Natalya Sats Musical Theater

Last updated

The Natalya Sats Musical Theater, formally known as the Moscow State Academic Children's Music Theater Named After Natalya Sats , is a theater specializing in opera, ballet and dramatic productions for children. The world's first professional theater for children, it is perhaps best known internationally as the birthplace of Sergei Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf .

Contents

History

The theater that would come to be known as the Natalya Sats Musical Theater was opened in a former movie house as the "Moscow Children's Theater" in 1921. [1]

It had its origins in a series of touring productions staged in 1918 by the Soviet Commissariat for Education. Prior to this time, few adult actors specialized in children's roles, but after the October Revolution Lenin's wife, Nadezhda Krupskaya began to champion theater for children. She was joined by actor Constantin Stanislavski. Natalya Sats, the 15-year-old daughter of Moscow Art Theatre Composer Ilya Sats, was called on to direct performances in Petrograd, Saratov and Moscow. [2] [3]

The first performance Sats organized, "David," was staged in June 1918 and 350 children attended. The Moscow venture evolved into The First State Children's Theater. [2] [3]

In 1936, the troupe moved out of the former movie house into a large theater on Sverdlov Square near the Bolshoi Theater. At this time the Soviet government changed the troupe's name to "Central Children's Theater." [1] [2] Here Sats pioneered a combination of music, dance, acrobatics, drama and multimedia. Known as "synthesized theater," it has become the dominant style of children's theater. [1]

Natalya Sats directorship was cut short in 1937. Sats was condemned as the mistress of Marshal Mikhail Tukhachevsky, one of the eight top Red Army commanders purged by Stalin in 1937. [4] The attendance of the American ambassador at a performance also contributed to her arrest. She spent the next five years in Siberian labor camps. Her name was not cleared until two years after Joseph Stalin's death. [1] [2]

"It was her strong will, courage and innate feeling of dignity that helped her to survive through all the hardships," the Itar-Tass news agency wrote in 1993, when reporting on the theater pioneer's death at the age of 90. [5]

The theatre that bears her name was founded in 1965, and developed a strong repertoire from close work with contemporary composers. Sats' ambition was both to create new productions specifically aimed at a younger audience, and to present the classics in a way that made them accessible to children. [6]

In 1979, the Children's Musical Theater moved into the Palace of Children's Opera, which was designed especially for the company. [1]

Peter and the Wolf

In 1936, Natalya Sats asked Sergei Prokofiev to write a work that would teach orchestral instruments to children and fit the "musical tastes in children from the first years of school." [7] The composer, who had recently returned to Russia after 13 years abroad, wrote his symphonic fairy tale in a couple of weeks. [8]

The first performance of Peter and the Wolf was on May 2, 1936; Prokofiev later wrote that the debut was "inauspicious at best" and the work "failed to attract much attention." [9]

Yet although it is generally not considered among Prokofiev's greatest compositions, it has become one of the most frequently recorded classical work. To date there have been more than 400 different recordings in more than a dozen languages. [10]

Natalya Sats first narrated Peter and the Wolf in 1936. She would go on to give more than 300 performances. The first time she narrated it in English was in Albany, New York as part of a 1986 cultural exchange of theater troupes. [5]

Eleanor Roosevelt, David Bowie, Sir Alec Guinness, Sophia Loren, Zero Mostel, and Boris Karloff have all recorded narrations of Peter and the Wolf. [11]

The Theater Today

The Natalya Sats Children's Musical Theater, built in 1979, was designed with children's audiences in mind. The building houses a large 1100-seat theater and a concert hall with 300 seats. [12] On the roof is a "bluebird of happiness," the theater's symbol. The exterior combines elements of a medieval castle and modern design: the portals are adorned with sculptures depicting characters from various fairy tales. Special criers herald the beginning of performances from balconies under the portals. Inside, costumed characters entertain children before the show. Real birds sing in the aviary, decorative fish swim in aquariums, and there is a special mural room painted in story-book style., [13] [14]

