A Midsummer Night's Dream Retelling. Neumeier's ballet “A Midsummer Night's Dream

The action takes place in Athens. The ruler of Athens bears the name of Theseus, one of the most popular heroes of ancient legends about the conquest of the warlike tribe of women by the Greeks - the Amazons. Theseus marries the queen of this tribe, Hippolyta. The play, apparently, was created for a performance on the occasion of the wedding of some high-ranking officials.

Preparations are under way for the wedding of Duke Theseus and Queen Hippolyta of the Amazons, which is to take place on the night of the full moon. The enraged Aegeus, the father of Hermia, arrives at the duke's palace, who accuses Lysander of having bewitched his daughter and insidiously forced her to love him, while she was already promised to Demetrius. Hermia confesses her love for Lysander. The Duke announces that according to Athenian law, she must submit to the will of her father. He gives the girl a reprieve, but on the day of the new moon she will have to "either die For violation of her father's will, Or marry the one he chose, Or give forever at the altar of Diana a Vow of celibacy and a harsh life." The lovers agree to flee from Athens together and meet the next night in a nearby forest. They reveal their plan to Hermia's friend Elena, who was once Demetri's lover and still loves him passionately. Hoping for his gratitude, she is going to tell Demetri about the plans of the lovers. Meanwhile, a company of rustic artisans prepares to stage a sideshow for the Duke's wedding. The director, carpenter Peter Pigwa, chose a suitable piece: "The old comedy and the very cruel death of Pyramus and Theisba." Weaver Nick Osnova agrees to play the role of Pyramus, as do most of the other roles. The bellows repairer Francis Dudka is given the role of Theisba (in Shakespeare's time, women were not allowed on the stage). Tailor Robin Zamorysh will be the mother of Theisba, and the coppersmith Tom Snout will be the father of Pyramus. The role of Leo is entrusted to the carpenter Milyaga: he has a "memory hard to learn", and for this role you only need to growl. Pigwa asks everyone to memorize the roles and come to the duke's oak forest tomorrow night for a rehearsal.

In the forest near Athens, the king of the fairies and elves Oberon and his wife, the queen Titania, quarrel over a child whom Titania has adopted, and Oberon wants to take for himself to make a page. Titania refuses to obey her husband's will and leaves with the elves. Oberon asks the mischievous elf Pack (Good Little Robin) to bring him a small flower that Cupid's arrow fell on after he missed “the Vestal in the West” (a reference to Queen Elizabeth). If the eyelids of the sleeping person are smeared with the juice of this flower, then, upon waking up, he will fall in love with the first living being that he sees. Oberon wants in this way to make Titania fall in love with some wild animal and forget about the boy. Peck flies off in search of a flower, and Oberon becomes an invisible witness to the conversation between Elena and Demetrius, who is looking for Hermia and Lysander in the forest and rejects his former lover with contempt. When Peck returns with a flower, Oberon instructs him to find Demetrius, whom he describes as a “haughty rake” in Athenian robes, and to lubricate his eyes, but so that during awakening a beauty in love with him would be next to him. Finding a sleeping Titania, Oberon squeezes the juice of a flower onto her eyelids. Lysander and Hermia got lost in the forest and also lay down to rest, at Hermia's request - far from each other, because "for a young man with a girl, human shame Does not allow closeness ...". Peck, mistaking Lysander for Demetrius, drips juice into his eyes. Helen appears, from whom Demetrius fled, and stopping to rest, wakes Lysander, who immediately falls in love with her. Elena believes that he is taunting her and runs away, and Lysander, leaving Hermia, rushes after Elena.

