Flames of Paris
Encyclopedia
Flames of Paris is a classical
ballet
with music by musicologist and composer Boris Asafiev
based on songs of the French Revolution, and originally choreographed by Vasily Vainonen, with design by Vladimir Dmitriev. The four-act ballet is based on a book by Felix Gras
. Authors of the libretto were Nicolai Volkov and Vladimir Dmitriev.
It was premiered at the Kirov Theatre in Leningrad
on 7 November, 1932, with Natalia Dudinskaya
as Mireille de Poitiers, Vakhtang Chabukiani
as Jerome, Olga Jordan as Jeanne, Nina Anisimova as Therese, and Konstantin Sergeyev as Mistral. Other productions included the one premiered on 6 July 1933 at the Bolshoi Theatre
in Moscow
, with Aleksei Yermolaev (Jerome), Anastasia Abramova (Jeanne), Nadezhda Kapustina (Therese) and Marina Semenova (Mireille de Poitiers).
The original production and choreography was reconstructed in 2008 by Alexei Ratmansky
for the Bolshoi Ballet
and is available on DVD with Ivan Vasiliev
and Natalia Osipova (Bel Air Classiques).
, including in its scenario the storming of the Tuileries by the Marseillais and their victorious march on Paris. The plot is taken from the book of Felix Gras
Les Marceliers.
Although its setting is eighteenth-century France
, it is a perfect illustration of Leningrad
ballet in the 1920s and 1930s, during which time there was a determined effort to find subjects in world history which reflected the more immediate situation in Russia
, and to show that the October Revolution
was part of more universal movements and historical events.
When a Count and his royal hunting party arrive, the peasants disperse, but Jeanne attracts the attention of the Count, who attempts to embrace her. When her father intervenes, he is beaten up by the Count's servant and taken away.
Later, in the Marseilles Square, Jeanne tells the people what has happened to her father, and the people's indignation over the injustices of the aristocracy grows. They storm the prison, and free the prisoners of the Marquis de Beauregard.
Next, the court of Versailles
in all its decadence is portrayed.
After a performance at the court theatre which is followed by a lush banquet, the officers of the court write a formal petition to the King, requesting the permission to deal with the unruly revolutionaries.
The actor Antoine Mistral, discovering this secret document, is killed by the Marquis: but before he dies, he manages to pass the document on to Mireille de Poitiers, who escapes as the sound of the Marsilleise is heard from the windows.
The scene then shifts to a square in Paris
, where an uprising and the storming of the palace is prepared.
Mireille rushes in with the document revealing the conspiracy against the revolution, and her bravery is applauded. At the height of this scene, the officers of the Marquis arrive in the square; Jeanne, recognizing the man who insulted her in the woods, runs up and slaps him across the face.
Following this, the crowd rushes upon the aristocrats. To the sound of revolutionary songs, the people storm the palace and burst into the staircase of the front hall. Jeanne attacks the Marquis, who is then killed by her brother, and the Basque Therese sacrifices her life for the Revolution
.
Finally, back in the square in Paris
, the people celebrate their victory over the defenders of the old regime.
: The Flames of Paris blends classical and character dancing, court music and popular songs, solo performances and huge group scenes.
The choreography is mostly classical, but for the part of Therese, for example, Vainonen chose Leningrad
character dancer, Nina Anisimova
: she danced only character dances, displaying strong, expressive folk movements which symbolize the energy and the spirit of the crowd.
Then on the other hand, the dances for Philippe, one of the Marseillais, and his bride are purely classical: the two characters dance a pas de deux which is done in the true St. Petersburg manner, after Petipa
.
In the scene at the palace of Louis XVI, we have a great deal of traditional mime, and Marie Antoinette dances a minuet which is a beautiful piece of choreography in itself.
As a further technique for putting classical dancing on the stage, Vainonen invented the roles of the pair of actors, Mireille de Poitiers and Antoine Mistral, who have been invited by the King to perform at the banquet. These were originally performed by Natalia Dudinskaya
and Konstantin Sergeyev, and are designed for outstanding ballet dancers who can display their virtuosity in classical pas de deux. These actors are of course on the side of the revolutionary mob, so that after the storming of the palace they are joined by the group in dances which include variations, codas, and the participation of an enormous corps de ballet consisting of 24 and later 32 dancers.
