Fantastic Symphony (ballet)

Berlioz's symphony is considered one of the first programmed musical works. The composer gave the composition the full title “Episode from the life of an artist, a fantastic symphony in five parts” ( fr. Épisode de la vie d'un artiste, symphonie fantastique en cinq parties ) and later prefaced each part of it with a literary introduction. Therefore, the choreographer was forced to compose his ballet within the framework of the program established by the composer, he followed it exactly, expressed Berlioz’s ideas by means of choreography with his great imagination inherent ^[4] .

From 1932 to 1937, Leonid Myasin was the chief choreographer of the troupe Russian ballet Monte Carlo. During this period, he created three of the six symphony ballets: " Omens ", " Choretirium " (both in 1933 ) and "Fantastic Symphony". The last of these three choreographic symphonies is considered Myasin's masterpiece ^[4] . These compositions are ranked in ballet studies to the genre of ballet-symphony (also ballet symphony, symphonic ballet, or choreographic symphony).

On the new, third, symphonic ballet, Myasin began to think while working on the Public Garden. This time, the choreographer decided to move away from the concept of “ Choreartium ”, in which abstraction reigned supreme , and to choose Berlioz’s favorite symphony, which had a more specific theme and a clear plot ^[5] . Meatin was fascinated by the topic and was captivated by the history of the painfully impressionable hero. “When I began to analyze this role, which I danced myself, I realized that it requires significant dramatic action. And again, my previous experience as an actor of the Maly Theater proved invaluable. In the process of creating a choreographic drawing of a ballet, I increasingly entered the role. I think it was natural, since if I could not identify with the Young musician , my dance would be meaningless. With the help of dances built on contrasts, I tried to convey his fears, delusions and vision ” ^[6] . Further, Myasin in his memoirs wrote that “The Fantastic Symphony” “was in some respects my most significant symphonic ballet. In it, I combined abstract choreographic passages with a romantic and melodramatic plot, looking for means of expressing lyricism and hallucinations ” ^[7] .

According to Leonid Myasin, the atmosphere created by his choreography “was greatly enhanced by the inspired scenery of Christian Berar. His bright and muted colors, his romantic costumes in the style of the 1830s emphasized the dreamy nature of music ” ^[7] . In this, Myasin turned out to be a remarkable follower of Dyagilev , who proclaimed the unity of music, dance and set design in the ballet theater .

The structure of the ballet is coordinated with the score of the symphony and consists of 5 parts:

1. Dreams - Passions ( Rêveries - Passions )
2. Bal ( Un bal )
3. Scene in the fields ( Scène aux champs )
4. The march to the penalty ( Marche au supplice )
5. Sleep on Sabbath Night ( Songe d'une nuit de sabbat )

• 1936, July 24 - “Fantastic Symphony”, ballet by L. F. Myasin to the music of G. Berlioz, artist C. Berar, conductor Robert Blo ^[8] . The Russian Monte Carlo ballet by Colonel de Basil at Covent Garden Theater in London ^{[3] [4] [8]} .

Actors and performers ^[1]

• Young musician - Leonid Myasin
• His beloved - Tamara Tumanova
• Old Shepherd - M. Platov
• Young shepherd -
• Young Girl - Nina Vershinina ^[7]
• Deer - A. Kozlov
• Jailer - Yuri Shabelsky

Miasin in the role of the Musician expressed the variability of the feelings of the main character in each picture ^[4] . Judging from the photographs of the play, the Beloved also appears in different guises: how the Ghost Beloved is to the Musician in prison (picture 4), as the Beloved Witch is on the Sabbath (picture 5) ^[9] . The ballet premiere was a success. Myasin’s third choreographic symphony has become one of the ballet master's key works and continues to be performed today ^[4] .

On October 29, 1936, the ballet was shown in the Metropolitan Opera , New York ^[3] , then for a long time entered the repertoire of Western theaters, in the 1940s - the Danish Royal Ballet ^[10] .

• 1957 , April 17 - restoration of Leonid Myasin in the Paris Opera ^{[1] [8]}

• 1954 - Landesteatr, Hannover , choreographer Yvonne Georgi ^[1]
• 1967 - Bavarian State Opera , Munich , choreographer Heinz Rosen ^{[1] [11]}
• 1967 - Komishe Opera , Berlin , choreographer Tom Schilling ^{[1] [12]}
• 1974 - Paris Opera, production by Roland Petit ^{[1] [13]}

• Russian ballet Monte Carlo
• " Omens "
• " Choreartium "

• V.Vyazovkina. The Problems of Neo-Romanticism in the Western European Ballet Theater of the 1900-1930s: Evolution of the Image of a Hero-Creator: Manuscript Thesis / Varvara Alexandrovna Vyazovkina / Scientific Consultant E. Ya. Surits . - M. , 2014. - 211 p.
• Myasin L.F. My life in ballet = My Life in Ballet / Trans. from English M.M. Singal / Preface. and fragments from the monograph "Leonid Myasin" Surits E. Ya. / com. E. Yakovleva. - M .: Artist. Fighter Theater, 1997. - 366 p. - ( Ballets Russes ). - 3 000 copies - ISBN 5-87334-012-9 .
• Fantastic Symphony // Ballet: Encyclopedia / Ch. ed. Yu. N. Grigorovich . - M .: Soviet Encyclopedia, 1981. - p. 540. - 623 p.
• Dictionnaire de la Danse : [ fr. ] : monographie imprimée / sous la dir. de Philippe Le Moal. - Paris: Larousse-Bordas, 1999. - P. 156. - XV + 830 p. - ISBN 2-03-511318-0 .

• Symphonie fantastique, H 48 (Berlioz, Hector): scores from the International Music Score Library Project
• Surits E. Ya. Balle rus de Monte-Carlo // Russian ballet: Encyclopedia / Ed. E. P. Belova, G. N. Dobrovolskaya , V. M. Krasovskaya , E. Ya. Surits . - M .: Great Russian Encyclopedia, Consent, 1997. - 632 p. - 10 000 copies - ISBN 5-85270-099-1 .
• Schlugleit G. M. Balle Rues de Monte-Carlo // Ballet: Encyclopedia / Ch. ed. Yu. N. Grigorovich . - M .: Soviet Encyclopedia, 1981. - 623 p.
• La symphonie fantastique (Fr.) . Bibliothèque nationale de France . The appeal date is June 4, 2019.