Near the place where Titania sleeps, a company of artisans has gathered for a rehearsal. At the suggestion of Basis, who is very concerned that, God forbid, not frighten the ladies-spectators, they write two prologues to the play - the first one that Pyramus does not kill himself at all and that he is not actually Pyramus, but the Basis weaver, but the second - that Leo is not a lion at all, but the carpenter Milyaga. Naughty Paek, who is watching the rehearsal with interest, enchants the Base: now the weaver has a donkey's head. The friends, mistaking the Basis for a werewolf, scatter in fear. At this time, Titania wakes up and, looking at the Base, says: “Your image captivates the eye. I love you. Follow me! ” Titania summons four elves - Mustard Seed, Sweet Pea, Cobweb and Moth - and orders them to serve "their sweetheart." Oberon is delighted to hear Pac's story about how Titania fell in love with a monster, but he is rather unhappy when he learns that the elf splashed magic juice in the eyes of Lysander, and not Demetrius. Oberon puts Demetrius to sleep and corrects Pack's mistake, who, on the orders of his master, lures Elena closer to the sleeping Demetrius. As soon as he wakes up, Demetrius begins to swear in love to the one whom he recently rejected with contempt. Elena is convinced that both young men, Lysander and Demetrius, are making fun of her: "There is no strength to listen to empty ridicule!" In addition, she believes that Hermia is at one with them, and bitterly reproaches her friend for deceit. Shocked by Lysander's rude insults, Hermia accuses Elena of being a deceiver and a thief who stole Lysander's heart from her. Word for word - and she is already trying to scratch out Elena's eyes. Young people - now rivals seeking Elena's love - are retiring to decide in a duel which of them has more rights. Peck is delighted with all this confusion, but Oberon orders him to lead both duelists deeper into the forest, imitating their voices, and knock them off the path, "so they can not find each other." When Lysander, exhausted, falls off his feet and falls asleep, Peck squeezes the sap of a plant on his eyelids - the antidote to the love flower. Elena and Demetrius are also put to sleep not far from each other.

Seeing Titania, sleeping next to the Basis, Oberon, who by this time had already got the child he liked, takes pity on her and touches her eyes with an antidote flower. The fairy queen wakes up with the words: “My Oberon! What can we dream about! I dreamed that I fell in love with a donkey! " Pack, on Oberon's orders, returns his own head to Base. The elf lords fly away. Theseus, Hippolyta and Aegeus appear hunting in the forest. They find sleeping young people and wake them up. Already free from the effects of a love potion, but still stunned, Lysander explains that he and Hermia fled into the forest from the severity of the Athenian laws, while Demetrius admits that "Passion, purpose and joy of the eyes are now not Hermia, but dear Helen." Theseus announces that two more couples will be married today with them and Hippolyta, after which he leaves with his retinue. The awakened Basis goes to Pigwa's house, where his friends are eagerly awaiting him. He gives the actors the last instructions: “Let Theisba put on clean underwear,” and let Leo not take it into his head to cut off his nails - they should look out from under the skin like claws.

Theseus marvels at the strange story of the lovers. “Madmen, lovers, poets - All of fantasies are created by one,” he says. The entertainment manager Philostratus presents him with a list of entertainment. The Duke chooses the artisans play: "It can never be too bad, That devotion humbly offers." Pigwa reads the prologue to the ironic comments of the audience. Snout explains that he is the Wall through which Pyramus and Theisba talk, and therefore is smeared with lime. When the Pyramus Base looks for a crack in the Wall to look at its beloved, Snout obligingly spreads its fingers. Leo appears and explains in verse that he is not real. “What a meek animal, - Theseus admires, - and what a sensible one!” Amateur actors shamelessly misinterpret the text and say a lot of nonsense, which greatly amuse their noble audience. Finally the play is over. Everyone leaves - it's already midnight, the magic hour for lovers. Peck appears, he and the rest of the elves first sing and dance, and then, at the behest of Oberon and Titania, scatter around the palace to bless the beds of the newlyweds. Peck addresses the audience: "If I could not amuse you, It will be easy for you to fix everything: Imagine that you fell asleep And dreams flashed before you."

Option 2

The ruler of Athens, Duke Theseus, is preparing to marry Hippolyta, the queen of the Amazons. Preparations for the wedding are in full swing, but here is Aegeus, who is very angry with his daughter Hermia and a certain Lysander, who, according to Aegeus, charmed Hermia and made him fall in love with himself. The girl's father is against such a relationship, because she already has a groom - this is Demetrius. But Hermia objects to her father, claiming that she loves Lysander. Theseus interrupts their litter with the statement that, according to the law, it must be completely controlled by the will of the father. He gives time to think and think things over, but on the day of the new moon, she must give her answer. Lysander and Hermia are going to run away, but they need support, and the girl turns to her friend Elena, telling her the whole plan. Hermia did not know that for a long, long time, Elena had been Demetri's beloved, but her love did not cool down. Hoping to rekindle long-forgotten feelings, she tells everything to Demetri.

