talks about the betrayal of the governor, and he is arrested. And in the portrait of the deceased hero, comparing it with the image in her medallion, she recognizes her own father.

History of ballet

The premiere of the two-act play took place on April 1, 1846 in Paris, at the Grand Opera Theater; choreographer J. Mazilier, artists R. Philastre, C. Cambon, P. Lieterle, T. J. Sechan, E. Despleches.

In the main roles: Paquita - Carlotta Grisi, Lucien - Lucien Petipa; in the role of Inigo - Pearson.

The ballet ran at the Paris Opera until 1851, while the leading role performer Carlotta worked there. Grisi (then she went to her common-law husband, choreographer Jules Perrot, in Russia, where she received a contract for two seasons and where Paquita was among the roles performed).

But real success awaited this ballet a year and a half later in Russia, where it received the name “Paquita” and was staged several times and continues its stage life to this day.

The production in Russia was the next one after the Paris premiere, it turned from a two-act into a three-act and was performed by the St. Petersburg Imperial Troupe on the stage of the Big Stone Theater on September 26 (October 8), 1847 with music by Deldevez in the instrumentation K.N. Lyadova and with the addition of new gallop music by him, he is also the conductor of the first production (according to other sources, the instrumentation was made and conducted not by Konstantin Lyadov, but by his brother Alexander Lyadov, just at this time he was appointed conductor of the St. Petersburg Ballet Orchestra; choreographers Jean-Antoine Petipa, Marius Petipa and Frederic Malavergne (there are versions that the elder Petipa did not take part in this production); artists G. G. Wagner and Jourdel. In the main roles: Paquita - Elena Andreyanova, Lucien - Marius Petipa, Inigo - Frederic, Count D'Hervilly - Nikolai Golts (later in the same edition of the play the part of Paquita was performed by: R. Giro, A. I. Prikhunova and the first performer of the Paris premiere, Carlotta Grisi, arrived in Russia in 1851).

After a successful premiere in St. Petersburg, Elena Andreyanova left to seek creative happiness at the Moscow Imperial Troupe; her regular partner at that time, Marius Petipa, was sent with her. Marius Petipa repeated the same production at the Moscow Imperial Troupe, at the Bolshoi Theater, on November 23, 1848, himself, together with his partner E. Andreyanova, performing the main parties; artists I. Brown, F.F. Serkov, F.I. Shenyang, conductor D. P. Karasev. The play remained in the Moscow repertoire, the role of Paquita performed later by Irka Matias, E.A. Sankovskaya, P. P. Lebedeva.

October 5, 1866 choreographer Frederic revived the performance, conductor P. N. Luzin; Paquita - A. Gorokhova.

On December 27, 1881, the St. Petersburg Imperial Troupe on the stage of the Bolshoi Kamenny Theater showed a new version of the ballet by choreographer Marius Petipa, with music by Deldevez was supplemented by Minkus' music, for which M. Petipa specially came up with several scenes, including those who subsequently received huge children's fame mazurka and grand pas; artists G. G. Wagner, F. E. Egorov, A. R. Lupanov (scenery), Charlemagne (costumes); conducted himself L. Minkus. It was this edition that became classic and acquired further stage history. In the premiere performance in 1881, starring: Paquita - E. Vazem , Lucien - P. Gerdt, Inigo - F. I. Kshesinsky (then the same game with no less they were successfully fulfilled by his son, I. F. Kshesinsky).

January 29, 1889 choreographer A. N. Bogdanov transferred the St. Petersburg production of M. Petipa with musical insertions by L. Minkus to the Moscow Imperial Troupe, to the stage of the Bolshoi Theater, adding several more musical x scenes by composers Ts. Pugni, R.E. Drigo et al.; conductor S. Y. Ryabov; Paquita -- M.N. Gorshenkova, Lucien - N. F. Manokhin.

In 1896, Marius Petipa made another edition of the same ballet, adding, among other new scenes, some dance numbers from the ballet “The Wayward Wife” - the performance was timed to coincide with the celebrations held in Peterhof in honor of the 100th anniversary of the death of Empress Catherine II. The performer of the main role was Matilda Kshesinskaya.

Since then, the ballet has been revived several times on the stages of various musical theaters.

Several productions were created by Rudolf Nureyev. In 1964, he staged this ballet for the English Royal Academy of Dancing, then in 1970 for the Italian La Scala Theater, in 1971 Nureyev transferred his version to two theaters: the Vienna State Opera ( Vienna State Opera Ballet ) and to the troupe American Ballet Theater in New York.

During the Soviet period in the USSR The ballet was staged by choreographers K. F. Boyarsky (1957 g.), P. A. Gusev (1972 ), N.A. Dolgushin (1974), O.M. Vinogradov (1978), T. N. Legat (1987, Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko Theater), etc.

The version of the ballet staged by Marius Petipa is not disappeared. It was saved by N. G. Sergeev, who recorded the ballet repertoire of the St. Petersburg Imperial Troupe according to the choreographic system at the beginning of the twentieth century physical recording of his teacher V. I. S Tepanova. Having gone into exile, N. G. Sergeev took all the recordings with him and used them himself several times, staging ballet performances on different stages where he was taken there was life; in 1922--1924 N. G. Sergeev was a choreographer at the Riga Musical Theater and staged several performances there based on his recordings, including Paquita. Now his collection is kept in the USA, in the library of Harvard University, and is available to all ballet workers.

In 2000, based on these recordings, Marius Petipa's edition was restored by Pierre Lacotte for the Paris Grand Opera. The ballet thus returned - though not in its original form, but in the version of Marius Petipa - to the stage from which its history began.

Recreating “Paquita” became a very important thing for me,” admitted Lacotte. — I was lucky enough to be a student of Lyubov Egorova, who danced Paquita under Marius Petipa in 1900-1910, and Carlotta Zambelli, who performed this role in St. Petersburg in 1901. They filled my childhood with their wonderful memories, thanks to them I saw many fragments of ballets, among which was Paquita.

However, restoring the ballet to its original form, according to Lacotte, turned out to be extremely difficult.

As a result, his version is a large story-driven performance that includes classical, character dance, and pantomime. The revived Paquita has appealed to modern audiences who enjoy watching the ancient ballet.

ballet performance petipa choreographer

Sources

1. Paquita. Ballet. E. Deldevez. L. Minkus. P. Lacotte Opera de Paris. 2003

2. Paquita (Paris Opera Ballet) / Deldevez and Minkus

3. “PAQUITA” (“Paquita”) in the ballet encyclopedia (