Tikhon Khrennikov wrote his ballet “The Captain”s Daughter” in 1999 for the 200th anniversary of the poet Alexander Pushkin (1799-1837). For the first time, the composer turned to this work in 1958 — he wrote the music for the film “The Captain”s Daughter” directed by Vladimir Kaplunovsky.
The ballet premiered at the Omsk State Musical Theater in June 1999 In the fall, the performance was staged in Moscow, at the Children’s Musical Theater named after Natalia Sats. The performances were designed by the composer’s daughter, theater designer Natalya Khrennikova.
The story “The Captain”s Daughter” tells about historical events in Russia in the 1770s and the uprising of Yemelyan Pugachev, which Pushkin described as “a Russian revolt, senseless and merciless”. According to the plot, a young officer Peter Grinev was sent to serve in the Belogorsk fortress. On the way, he got into a snowstorm, lost his way and met a fugitive Cossack who showed him the way. To thank the savior, Peter gave him a hare sheepskin coat. When he arrived at his duty location, he immediately fell in love with the daughter of the commandant of the fortress Masha. Meanwhile, the fortress was attacked by Pugachev, who declared himself Peter III, and his companions-in-arms. The impostor recognized Grinev as an officer who gave him a sheepskin coat — this accident saved the main character from death.
The sketch shows the scene of Pugachev’s execution. The red figure in the background is a mother mourning her children. Above you can see Orthodox saints. Burning candles were present in every scene of the performance and symbolized life that could die out at any moment.
The blind impulse of popular rebellion, court balls, intrigues and duels — all this served as the basis for many of Khrennikov’s dynamic and rhythmic melodies. 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”.
The ballet premiered at the Omsk State Musical Theater in June 1999 In the fall, the performance was staged in Moscow, at the Children’s Musical Theater named after Natalia Sats. The performances were designed by the composer’s daughter, theater designer Natalya Khrennikova.
The story “The Captain”s Daughter” tells about historical events in Russia in the 1770s and the uprising of Yemelyan Pugachev, which Pushkin described as “a Russian revolt, senseless and merciless”. According to the plot, a young officer Peter Grinev was sent to serve in the Belogorsk fortress. On the way, he got into a snowstorm, lost his way and met a fugitive Cossack who showed him the way. To thank the savior, Peter gave him a hare sheepskin coat. When he arrived at his duty location, he immediately fell in love with the daughter of the commandant of the fortress Masha. Meanwhile, the fortress was attacked by Pugachev, who declared himself Peter III, and his companions-in-arms. The impostor recognized Grinev as an officer who gave him a sheepskin coat — this accident saved the main character from death.
The sketch shows the scene of Pugachev’s execution. The red figure in the background is a mother mourning her children. Above you can see Orthodox saints. Burning candles were present in every scene of the performance and symbolized life that could die out at any moment.
The blind impulse of popular rebellion, court balls, intrigues and duels — all this served as the basis for many of Khrennikov’s dynamic and rhythmic melodies. 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”.