Near Athens in the forest, Oberon, king of elves and fairies, quarrels over an adopted child with his wife Titania. He wants to take the baby and make a page out of him, but his wife is against it, and, taking the baby, leaves with the elves. Not knowing the refusal, Oberon asks Pack to find and bring the flower on which Cupid's arrow lay. The king is aware that if you smear the eyelids of a sleeping person with the juice of this flower, then waking up, he will fall in love with the first person who meets him on the way. He wants to smear his sleeping wife's eyelids so that when she wakes up, she will fall in love with some animal and forget about her son, and then the child will be his. Peck flew off in search, and Oberon, by no means, hears Elena and Demetrius talking in the forest, where they came to look for Lysander and Hermia, and he rejects her with contempt for Elena. At this moment, Peck arrives with a flower. The king orders him to smear the eyelids of Demetrius with juice from a flower when he falls asleep, and when he wakes up, then make sure that there is a woman who loves him before his eyes. Peck flies away and Oberon goes to find his wife. Finding her asleep, he dabs her eyelids with flower sap.

Lost in the forest, Hermia and Lysander lay down to rest. Peck, thinking that this is the couple the king was talking about, smears the sleeping Lysandre's eyelids. Elena, who left Demetrius, finds a couple and wakes Lysander. As soon as he saw her, he immediately fell in love. Elena thought it was a joke, that Lysander was joking so, and began to leave. Lysander, leaving Hermia, followed her.

In the same forest, next to the sleeping Titania, Osnova and her friends came to rehearse scenes on the count's wedding day. Watching them, Peck transforms Base's head into a donkey's. The friends thought it was a werewolf, and out of fear they run away, waking Titania. The first thing the queen sees is Basis with a donkey's head, and immediately falls in love with him.

Oberon returns. Peck reported to him what he had done and how. The king realizes that the wrong eyes were smeared by Pek, and corrects the situation by putting Demetrius to sleep and smearing his eyes. Helen is lured to him, and, waking up, Demetri begins to declare his love to her. Elena is sure that she is just being bullied. Oberon and Pack lure the two couples into the forest and put them to sleep. The juice is removed from Lysander's eyes, but Demetri's eyes are left. Aegeus, Theseus and Hippolyta find sleeping children and wake them up. The spell passes, Lysander explains to Hermia, and Theseus announces that today not one, but two couples will be married, and leaves.

Essay on literature on the topic: Summary A Midsummer Night's Dream Shakespeare

Other compositions:

1. The action takes place in Athens. The ruler of Athens bears the name of Theseus, one of the most popular heroes of ancient legends about the conquest of the warlike tribe of women by the Greeks - the Amazons. Theseus marries the queen of this tribe, Hippolyta. The play was apparently created for a performance on the occasion of a wedding Read More ......
2. The playwright borrowed the name Titania from his favorite poet Ovid. In a magical forest inhabited by spirits, the same passions boil as in the world of people. T. reproaches her husband, Oberon, for his love for Hippolyta. However, she does not want to part with an adorable page boy, Read More ......
3. A Midsummer Night's Dream is the most romantic of all Shakespeare's comedies. This is a magical extravaganza, and Belinsky also noted that along with The Tempest, A Midsummer Night's Dream is “a completely different world of Shakespeare's work than his other dramatic works - the world of Read More ......
4. Twelfth Night, or Whatever The action of the comedy takes place in a fabulous country for the British of Shakespeare's time - Illyria. The Duke of Illyria Orsino is in love with the young Countess Olivia, but she is in mourning after the death of her brother and does not even accept the Duke's messengers. Olivia's indifference Read More ......
5. Viola Characteristics of the literary hero VIOLA is the heroine of William Shakespeare's comedy “Twelfth Night, or Whatever” (1601). An image that fully expresses the idea of \u200b\u200ba person of the Renaissance. Active, brave, enterprising, generous V. is also beautiful, well-educated and well-mannered. Read More ......
6. The Tempest The play takes place on a secluded island, where all the fictional characters are transported from different countries. Ship at sea. Storm. Thunder and lightning. The ship's crew tries to save him, but the notable passengers are the King of Naples Alonzo, his brother Sebastian and his son Read More ......
7. King Lear The scene is Britain. Time of action - XI century. The powerful King Lear, sensing the approach of old age, decides to shift the burden of power onto the shoulders of his three daughters: Goneril, Regan and Cordelia, dividing his kingdom between them. The king wants to hear from his daughters how Read More ......
8. Richard III When Richard was born, there was a hurricane that destroyed the trees. Foreshadowing timelessness, an owl cried and an owl cried, dogs howled, crows cawed ominously and magpies chirped. In the most difficult childbirth, a shapeless lump was born, from which her own mother recoiled in horror. Baby Read More ......

