Virtual museum of the great Armenian composer Aram Khachaturian. Virtual museum of the great Armenian composer Aram Khachaturian Which composer wrote the ballet Gayane

The ballet “Gayane” is notable, first of all, for the music of Aram Khachaturian, while experts rightly call the libretto stilted. It was written by screenwriter and librettist Konstantin Derzhavin in 1940 based on Khachaturian’s previous ballet “Happiness”. In “Gayane” the composer retained all the best that was in “Happiness” and significantly supplemented and developed the score. The ballet premiered in 1942, in Perm, where the Leningrad Opera and Ballet Theater was evacuated. Kirov. Then Soviet theaters often turned to Khachaturian’s ballet. “Gayane” was staged in Sverdlovsk, Yerevan, Kyiv, Riga, Novosibirsk, Chelyabinsk. At the Kirov Theater it was resumed two more times - in 1945 and 1952. “Gayane” was first staged on the stage of the country’s main musical theater, the Bolshoi, in 1957. We bring to your attention a recording of a much later production.

So, experts consider the music to be the main advantage of “Gayane”. “While still working on the music for the ballet “Happiness,” Khachaturian turned to Armenian folklore,” we read in the book “History of Modern Russian Music.” – All this was included in “Gayane”. And although there are few actual folk melodies in the ballet, the intonational nature of Armenian music is recreated through rhythmic, mode-harmonic features, bringing the work closer to the tradition of Russian classical “music about the East.” By the way, it was for the ballet “Gayane” that Khachaturian wrote “The Saber Dance,” which is often performed as an independent work. In terms of choreography, the ballet breaks up into separate performances. “Various solo numbers and duets, dramatic scenes, generally symphonized (“Cotton Picking”, “Cotton Dance”, “Dance of Pink Girls” and others), folklore dances (“Lezginka”, “Russian Dance”, “Shchalaho”, “Uzundara” ", "Gopak") - all this makes up the voluminous and contrasting score of the ballet" ("History of Contemporary Russian Music").

Why is there a place in Armenian history for hopak, Russian dance and other dances of the peoples of the USSR? At the end of this story, guests from the fraternal republics arrive at the Armenian collective farm for the harvest festival. But before that, a completely detective story unfolds on the mountain collective farm and its surroundings. A spy parachutes into the mountains of Armenia. He will keep an eye on the geologists - they, with the help of the smart shepherd Armen, discovered deposits of rare and valuable ore not far from the collective farm. Naturally, vigilant Soviet collective farmers will expose the enemy. But in parallel with the spy story, the ballet unfolds, of course, a love story. Shepherd Armen and the daughter of the collective farm chairman Gayane love each other, but every now and then they have to repel the attacks of the jealous Giko, Gayane’s admirer.

Today “Gayane” seems to be a monument to a special era of Soviet art, when the glorification of the brotherhood of peoples took on bizarre forms. But this does not prevent you from enjoying the mighty music of Aram Khachaturian and the high skill of the Bolshoi Theater ballet dancers.

History of creation

Soon after graduating from the conservatory, in the late 1930s, Khachaturian received an order for music for the ballet “Happiness”. The play, with a traditional plot of that time about a happy life “under the Stalinist sun” and an equally traditional motif of espionage and enemies of Soviet power, was being prepared for the decade of Armenian art in Moscow. Such decades dedicated to art, in turn, of all the republics that were part of the USSR, were held regularly. The composer recalled: “I spent the spring and summer of 1939 in Armenia, collecting material for the future ballet “Happiness.” It was here that the deepest study of the melodies of the native land and folk art began...” Intense work on the ballet lasted six months. In September, the ballet was staged at the Armenian Opera and Ballet Theater, and a month later it was shown in Moscow and was a great success as the first experience of this genre in Armenian music. However, it noted shortcomings relating, in particular, to the script and musical dramaturgy. A few years later, the composer returned to this idea, focusing on a new libretto written by the famous theater critic and philologist K. Derzhavin (1903-1956). The revised ballet, called "Gayane" - after the name of the main character, was being prepared for production at the Leningrad Opera and Ballet Theater named after Kirov (Mariinsky). However, the outbreak of the Great Patriotic War ruined all plans. The theater was evacuated to Perm. The composer also came there to continue working together on the ballet. “In the fall of 1941... I returned to work on the ballet,” Khachaturian recalled. “Today it may seem strange that in those days of severe trials we could talk about a ballet performance. War and ballet? The concepts are truly incompatible. But, as life has shown, there was nothing strange in my plan to depict... the theme of a great national upsurge, the unity of people in the face of a formidable invasion. The ballet was conceived as a patriotic performance, affirming the theme of love and loyalty to the Motherland.” In November 1942, the composer wrote in his diary: “At the request of the theater, after finishing the score, I completed the “Dance of the Kurds” - the same one that later became known as the “Dance with Sabers.” I started composing it at three o'clock in the afternoon and worked without stopping until two o'clock in the morning. The next morning, the orchestral voices were transcribed and a rehearsal took place, and in the evening there was a dress rehearsal for the entire ballet. “The Saber Dance” immediately made an impression on the orchestra, the ballet, and those present in the hall...”

