The best ballets in the world: brilliant music, brilliant choreography…

The best ballets in the world: Swan Lake by Tchaikovsky

Whatever one may say, one cannot ignore the famous masterpiece of the Russian composer in four acts, thanks to which the German legend of the beautiful swan girl was immortalized in the eyes of art connoisseurs. According to the plot, the prince, in love with the swan queen, betrays her, but even the realization of the mistake does not save either him or his beloved from the raging elements.

The image of the main character, Odette, seems to complement the gallery of female symbols created by the composer during his life. It is noteworthy that the author of the ballet plot still remains unknown, and the names of the librettists have never appeared on any poster. The ballet was first presented back in 1877 on the stage of the Bolshoi Theater, but the first version was considered unsuccessful. The most famous production is Petipa-Ivanov’s, which became the standard for all subsequent performances.

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The best ballets in the world: “The Nutcracker” by Tchaikovsky

Popular on New Year’s Eve, the Nutcracker ballet for children was first presented to the public in 1892 on the stage of the famous Mariinsky Theater. Its plot is based on Hoffmann’s fairy tale “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King”. The struggle of generations, the confrontation between good and evil, the wisdom hidden behind the mask – the deep philosophical meaning of the fairy tale is clothed in bright musical images that are understandable to the youngest viewers.

The action takes place in winter, on Christmas Eve, when all wishes can come true – and this gives additional charm to the magical story. In this fairy tale, everything is possible: cherished desires will come true, masks of hypocrisy will fall, and injustice will definitely be defeated.

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The best ballets in the world: “Giselle” by Adana

“A love that is stronger than death” is perhaps the most accurate description of the famous ballet in four acts “Giselle”. The story of a girl dying from ardent love, who gave her heart to a noble young man engaged to another bride, is so vividly conveyed in the graceful pas of slender wilis – brides who died before the wedding.

The ballet was a tremendous success from its first production in 1841, and over the course of 18 years, 150 theatrical performances of the work by the famous French composer were given on the stage of the Paris Opera. This story so captivated the hearts of art connoisseurs that an asteroid discovered at the end of the XNUMXth century was even named after the main character of the story. And today our contemporaries have taken care of preserving one of the greatest pearls of the classical work in film versions of the classic production.

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The best ballets in the world: “Don Quixote” by Minkus

The era of great knights has long passed, but this does not at all prevent modern young ladies from dreaming of meeting Don Quixote of the 21st century. The ballet accurately conveys all the details of the folklore of the inhabitants of Spain; and many masters tried to stage the plot of noble chivalry in a modern interpretation, but it is the classical production that has been decorating the Russian stage for one hundred and thirty years.

Choreographer Marius Petipa was able to skillfully embody in dance all the flavor of Spanish culture through the use of elements of national dances, and some gestures and poses directly indicate the place where the plot unfolds. The story has not lost its significance today: even in the 21st century, Don Quixote skillfully inspires warm-hearted young people capable of desperate acts in the name of goodness and justice.

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The best ballets in the world: Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet

The immortal story of two loving hearts, united only after death forever, is embodied on stage thanks to Prokofiev’s music. The production took place shortly before the Second World War, and we must pay tribute to the dedicated craftsmen who resisted the customary order at that time, which also reigned in the creative sphere of the Stalinist country: the composer preserved the traditional tragic ending of the plot.

After the first great success, which awarded the play the Stalin Prize, there were many versions, but literally in 2008, the traditional production of 1935 took place in New York with a happy ending to the famous story, unknown to the public until that moment.

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