ISBN 1-55862-084-2 (Vol. 1 and 2)
Classicism
Classicism, in the arts, refers generally to a high regard for classical antiquity, as setting standards for taste which the classicists seek to emulate. The art of classicism typically seeks to be formal and restrained: of the Discobolus Sir Kenneth Clark observed, "if we object to his restraint...
ballet
Ballet
Ballet is a type of performance dance, that originated in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century, and which was further developed in France and Russia as a concert dance form. The early portions preceded the invention of the proscenium stage and were presented in large chambers with...
with music by musicologist and composer Boris Asafiev
Boris Asafiev
Boris Vladimirovich Asafyev was a Russian and Soviet composer, writer, musicologist, musical critic and one of founders of Soviet musicology.Asafyev had a strong influence on Soviet music. His compositions include ballets, operas, symphonies, concertos and chamber music...
based on songs of the French Revolution, and originally choreographed by Vasily Vainonen, with design by Vladimir Dmitriev. The four-act ballet is based on a book by Felix Gras
Felix Gras
Félix Gras was a Provençal poet and novelist. He was born into a farming family and went to secondary school at the college of Sainte Garde à Saint Didier...
. Authors of the libretto were Nicolai Volkov and Vladimir Dmitriev.
It was premiered at the Kirov Theatre in Leningrad
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
on 7 November, 1932, with Natalia Dudinskaya
Natalia Dudinskaya
Natalia Mikhailovna Dudinskaya was a Russian prima ballerina who dominated the Kirov Ballet in the 1930s and 1940s.Dudinskaya's mother was Natalia Tagliori, a ballerina coached by Enrico Cecchetti. Trained by Agrippina Vaganova, Dudinskaya matriculated from her school in 1931. She danced all the...
as Mireille de Poitiers, Vakhtang Chabukiani
Vakhtang Chabukiani
Vakhtang Chabukiani was a Georgian ballet dancer, choreographer and teacher highly regarded in his native country as well as abroad. He is considered to be one of the most influential male ballet dancers in history, and is noted for creating the majority of the choreography of the male variations...
as Jerome, Olga Jordan as Jeanne, Nina Anisimova as Therese, and Konstantin Sergeyev as Mistral. Other productions included the one premiered on 6 July 1933 at the Bolshoi Theatre
Bolshoi Theatre
The Bolshoi Theatre is a historic theatre in Moscow, Russia, designed by architect Joseph Bové, which holds performances of ballet and opera. The Bolshoi Ballet and Bolshoi Opera are amongst the oldest and most renowned ballet and opera companies in the world...
in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
, with Aleksei Yermolaev (Jerome), Anastasia Abramova (Jeanne), Nadezhda Kapustina (Therese) and Marina Semenova (Mireille de Poitiers).
The original production and choreography was reconstructed in 2008 by Alexei Ratmansky
Alexei Ratmansky
Alexei Osipovich Ratmansky is a choreographer and former ballet dancer. He is artist in residence at the American Ballet Theatre and the former director of the Bolshoi Ballet. Ratmansky trained under Pyotr Pestov and Anna Markeyeva at the Bolshoi Ballet School...
for the Bolshoi Ballet
Bolshoi Ballet
The Bolshoi Ballet is an internationally renowned classical ballet company, based at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, Russia. Founded in 1776, the Bolshoi is among the world's oldest ballet companies, however it only achieved worldwide acclaim by the early 20th century, when Moscow became the...
and is available on DVD with Ivan Vasiliev
Ivan Vasiliev
Ivan Vasiliev is a principal dancer with the Bolshoi Ballet. Born in Vladivostok, he graduated from the Belorussian Ballet School and won first prize at the Moscow International Ballet Competition in 2005...
and Natalia Osipova (Bel Air Classiques).
History
The Flames of Paris is a so-called "revolutionary" ballet, and takes as its subject the French RevolutionFrench Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
, including in its scenario the storming of the Tuileries by the Marseillais and their victorious march on Paris. The plot is taken from the book of Felix Gras
Felix Gras
Félix Gras was a Provençal poet and novelist. He was born into a farming family and went to secondary school at the college of Sainte Garde à Saint Didier...
Les Marceliers.
Although its setting is eighteenth-century France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, it is a perfect illustration of Leningrad
Leningrad
Leningrad is the former name of Saint Petersburg, Russia.Leningrad may also refer to:- Places :* Leningrad Oblast, a federal subject of Russia, around Saint Petersburg* Leningrad, Tajikistan, capital of Muminobod district in Khatlon Province...
ballet in the 1920s and 1930s, during which time there was a determined effort to find subjects in world history which reflected the more immediate situation in Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, and to show that the October Revolution
October Revolution
The October Revolution , also known as the Great October Socialist Revolution , Red October, the October Uprising or the Bolshevik Revolution, was a political revolution and a part of the Russian Revolution of 1917...
was part of more universal movements and historical events.
Plot Outline
The ballet opens in a forest near Marseilles, where the peasant Gaspard and his children- Jeanne and Pierre- are gathering bushwood.When a Count and his royal hunting party arrive, the peasants disperse, but Jeanne attracts the attention of the Count, who attempts to embrace her. When her father intervenes, he is beaten up by the Count's servant and taken away.
