“All in all, a must-see film, danced by performers…who gave towering
performances in a monumental work”
Ivan The Terrible 1986 - Ballet in 2 Acts - Running time: 1:53:20
Composer: Sergei Prokofiev Libretto: Yuri Grigorovich Choreography: Yuri Grigorovich
Production Designer & Сostume: Simon Virsaladze Conductor: Vassily Sinaisky
Performers: Ivan the Terrible Yuri Vladimirov Anastasia Lyudmila Semenyaka Prince Krubsky Boris Akimov
Yuri Grigorovich
Choreography
Russian dancer, choreographer and director who dominated the Russian ballet for 30 years. Grigorovich was born into a family connected with the Imperial Russian Ballet.
Grigorovich was artistic director of the Bolshoi ballet from 1964 - 1995.
Sergei Prokofiev
Composer
Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev was a Russian Soviet composer, pianist and conductor. As the creator of acknowledged masterpieces across numerous musical genres, he is regarded as one of the major composers of the 20th century.
Yuri Vladimirov
Ivan the Terrible
Yuri Vladimirov is a Russian former Bolshoi Ballet dancer and a recipient of the following awards: Honoured Artist of RSFSR, People's Artist of the USSR and Order of Honour.
Boris Akimov
Prince Krubsky
Soviet dancer and director. He studied at the Moscow Ballet School and danced with the Bolshoi Ballet from 1965 to 1989, creating Rothbart in Grigorovich's Swan Lake (1969) and Prince Kurbsky in his Ivan the Terrible (1979).
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.
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.
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