The festival ended with a “fatal” ballet – MK

“Carmen Suite” was played in the estate of the famous composer

Rock intervened in the program of the Tchaikovsky festival: instead of a gala concert, the ballet Carmen Suite by the Bolshoi Theater became the final chord of the open air. Due to the events in Rostov-on-Don the weekend before last, two performances had to be rescheduled for other dates. As a result, the ballet of the Bolshoi Theater, for which participation in the festival became a debut, migrated to Monday and took place the next day after the gala, where the Marriage of Figaro was performed by the Helikon Opera.

Ladies dressed in the fashion of the 19th century and gentlemen in tailcoats and bow ties walk around the estate, where the famous composer lived and worked in 1888-1891. Teenage girls in puffy ballet skirts frolic on the lawn. Other spectators also dressed up for the final evening of the Tchaikovsky Festival, but in a modern style. It is felt that the audience was waiting for this evening, and the festival is almost a personal event for the residents of Klin and not only.

For the Bolshoi Theater, which is participating for the first time in this project by Yuri Bashmet, it is also exciting. GBT director Vladimir Urin explains why: “Our artists are used to big stages, but here you have to dance in a very narrow space.” This time they didn’t have time to build a bigger and wider stage especially for the Bolshoi artists, maybe they will do it next year, but for now it will have to work like this.

They brought the scenery in a truncated form (without a backdrop in the form of a black bull mask, invented by Boris Messerer for the performance with Maya Plisetskaya, but with his famous high chairs) and a special (anti-slip) linoleum was brought with them.

The live orchestra had to be abandoned again due to lack of space. It is more difficult to dance to a soundtrack, because the conductor always feels when it is necessary to help the artist, slow down the pace a little or, on the contrary, speed it up, unlike the recording. However, the leading soloist of the Bolshoi Theater Kristina Kretova is more concerned about something else. “MK” went to her makeshift dressing room a few minutes before the start of the ballet, when she conjured over the spectacular make-up and hairdo of her heroine, the gypsy Carmen. “Mosquitoes! For some reason, they are especially annoying here, ”said Christina, answering a question about the difficulties of performing in the open air.

While she, her husband Igor Tsvirko (who plays the role of Jose) and the young dancer Danila Khamzin (Torero) are preparing for the performance, another performance is taking place in the park of the museum-reserve – with the participation of Vladimir Urin. “Have you ever seen how the director of the Bolshoi Theater manages with a shovel?” – smiling, he asks the audience and shows clearly. He takes a shovel and quite skillfully sprinkles a lilac bush with earth. Igor Kornilov, the director of the museum-reserve, helps him. With four hands, they quickly cope with the task, theatrically posing for the cameras of journalists and spectators. This lilac is far from the first on the territory of the Tchaikovsky estate. Famous people from all over the world have already planted two alleys here. They say that the composer himself laid this tradition, and now it is “grown up” every year.

In such a contrasting environment – on the verge of excitement and joyful lightness – on the stage under the open sky with the first rays of sunset, the famous performance staged by the Cuban choreographer Alberto Alonso especially for Maya Plisetskaya in 1967 began. It is symbolic that at one time the performance had the effect of an exploding bomb – not only because of the passionate nature and frank costumes and movements. “The Soviet authorities let Alonso into the theater only because he was “their own”, from the Island of Freedom, but this “islander” just took and staged a performance not only about love passions, but also about the fact that there is nothing in the world higher than freedom ”, Maya Plisetskaya wrote in her memoirs. The current performance, although it was danced in “narrowed” conditions, retained its love of freedom and symbolism.

Kristina Kretova was at her best, especially when she danced parts with her husband – it seemed that at that moment they were turning into a single organism. But with Torero, for whom, according to the plot, the gypsy left the soldier Jose, it was clearly difficult for her: it seemed that during support he wore not a lover, but plywood. But Danila Khamzin showed himself with all possible zeal and expression. Nevertheless, the historical performance retained the conventionality and charge of emotions. And even annoying midges failed to spoil the impression of the evening.