Ballet Theatre Research Articles

“It Must Be Preserved”: Adolph Bolm's Revival of Le Coq d'Or

“It Must Be Preserved”: Adolph Bolm's Revival of <i>Le Coq d'Or</i>

Борис Эйфман: на пути к современному Театру балета

The aim of this article is to study the factors that determined the way of formation, creative discoveries of the original author’s repertoire Ballet Theatre of Boris Eifman - an outstanding choreographer at the turn of the XX and the first twenty years of the XXI century. The scientific originality of the research is due to the fact that the topic of the author’s ballet theatre has been little studied in art history, but its role in the development of modern choreography is significant. As a result of studying the phenomenon of Boris Eifman Ballet Theatre, the components of this type of theatre were identified: mastering the creative heritage of great choreographers, continuing the traditions of Russian ballet in creating a multi-act plot performance based on literary classics (and other sources), updating the spiritualized plasticity and polystylistics of the choreographic vocabulary, its dramatization , musical drama.

Opera by Lev Kolodub "The Poet" as a Vector of the Director's Actualization of the Kobzar’s Image in Modern Ukrainian Realities

Creative and ideological prerequisites of the director's appeals to L. Kolodub's opera "The Poet" are considered. The reasons for the need for a new scientific and creative understanding of opera in the sociocultural realities of a modern Ukraine are clarified. The scientific novelty of the research is determined, which consists of the original conceptual vision of updating the performance in accordance with the requirements of the present on the basis of synthesis of achievements of scientific thought and creative heritage of iconic figures of Ukraine and abroad. The purpose of the research is the need for new readings of the opera "The Poet" by Lev Kolodub as an ideological and integral work, devoid of the narrative of the Soviet era and the pathos of canonization of Kobzar as a "Superman", which is not characterized by human and romantic experiences, the research methods chosen: to determine the influence of world socio-cultural processes on the musical theater of Ukraine – system-analytical; to consider the creative heritage of L. Kolodub - biographical; to analyze the musical drama of the work — genre stylistic; to analyze the director's embodiments of the Opera — interpretative; to create your own concept of a creative art project — experimental modeling. The main results and conclusions of the study are obtained, which are as follows: a long break between the time of writing the opera "The Poet" by L. Kolodub (1984-1988) and its first stage reading (2001) is associated with subjective reasons due to the inconsistency of actions between musical theaters of Ukraine. The opera "The Poet" from the point of view of the composer's idea is definitely a new look at the image of Taras Shevchenko. In fact, Levko Kolodub invented a new genre of musical theater with this work — "biographical opera". Its versatility can be regarded as an attempt by the composer himself to "revive the classics" and bring them closer to the audience's perception. In this vein, this work provides a wide range of opportunities for director's reading and can live an active repertoire, ideologically true life at opera venues in Ukraine and diasporas. A comparative analysis of the Opera implementations in the Lysenko Kharkiv National Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre and the National Philharmonic of Ukraine allowed us to determine the difference between the director's approaches to solving mise en scene due to traditional (theater stage in Kharkiv) and non — traditional (concert hall in Kyiv, in the past-a room for balls of the merchant's House) locations. The post-graduate student predicted her own conceptual vision of the creative art project - the opera "The Poet" by L. Kolodub, which provides for the use of the latest achievements of scientific thought and original creative findings of leading figures of musical theater in Ukraine and abroad.

A. Benois and a ballet theatre at the turn of the XIX–XX centuries (aspects of creative interaction)

The study’s goal is to give reasons and scientific credence for Benois’s creation in context of synthesis with fine arts and graphics in Ballet Theater of the end of XIX–beginning of XX century. The study objectives are to reveal phenomenon of arts synthesis in Benois’s method of work on performances and roles on ballet stage, to analyze peculiarities of poetics of a visual image in easel and stage works devoted to dance and created for ballet. The paper investigates artist’s creative method, defines techniques underling most of his works and revealing specific features of artistic, graphic, and theatrical heritage.

The images of the russian ballet in the Fine Arts of the late XIX and early XX century

The purpose of the study is to analyze various interpretations of the theme of ballet in the context of creating an artistic image taking into account the specific characteristics of various arts on the factual visual material of the late nineteenth - early twentieth century. Methodology: 1) Search method, which allowed to reveal in museums and private collections, works of art dedicated to ballet of the period under consideration; 2) Historical and tipological method, which helped to group the works according to the thematic principle, to determine the degree of their value in the process of the creative work of the artist; 3) Method of stylistic analysis, which allowed to track the structural changes in the images created, the evolution of the creative method of the artist. Main findings: The nature of pictorial foundations in choreography is explored; the artistic pursuits and the various decisions in the masterpieces of graphics, painting and sculpture, dedicated to the ballet theatre and mostly connected with "The Russian Seasons" by S. Diaghilev; the main iconographic principles, the typology and the interpretation of ballet images are revealed.