B. Britten opera "A Midsummer Night's Dream"

It would not be an exaggeration to say that the opera "A Midsummer Night's Dream" is the very work that can safely be called the pinnacle of creation. Benjamin Britten ... Taking the plot of a Shakespearean composition as a basis, which in itself is a bold step, the composer managed to find that golden mean, thanks to which the combination of comedy and tragedy, farce and grief, fantastic and real is sustained so precisely that it remains only to admire the talent and skill of a person who managed to convey this all naturally and without the slightest falsehood.

A summary of Britten's opera "" and many interesting facts about this work read on our page.

Summary of "A Midsummer Night's Dream"

In the fairy forest, there is a quarrel between the king of the elves Oberon and his wife, Titania. The reason is Titania's reluctance to give her husband an Indian boy who means a lot to her. Frustrated, Oberon orders the elf Pak to obtain a magic flower. Using the juice of a flower, he wants to take revenge on his wife so that she falls in love with the first person he meets.

At this time, lovers who fled from Athens appear in the forest: Hermia and Lysander. Another pair appears - Helen and Demetrius. The girl is selflessly in love with a young man, but he does not reciprocate her feelings, as he wants to be only with Hermia. Watching them, Oberon decides to help Elena and tells Pak to use the magic flower enchantment.

While walking through the woods, Lysander and Hermia accidentally move away from each other, and at this time Pak appears. Because of his haste, he is mistaken and instead of Demetrius bewitches Lysander. Seeing Elena, Lysander immediately falls in love with a girl who cannot help being surprised by what is happening. At this time, Titania falls asleep, and Oberon safely bewitches her.

During Titania's sleep, a magical night reigns. During this time, artisans are rehearsing for the upcoming wedding performance. Puck watching him can not help but have fun and bewitches one of the bottom - the Basis, turning his head into a donkey. In this form, the Foundation appears before Titania, who, being at the mercy of the flower's spell, immediately falls in love with him. Demetrius appears, pursuing Hermia and Lysander, who confesses his love to Elena. Finally confused in their relationship, all four enter into a fierce altercation. Oberon, watching this, tells Pac to end the confusion. Using his talent for imitating voices, Park takes all four away from each other and puts them to sleep.

Just before dawn, Titania, disenchanted by her husband, wakes up, recalling with horror her love for a donkey. Both couples wake up and this time everything is in order - Demetri falls in love with Elena, and Lysander loves Hermia. Craftsman Basis takes on human form and remembers his transformation like a nightmare.

The wedding of Theseus and Hippolyta begins, to which Lysander and Hermia and Lemetrius and Elena come with a request to be allowed to marry. Delighted with their feelings, Theseus blesses all four. The artisans show Theseus their performance, after which the couples disperse.

A photo

Interesting Facts

• When working on a libretto, Britten together with Pierce they have done a truly titanic work. From the original five-act comedy of Shakespeare, they made a three-act one, while noticeably concentrating all the action in one place - the fairy forest.
• Britten removed some of the characters from the opera, and after composing the libretto, he divided the rest into three distinct groups: elves, beloved couples and artisans.
• As in his other operas, as well as in some vocal cycles, Britten dilutes "A Midsummer Night's Dream" with orchestral interludes, thus obtaining a kind of division into pictures and scenes.
• Interval , which has become a symbol of tragedy in Britten's music, is the newt. It is by using this interval that the main characters express their sorrow and tragedy of the situation at the highest point.
• Despite the fact that initially the opera was conceived as a chamber opera, for a small composition of soloists and an orchestra, the drama and brilliance inherent in it made it much larger. Britten's edition for the Royal Opera House clearly shows that A Midsummer Night's Dream is much more than a piece for a chamber ensemble.

• The play, shown by artisans during the wedding of Theseus and Hippolyta, parodies Italian opera.
• The opera is usually performed in English with synchronous subtitles.
• Britten wrote the wonderful music for the opera, inspired by Henry Purcell's "Fairy Queen".
• All the music in the opera is characterized by the bright features of the English people, from rhythms to solo numbers.
• Conductor James Conlon was personally acquainted with Britten, and it was he who conducted his "Midsummer Night's Dream" at the Metropolitan Opera in honor of the 100th anniversary of the birth of the author.