The theater now stages approximately 30 operas and ballets a year. Its repertoire today reflects Sats educational philosophy and, alongside new versions of fairytales such as Puss in Boots, Snow White and The Frog Princess, there are also productions of “adult” operas like Madama Butterfly and Eugene Onegin and new ballets like the Snow Maiden . The company employs many young artists, and has served as a springboard for many artist's careers., [13] [14]

Related Research Articles

Dmitri Shostakovich Soviet composer and pianist (1906-1975)

Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich was a Soviet and Russian composer and pianist. He is regarded as one of the major composers of the 20th century, with a unique harmonic language and a historic importance due to his years of work under Stalin.

Sergei Prokofiev Russian composer (1891–1953)

Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev was a Russian Soviet composer, pianist and conductor. As the creator of acknowledged masterpieces across numerous music genres, he is regarded as one of the major composers of the 20th century. His works include such widely heard pieces as the March from The Love for Three Oranges, the suite Lieutenant Kijé, the ballet Romeo and Juliet—from which "Dance of the Knights" is taken—and Peter and the Wolf. Of the established forms and genres in which he worked, he created – excluding juvenilia – seven completed operas, seven symphonies, eight ballets, five piano concertos, two violin concertos, a cello concerto, a symphony-concerto for cello and orchestra, and nine completed piano sonatas.

<i>Peter and the Wolf</i> Musical composition written by Sergei Prokofiev in 1936

Peter and the Wolf Op. 67, a "symphonic fairy tale for children", is a musical composition written by Sergei Prokofiev in 1936. The narrator tells a children's story, while the orchestra illustrates it. It is Prokofiev's most frequently performed work and one of the most frequently performed works in the entire classical repertoire. It has been recorded many times.

Tikhon Khrennikov

Tikhon Nikolayevich Khrennikov was a Russian and Soviet composer, pianist, and leader of the Union of Soviet Composers, who was also known for his political activities. He wrote three symphonies, four piano concertos, two violin concertos, two cello concertos, operas, operettas, ballets, chamber music, incidental music and film music.

Bolshoi Theatre

The Bolshoi Theatre is a historic theatre in Moscow, Russia, originally designed by architect Joseph Bové, which holds ballet and opera performances. Before the October Revolution it was a part of the Imperial Theatres of the Russian Empire along with Maly Theatre in Moscow and a few theatres in Saint Petersburg.

Mariinsky Theatre opera and ballet theatre in Saint Petersburg, Russia

The Mariinsky Theatre is a historic theatre of opera and ballet in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Opened in 1860, it became the preeminent music theatre of late 19th-century Russia, where many of the stage masterpieces of Tchaikovsky, Mussorgsky, and Rimsky-Korsakov received their premieres. Through most of the Soviet era, it was known as the Kirov Theatre. Today, the Mariinsky Theatre is home to the Mariinsky Ballet, Mariinsky Opera and Mariinsky Orchestra. Since Yuri Temirkanov's retirement in 1988, the conductor Valery Gergiev has served as the theatre's general director.

<i>Romeo and Juliet</i> (Prokofiev) 1935 ballet by Sergei Prokofiev

Romeo and Juliet, Op. 64, is a ballet by Sergei Prokofiev based on William Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet. Prokofiev reused music from the ballet in three suites for orchestra and a solo piano work.

<i>Scythian Suite</i>

The Scythian Suite, Op. 20 is an orchestral suite by Sergei Prokofiev written in 1915.

Alexander Mosolov

Alexander Vasilyevich Mosolov was a composer of the early Soviet era, known best for his early futurist piano sonatas, orchestral episodes, and vocal music.

