Summary of a music lesson in 7th grade on the topic “Ballet Carmen Suite”
Hello!Today we will get acquainted with the ballet “Carmen”, created by Rodion Konstantinovich Shchedrin
. He was born on December 16, 1932. Russian composer, pianist, People's Artist of the USSR, Laureate of the USSR State Prize and the State Prize of the Russian Federation. Slide 1
“Carmen Suite” - a one-act ballet to the music of Georges Bizet, orchestrated by Rodion Shchedrin (1967) Orchestration
- presentation of music for performance by any orchestra or instrumental ensemble. The ballet is based on the opera Carmen based on the novella by Prosper Merimee. Choreographer and libretto creator Alberto Alonso. The premiere took place on April 20, 1967 at the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow, where the role of Carmen was performed by Maya Plisetskaya. Slide 2
Having decided to create the image of Carmen on the ballet stage, Rodion Shchedrin did not think of it outside of Bizet’s music. The modern interpretation of opera music in ballet has become a tribute to the creation of the French composer. Bizet's music sounded new, and the image of Carmen sparkled even brighter thanks to the leading actress, Rodion Shchedrin's wife, Maya Plisetskaya. Slide 3
At the center of the ballet is the tragic fate of the gypsy Carmen and the soldier Jose who fell in love with her, whom Carmen leaves for the sake of the young Torero. The relationships between the characters and the death of Carmen at the hands of Jose are predetermined by Fate. Slide 4
Page 54 The stage action of the ballet takes place in the arena. This place of entertainment becomes the site of human tragedy. And it is no coincidence that a character in the guise of a bull plays a significant role in the ballet. What does it do and what does it symbolize?
(Invades the ensembles of the main characters, symbolizes fate, fate, death)
Listening Introductions
Does Shchedrin repeat the themes of the opera overture in his introduction? What orchestration techniques enhance the national character of music?
Page 56 Carmen's exit scene and Habanera are the central characteristics of the heroine. Shchedrin has a unique introduction to Habanera - it is based on the repetition of a short motive (in opera it is a recitative), which, gradually expanding, captures a large sound space. The sound intensifies to a blinding fortissimo (very loud) and then quickly fades away. Habanera performed by Carmen is a daring dance challenge. The Spanish flavor of the image is emphasized by percussion instruments that imitate the sound of castanets.
Listening to Exit Carmen and Habanera
What familiar themes did you hear? By what means of musical expressiveness does Shchedrin draw the image of Carmen? What distinguishes the sound of ballet music from opera numbers?
Page 58
José is presented by the composer as a loving, suffering person and as part of the hostile world of “masks”. Its theme sounds like a foreshadowing of the finale, the denouement of the drama, in which Jose, guided by the blind force of fate, will kill Carmen in a fit of jealousy. The Adagio begins with the intrusion of the rock theme, which is played in a dark orchestration, emphasized by the fluttering sound of bells. This theme is repeated several times, and each time, interrupted by percussion instruments, it ends suddenly.
Listening to the Adagio
What familiar themes did you hear? By what means of musical expressiveness does Shchedrin draw the image of Carmen? What is the unusual sound of the orchestra in the ballet when embodying the image of Jose?
Torero reveals the image of Escamillo - a fearless, proud, courageous man. It is shown with the same musical themes as in the opera - couplets and march. A bright, festively upbeat mood and familiar melodies are replaced by a terrifying lonely chordal march accompaniment. The understatement of the text, the threatening motif superimposed on familiar music, opens up new facets of Escamillo’s image.
Hearing Torero
How does Shchedrin draw the image of a Torero? What creative discoveries of the composer in embodying this image impressed you?
Singing "Toreador Couples"
