The Red Poppy - Misplaced Pages

1927 Soviet ballet by Reinhold Glière

The Red Poppy
Scene from The Red Poppy, a drawing on a Soviet postage stamp
Native title	Красный мак
Choreographer	(Acts 1 and 3): Lev Laschiline (Act 2): Vasily Tikhomirov
Music	Reinhold Glière
Premiere	14 June 1927 Bolshoi Theatre, Moscow, Soviet Union
Original ballet company	Bolshoi Ballet
Characters	Taï-Choa Soviet Captain Li-Chan-Fou Chinese Conjurer Harbormaster of the Port Ma Lichen (1949 staging) Nüwa (2010 staging)
Design	Mikhail Kurilko
Setting	1920s-era Republican China

The Red Poppy (Russian: Красный мак, romanized: Krasniy mak) or sometimes The Red Flower (Russian: Красный цветок, romanized: Krasniy tsvetok) is a ballet in three acts and eight tableaux with an apotheosis, with a score written by Reinhold Glière and libretto by Mikhail Kurilko. This ballet was created in 1927 as the first Soviet ballet with a modern revolutionary theme. Possibly the most famous dance from this ballet is the Sailors Dance, sometimes referred to as the "Russian Sailors Dance" (although it is described as "Dance of the Sailors from the Soviet Ship" in the score and libretto). It is this musical selection for which Glière is perhaps best known. There have been four main versions of The Red Poppy.

History

Original version (1927)

The original version of The Red Poppy was choreographed by Lev Lashchiline (1st and 3rd Acts) and Vasily Tikhomirov (2nd Act). The first performance was on 14 June 1927 in the Bolshoi Theatre (which at the time under Soviet rule had been renamed "First People's State Theatre for Opera and Ballet"). The orchestra was led by Yuri Fayer. The ballet's 100th performance in Moscow occurred on 23 December 1928.

This production was staged in 1928 and 1930 in Sverdlovsk, and in 1928, 1949, and 1958 in Saratov. The Leningradsky Theatre of opera and ballet staged the ballet in 1929 in Leningrad, adding several dances to the production. The original version was performed in 1941 and 1950 in Gorky; in 1946 in Baku by the Azerbaijan State Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre; and in 1949 and 1958 by the Kirov Ballet.

In 1943, the Ballet Russe de Monte-Carlo staged a one-act version of the ballet in the Public Music Hall, Cleveland, Ohio. Premiering on October 9, 1943, the production was staged by Igor Schwezoff, with decor by Boris Aronson. Since World War II was being fought at the time, with the Soviets and Americans allied, the villain Li-Chan-Fou was changed to a Japanese bar owner. The group of Soviet sailors now included British and Americans as well.

The Red Flower (1957)

In 1957, Vasily Tikhomirov and Mikhail Kurilko staged an expanded version of the ballet. Renamed The Red Flower (to avoid the association with opium), the number of scenes ("tableaux") was increased from 8 to 13. It was first performed on 24 November 1957 in the Bolshoi Theatre.

Lavrovsky version (1949)

In 1949 a new version of The Red Poppy was choreographed by Leonid Lavrovsky. The scenario was rewritten by Aleksey Yermolayev, and the ballet was first performed on 30 December 1949 in the Bolshoi Theatre. The 1949 version introduced a new character, Ma Lichen.

Androsov version (2010)

Ballet triumph in Rome, February 12, 2010

On 12 February 2010, a new production of The Red Poppy, with choreography by Nikolay Androsov, was performed at Teatro dell'Opera di Roma. Scenery and costumes by Elena Puliti, conductor Andre Anichanov, musical cooperation from Francesco Sodini, and director of production Beppe Menegatti. This version introduced a new character, Nüwa, goddess of fertility. A new production of this version is expected on June 13, 2015, at the Rostov State Opera and Ballet (Musical) Theatre, in Rostov-on-Don.

Vasiliev version (2010)

Also in 2010, a new production choreographed by Vladimir Vasiliev (who also did scenario editing and scenery), with costumes by Maria Vol'skaya, and music director and conducting by Anatoly Chepurnoy, was performed on 23 November at the Krasnoyarsk Ballet and Opera Theater.

Other performances

1949 in Perm
1950 and 1961 in Kuybyshev
1950 in Novosibirsk
1954 in Bratislava, Slovak National Theatre
1962 in Volgograd

Synopsis

The ballet takes place at a seaport in 1920s-era Republican China. Ships carrying sailors from many lands, including the Soviet Union, are docked in a Chinese seaport. The Captain of the Soviet Ship notices a group of half-starved, overworked coolies being brutally driven to work even harder by their cruel harbormaster.

One night while dancing for the sailors aboard the ship, the beautiful Taï-Choa (Pinyin: Taohua) notices the Soviet Captain trying to rescue the poor Coolies from the Harbormaster. Impressed by the captain's act of kindness she gives him a red poppy as a symbol of her love.

When Taï-Choa's fiancé, the adventurer Li-Chan-Fou learns of this, he is jealous and orders her to kill the captain. She refuses, and is later killed when a riot breaks out on the dock — thus sacrificing her life for the captain. As she dies, she gives another red poppy flower to a young Chinese girl as a sign of love and freedom.