The best numbers from the opera "A Midsummer Night's Dream"

Oberon's recitative and aria "Flower of this purple dye" is beautiful music with a bright and unusual melody that perfectly conveys the spirit of the magic of the opera. (listen)

Aria of Basis “When my cue comes, call me” - Britten perfectly conveys the confusion and uncertainty that gripped the artisan Basis with the help of music. (listen)

History of the creation of "A Midsummer Night's Dream"

Despite the fact that Britten usually created his operas over several years, "A Midsummer Night's Dream" was written by him in just one year. For the opening of his festival, the composer urgently needed a new opera, so the schedule for writing "Dream ..." was extremely tough. Taking on the job with Pierce, they chose Shakespeare's comedy as the storyline was perfect for their purposes.

Quickly writing the libretto, Britten began composing the music. Despite his serious health condition, he worked on the work every day, not giving himself any indulgences, and managed to write the opera on time. The first performance was preceded by some difficulties associated with the lack of self-confidence of the performer of the role of Oberon, as well as very little experience of an opera choreographer. Nevertheless, the production went brilliantly and drew enthusiastic responses from the press and ordinary viewers.

Performances

The opera was first released in 1960 and since then has been staged in various theaters around the world. In Russia, the first production took place in 1965 on the stage of the Bolshoi Theater. In the 20th century, directors fell in love with staging A Midsummer Night's Dream, significantly changing both the plot and the scene.

For example, in 2011, "A Midsummer Night's Dream" was shown in London, while the events take place in an English school, during the reign of the young Queen Elizabeth II. Unfortunately, all of Shakespeare's magic is removed and replaced with the use of drugs. Such a free interpretation of the work has earned numerous negative responses from the audience. On June 10, 2012, director Christopher Alden, who came to Russia with the same production, showed it at the Musical Theater. Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko. The interpretation of the opera caused a huge public outcry, right up to angry reviews in the media and the creation of a special commission designed to assess the moral component of the performance.

In the same 2011, Dream ... was presented at the Mariinsky Theater by the young director Claudia Solti. The opera is full of virtuoso acrobatic performances and flights. The performance was warmly received by the audience, largely due to the skill of the singers and the talent of Valery Gergiev.

In honor of Britten's 100th birthday, "A Dream ..." was shown at the Metropolitan Opera by director Tim Albury. The vibrant costumes, colorful sets and gorgeous voices perfectly captured the atmosphere Britten envisioned. Music critics received this production very warmly.

On January 4, 2018, the production took place at the Israeli Opera under the direction of Ido Riklin. This time the action was moved to Hollywood, to the set. Only one who knows the original work of Shakespeare can draw analogies in this performance and correctly correlate the original characters of the comedy with the new characters.

"Is one of the best compositions Benjamin Britten , which is not surprising, because at the time of its writing, the composer had more than 20 years of musical experience. Having put into the opera the bright features of the original England, Britten managed to create such wonderful music that to this day it is not perceived as something outdated. Until now, "A Midsummer Night's Dream" rightfully takes its rightful place among other opera works, proving that a wonderful Shakespearean plot, multiplied by the composer's talent, can work wonders.

Benjamin Britten "A Midsummer Night's Dream"

The comedy "A Midsummer Night's Dream" was written by W. Shakespeare in 1590. The play consists of five acts. He wrote this work in honor of the wedding of a famous aristocrat.

The events of the play take place in Athens. Duke Theseus is preparing for his own wedding. His bride is the queen of the Amazons, Hippolyta.

The beautiful Hermia is madly in love with Lysander, who reciprocates her. However, not only he shows an interest in the girl, there is another admirer of her Demetrius. Aegeus, Hermia's father, is supported by Demetrius.

Since Hermia refuses to marry Demetrius, Aegeus turns to Theseus. If Hermia refuses, then she will face the death penalty, since according to the laws of those times, the father has the right to dispose of the body and fate. The Duke of Athens gives Hermia the right to choose: marriage, execution, or a vow of celibacy.

Lysander tries to persuade Theseus to reverse this decision. He tries to prove to the duke that he is no worse than Demetrius. Lysander has just as much wealth as Demetrius, Lysander and Hermia's feelings are mutual, unlike his rival.

Lysander invites the girl to secretly marry his aunt, not far from Athens. They tell about their plan to Elena, who is not indifferent to Demetrius. Elena, taking advantage of the moment, told her lover everything in order to get at least a drop of gratitude.

Preparations for Theseus' wedding continues. The masters decided to make a gift for the newlyweds, to stage a comedy about Theisbe and Pyramus. The play is directed by Peter Pigwa.

Not far from Athens, the elf Pek meets a fairy. They were interrupted by Oberon and Titania. She proves to Oberon that the disruptions in the changing seasons are due to their quarrel, and this adversely affects people. In order not to quarrel further, the spouses disperse in different directions.

