Everything came together in the play: a brilliant choreography by Yuri Grigorovich, the eternal music of Sergei Prokofiev and compelling staging of Simon Virsaladze. "Ivan the Terrible" - an original philosophical and choreographic poem about the greatness of the historical past of Russia, the performance of deep thinking and great problems. It tells about the origins of the Russian state, national aspiration to unite Russian lands, fight against foreign invasions, patriotism and love of freedom, difficult paths and dramatic events of historical progress.

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Through the ballet reveals a complex and multifaceted psychological image of Ivan the Terrible. He performs in the play as a statesman, as a hero, as a terrible, cruel punisher, and as a man capable of deep and pure feelings. Self-righteous and experiencing pangs of conscience, he finds no way out of controversy. In pursuit of progressive change, Ivan the Terrible cannot fully implement state plans, as he is losing moral principles and comes into conflict with his idea and himself. Ivan the Terrible is a tragic hero of a great scale, tending to edification, but historically not able to find unity with the people. Ballet Theatre did not know before the images of such psychological facets, complexities and contradictions.