New Stage

"Rachmaninov. A Life-Long Symphony" is a biographical ballet dedicated to the work of the great Russian composer, pianist and conductor.

Sergei Rachmaninov created his own unique Russian style: znamenny chant, folk song origins and bell ringing, which nurtured the nature of Rachmaninov's sound, intertwined with incredibly emotional, impeccably beautiful melodies and rich, sensual harmonies. His works have become the pearl of classical art and a symbol of Russian music throughout the world.

The plot of the performance is based on the life and work of the composer: his path is one of the destinies of outstanding people who survived the collapse of Tsarist Russia, who lost their homeland, their home. The story of Rachmaninov's life from his youth, through tragedy and an extraordinary break in his destiny to a new search for himself became the source of the libretto created by the author of the idea of ​​the performance Ivan Skladchikov. According to him, the premiere ballet is a reflection on the theme of the composer's fate through the eyes of Sergei Rachmaninov himself, who looked at his life path from the outside, as if in a dream. That is why the libretto is divided into 9 dreams, which contain memories of the Motherland, memories of childhood and the main turning points in the composer's biography.

The director and choreographer was the leading soloist of the ballet of the St. Petersburg State Academic Ballet Theater of Boris Eifman, Honored Artist of Russia, laureate of the Golden Mask and Golden Sofit awards Oleg Gabyshev.

"For us, this is a very emotional story. It touches and inspires at the same time. "We wanted the audience to be as moved as we were," the choreographer shared.

The ballet score includes the best works by Rachmaninov with small inclusions of works by Pyotr Tchaikovsky, Modest Mussorgsky and Carl Czerny. The new production was partly an experiment, which also includes opera fragments. In addition to the ballet troupe, the performance features opera soloists, a choir, and students from the Bashkir Choreographic College named after Rudolf Nureyev.