‘Our yard’ is the first experience of Tikhon Khrennikov in the genre of ballet. When asked about his interest in a new musical form, the composer said: ‘Always admiring the art of ballet, I was often dissatisfied with its sometimes one-sided development — I mean the tragic nature of the plots that were used as the basis for ballet performances. Without rejecting this at all, I wanted to see festive, joyful, brilliant performances on the ballet stage, bringing beauty and inspiration to people’.
He relied on the ballets of Tchaikovsky, whom, along with Bach and Prokofiev, Khrennikov considered ‘gods in music’. He especially appreciated the plots of bright, beautiful fairy tales, which gave the audience the joy of life and faith in the victory of good over evil.
Khrennikov’s music — symphonic, cinematic, and theatrical — has always been danceable. This was noted by both critics and spectators. Therefore, ballet is a logical step in the development of the composer’s work. In addition, Khrennikov often mentioned that composers pay little attention to music for children. This fact pushed him to the idea of creating a piece of music for young artists and spectators.
The composer wrote the ballet Our Yard to a libretto by Natalia Kasatkina and Vladimir Vasilyov in 1969 for the Moscow Choreographic School at the Bolshoi Theater and staged it as a graduation performance.
The sketches of costumes and decors were prepared by Natalia Khrennikova, the composer’s daughter, a theater artist, who designed many of his performances. She emphasized in her work the “childishness” of the characters with the help of bright colors and styles of dresses.
The premiere took place on November 29, 1970 at the Bolshoi Theater. The audience warmly accepted the production, but in subsequent years the performance was rarely shown. This is due to the fact that the ballet participants — college students — graduated from their studies, and each time they had to almost completely change the composition. The turnover of artists created difficulties for both directors and choreographers. In addition, the ballet was intended for child dancers, which makes it very difficult for adult dancers.
He relied on the ballets of Tchaikovsky, whom, along with Bach and Prokofiev, Khrennikov considered ‘gods in music’. He especially appreciated the plots of bright, beautiful fairy tales, which gave the audience the joy of life and faith in the victory of good over evil.
Khrennikov’s music — symphonic, cinematic, and theatrical — has always been danceable. This was noted by both critics and spectators. Therefore, ballet is a logical step in the development of the composer’s work. In addition, Khrennikov often mentioned that composers pay little attention to music for children. This fact pushed him to the idea of creating a piece of music for young artists and spectators.
The composer wrote the ballet Our Yard to a libretto by Natalia Kasatkina and Vladimir Vasilyov in 1969 for the Moscow Choreographic School at the Bolshoi Theater and staged it as a graduation performance.
The sketches of costumes and decors were prepared by Natalia Khrennikova, the composer’s daughter, a theater artist, who designed many of his performances. She emphasized in her work the “childishness” of the characters with the help of bright colors and styles of dresses.
The premiere took place on November 29, 1970 at the Bolshoi Theater. The audience warmly accepted the production, but in subsequent years the performance was rarely shown. This is due to the fact that the ballet participants — college students — graduated from their studies, and each time they had to almost completely change the composition. The turnover of artists created difficulties for both directors and choreographers. In addition, the ballet was intended for child dancers, which makes it very difficult for adult dancers.