Peck, by order of Oberon, must bring the magic flower "Love in Idleness", which Cupid accidentally hit with an arrow. The fact is that the sap of the plant is unusual, it is endowed with magical qualities: if the substance touches the eyelids of the sleeping person, then he will fall in love with the first person he sees when he wakes up. Oberon wanted to use this miraculous plant for his wife to take away from her the child that she had stolen from the Sultan. Seeing Demetrius and Elena, he turns into invisibility.

Titania slumbers quietly on the lawn. The rehearsal is taking place in the same place. Peck is present at the rehearsal of the actors. The base plays the role of Pyramus, he goes into the bushes, and returns to the site already with a donkey's head. All the actors are shocked by what is happening, run away. Titania wakes up from the noise and is the first to see the Foundation. She confesses her love for him.

Lysander compliments Elena, and she believes that he is mocking her. Hermia demands an explanation from her beloved, but he humiliates her, she realizes that he simply hated her. Hermia and Elena will quarrel and start a fight.

Now two heroes are fighting for Elena's heart. Peck is happy about what is happening. On Oberon's orders, Peck lubricates Lizard's eyelids with an ointment that removes magic.

Two rivals and two ladies of their hearts fell asleep side by side in the forest.

Having received what he wants from his wife, Oberon removes the magic from her. He makes peace with his wife, and they fly away.

Early in the morning Theseus, together with Hippolyta and Aegeus, set off for the forest. There they find Lizard, Demetrius, Elena and Hermia sleeping. They explain everything to the duke. Demetrius says that he always loved Elena and only wants to be with her, and Hermia was just a passing hobby.

The Duke invites everyone to the temple to marry three couples in love.

Theseus, together with the guests, watches the artisans' performance. After watching the play, everyone gets ready for bed.

At this place, Peck appears, he does the cleaning, prepares the place for the elves. Titania and Oberon with their retinue sing and have fun.

Picture or drawing Midsummer night's dream

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Ten years ago, this premiere would have been considered a very radical gesture - with the howl of opponents and the ecstasy of supporters. The active expansion of the Mariinsky Theater into the field of American neoclassicism of the twentieth century seemed to portend the end of the world for some and the beginning of a new era for others. As a result, however, neither one nor the other happened. Balanchine's ballets have become a normal repertoire routine. Well, another ballet by Balanchine now - so what? Here's what.

A Midsummer Night's Dream does not belong to the collection of golden hits that every self-respecting theater that wants to be respected by others must have. This is not "Serenade", "Jewels", "Four Temperaments" or "Agon" for you. If he gets on DVD in Balanchine's compilations, it is only on the basis of the principle "and he could also do this." In all honesty, you cannot call the great performance "The Dream". But it is possible to be outstanding: from the general corpus of Balanchine texts, he really stands out, along with several more of his brothers. The average Balanchine ballet is a plotless composition for half an hour - forty minutes, a dance alone with music, no decorations, the whole design is focused on light and tutus, and often instead of tutus - simple black rehearsal leotards. And in "Dream" the great ascetic unleashes the full program: there is a libretto based on Shakespeare, and a variety of costumes, and pantomime, and comics, and the desire to be "understandable" and "understandably beautiful" (dragonfly girls gracefully fold their hands on pointe shoes) , and even sparks of vulgarity - they say, such a folk art, does not turn up the nose. Not that this is a case described by Nabokov as "an ascetic dreams of a feast that would make a glutton vomit", "Sleep" is not at all nauseous, although at first it seems that way. Balanchine was an emigrant and a Russian fugitive, to whom the second homeland gave both fame and a rich life, her embrace was warm. But to become a "former emigrant", apparently, is impossible, as well as a former count. Throughout his life, Balanchine, who erected American ballet, no, no, he stopped and built himself a small Russian ballet: for example, "Diamonds" or "Ballet Imperial" - a sparkling dream, slightly touched by frost, about an ideal Russian imperial ballet in a parallel world, where revolution, and Georgy Melitonovich Balanchivadze became the chief choreographer of the Mariinsky Theater in the capital of the constitutional monarchy. But those were palaces. And "A Midsummer Night's Dream" is his Russian dacha, built according to the recipes of Petipa's old extravaganzas and comedies. Like "Don Quixote", only shorter. And if you look closely, you can see that the author was, in the words of another emigrant, Joseph Brodsky, "not a redneck, not a snob, not a liberal, but a general of sad thoughts."