Abstract
In Russia the music of André Ernest Modeste Grétry acquired its fame during the times of Empress Catherine the Great and Emperor Paul. His theatrical works were performed with great success by the artists of the French Court Troupe, the Free Russian Theater, the serfs’ theater of the Sheremetev’s, and the female wards of the Smolny Institute. Rare editions and manuscript copies of Grétry’s copies are preserved in numerous Russian libraries. Most of them contain the ballets (among them, Les marriages samnites [The Samnite Marriages], Le comte d’Albert [Count d’Albert], Panurge dans l’île des lanternes [Panurge on the Island of Lanterns], and Raoul Barbe-bleue [Raoul Bluebeard]). The opera Céphale et Procris ou l’amour conjugal [Cephale and Procris or Conjugal Love] is provided with the subtitle of ballet héroique (heroic ballet), while Zemire et Azor” is dubbed сomédie-ballet, which makes it possible to ascribe these compositions to the genre of opera-ballet. In addition, the storylines of Grétry’s operas served as a basis for the creation of two ballets produced in the imperial theaters in the court of Emperor Alexander I. It is Raoul Barbe-bleue ou le danger de curiosité [Raoul Bluebeard, or the Danger of Curiosity] (1807) staged to the music of Catterino Cavos with the choreography of Ivan Valberkh and Henzi et Tao, ou La belle et la bête [Henzi and Tao or Beauty and the Beast] (1819) produced by Charles Didelot to the music of Fernando Antonolini. The article provides information about the history of the creation and performance of ballets, demonstrates the similarities and the differences between the storylines of original operas and their new versions. The connection between the productions of the ballets in Grétry’s opera Henzi et Tao, ou La belle et la bête and the ballets Kenzi and Tao and Henzi and Tao produced by Didelot on the stages of Europe and Russia at times. For the first time Didelot’s libretto for the “grand Chinese ballet” set to the music of Cesare Bossi (premiered on May 14, 1801 at the “Haymarket” Royal Theater in London) has been translated from English into Russian by the author of the article. The problem of the ballet “doppelgangers” and the revisions of well-known theatrical works is examined in the article.
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