Architecture between heteronomy and self-generation

Architecture between heteronomy and self-generation

РЕДАКТОРСЬКО-ВИДАВНИЧА ДІЯЛЬНІСТЬ ФЕДОРА НАДЕНЕНКА

Статтю присвячено розкриттю основних напрямів редакторсько-видавничої діяльності Федора Надененка. Окреслено широку палітру нотних видань в упорядкуванні й під редакцією митця: зібрань творів українських композиторів-класиків М. Лисенка (20 тт.), К. Стеценка (5 тт.), Я. Степового (3 тт.), фортепіанних поліфонічних творів Й.-С. Баха, хорових, вокальних, фортепіанних творів сучасних українських композиторів. Досліджено роль Ф. Надененка в розвитку редакторсько-видавничої справи в Україні та значення його редакторсько-видавничої діяльності для збереження, публікації й популяризації творчості українських композиторів.

Балетмейстер Ф. В. Лопухов: штрихи к портрету (к 135-летию со дня рождения)

135th anniversary of Honorary balletmaster of Russia Fedor V. Lopukhov is the reason for writing this article. Honoring the legacy of a choreographer and theorist of choreographic art, whose popularity was high in the 1920–1960s, a recognition of respect and worship to a person who sought new ways of developing the national classical ballet theatre is in great demand nowadays. From 1922 to 1930, F. V. Lopukhov held a position as the head of ballet at the State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater, currently known as the Mariinsky. Lopukhov created a variety of innovative ballets, among them famous productions of „Ice maiden”,„Pulcinella”,„A tale of a Fox, a Rooster, a Cat and a Ram”,„Nutcracker”,„Bolt”. Some of the productions were phenomenally successful and remained in the repertoire for many years, while other new works were not appreciated within a post-revolutionary culture. The stage elements and movements invented by Lopukhov influenced the further development of the entire art of ballet. The article shows how difficult the creative life of F. V. Lopukhov was full of “ups and downs” in a complicated historical and cultural era for everyone.

Борис Эйфман: на пути к современному театру балета

The aim of this article is to study the factors that determined the way of formation, creative discoveries of the original author’s repertoire Ballet Theatre of Boris Eifman – an outstanding choreographer of the turn of the 20th and the first twenty years of the 21st century. The scientific originality of the research is due to the fact that the topic of the author’s ballet theatre has been little studied in art history, but its role in the development of modern choreography is significant. As a result of examining the phenomenon of Boris Eifman Ballet Theatre, the components of this type of theatre have been identified: mastering the creative heritage of great choreographers, continuing the traditions of the Russian ballet in creating a multi-act plot performance based on classical literature (and other sources), updating the spiritualized plasticity and polystylistics of the choreographic vocabulary, its dramatization, musical drama.

НЕОПУБЛИКОВАННЫЕ МАРГИНАЛИИ Б. В. АСАФЬЕВА НА ПОЛЯХ ПАРТИТУРЫ ОПЕРЫ «БОРИС ГОДУНОВ» М. П. МУСОРГСКОГО

This article is devoted to the initial stage in the history of studying M. P. Musorgsky's orchestral style. The first researchers who gain access to the composer's autograph of the orchestral score were B. V. Asafyev and P. A. Lamm. The musicians edited the score of the opera "Boris Godunov" for the premiere, which took place at the State Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre on February 16, 1928, when after a half-century interval, the author's original orchestration was performed. Two short, but fundamentally important articles by B. V. Asafyev, as well as his notes in the margins of the handwritten score, opened a new stage in the scholarly and artistic understanding of Musorgsky's orchestral dramaturgy and orchestral stylistics.

Балетный театр и художественное воплощение исторической памяти о военном лихолетье 1941-1945 годов

The purpose of the study is to prove the significance of historic memory as a form of art comprehension of war events in the ballet theater environment. The paper describes the content of the plays showing the Great Patriotic War theme on the ballet stage of the XX-XXI centuries. They are the ballet “Leningrad Symphony” (1961) where the war and peace theme is conceptualized through the lens of human choice – to protect or to enslave; the ballet “Immortality” (1972) which shows a Red Army soldier’s feat the first and only time; the ballet oratorio “Mother Field” (1975) that reflects the war theme with a woman’s eyes; the ballet trilogy “For Life” (1975) about the mother-son farewell; the TV-ballet “House by the road” (1984) devoted to the human soul tested by the war times; the ballet “Life Symphony” (2020) which continues the topic of “Mother Field” and “House by the Road” but in its absolute own way. The scientific novelty of this study is that the main themes and artistic images of the ballet plays about war conflict in the post-war period of the second part of the XX century and in the beginning of the XI century are defined. As a result, it is substantiated that the ballet theatre according to its reflection proceeded from the illustrative aspect just fixing the event towards philosophical understanding of the horror of war and its catastrophic consequences for the mankind.

