St Petersburg, Mariinsky II

The Twelve

PREMIERE


ballet by Boris Tishchenko

Performers

Reader: Alexander Sergeev

Petrukha: Konstantin Zverev
Katya: Renata Shakirova
Vanka: Alexei Timofeyev
Couple in the window: May Nagahisa, Maxim Zyuzin

Irina Shishkova (mezzo-soprano)
Anatoly Kuznetsov (piano)

Premiere: 14 July 2022, Mariinsky II
Running time: 1 hour 15 minutes

The performance without an interval

Age category 12+

Credits

Music by Boris Tishchenko (Three Songs on Verses by Marina Tsvetaeva, ballet The Twelve based on the poem by Alexander Blok)

Musical Director: Valery Gergiev
Production Choreography: Alexander Sergeev
Set and Costume Designer: Leonid Alexeev
Lighting Designer: Konstantin Binkin
Video Designer: Igor Domashkevich
Assistant Choreographer: Ekaterina Kondaurova
Stage Elocution Coach: Nikolay Kryukov


For the creators of the performance, The Twelve by Alexander Blok prompted a reflection on the concept that, at times, individuals might bring about hell on Earth through their own actions. The directors deliberately abstain from setting a specific time frame, emphasizing that the unfolding events could be situated in 1918 or the present day. "The poem isn't centered around the revolution or characters like Katka, Petka, or Vanka, but instead, it underscores the periodic human tendency to wreak havoc in the world," shares choreographer Alexander Sergeev. Rather than providing a direct illustration of the poem, he fuses music, dance, and spoken word in his rendition. The ballet The Twelve was originally composed by Boris Tishchenko for the Kirov (Mariinsky) Opera and Ballet Theatre in the early 1960s, it was presented with the choreography by Leonid Yakobson. Alexander Sergeev is now offering a refreshed interpretation of Tishchenko's composition, augmenting the ballet's score with three songs set to Tsvetaeva's verses.


The production is recipient of the Golden Sofit, St Petersburg’s most prestigious theatre prize, in the category “Best Ballet Production”


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