The Red Poppy (Russian: Красный мак ) or sometimes The Red Flower (Russian: Красный цветок ) is a ballet in three acts and an apotheosis; score written by Reinhold Glière and a scenario 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. It is this selection for which Glière is perhaps best known.
Synopsis
The ballet takes place at a seaport in 1920s-era Kuomintang China. A ship carrying sailors from many lands, including Russia is docked in a Chinese seaport. The captain 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 Tao-Hoa notices a Russian captain trying to rescue the poor Coolies from the port commander. Impressed by the captain's act of kindness she gives him a red poppy as a symbol of her love. When Tao's employer, Li Shan-Fu learns of this, he is jealous and orders her to kill the captain. She refuses, sacrifices her life for the captain's, and is later killed by her employer when a riot breaks out on the dock. As she dies, she gives another red poppy flower to a young Chinese girl as a sign of love and freedom.
Music Order & Versions
Act One
- Introduction
- Coolies' Dance
- Tao-Hoa's Entrance
- Restaurant Scene
- Malik's Dance
- Boston Waltz
- Scene of European Dance
- Captain's Entrance and Sailors Dance
- Tao-Hoa's Scene
- Variation with Gold Fingers
- Coolies' Victory Dance
- Dance of the Soviet Sailors:Apple
Act Two
- Introduction - Scene in the Smoking Room
- Scene
- Dance of the Chinese Women
- Adagio of Four Goddesses
- Adagio
- Prelude
- Tao-Hoa's Vision
- Procession Scene
- Sword Dance
- Phoenix
- Adagio
- The Rose Ship
Act Three
- Charleston
- Dance in the Restaurant
- Preparation of the Chinese Theatre
- Umbrella Dance
- Puppet Dance
- Chinese Acrobats' Dance
- The Conspiracy
- Scene of Confusion
- Captain's Scene
- Tao-Hoa's Scene: The Departing Ship
- Rebellion Scene
- Death of Tao-Hoa
- Apotheosis
Versions
There have been four main versions:
- 1927 - Choreography by Lev Lashchilin (1st and 3rd Acts) and Vasily Tikhomirov (2nd Act). First performance on 14 June 1927 in the Bolshoi Theatre.
- 1949 - Choreography by Leonid Lavrovsky. Scenario was rewritten by Yermolayev. First performance on 30 December 1949 in the Bolshoi Theatre.
- 1957 - Choreography and scenario by Tikhomirov and Kurilko. The ballet was renamed The Red Flower , the number of scenes was increased from 8 to 13 and the first performance was 24 November 1957 in the Bolshoi Theatre.
- 2010 - Choreography by Nikolay Androsov, scenery and costumes by Francesco Zito, conductor Andre Anichanov. First performance is due 12 February at Teatro dell'Opera di Roma
Characters
- Tao-Hoa (Yekaterina Geltzer (1927), Viktorina Kriger (1927), Galina Ulanova (1949 and 1957), Olga Lepeshinskaya (1949), Alexandra Danilova (1943), April Mcleod (2007)).
- Soviet Captain (Alexey Bulgakov (1927), Alexander Radunsky (1949 and 1957), Frederic Franklin (1943), Lukash Abrahamyan (2007)).
- Ma Lichen, introduced in the staging of 1949. (Yury Kondratov (1949 and 1957), Mikhail Gabovich (1949)).
- Li Shan-fu (Ivan Smoltsov (1927), Sergey Koren (1949 and 1957), Alexey Yermolayev (1949)).
- Chinese prestidigitator (Asaf Messerer (1927)).
- Harbormaster (Ivan Sidorov (1927)).
Other performances
- 1929 in Leningrad by Leningradsky Theatre of opera and ballet and in 1949 and 1958 by Kirov Ballet;
- 1943 in Public Music Hall, Cleveland, Ohio, USA, by Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo;
- 1928 and 1930 in Sverdlovsk;
- 1928, 1949 and 1958 in Saratov;
- 1941 and 1950 in Gorki;
- 1946 in Baku by Azerbaijan State Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre;
- 1949 in Perm;
- 1950 and 1961 in Kuybyshev;
- 1950 in Novosibirsk;
- 1962 in Volgograd;
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