ОБРАЗНАЯ ВЫРАЗИТЕЛЬНОСТЬ ЯЗЫКА НАРОДНО-ХАРАКТЕРНОГО ТАНЦА В БАЛЕТАХ КЛАССИЧЕСКОГО НАСЛЕДИЯ

The article focuses on the phenomenon of folk character dance, which is a unique feature of Russian art, traces the key stages in the development of folk character dance in Russian ballet and identifies the sources that served as the basis for its figurative language. It is noted that the language of folk character dance is the creative fruit of many choreographers, whose works in the XXIst century are perceived as vivid examples of heritage. The author reviews the specificity of imagery in folk character dance currently existing in classical ballet repertoire. Significant attention is paid to the subtleties of depicting national characters when creating dance images of various ethnic groups. The author also considers the characteristic visualization in folk character dance, highlighting and describing distinctive features of a number of national characters more frequently implemented by the language of folk character dance in classical ballet and opera choreography of Russian music theatres. The article substantiates the idea that underestimating the potential of the language of folk character dance as means of expressiveness in ballet theatre leads to limitations for the new generation of choreographers striving to create realistic and truthful dramatic characters, depriving them of national distinction. In her research, the author aims to actualize the question of preservation of national character on the Russian ballet stage in the XXIst century.

Art in the Age of Globalisation: Dialogue of Cultures (Ural Opera Ballet Theatre’s Production of the Opera Tri Sestry)

The article explores the dialogics of art and the role of art as a tool of dialogue between cultures on the example of the Ural Opera Ballet Theatre’s recent stage production of the opera Tri Sestry (Three Sisters), which demonstrates a successful interaction between different cultural traditions.Interpreting Chekhov’s play from a late 20th century perspective, Hungarian composer Peter Eötvös presented new responses to the questions that tormented the play’s characters one hundred years ago. In his work, which blends French and German avant-garde techniques with structural elements drawn from film narrative and the Japanese Noh theatre tradition, he added a radically new dimension to Chekhov’s play. As a result, he was able to open up latent meanings the play within the great time space proposed by the Russian philosopher Mikhail Bakhtin. In turn, Christopher Alden (USA), the Artistic Director of the Ural Opera Ballet production, merged voices from different artistic traditions into a new contemporary musical image.

Балетна трупа Львівського оперного театру кінця 30-х – початку 40-х років ХХ століття

The purpose of the article is to reveal the peculiarities of the formation and the personal composition of the Lviv Opera Theatre ballet company in the late 30s – early 40s of the 20th century. Methodology. Analytical, historical-chronological, biographical approaches were used to reveal the topic, which made it possible to conduct scientific and objective research. Scientific novelty. For the first time, a special study regarding the creative work of the ballet company of the Lviv Opera and Ballet Theatre in the late 30s – early 40s of the 20th century was carried out; the names of some performers were introduced into ballet studies. Conclusions. The rise of professional performing and ballet mastery on the stage of the Lviv Opera was facilitated by the organization of a stationary ballet company in the 1939/1940 season. Its core was formed by graduates of the Kyiv State Choreographic School in 1940 and experienced soloists and corps de ballet artists from the leading (Kyiv, Moscow, Leningrad State Academic Theatres) and peripheral theatres of the USSR; local dancers who received a choreographic education in dance studios in Lviv and refugees from German-occupied Poland also joined the work. The first multi-act ballets were Don Quixote (convicted of lack of ideology, obsolescence) and Red Poppy (positioned in the USSR as an example of a modern heroic ballet). With the outbreak of World War II, a significant part of the ballet company went to evacuation, some remained to work in the theatre, where full-fledged ballets were staged (among them Rural Love, Coppelia, Veil for Pieretta, etc.). After the liberation of Lviv from the German occupation, a part of the creative staff of the ballet company emigrated (V. Pereiaslavets, R. Pryima, etc.), some ended up in Stalin’s camps.

