''On the Dnieper (На Днепре)'', Op. 51, is a ballet in two scenes with prelude and epilogue by
Sergei Prokofiev
Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev; alternative transliterations of his name include ''Sergey'' or ''Serge'', and ''Prokofief'', ''Prokofieff'', or ''Prokofyev''., group=n (27 April .S. 15 April1891 – 5 March 1953) was a Russian composer, p ...
. Composed in 1931
as his fourth work in the genre, it resulted from a commission by the
Ballet de l'Opéra National de Paris
The Paris Opera Ballet () is a French ballet company that is an integral part of the Paris Opera. It is the oldest national ballet company, and many European and international ballet companies can trace their origins to it. It is still regarded a ...
after the unexpected death in 1929 of
Ballets Russes
The Ballets Russes () was an itinerant ballet company begun in Paris that performed between 1909 and 1929 throughout Europe and on tours to North and South America. The company never performed in Russia, where the Revolution disrupted society. A ...
choreographer
Sergei Diaghilev
Sergei Pavlovich Diaghilev ( ; rus, Серге́й Па́влович Дя́гилев, , sʲɪˈrɡʲej ˈpavləvʲɪdʑ ˈdʲæɡʲɪlʲɪf; 19 August 1929), usually referred to outside Russia as Serge Diaghilev, was a Russian art critic, pat ...
and after the success of
''The Prodigal Son''. The premiere took place in 1932; a year later Prokofiev extracted an orchestral suite from the work, Op. 51 bis, using six of its twelve movements.
Background
Sergei Diaghilev
Sergei Pavlovich Diaghilev ( ; rus, Серге́й Па́влович Дя́гилев, , sʲɪˈrɡʲej ˈpavləvʲɪdʑ ˈdʲæɡʲɪlʲɪf; 19 August 1929), usually referred to outside Russia as Serge Diaghilev, was a Russian art critic, pat ...
, the impresario who had led
Ballets Russes
The Ballets Russes () was an itinerant ballet company begun in Paris that performed between 1909 and 1929 throughout Europe and on tours to North and South America. The company never performed in Russia, where the Revolution disrupted society. A ...
to distinguished success, died suddenly in 1929, hence ending Prokofiev's collaboration with the troupe. (
''The Prodigal Son'' was the last such collaboration.) Seeing the success of the work, the
Paris Opéra
The Paris Opera (, ) is the primary opera and ballet company of France. It was founded in 1669 by Louis XIV as the , and shortly thereafter was placed under the leadership of Jean-Baptiste Lully and officially renamed the , but continued to be k ...
commissioned Prokofiev to write another ballet.
Serge Lifar
Serge Lifar ( ua, Сергій Михайлович Лифар, ''Serhіy Mуkhailovуch Lуfar'') ( 15 December 1986) was a Ukrainian ballet dancer and choreographer, famous as one of the greatest male ballet dancers of the 20th century. No ...
, formerly a close associate with Diaghilev, was responsible for creating the setting and choreography. However, he did not place any significance to the scenario. Rather, the ballet was created as a sequence of dances. ''On the Dnieper'' was the result of this collaboration.
Lifar, in his 1965 book ''La danse'', said that he was disappointed with Prokofiev's score. Lifar claimed to have been inspired by Russian folkdance, but acknowledges that critics found his own choreography insufficiently Russian.
Preparations for the ballet were marked the sudden withdrawal of
Olga Spessivtseva
Olga Alexandrovna Spessivtseva (russian: Ольга Алекса́ндровна Спеси́вцева; 16 September 1991) was a Russian ballerina whose stage career spanned from 1913 to 1939.
She was one of the finest prima ballerinas of the t ...
who was to have had the leading female role. Spessivsteva had had a series of successes with Lifar at the
Paris Opera Ballet
The Paris Opera Ballet () is a French ballet company that is an integral part of the Paris Opera. It is the oldest national ballet company, and many European and international ballet companies can trace their origins to it. It is still regarded ...
(''Promethee'', ''
Giselle
''Giselle'' (; ), originally titled ''Giselle, ou les Wilis'' (, ''Giselle, or The Wilis''), is a romantic ballet (" ballet-pantomime") in two acts with music by Adolphe Adam. Considered a masterwork in the classical ballet performance canon, ...
'') and had unrequited feelings for him. In his book ''The Three Graces: Anna Pavlova, Tamara Karsavina, Olga Spessivtseva'' (1959) Lifar describes how their personal situation came to a head during rehearsals. "The two heroines of this ballet were named Natasha and Olga. I have already mentioned the friendship which had sprung up at this time between Natasha P...
atalie Paleyand myself. It was, therefore, perhaps a little cruel to give these two names, Natasha and Olga, to the heroines. Be that as it may, the role of Olga was allotted to Spessivtseva, while the male part, Serge, was to be interpreted by me. The crisis came when, at one of the rehearsals, Spessivtseva suddenly realized that it was with Natasha ... that in pursuance of the plot, I was to find happiness, whereas the leading, and, from the choreographic point of view, the most important role had been allotted to her, Olga! This crisis, as always with her, developed with the speed of lightning. Just as I had announced at rehearsal, that this was where my pas de deux tendre with Natasha would begin, Spessivtseva all of a sudden made a dash for the window. In one bound I reached her, but, by that time she was already through it. I just managed to clutch her arm. My pianist, Leonide Gontcharov, who was hard on my heels, sprang to my assistance. Olga hung there, suspended from our arms, thirty feet above the Place Charles-Garnier. With great difficulty we managed to drag her back. She fought, bit and scratched in an effort to break free ... Next day she did not turn up at rehearsal, but sent word to me that she had left the Opera forever."