A. I. Khachaturyan “Gayane”

Ballet in four acts

In the fall of 1941, A. Khachaturian began working on the score for a new ballet. The work took place in close collaboration with the Leningrad Opera and Ballet Theater, which was located in Perm at that time. The premiere took place on December 3, 1942 and was a great success.

In 1957, a new production of the ballet was performed at the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow. The libretto was changed, and Khachaturian rewrote more than half of the previous music. Ballet entered the history of ballet art in our country. The music for it formed the basis of three large symphonic suites, and individual numbers of the suites, for example, “Sabre Dance,” became world famous.

The ballet “Gayane” is a work deeply folk in spirit, integral in musical language, marked by the extraordinary colorfulness of the instrumentation.

Plot:

Gayane, the daughter of the collective farm chairman Hovhannes, helps to catch and neutralize the Unknown, who secretly entered the territory of Armenia in order to steal the secrets of geologists. Her friends and her loving Gayane Armen help her in this. Armen's rival Giko pays with his life for unwittingly assisting the enemy.

Khachaturian's Concerto for Violin and Orchestra, written in 1940, belongs to the outstanding and most popular works of music. The popularity of Khachaturian's violin concerto is due to its great artistic merits. Pictures of the colorful, happy life of Armenia were reflected in the life-affirming and bright images of the concert, festive-dance and lyrically-soulful.

Having experienced the beneficial influence of the traditions of the Russian classical concert and Russian symphony, Khachaturian created a work marked by high skill and at the same time clearly folk. Authentic Armenian folk tunes are not used in the concert. However, all of his melody, modal-intonation structure, and harmony are an organic transformation of Armenian folk song, native to Khachaturian.

Khachaturian's violin concerto consists of 3 parts: the outer parts are fast, impetuous, full of dynamics and fire; the middle one is slow, lyrical. There are intonation connections between the parts of the concert and individual themes, which gives it integrity and unity.

Part 1 (Allegro, D minor) is written in the form of a sonata allegro. Already a short orchestral introduction captivates the listener with its energy and assertiveness and immediately brings it into the sphere of active action.

Part 2 (Andante sostenuto, A minor) represents the central lyrical image of the concert. It is in bright contrast to the outer parts. The violin acts here exclusively as a melodic, melodic instrument. This is a “song without words” in the oriental style, in which the intonations of Armenian folk tunes are organically implemented. It expresses sincere thoughts, thoughts about his native land, the artist’s love for his people, for the nature of the Caucasus.

The finale of the concert is a vivid picture of a national holiday. Everything is full of movement, aspiration, energy, fire, joyful inspiration. The music is of a dance nature; even when the song flows, the rhythm of the dance continues to sound. The sound range expands, the movement becomes more and more rapid. The sound of the orchestra and violin imitates folk instruments.

Having embodied brightly colorful musical scenes from the life of the people of Armenia in his violin concert, Khachaturian applied the technique of monothematism to the overall composition of his work: in the 2nd part of the concert, and especially in the finale, the themes of the 1st part are carried out. But varying the texture, tempo, rhythm, dynamics contributes to a change in their figurative meaning: the dramatic and lyrical images of part 1 now turn into images of a folk holiday, fun, exuberant and temperamental dancing. This transformation is in keeping with the optimistic concept of the concert.

Ballet "Gayane"

The ballet “Gayane” was written by Khachaturian in 1942. In the harsh days of the Second World War, the music of “Gayane” sounded like a bright and life-affirming story. Shortly before Gayane, Khachaturian wrote the ballet Happiness. In a different storyline revealing the same images, the ballet was, as it were, a sketch for “Gayane” in theme and music: the composer introduced the best numbers from “Happiness” into “Gayane”.

