Ballet in two acts
Dramaturgy: honoured artist of Russia – Irina Lazareva
Music: Aram Khachaturian
Production: honoured artist of Russia – Irina Lazareva
Choreographer: honoured artist of Russia – Irina Lazareva
Costume design: Olga Titova
Scenic design: honored worker of the Komi Republic – Yuri Samodurov
Cast:
Spartacus: Sergei Skvortsov (leading soloist, winner of international competitions)
Crassus: Alexey Konkin (leading soloist, winner of international competitions)
Valeria: Lyudmila Titova (winner of international and all-Russian competitions)
Calista: Veronika Zemlyakova
LIBRETTO
Act 1
Ancient Greece. A sports festival ends. It was attended by men and young girls. Award ceremony for the winners including Spartacus and young Valeria who has a gift of divination. She predicts to Spartacus great power, victory over Romans and imminent death.
Spartacus and Valeria fall in love with each other. In the middle of their wedding ceremony Roman warriors burst into the town. They attack unarmed people. Many are captured, including Spartacus and his beloved. She becomes a slave, and Spartacus becomes a gladiator.
To please the Roman nobility, Spartacus gets led into the arena. Gladiatros fight in helmets with closed visors. Spartacus wins, but refuses to kill his friend, and he is thrown into prison.
Spartacus incites the prisoners to revolt. They kill the guards, break out and go into the mountains.
Having summoned a huge army, Spartacus defeats the Roman legion and heads to the capital of the empire.
Act 2
There is a feast going on in Crassus’s palace. Everybody is drunk. Crassus demands new slaves to be brought in. He makes them dance and please the guests. He is attrated to Valeria. Crassus’s wife Calista saves her from defilement.
Suddenly ‘Dionysus servants’ appear wearing goat masks. These are dressed Spartacus’s followers. They initiate a dance, involve the slaves into it and make the slaves follow them. Crassus suspects nothing and starts dancing. When he comes to his senses, he understands that he has been deceived. The slaves ate gone and his soldiers are killed. Crassus swears revenge.
‘Servant of Dionysus’ returned to the camp of Spartacus.
The joy of salvation is marred by the dividion among Spartacus’s followers. Spartacus called to move forward, while many were happy with what they already had. The breakaway group was immediately defeated by the legion of Crassus which was approaching the rebel camp.
The warriors still loyal to Spartacus engage in the fight. The forces were unequal. Spartacus and his friends fought bravely, but were all killed.
Age: 6+
Duration: 2 h 10 min (with one interval)
In this December Moscow State Ballet gives Christmas fairy tale “The Nutcracker ” to audience of two countries at one time: North America and Europe. Lyudmila Titova brought the ballet to the sunny country, known for sombrero and tequila for the first time. The tour will run from November 25 to December 12. Artists will perform in cities such as Mexico City, Taluka, Guadalajara and others.
