17.09.2013

Tatar Opera and Ballet Theatre to open new season with Golden Horde ballet premiere

(Kazan, September 12, Tatar-inform, Lucia Kamalova). Tatar State Opera and Ballet Theatre will open a new season with the world premiere of a ballet Golden Horde to the music by Rezeda Akhiyarova. The grand performance will be presented on 22 and 23 September.

The libretto was written by poet Renat Kharis. The director is Georgy Kovtun of Saint-Petersburg, an honoured art worker of Russia and people’s artiste of Tatarstan. He is familiar to the Kazan audience after his outstanding productions Peer Gynt, Spartacus, The Tale of Yusouf and opera Carmen.

Tatar opera theatre director, Raufal Mukhametzyanov, said at a news conference dedicated to the new season that Golden Horde had been worked on for three years. “When the idea was first formulated, we wrote to President of Tatarstan, Rustam Minnikhanov, and asked for funds, to implement it. President supported and us and the wheels began spinning,” he said.

Libretto author, Renat Kharis, said the Tatar opera theatre had wished to stage a ballet based on history. “I brought several projects to the theatre but we finally chose the Golden Horde, since the period is immediately related to our culture and history,” he shared.

According to R. Mukhametzyanov, many people relate the Golden Horde with invasions and wars, whereas in fact there was ordinary human life as well. “There are moral things like love. How could a ballet without love and romance be created? Love is at the basis of any ballet, it is important,” theatre’s director stressed.

The production shows the final years of the Golden Horde and its fall. “It is not a political or historical piece. It is an artistic view of a big story,” the authors enhanced.

It was rare for Russian theatres to tackle a show ‘from scratch’, commented Georgy Kovtun. “It is like a child that has first seen the light of day. It is always very difficult,” he shared. The show was 'very masculine', with just one female lead part, he added.

Golden Horde was said to feature fewer battle scenes but more weaponry than Spartacus. Over 150 performers are engaged. Unique scenery and hand-made costumes are used.

“Beauty saving the world is the main idea of the show, as well as an appeal to people to cherish their homeland, the world that has been given to them,” G. Kovtun concluded.