Балетмейстерська діяльність Миколи Трегубова в Донецькому державному театрі опери та балету

The purpose of the article is to consider the choreographic activity of Mykola Trehubov at the Donetsk State Opera and Ballet Theatre based on the materials from periodicals and specialized publications. Methodology. The author has prepared an article using historical, historiographical, and analytical approaches. Scientific novelty. The article is the first attempt to analyze the main choreographic works by M. Trehubov at the Donetsk Opera House, new materials are introduced that expand the peculiarities’ understanding of the ballet master’s creative activity and help to systematise his legacy. Conclusions. In the 1950s – 1960s M. Trehubov enriched the stage of the Donetsk State Opera and Ballet Theatre with six performances to the music of European, Ukrainian, and Soviet composers. The master approached his ballets creatively and originally, generously embellishing them with bright solo and mass dances, emotional adagios and variations, characteristic everyday episodes. The fruitful collaboration with the conductors and stage designers aroused warm approval from the audience and contributed to a better understanding of the plot of the works. On the whole, the successful works of M. Trehubov had some shortcomings, however, the sensible remarks of the critics helped to raise the professional level of the choreographer and the theatre team. The colourful performance The Fair at Sorochyntsi, which combined elements of classical and Ukrainian folk choreography, did not leave indifferent reviewers and art crit ics. Despite the peculiarities of the music and libretto, M. Trehubov gradually introduced expressive dance, generalized choreographic imagery to reveal lyrical and comedic characters. Contrary to its connection with the drama ballet canons, The Fair at Sorochyntsi was marked by a clear tendency to move away from the clichés of pantomime. The undertaken research does not claim to be comprehensive. It is necessary to find data on M. Trehubov’s staging of the popular ballet La Bayadere on the Donetsk stage (1958). Information about the production of the performances Shurale (1953) and Giselle (1955) should be supplemented.

In relation towards the history of the first ukrainian television film-ballet "Lileya"

The purpose of the article was to study the peculiarities of the production process of the first Ukrainian television film-ballet "Lileya," based on the works of T. Shevchenko. The methodology includes the use of the following cultural research methods: comparative-historical, systemic, typological, structural-functional. The scientific novelty of the publication is that it first analyzed the specifics of the production of a ballet film as a completely independent musical-choreographic ballet created for television viewing. Conclusions. The first national television film ballet Lileya became a new and original phenomenon of the mid-twentieth-century in Ukrainian culture. The production was based on the famous works of the classic literature of T. Shevchenko: "Princess", "Marina", "Witch", "Mermaid", "Drowned", "Blind" and more. The choreographic vocabulary of the ballet movie, invented by the ballet master V. Vronsky, and put on emotional (with a strong psychological influence), however, quite understandable for a wide range of viewers music by K. Dankevich, gravitated to imaginative dance, accuracy, and character; Due to the skillful work of filmmaker V. Lapoknysh and cameramen O. Ananasov and M. Topchy, the artistic action developed dynamically and richly. The popularity of the film-ballet ensured the participation of leading soloists of the ballet troupe of the Kyiv National Opera and Ballet Theatre named by T. Shevchenko: R. Vizirenko-Klyavina, E. Ershova, A. Arkadyev, V. Kalinovskaya, O. Segal, V. Ferro, and other artists.

ДОСЛІДЖЕННЯ ЗВУЧАННЯ ОРКЕСТРІВ У КОНЦЕРТНОМУ ЗАЛІ ЛЬВІВСЬКОГО НАЦІОНАЛЬНОГО АКАДЕМІЧНОГО ТЕАТРУ ОПЕРИ ТА БАЛЕТУ ІМЕНІ СОЛОМІЇ КРУШЕЛЬНИЦЬКОЇ

The purpose of the article is to offer a method of aesthetic evaluation of the acoustic properties of concert halls based on the subjective perception of the sound of musical material. The research methodology is based on the following methods: analytical is used to study the scientific literature; theoretical – to define special terminology, describe the phenomena that occur during research and parameters used for the subjective assessment; empirical – while listening to orchestras in a concert hall with subsequent expert evaluation of the results; comparative – to compare the results of research; methods of analysis and synthesis – to process the results of research, and also the interviewing method – to get information from musicians and active listeners. The scientific novelty of the article is an attempt to give an aesthetic assessment of the sound of the orchestras in the concert hall of the Solomiya Krushelnytska Lviv National Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre by studying the phenomenon of subjective perception of musical material. Conclusions. The study has demonstrated that the subjective assessment of the acoustics of concert halls requires the selection of evaluation criteria and the establishment of their relations with objective acoustic parameters. Subjective evaluation and objective parameters are correlated with each other and give a complete description of the sound of the orchestra in the concert hall. Subjective assessment of the acoustic quality of concert halls is fully confirmed by objective acoustic parameters. Its application can be considered justified. It has received a clear confirmation from the professional musicians. The verbal questioning among ordinary concert-goers has shown the onesidedness of their assessments. They vary between “good” and “excellent” and thus, are less accurate.

