The history of the horse (performance)

The staging of " Holstomer " belongs to Mark Rozovsky . At the invitation of G. A. Tovstonogov, the young director at that time staged the performance “Poor Liza” on the Small Stage of the Bolshoi Theater and, since the performance was successful, he was soon able to start a new work - “The Story of a Horse”, originally also intended for the Small Stage.

Mark Rozovsky staged the first act, but problems arose in the second, and in the end G.A. Tovstonogov intervened in the work on the play, who first of all decided to transfer the play to the big stage, made some changes to the first and re-staged the second act ^{[ 1]} .

The premiere of the performance took place on November 27, 1975 ; he walked on the stage of the theater for many years, enjoying constant success. In 1989, the play was recorded for television in the same composition that played the premiere, with the exception of the performer of the role of General Pavel Pankov , who died back in 1978; after him the General was played by Vsevolod Kuznetsov .

In 2006, Mark Rozovsky published the book “The Case of Horse Theft”, in which he stated that Tovstonogov made not so many changes to the play he had already staged, while most of them worsened rather than improved the performance ^[2] . The statements of Rozovsky were disputed by witnesses and participants in the staging of the play - Natela Tovstonogova (sister of the director and widow of the lead actor Yevgeny Lebedev ) and Oleg Basilashvili, the performer of the role of Prince Serpukhovskiy ^[3] . “When the History of the Horse appeared in the mid-70s,” writes Anatoly Smelyansky , “the theater world could not believe that Tovstonogov had accomplished this. Then, in the capital’s kitchens, they whispered with pleasure on the topic of “borrowing”: here, they say, Georgy Alexandrovich took Mark Grigorievich’s remarkable idea and appropriated it. Only when Mark Grigorievich Rozovsky showed his Riga version of Holstomer did it become clear how he appropriated and mastered Tovstonogov’s remarkable repertoire proposal by the young director ”” ^[4] .

“He was old, they were young; he was thin, they were full; he was boring, they were cheerful. Therefore, he was a stranger, an outsider, a completely different creature, and it was impossible to spare him ... "

The old piebald gelding is living its last days in the herd of Count Bobrinsky. His old age, “both ugly and majestic,” causes indignation and contempt among horses, and, obeying herd instinct, the herd drives the old gelding. But he is recognized by the old mare of Vyazopurikha: “Why, this is the Holstomer, so nicknamed by the crowd for its long and sweeping move, which was unparalleled in Russia.” And the gelding begins the story of his life.

He was born piebald, and the owner of the stud farm, the General, presented it to his Stable, instructing him to ensure that the piebald stallion did not spoil the herd. But Konyushiy did not follow: having fallen in love with the beautiful filly of Vyazopurikha, Kholstomer violated the ban, and he was fed up with poison.

One day, a hussar officer, Prince Serpukhovskaya, came to the General, wanting to get a horse; but the prince did not like any of the handsome men proposed by the General, but he liked the ugly Holstomer, which Konyushim turned into a workhorse.

With Prince, Holstomer spent the best time of his life. The owner was handsome, rich, cold and cruel, and the coachman was handsome, in everything to match the prince - Holstomer admired them and himself next to them; in this house he was cherished and cherished, they were proud of him. But on one rainy day the prince put his favorite on the run like a racehorse; unusual for this occupation, Holstomer did not let the master down, but while the prince was enjoying his triumph, his mistress Mathieu left with another officer. Rushing after her in pursuit, the prince drove the already exhausted Halstomer's horse racing.

No treatment helped, and Holstomer was eventually sold to a young lady; then to an old woman, a peasant, a gypsy, a clerk ...

Prince Serpukhovskaya comes to Bobrinsky, who has grown old and lowered, has long been wasting his fortune and living in debt. Bobrinsky shows him his best, most expensive horses, the guest reluctantly praises. When he sees a piebald gelding, he recalls that he also once had the same "motley" one. But Serpukhovskaya does not recognize Holstomer.

Meanwhile, a scab is found at Holstomer, and Bobrinsky orders to kill the old gelding.

“In a week, only a large skull and two moslaks were lying around a brick shed, the rest was all pulled apart. In the summer, a man collecting bones took away these moslaks and a skull and put them into action. Walking around the world, eating and drinking the dead body of Serpukhovsky was removed to the earth much later. Neither his skin, nor his meat, nor his bones came in handy. ”

• Strider - Evgeny Lebedev
• Prince of Serpukhov - Oleg Basilashvili
• Vyazopurikha, she is Mathieu, she is Marie - Valentina Kovel
• Dear, he’s an Officer, aka Bobrinsky - Mikhail Volkov
• Feofan, aka Fritz - Jozef Mironenko
• General - P.P. Pankov , Vsevolod Kuznetsov (in TV version)
• Stable, he also announces on the run - M.V. Danilov
• Vaska, the groom, he is also sex on the run - G. A. Shtil

Chorus - E.P. Alekseeva, T.D. Konovalova, E.E. Nemchenko , V.A. Smirnova, A.A. Federyaev, A.V. Shkomov, T.V. Yakovleva, I.Z. Zabludovsky , V.I. Karavaev, V.A. Kozlov, E.N. Solyakov, E.K. Chudakov

Musical ensemble - A. E. Galkin, V. M. Gorbenko, Yu. A. Smirnov, N. A. Rybakov, M. I. Khazanov

• Staged by G. A. Tovstonogov
• Artist - E. S. Kochergin
• Director - M. G. Rozovsky
• Musical arrangement by M. G. Rozovsky and S. E. Vetkin
• Musical Director - S. E. Rosenzweig
• Sound producer - G.V. Izotov
• Lighting Designer - E. M. Kutikov
• Dramatization by Mark Rozovsky . Poems by Yu. E. Ryashentsev .

• Losev S. M. George Tovstonogov rehearses and teaches. Literary Record / E. Gorfunkel. - Baltic seasons. - SPb. , 2007.

• The article "The Stolen Masterpiece"