Structure

Act One

First Tableau
No. 1 Introduction
No. 2 Unloading the Soviet Ship (Work of the Coolies)
No. 3 Restaurant Scene
No. 4 Dance of the Malaysian Women
Scene and Exit of the Malaysian Women
No. 5 Taï-Choa's Entrance
No. 6 Fan Dance
No. 7 Scene After Fan Dance
No. 8 Dance in the Restaurant
No. 9 Entrance of the Adventurer
No. 10 Coolie's Work
No. 11 Commotion in the Crowd. Arrival of the Captain of the Soviet Ship
No. 12 Work of the Soviet Sailors
No. 13 Scene of Taï-Choa with the Captain and the Adventurer
No. 14 Dance of the Golden Thimbles
No. 15 Exit of Taï-Choa
No. 16 Victory Dance of the Coolies
No. 17 Dance of Sailors from Different Nations
No. 18 Dance of the Sailors from the Soviet Ship — Russian Song: Yablochko ("Little Apple")

Act Two

Second Tableau
No. 19 Introduction
No. 20 Scene in the Opium Den
No. 21 Dance of the Chinese Women
No. 22 Exit of the Chinese Women
No. 23 Conspiracy Scene
No. 24 Taï-Choa's Anguish
No. 25 Taï-Choa Smokes Opium
Third Tableau
No. 26 Taï-Choa's Dream and Visions
No. 27 Adagio (Four Goddesses)
No. 28 a) Cortege b) Sword Dance
Fourth Tableau
No. 29 Phoenix
No. 30 Adagio of the Phoenix
Fifth Tableau
No. 31 Butterfly and Lotus Dance
No. 32 Grand Adagio in E Major
No. 33 Poppy Dance
No. 34 Phoenix Variation
No. 35 Taï-Choa's Variation (Xylophone Solo)
No. 36 Dance of the Chinese Saltimbanque
No. 37 Coda
No. 38 The Red Barque

Act Three

Sixth Tableau
No. 39 Introduction
No. 40 Charleston
No. 41 Scene Before the Dance on the Dish
No. 42 Dance on the Dish
No. 43 Scene After the Dance on the Dish
No. 44 Entrance of the Herald and the Saltimbanque. Mounting of the Chinese Theater.
No. 45 Herald's Announcement
No. 46 Demon's Dance
No. 47 Herald's Announcement
No. 48 Dance with Scarves
No. 49 Herald's Announcement
No. 50 Umbrella Dance
No. 51 Herald's Announcement
No. 52 Ribbon Dance
No. 53 Dismounting of the Chinese Theater
No. 54 Boston Waltz
Seventh Tableau
No. 55 Conspiracy Scene
No. 56 Taï-Choa's Scene with the Captain
Eighth Tableau
No. 57 Boston Waltz (Reprise)
No. 58 Chinese Tea
No. 59 Chinese Dance with the Cups
No. 60 Dance with the Goblet
No. 61 Scene of Alarm
No. 62 Ship's Departure
No. 63 Passing of the Armed Coolies
No. 64 Riot Scene
No. 65 Taï-Choa's Death

Apotheosis

No. 66 - Apotheosis

Dances Added for the 1929 Leningrad Production

Variation in A Major
Variation in B Major
Variation of the Four Soloists
Variation in G Major
Eccentric Dance
Chinese Generals (Children's Dance)
Dance of the Little Drum
Girls — American Dance
Boston Waltz (Revised)

Characters

Harbormaster of the Port — L. A. Laschiline (1927) and Ivan Sidorov (1927), Alexei Bal'va (2010)
Captain of the Soviet Ship — Alexeï D. Boulgakov and Mikhail Dudko (1927), Alexander Radunsky (1949 and 1957), Frederic Franklin (1943), Lukash Abrahamyan (2007), Igor Yebra (2010), Vito Mazzeo (2010), Vyacheslav Kapustin (2010)
Taï-Choa, Comedian — Yekaterina Geltzer (1927), Viktorina Kriger (1927), Galina Ulanova (1949 and 1957), Olga Lepeshinskaya (1949), Alexandra Danilova (1943), Oksana Kucheruk (2010), Gaia Straccamore (2010), Anna Ol (2010)
Li-Chan-Fou, Adventurer, Taï-Choa's Fiancé — Ivan Smoltsov (1927), Sergey Koren (1949 and 1957), Alexey Yermolayev (1949), Vito Mazzeo (2010), Manuel Paruccini (2010), Ivan Karnaukhov (2010), Farukh Ruzimatov (2015)
Restaurant and Opium Den Patron — L. K. Matzkevitch (1927)
Saltimbanque — V. A. Riabtzov (1927)
First Overlord of the Coolies — A. V Orlov (1927)
Chinese Conspirators — M. V. Orlov and I. F. Blokhine (1927)
Herald of the Chinese Theater — Gherber (1927)
Chinese Conjurer — Asaf Messerer (1927)
Ma Lichen, introduced in the staging of 1949 — Yury Kondratov (1949 and 1957), Mikhail Gabovich (1949), Damiano Mongelli (2010)
Nüwa, goddess of fertility, introduced in the staging of 2010 — Carla Fracci

References

"The Red Poppy: The Ballet Russe Collection," Archived 2015-03-03 at the Wayback Machine Butler University Department of Dance. Accessed Feb. 14. 2015.
Anderson, Jack. The One and Only: The Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, Dance Books Ltd (2010).
^ Koegler, Horst. The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Ballet, 2nd edition. Oxford University Press (1982).

External links

v t e Reinhold Glière
Orchestral	Symphony No. 3 (1911)
Concertante	Harp Concerto (1938) Concerto for Coloratura Soprano (1943) Horn Concerto (1951)
Ballet	The Red Poppy (1927)
Related	Alisher Navoi (1947 film) Union of Soviet Composers
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