The young ballet troupe of the theatre actively absorbs not only classical, but also modern choreographic material.
The ballet "Waltz of White Orchids" was created based on the novels by Erich Maria Remarque.
White orchid - a mysterious flower of love and death - is present in the most dramatic moments in many of his works. Place of the ballet action is Europe of the Second World War.
Modern and classical choreography, Ravel's music and French chanson, loneliness and a holiday, pinching melancholy and unrestrained fun coexist in the performance.
"I use different styles of choreography in the ballet. Today, talk from the stage about the problems, which humanity has been worried about for millennia, requires other forms than even decades ago. The use of different scenic means and genres in one performance is the most correct stage director’s language " (K.S.Uralsky).
For the first time the ballet was staged by Konstantin Uralsky with the troupe of the Moscow Ballet at the Novaya Opera theatre in 2003. Then the fragments of the play were shown in the USA.
The Astrakhan production differs from the first versions in many positions.
New costumes have been created specially for the Astrakhan ballet, some aspects of the drama have been rethought. The ballet performance is accompanied by a "live" orchestra for the first time.
The French chanson melody instrumentations have been made specially for the "Waltz of White Orchids". Creating the instrumentations, the theatre has actively collaborated with the St. Petersburg composer Sergei Diaghilev, Jr (a relative of the same Diaghilev, who introduced the Russian ballet to the world). An instrumental ensemble will be situated directly on the stage, that will bring special touches to the action of the performance. Dance inserts will give rhythmic clarity to the performance, highlighting the main storyline.
Konstantin Uralsky about the ballet "Waltz of White Orchids"
Reflections on life and death are the theme of many art works. Remark in his books is concerned about the reality of life, which people face every day. His characters are not symbols, but living people. My ballet concept does not follow the plot of any one of the books. This is rather my personal perception of Remarque’s images and stories, a generalized impression of many of his works.
The heroes of the ballet pass through the scenes of the performance as the heroes of Remarque pass through the time of his books: a difficult time for Europe, a period between two world wars. Loneliness and love, uncertainty in the future determine the nature of their life.
But they love life, as Remarque did. Life is impossible for them without fun, humor, joy. They love life today, appreciate every day, evening, night as a gift ... Tomorrow they will meet with the reality of life and death again. But today their life is happy, the life fills them, it fills my performance. I stage this performance precisely because I love life, I love Remarque and I believe in the theatre art magic.