Analysis
Prokofiev continued to develop his lyrical line of composition in ''On the Dnieper'', even more so than in ''The Prodigal Son''. These two lyrical ballets provided much experience for the composer, who was about to start writing his first ballet in the Russian tradition:
''Romeo and Juliet''.
Plot
Sergei, a
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, after ...
soldier in the
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
returns to his village on the Dnieper and finds he is no-longer in love with Natasha his betrothed. Instead, he falls in love with Olga. Olga's parents intend for her to marry another man whom she does not love. Sergei and Olga's friends fight. Sergei falls, but the lovers are saved by the compassionate Natasha who helps the couple to escape the village.
The ballet contains 12 numbers, lasting around 40 minutes:
#Prelude
#Scene 1: The Meeting
#Scene 1: Mime Scene
#Scene 1:
Pas de deux
In ballet, a pas de deux (French language, French, literally "step of two") is a dance duet in which two dancers, typically a male and a female, perform ballet steps together. The pas de deux is characteristic of classical ballet and can be fo ...
#Scene 1: Variation of the First Dancer
#Scene 2: Betrothal
#Scene 2: Bridegroom's Dance
#Scene 2: Bride's Dance
#Scene 2: Men's Dance
#Scene 2: The Quarrel
#Scene 2: Mime Scene
#Epilogue
Premiere
The ballet was premiered on 16 December
1932
Events January
* January 4 – The British authorities in India arrest and intern Mahatma Gandhi and Vallabhbhai Patel.
* January 9 – Sakuradamon Incident (1932), Sakuradamon Incident: Korean nationalist Lee Bong-chang fails in his effort ...
, but it turned out to be a flop, especially when critics had been anticipating a work similar in character to ''The Prodigal Son''. Because Prokofiev left for America the next day, he was unaware of the disappointed reviews. The ballet was withdrawn from stage after a few performances, although
Stravinsky
Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky (6 April 1971) was a Russian composer, pianist and conductor, later of French (from 1934) and American (from 1945) citizenship. He is widely considered one of the most important and influential 20th-century clas ...
and
Milhaud
Darius Milhaud (; 4 September 1892 – 22 June 1974) was a French composer, conductor, and teacher. He was a member of Les Six—also known as ''The Group of Six''—and one of the most prolific composers of the 20th century. His compositions ...
warmly praised the music after the premiere. Afterwards, Prokofiev extracted an orchestral suite from the ballet (as he did to his other stage works) as Op. 51a.
Revival
In 2009
Alexei Ratmansky
Alexei Osipovich Ratmansky (russian: Алексей Осипович Ратманский, born August 27, 1968) is a Russian-American choreographer and former ballet dancer. From 2004 to 2008 he was the director of the Bolshoi Ballet. He left R ...
choreographed the Prokofiev score anew for
American Ballet Theatre
American Ballet Theatre (ABT) is a classical ballet company based in New York City. Founded in 1939 by Lucia Chase and Richard Pleasant, it is recognized as one of the world's leading classical ballet companies. Through 2019, it had an annual ei ...
. In his version, Sergei returns his village to discover that he no longer loves his sweetheart, Natalia, but is instead attracted to Olga, who is to wed another man. "Grief-stricken yet noble, Natalia unselfishly helps the young lovers, Sergei and Olga, to escape together to a life of happiness." In the premiere of this version,
Marcelo Gomes danced the role of Sergei,
Paloma Herrera
Paloma Herrera (born 21 December 1975) is a prominent Argentine ballet dancer, choreographer, and artistic director who was a principal dancer with American Ballet Theatre, where she worked for twenty-four years. She was the director of Colo ...
the role of Olga,
Veronika Part
Veronika Part (born 21 February 1978) is a Russian ballet dancer. She is a former principal dancer with American Ballet Theatre. She served as a ballet mistress for Atlanta Ballet during the 2019–20 season.
Early life
Veronika Part was born i ...
the role of Natalia, and
David Hallberg
David Hallberg (born May 18, 1982) is an American classical ballet dancer. He was a principal dancer with American Ballet Theatre and resident guest artist at The Australian Ballet, as well as a principal dancer with the Bolshoi Ballet. In 2021 ...
the role of Olga's Fiancé.
Recordings
Suite from ''On the Dnieper''
Suite from ''On The Dnieper'', Op. 51a, is intended for concert performance and contains 6 movements, lasting for around 20 minutes:
#Prelude
#Variation of the First Dancer
#The Betrothal
#The Quarrel
#Scene
#Epilogue
Recordings
References
External links
''On the Dnieper'' at prokofiev.org
{{Authority control
Ballets by Sergei Prokofiev
1932 ballet premieres
1932 compositions