The creation of “Gayane,” one of Aram Khachaturian’s wonderful works, was prepared not only by the first ballet. The theme of human happiness - his living creative energy, the completeness of his worldview was revealed by Khachaturian in works of other genres. On the other hand, the symphonic nature of the composer’s musical thinking, the bright colors and imagery of his music.

The libretto of “Gayane,” written by K. Derzhavin, tells the story of how the young collective farmer Gayane emerges from the power of her husband, a deserter who undermines work on the collective farm; how she exposes his treacherous actions, his connection with saboteurs, almost becoming a victim of a target, almost becoming a victim of revenge, and finally, how Gayane learns a new, happy life.

1 action.

A new harvest is being harvested in the cotton fields of an Armenian collective farm. Among the best, most active workers is collective farmer Gayane. Her husband, Giko, quits working on the collective farm and demands the same from Gayane, who refuses to fulfill his demand. Collective farmers expel Giko from their midst. This scene is witnessed by the head of the border detachment, Cossacks, who arrived at the collective farm.

Act 2.

Relatives and friends try to entertain Gayane. Giko's appearance in the house forces the guests to leave. 3 strangers come to see Giko. Gayane learns about her husband’s connection with saboteurs and his intention to set fire to the collective farm. Gayane's attempts to prevent the criminal plan are in vain.

Act 3.

Proud camp of the Kurds. A young girl Aisha is waiting for her lover Armen (Gayane’s brother). Armen and Aisha's date is interrupted by the appearance of three strangers looking for the way to the border. Armen, having volunteered to be their guide, sends for Kazakov’s detachment. The saboteurs were detained.

In the distance, a fire flares up - it is a collective farm that has been set on fire. Cossacks with a detachment and Kurds rush to the aid of collective farmers.

4 action.

The collective farm, reborn from the ashes, is preparing to begin its working life again. On this occasion there is a holiday on the collective farm. With the new life of the collective farm, Gayane’s new life begins. In the struggle with her deserter husband, she asserted her right to an independent working life. Now Gayane has learned a new, bright feeling of love. The holiday ends with the announcement of the upcoming wedding of Gayane and Kazakov.

The action of the ballet develops in two main directions: the drama of Gayane, pictures of folk life. As in all of Khachaturian’s best works, the music of “Gayane” is deeply and organically connected with the musical culture of the Transcaucasian peoples and, most of all, with his native Armenian people.

Khachaturian introduces several authentic folk melodies into the ballet. They are used by the composer not only as bright and expressive melodic material, but in accordance with the meaning they have in folk life.

The compositional and musical-dramatic techniques used by Khachaturian in “Gayane” are extremely diverse. Integral, generalized musical characteristics acquire predominant importance in ballet: portrait sketches, folk and genre pictures, pictures of nature. They correspond to complete, closed musical numbers, in the sequential presentation of which bright suite-symphonic cycles often develop. The logic of development that unites independent musical images into a single whole is different in different cases. Thus, in the final picture, a large cycle of dances is united by the ongoing celebration. In some cases, the alternation of numbers is based on figurative, emotional contrasts of lyrical and cheerful, impetuous or energetic, courageous, genre and dramatic.

Musical and dramatic means are also clearly differentiated in the characteristics of the characters: solid portrait sketches of episodic characters are contrasted with end-to-end dramatic musical development in Gayane’s part; The varied dance rhythms that underlie the musical portraits of Gayane’s friends and relatives are contrasted by Gayane’s improvisationally free, lyrically rich melodies.

Khachaturian consistently applies the principle of leitmotifs to each of the characters, which imparts musical value and stage specificity to the images and the entire work. Thanks to the diversity and development of Gayane’s melodies, her musical image acquires much greater flexibility in comparison with other ballet characters. The image of Gayane is revealed by the composer in a consistent development, as her feelings evolve: from hidden sorrow (“Dance of Gayane”, No. 6) and the first glimpses of a new feeling (“Dance of Gayane”, No. 8), through a struggle full of drama (Act 2) - to a new bright feeling, a new life (introduction to Act 4, No. 26).

“Dance of Gayane” (No. 6) is a mournful, restrained monologue. His expressiveness is concentrated in a soulful and at the same time intense melody.

A different circle of images is conveyed by another “arioso” of Gayane - “Dance of Gayane” (No. 8, after a meeting with the head of the border detachment Kazakov) - excited, tremulous, as if foreshadowing the beginning of a new, bright feeling. And here the composer adheres to strict economy of expressive means. This is a harp solo built on wide passages.

