PROKOFIEV: Stone Flower (The) (NTSC)

Sergei PROKOFIEV
THE STONE FLOWER
From the Bolshoi Theatre 1990; Ballet in Three Acts

Nicolai Dorokhov, Lyudmilla Semenyaka, Nina Semizorova, Yuri Vetrov
The Bolshoi Ballet, The Bolshoi Theatre Orchestra,
Alexandr Kopilov -- Choreography by Yuri Grigorovich

Sound Format: PCM Stereo
Picture Format: 4:3
Region Code: 0 worldwide
Subtitle Languages:IT, D, F, GB, JP, SP
Menu Languages: D, F, GB, SP
Running Time: 112 mins
DVD9 / NTSC

Cat. No: 101 121

First performed at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow in 1954, this ballet draws on the rich heritage of Russian folklore to tell the tale of the young stonemason Danila, who must choose between his village sweetheart Katerina and a magical temptress. It is based on fairy tales from the Urals collected by Pavel Bazhov and set in the middle of the 19th century.

Sergei Prokofiev was suffering under the oppression and constant mischief of Stalin and his henchmen for long and had to conform to the musical demands of the state in order to stage his new ballet. In Stone Flower you can feel Prokofiev’s resignation after the hard struggle with the political situation, but nevertheless, he hasn’t lost his brilliance and the music of his last ballet still is full of catchy tunes and joyousness.

However, with the completion of his composition, it took four years before it received its premiere in Moscow and was not a great success at all. It was only three years later with the choreography of Yuri Grigorovich that Prokofiev’s Stone Flower finally come to a glorious resurrection. The young choreographer simplified the story and focussed on nothing but the dance. The ballet became his first major success. The presented version shows a reproduction of this choreography from 1957 which has become immortal.