ЧОЛОВІЧЕ БАЛЕТНЕ ВИКОНАВСТВО В УКРАЇНІ 30–40-х РОКІВ ХХ ст.

The purpose of the article is to identify the special features of Ukrainian male ballet performance in the 1930s – 1940sbased on the analysis of the works by O. Sehal, B. Stepanenko, and O. Stalinskyi. The research methodology is based on theapplication of the historical and biographical approaches to comprehend the work of ballet dancers in chronological order, thecultural approach and art studies analysis to identify the artistic characteristics of male performance and consider its formationin the context of general trends in the development of ballet theatre. Scientific novelty. The features of male ballet performanceof the 1930s – 1940s through the prism of general trends in the development of ballet dance and creative biographies ofthe leading artists were revealed for the first time. Conclusions. The article has demonstrated that Ukrainian male balletperformance as an independent phenomenon began its formation in the 1930s – 1940s, in the context of the reconstructionof ballets of classical heritage (Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, Raymonda, Giselle, etc.), the formation and development ofa choreodrama (Red Poppy, The Fountain of Bakhchisaray, Laurencia, etc.), including Ukrainian national ballets (Lileia, ForestSong, etc.). It has been stated that the leading ballet dancers of this period (O. Sehal, B. Stepanenko, O. Stalinskyi, etc.) wereprofessionally trained. The article has revealed the main features of male performance – pronounced acting skills, a high levelof pantomime proficiency as the main expressive means of a drama ballet, a limited number of dance steps in male parts. Thepositive dynamics of the growth of male dance performance was interrupted by the Second World War, during which balletdancers performed at the fronts and in evacuation. In the post-war period, the repertoire of ballet theatres was restored andenriched, but the dominance of director’s principles over choreographic ones led to the crisis of the emasculation of the dancecomponent from the male parts.

Research of waterproofing screens of increased efficiency for preservation of objects of cultural heritage

The object of research is the technology of constructing waterproofing screens of buildings and structures from limestone-shell rock. The paper discusses the causes of the violation of the waterproofing of the underground parts of buildings which are made of limestone-shell rock. The problems of preservation of historical buildings and structures made of limestone-shell rock are revealed on the example of such buildings in Ukraine and Moldova: – Odessa Opera and Ballet Theatre; – House of Stratz; – Brodsk Synagogue; – House of Marazli; – Bilhorod-Dnistrovsk and Bendery Fortresses; – Tower of Winds; – Church of St. Cajetan; – Powder Cellar of the Tiraspol Fortress; – Water Mill; – Church of the Archangel Michael in the village Stroenets and many others. Based on the methods of the mathematical theory of the experiment, a complex of experimental-statistical models has been constructed, the analysis of which allowed to estimate the intensity of capillary absorption of the «waterproofing screen – limestone-shell rock» system depending on the depth of injection, the diameter of the injector and the step of its location. An arrangement of injection holes was proposed and justified to ensure waterproofing of structures, which allows filling the capillary-porous masonry space for 6–12 % more than other schemes. The accepted physical model of the distribution of the injectable composition in the porous structure of limestone-shell rock allowed to analyze the depth, diameter, and injection step, which affect the distribution area of the solution in the structural array. The depth of injection is indeed one of the most important technological characteristics in the construction of an intra-structural waterproofing screen. From a technological point of view, the degree of influence of the injection step on the intensity of capillary moisture transfer is quite high, since it directly affects the amount of active waterproofing composition in the injected thickness, as well as labor costs when performing waterproofing works. The diameter of the borehole does not significantly affect the studied parameter within the selected experimental conditions.

Individual versus companion visitors' willingness‐to‐pay for the theater tickets: The case of Perm opera

Business‐like approaches are applied more and more widely in nonprofit organization contexts, and theaters are no exception. Revenue generation, customer segmentation, and personalized marketing are becoming the key managerial concerns. Our study focuses on two relevant aspects of theater attendees' behavior. We examine visitors' willingness‐to‐pay (WTP) for theater seats (to derive revenue drivers), and its difference between two segments – single and couple visitors (to uncover the social motivation effect). These aspects taken together have never been previously studied in the nonprofit marketing context. We model WTP using the actual purchase data from Perm Opera and Ballet Theatre in Russia. Unlike most marketing studies which use stated preference for WTP evaluation, we employ the revealed preference approach. The results verify that single and couple visitors may be treated as separate segments, allowing for personalized promotion and other marketing decisions.