Now follows “Lullaby” (No. 13), where the characters’ introductory melody, measured, still bears traces of the drama of the previous scene. But as it develops, the same theme in the sound of the violins, with variations activating the melody, in a new, more intense harmonization, acquires a broader lyrical meaning. A further change in the theme completely violates the framework of the lullaby: it sounds like a dramatic monologue of Gayane.

The portrait of Gayane, given by the composer in a variety of ways, is at the same time distinguished by its amazing musical unity. This is especially clear in the example of the duet with Kazakov. And here the composer strives to preserve the general image of the heroine: the same broad, improvisational melody, deeply lyrical, but for the first time light, in a major key; the same intimacy and chamberness of the sound of solo instruments.

A completely different principle underlies the musical depiction of other characters: Nune and Karen, Gayane’s brother Armen, the Kurdish girl Aisha.

The “portrait” of Aisha, a young Kurdish girl, is painted brightly and prominently - “Aisha’s Dance” (No. 16). The composer managed to combine a drawn-out, leisurely, oriental melody, whimsically rhythmic, with a clear and smooth waltz movement, giving the music the character of soft lyricism.

In "Aisha's Dance" the variational principle of development is combined with a three-hour form; dynamics, movement - with clarity and symmetrical construction.

“Dance of the Pink Girls” (No. 7) is distinguished by its extraordinary freshness, elegance and grace of movement. Its melody is extremely clear in design, as if it combines the clarity of a marching gait, which imparts cheerfulness to the music, and the whimsicality of dance rhythms.

“Dance with Sabers” (No. 35), energetic, temperamental, in its design is connected with the tradition of showing strength, prowess, and dexterity at folk festivals. Fast tempo, strong-willed uniform rhythm, chanting of melody, ringing and sharp orchestral sounds - all this reproduces the speed and rhythm of movements, saber strikes.

One of the bright numbers of the “Dance Suite” of Act 4 is “Lezginka”. It is striking in its very subtle, sensitive insight into the essence of folk music. Everything in Lezginka comes from listening to folk music. “Lezginka” is an example of how Khachaturian, based entirely on the principles of folk music, freely and boldly develops them to the scale of symphonic thinking.

In the fall of 1941, A. Khachaturian began working on the score for a new ballet. The work took place in close collaboration with the Leningrad Opera and Ballet Theater, which was located in Perm at that time. The premiere took place on December 3, 1942 and was a great success. In 1957, a new production of the ballet was performed at the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow. The libretto was changed, and Khachaturian rewrote more than half of the previous music. Ballet entered the history of ballet art in our country. The music for it formed the basis of three large symphonic suites, and individual numbers of the suites, for example, “Sabre Dance,” became world famous.
The ballet “Gayane” is a work deeply folk in spirit, integral in musical language, marked by the extraordinary colorfulness of the instrumentation.

Plot:
Gayane, the daughter of the collective farm chairman Hovhannes, helps to catch and neutralize the Unknown, who secretly entered the territory of Armenia in order to steal the secrets of geologists. Her friends and her loving Gayane Armen help her in this. Armen's rival Giko pays with his life for unwittingly assisting the enemy.

