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Section 3. Study of art
Azizov Emil Fizuli ogly, Candidate for a degree Baku Choreography Academy, E-mil: [email protected]
STRUCTURAL FEATURES AND CHOREOGRAPHY OF THE BALLET "SEVEN BEAUTIES" IN CO-PRODUCTION BY RAFIGA AKHUNDOVA AND MAKSUD MAMEDOV
Abstract. The article gives a detailed analysis of the ballet "Seven beauties" of K. Karayev in choreography R. Ak-hundova and M. Mamedov. The choreographers of the "Seven Beauties" performed a complex "interweaving" of all the imaginative spheres into a single, continuously evolving dramatic effect. With good reason this allows to list the performance of the "Seven Beauties" of Azerbaijani choreographers to a symphonic ballet performance.
Keywords: Azerbaijani ballet, Kara Karayev, choreography, Rafiga Akhundova, Maksud Mamedov.
The ballet "Seven Beauties" by Kara Karayev is one of the the audience with the exciting fate of the characters, embod-most significant works in domestic musical and scenic art of ies great ideas, and achieves high aesthetic pleasure [1, p. 5].
the second half of the twentieth century. For the first time, the literary primary source became the storyline for the Azerbaijani ballet show "Seven Beauties". And in his first ballet, the composer turned to the classical heritage - the works of the great Azerbaijani poet and philosopher of the XII century Nizami Ganjavi. The composer's appeal to the works of Nizami was due to K. Karayev's passion for the philosophical lyrics and artistic perfection of the poetic language of the great Azerbaijani thinker. Therefore, it is quite predictable that after the celebration of the anniversary (the 800th anniversary of the birth of the great poet), K. Karayev turned to the work of Nizami creating the symphonic suite "Seven Beauties" (1949) and, based on the musical material of the suite, the ballet of the same title (1951).
In his first ballet K. Karayev continued the genre of national ballet, which, unlike the opera genre, was less developed and formed in the musical and scenic art ofAzerbaijan. Certainly, two previous ballets - A. Badalbeyli's "Maiden Tower" (1940) and S. Hajibeyov's "Gyulshen" (1951) played an important role in the formation of the ballet art ofAzerbaijan (The ballet "Maiden's Tower" became the first Azerbaijani ballet, combining the principles of classical ballet with the techniques of folk music and stage art. The second ballet, "Gulshen" became the first national ballet on contemporary themes), but starting with the ballet "Seven Beauties" and "The Path of Thunder" K. Karayev "completely overcame the elements of an entertaining dance performance; he has reached a mature mastery on the way of creating a realistic dancing drama that captivates
Thus, K. Karaev for the first time (for the Azerbaijani ballet performance) created an integral symphonized musical choreographic canvas, in which he organically synthesized individual ballet plays, scenes into a single developing stage act.
This factor attracted R. Akhundov and M. Mamedov for creating their choreographic version of the ballet "Seven Beauties": "With a vengeance this work for us was a huge, joyful shock". Having already faced up with the music of new Soviet ballets, among which there were some interesting shows for us, we felt that there was something unusual and some particularly deep "third dimension" in the music of Karayev's ballet; that attracts and excites us, attracts not only flawless dancing plasticity, not only the beauty of melody and not even the broadest opportunity for interesting choreographic decision of our parties, not only the opportunity to express your acting personality in all its nuances of characters and feelings. All this you can find in the outstanding music score "Seven Beauties". But behind all this, we, as the greatest revelation that inspires the artist, have opened the philosophical depth of thought and the great heart of the artist" [2, p. 162].
The fact that K. Karayev offered R. Akhundova and M. Mamedov to revise the ballet "Seven Beauties" proofs that the composer was clearly not satisfied with the previous libretto with the direction emphasizing "socialist realism" (artistic method of literature and art, leading in the art in the countries with the communist system, including former Soviet Union). Certainly, as a composer who lived in the Soviet period, K. Karayev could not ignore the decree to introduce and remake
STRUCTURAL FEATURES AND CHOREOGRAPHY OF THE BALLET "SEVEN BEAUTIES" IN CO-PRODUCTION BY RAFIGA AKHUNDOVA AND MAKSUD MAMEDOV
the subject of the ballet, concentrating all the stage action not around the main characters of the poem - Bahram-Gur and seven beauties, but around seven craftsmen and people. At the same time, the image of the people introduced an additional "burden" in the multi-line dramatic art of the ballet (opposing seven craftsmen to seven beauties). However, K. Karayev, as an intellectual artist, could understand the absurdity of these innovations in the libretto of the ballet. Therefore, it is not by chance that the main condition of the composer for a new production was a new rethinking and reworking of the old libretto to be done by R. Akhundova and M. Mamedov.