Later, in the Marseilles Square, Jeanne tells the people what has happened to her father, and the people's indignation over the injustices of the aristocracy grows. They storm the prison, and free the prisoners of the Marquis de Beauregard.
Next, the court of Versailles
Versailles
Versailles , a city renowned for its château, the Palace of Versailles, was the de facto capital of the kingdom of France for over a century, from 1682 to 1789. It is now a wealthy suburb of Paris and remains an important administrative and judicial centre...
in all its decadence is portrayed.
After a performance at the court theatre which is followed by a lush banquet, the officers of the court write a formal petition to the King, requesting the permission to deal with the unruly revolutionaries.
The actor Antoine Mistral, discovering this secret document, is killed by the Marquis: but before he dies, he manages to pass the document on to Mireille de Poitiers, who escapes as the sound of the Marsilleise is heard from the windows.
The scene then shifts to a square in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, where an uprising and the storming of the palace is prepared.
Mireille rushes in with the document revealing the conspiracy against the revolution, and her bravery is applauded. At the height of this scene, the officers of the Marquis arrive in the square; Jeanne, recognizing the man who insulted her in the woods, runs up and slaps him across the face.
Following this, the crowd rushes upon the aristocrats. To the sound of revolutionary songs, the people storm the palace and burst into the staircase of the front hall. Jeanne attacks the Marquis, who is then killed by her brother, and the Basque Therese sacrifices her life for the Revolution
Revolution
A revolution is a fundamental change in power or organizational structures that takes place in a relatively short period of time.Aristotle described two types of political revolution:...
.
Finally, back in the square in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, the people celebrate their victory over the defenders of the old regime.
Analysis
In composing the choreography for this rich four-act ballet, Vasily Vainonen drew upon many different sources, as did the composer Boris AsafievBoris Asafiev
Boris Vladimirovich Asafyev was a Russian and Soviet composer, writer, musicologist, musical critic and one of founders of Soviet musicology.Asafyev had a strong influence on Soviet music. His compositions include ballets, operas, symphonies, concertos and chamber music...
: The Flames of Paris blends classical and character dancing, court music and popular songs, solo performances and huge group scenes.
The choreography is mostly classical, but for the part of Therese, for example, Vainonen chose Leningrad
Leningrad
Leningrad is the former name of Saint Petersburg, Russia.Leningrad may also refer to:- Places :* Leningrad Oblast, a federal subject of Russia, around Saint Petersburg* Leningrad, Tajikistan, capital of Muminobod district in Khatlon Province...
character dancer, Nina Anisimova
Nina Aleksandrovna Anisimova
Nina Aleksandrovna Anisimova was a Russian dancer and choreographer.She studied at the Petrograd Ballet School with Maria Fedorovna Romanova, Alexander Shiryaev, and Agrippina Vaganova...
: she danced only character dances, displaying strong, expressive folk movements which symbolize the energy and the spirit of the crowd.
Then on the other hand, the dances for Philippe, one of the Marseillais, and his bride are purely classical: the two characters dance a pas de deux which is done in the true St. Petersburg manner, after Petipa
Marius Petipa
Victor Marius Alphonse Petipa was a French ballet dancer, teacher and choreographer. Petipa is considered to be the most influential ballet master and choreographer of ballet that has ever lived....
.
In the scene at the palace of Louis XVI, we have a great deal of traditional mime, and Marie Antoinette dances a minuet which is a beautiful piece of choreography in itself.
As a further technique for putting classical dancing on the stage, Vainonen invented the roles of the pair of actors, Mireille de Poitiers and Antoine Mistral, who have been invited by the King to perform at the banquet. These were originally performed by Natalia Dudinskaya
Natalia Dudinskaya
Natalia Mikhailovna Dudinskaya was a Russian prima ballerina who dominated the Kirov Ballet in the 1930s and 1940s.Dudinskaya's mother was Natalia Tagliori, a ballerina coached by Enrico Cecchetti. Trained by Agrippina Vaganova, Dudinskaya matriculated from her school in 1931. She danced all the...
and Konstantin Sergeyev, and are designed for outstanding ballet dancers who can display their virtuosity in classical pas de deux. These actors are of course on the side of the revolutionary mob, so that after the storming of the palace they are joined by the group in dances which include variations, codas, and the participation of an enormous corps de ballet consisting of 24 and later 32 dancers.
Popular culture
The Stars of the Russian Ballet is a 1953 Soviet film production (available on DVD) that contains the Swan Lake, The Fountain of Bakhchisarai and The Flames of Paris.Sources
Bremster, M. (ed.) 1993. "International Dictionary of Ballet" Detroit: St James PressISBN 1-55862-084-2 (Vol. 1 and 2)