Dark night. An unknown figure appears in a thick network of rain. Listening warily and looking around, he frees himself from the parachute lines. After checking the map, he makes sure that he is at his destination. The rain subsides. Far away in the mountains the lights of the village flicker. The stranger takes off his overalls and remains in a tunic with stripes for wounds. Limping heavily, he leaves towards the village. Sunny morning. Spring work is in full swing in the collective farm gardens. Slowly, lazily stretching, Giko goes to work. The girls of the best brigade of the collective farm are in a hurry. With them is the foreman - a young, cheerful Gayane. Giko stops the Girl. He tells her about his love, wants to hug her. A young shepherd, Armen, appears on the Road. Gayane joyfully runs towards him. High in the mountains, near the shepherds' camp, Armen found shiny pieces of ore. He shows them to the Girl. Giko looks jealously at Armen and Gayane. During rest hours, the collective farmers start dancing. They leave together. After work, Gayane’s friends gathered. Karen plays the tar. Girls perform an ancient Armenian dance. Kazakov enters. He stayed at Hovhannes's house. Gayane and her friends show Kazakov the flowery carpet they have woven and start a game of blind man's buff. A drunk Giko arrives. The game gets upset. The collective farmers are trying to persuade Giko, who is again pursuing Gayane, and advise him to leave. After seeing the guests off, the collective farm chairman tries to talk to Giko. But he does not listen to Hovhannes and annoyingly pesters Gayane. The angry girl drives Giko away. The geologists return from the hike with Armen. Armen's discovery is not an accident. A rare metal deposit was discovered in the mountains. Kazakov decides to examine him in detail. Giko, who lingered in the room, witnesses this conversation. The mineral prospectors are getting ready to set off. Armen tenderly gives his beloved girl a flower brought from the mountain slope. Giko sees this as he walks past the windows with the unknown man. Armen and Hovhannes go with the expedition. Kazakov asks Gayane to keep the bag with ore samples. Gayane hides it. Night has come. An unknown person enters Gayane's house. He pretends to be sick and falls exhausted. Gayane helps him get up and hurries to get water. Left alone, he jumps up and begins to look for materials from the geological expedition. Gayane, who has returned, realizes that she is facing an enemy. Threatening, the unknown person demands that she tell her where the geologists' materials are located. During the fight, the carpet covering the niche falls. There is a bag with pieces of ore. An unknown person ties up Gayane, takes a bag and, trying to hide traces of the crime, sets the house on fire. Fire and smoke fill the room. Giko jumps out the window. There is horror and confusion on his face. Seeing a stick forgotten by an unknown person, Giko realizes that the criminal is his recent acquaintance. He carries the girl out of the house engulfed in flames. Starry night. High in the mountains there is a camp of collective farm shepherds. A squad of border guards passes by. Shepherd Ishmael entertains his beloved girl Aisha by playing the pipe. Aisha begins a smooth dance. Attracted by the music, the shepherds gather. And here comes Armen. He brought geologists. Here, at the foot of the cliff, he found precious ore. Shepherds perform the folk dance “Khochari”. They are replaced by Armen. Burning torches in his hands cut through the darkness of the night. A group of mountaineers and border guards arrives. The mountaineers carry the parachute they found. The enemy has penetrated Soviet soil! There was a glow over the valley. There is a fire in the village! Everyone rushes there. The flames are raging. The figure of an unknown person flashed in the reflections of the fire. He tries to hide, but collective farmers are running from all sides towards the burning house. The unknown man hides the bag and gets lost in the crowd. The crowd subsides. At this moment, an unknown person overtakes Giko. He asks him to remain silent and gives him a wad of money for this. Giko throws money in his face and wants to apprehend the criminal. Giko is wounded but continues to fight. Gayane runs up to help. Giko falls. The enemy points his weapon at Gayane. Armen arrives in time and snatches a revolver from the enemy, who is surrounded by border guards. Autumn. The collective farm reaped a bountiful harvest. Everyone comes together for the holiday. Armen hurries to Gayane.

The melodies of “Gayane” are permeated with intonations and singing of folk songs; They are characterized by the peculiarities of the modal structure of Armenian music, rhythmic patterns, orchestral timbres, as if reproducing the sound of folk instruments. Some features of Khachaturian's music originate in the performing style characteristic of folk singers and instrumentalists. In the ballet “Gayane” dance rhythms play a huge role. This is not only due to the genre of ballet; here there was a direct dependence on Armenian folk song, for which dance rhythms are extremely characteristic. That is why folk song and dance melodies sound naturally and figuratively not only in festive scenes of fun, but also in sketches of the working life of collective farmers, and in the images of characters. The compositional and musical-dramatic techniques used by Khachaturian in “Gayane” are extremely diverse. Integral, generalized musical characteristics acquire predominant importance in ballet: portrait sketches, folk and genre pictures, pictures of nature. They correspond to complete musical numbers, in the sequential presentation of which the features of a symphonic suite are often seen. The logic of development that unites independent musical images into a single whole is different. Thus, in the final picture, the larger dance cycle is united by the ongoing celebration. In some cases, the alternation of numbers is based on figurative, emotional contrasts of lyrical and cheerful, impetuous or energetic, courageous, genre and dramatic (see the first scenes of acts I and II). In the moments of the greatest tension of the action, for example in the scene of Gayane with Giko (from Act II), when Gayane reveals his sabotage plans and tries to counteract them, in the scenes of the revelation of the conspiracy and fire (III Act), Khachaturian gives large symphonic episodes of end-to-end musical development, which corresponds to the very drama of the action. Musical and dramatic means are also clearly differentiated in the characteristics of the characters: solid portrait sketches of episodic characters are contrasted with end-to-end dramatic musical development in Gayane’s part; The varied dance rhythms that underlie the musical portraits of Gayane’s friends and relatives are contrasted by Gayane’s improvisationally free, lyrically rich melodies. Khachaturian consistently applies the principle of leitmotifs to each of the characters, which imparts musical integrity and stage specificity to the images and the entire work.