The Azerbaijani choreographers, starting from the literary source, created their own libretto and scenario, where they offered their own interpretation of the plot, focusing on two storylines: the love relationship of Bahram and Aishi, and the struggle of Vezir and Bahram for power. At the same time, in addition to external conflict (interpersonal conflict), Vizir-Bahram, the authors of the new libretto, approaching the poetic plan of the poem by Nizami, "play up" and internal conflict (intrapersonal conflict) - the struggle of Shakh Bahram with himself: between earth love and illusory love for seven beauties.
Such a significant change in the scenario plan, of course, could not affect the rethinking of the images of the main characters involved in the production ofAzerbaijani composers. In the production of R. Akhundova and M. Mamedov, the composition of the characters involved in the performance was minimalized (compared to the original libretto of Y. Slonim-sky in the production of P. Gusev). All the action is centered on the quartet of performers: Aisha, Bahram, Vizier and the Seven Beauties (as the fourth generalized participant of the stage action).
The choreographers of the "Seven Beauties" performed a complex "interweaving" of all the imaginative spheres into a single, continuously evolving dramatic effect. With good reason this allows to list the performance of the "Seven Beauties" of Azerbaijani choreographers to a symphonic ballet performance.
In terms of composition, the dramatic line of the seven beauties is very expressively revealed throughout the ballet production of R. Akhundova and M. Mamedov. If we look at the images of the Seven Beauties from the perspective of the shaping function, then the first appearance of the beauties is the exposition, the Big Scene of the Seven Beauties is a detailed development, and the final appearance is a reprise of this scenic figurative sphere.
It should be noted that the deliberately mechanical orientation of the beauties circling around the Shah, their "clockwork" movements are designed to emphasize the puppet, soulless essence of Vizier's dolls. The same "robotization" (dominance of exaggerated-mechanical exercises), heartless-
ness is characteristic of the entire chorolex of the male corps de ballet - the servants of Vizier. All "automated", "angular" movements of the male corps de ballet create a generalized image of an insensitive, ruthless military system that grinds everything in their path. A similar choreolexic is inherent to Vizier (the first exit is the Procession), which is not surprising in its figurative sense, since it stands at the head of this militarized mechanism.
Choreographic image of Aisha is presented in the interaction of classical traditions with national ones. The national ballet synthesis of choreolexics is most vividly manifested in "Aisha's dance with girls", which, according to its style, resembles "Gulyanag Dance" (to the music "Ay, beri bax") from the "Maiden Tower" ballet: the traditional croise derriere posture is "colored" by national colors position of the hands, the rotation of the hands, the graceful bend of the body and the flirtatious twitching of the shoulders (In their choreographic style, both dances have something in common with the Azerbaijani folk dance "Terekeme").
At the end Azerbaijani choreographers leave a spectacular way (the disappearance of Bahram in a dark color-light opening from the center to the back of the stage), found by his predecessors: Not being pursued by anyone, he (Bahram - AE's remark) retreats and disappears in the darkness of the night -in the darkness of eternal oblivion (a proven theatrical effect is used - the black figure, hitting the background of black velvet, disappears). Every time the curtain slowly fell or converged, an unusual silence was set up in the auditorium, and only a few seconds later burst into applause. There was something in this silence that gave us the right to consider the final performance to be poetically successful" [3, p. 118].
Choreographers successfully use bas-relief method in their performance that has a hidden meaning. For example, the final bas-relief in scenes symbolizing the "living" throne (on the outstretched arms of corps de ballet) acquires symbolic significance: if the throne of Bahram is stable and he is carried out from the stage, then the throne of Vizier (in his dreams of power) "crumbles" like a card house.
In conclusion, it should me mentioned that the ballets "Seven Beauties" and "The Path of Thunder" by the outstanding Azerbaijani composer K. Karayev became not only historically significant for the Azerbaijani ballet of the second half of the 20th century. These ballets became an important milestone in the creative biography of the choreographers - R. Akhun-dova and M. Mamedov, and brought them deserved success.
The choreographers themselves repeatedly expressed the multilateral influence of K. Karayev's ballets on their creative biography: "Karayev's music belongs to such cultural phenomena that not only delight with compositional skill, elegance of form, dramatic development, but teach to see the
world, understand its diversity, contrasts and conflicts; teach to overcome difficulties, struggle, excellence; teach the beauty We, the representatives of another, although in somewhere close to the art of music - choreography; of a different generation, who joined to the art later, believe that does not owe anyone their artistic and spiritual formation, like Kara Abulfaz Karayev" [2, p. 161].
These performances by R. Akhundova and M. Mamedov outlined the real ways of deviating from the principles of choreodrama in Azerbaijani ballet art, approved the artistic principles of the symphonized choreographic form in the performance. The lexical basis of their author's choreographic style is the synthesis of national choreography, classics and elements of modern choreography.
References:
1. Карагичева Л. Балеты Кара Караева.- М.: Музгиз, 1959.
2. Кара Караев. Статьи. Письма. Высказывания. (ред. и составитель Л. Карагичева).- М.: Советский Композитор, 1978.
3. Слонимский Ю. Семь балетных историй.- Л.: Искусство, 1967.