Russian opera

Russian opera is the art of opera in Russia. Operas by composers of Russian origin, written or staged outside of Russia, also belong to this category, as well as the operas of foreign composers written or intended for the Russian scene. These are not only Russian-language operas. There are examples of Russian operas written in French, English, Italian, Latin, Ancient Greek, Japanese, or the multitude of languages of the nationalities that were part of the Empire and the Soviet Union.

Music of the Soviet Union Music of the Soviet Union

Music of the Soviet Union varied in many genres and epochs. The majority of it was considered to be part of the Russian culture, but other national cultures from the Republics of the Soviet Union made significant contributions as well. The Soviet state supported musical institutions, but also carried out content censorship. According to Lenin, "Every artist, everyone who considers himself an artist, has the right to create freely according to his ideal, independently of everything. However, we are Communists and we must not stand with folded hands and let chaos develop as it pleases. We must systemically guide this process and form its result."

Moscow Ballet has toured the United States and Canada during the holiday season since 1993 and is exclusively represented by Talmi Entertainment Inc for these tours. There are 70 to 80 Russian-trained classical dancers on the annual N.A. tour who fly in from the former republic of Russia. Stanislav Vlasov, a former principal artist of the Bolshoi Ballet, was the first artistic director on the North American tour in 1993. Vlasov's debut in the United States was at Carnegie Hall in 1957.

Māris Liepa

Māris Rūdolfs Liepa was a Soviet Latvian ballet dancer. He graduated from Riga Choreography School where he was taught by Valentin Blinov. He performed in Moscow for the first time in 1950. At the height of career, Liepa was considered one of the finest male dancers in the world and one of the most versatile, at home in a wide range of roles.

Mikhailovsky Theatre

The Mikhailovsky Theatre is one of Russia's oldest opera and ballet houses. It was founded in 1833 and is situated in a historical building on 1, Arts Square in Saint Petersburg. It is named after Grand Duke Michael Pavlovich of Russia. Since 1989, it bears the Modest Mussorgsky name. Since 1991 it is officially named The St Petersburg Mussorgsky State Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre — Mikhailovsky Theatre.

Natalya Sats

Natalya Il'inichna Sats was a Russian stage director who ran theaters for children for many years, including the Moscow Musical Theater for Children, now named after her. In 1937, she fell victim to Soviet repressions, but was rehabilitated in 1953.

Perm Opera and Ballet Theatre

The Perm Tchaikovsky Opera and Ballet Theatre is an opera and ballet theatre in the city of Perm in Russia. It is one of the oldest theatres in the country, and it has remained a major musical centre during its history, in which many significant art events have taken place. Its ballet troupe is one of the most popular in Russia.

Azerbaijan State Theatre of Musical Comedy Musical theatre in Baku

Azerbaijan State Theatre of Musical Comedy is one of the leading musical theatres of Azerbaijan.

Yuri Fyodorovich Fayer, was a Soviet Jewish conductor, highly notable in ballet. He was the chief ballet conductor at the Bolshoi Theatre from 1923 to 1963.

Leonid Mikhailovich Lavrovsky (1905–1967) was a Russian ballet choreographer, most famous for choreographing the first full version of Sergei Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Londre, Felicia Hardison. The History of World Theater. Continuum International Publishing Group, 1999.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Banham, Martin. "The Cambridge Guide to Theater." Cambridge University Press, 1995.
  3. 1 2 SGI Quarterly January, 2006 - Portraits of Global Citizens
  4. ↑ Olga Kravchenko (2008-02-20). "Страсть и ненависть Тухачевского (Loving and Hating Tukhachevsky)". Express Gazeta . Retrieved 2011-11-26.
  5. 1 2 "Natalya Sats, 90, Dies." December 22, 1993. New York Times
  6. ↑ Театр им. Сац
  7. ↑ The Wolf at the Door: Stalin and Prokofiev - eMusic Spotlight
  8. ↑ Slonimsky, Nicolas. "Slonimsky's Book of Musical Anecdotes. Routledge, 2002.
  9. ↑ Azerrad, Michael. "The Wolf at the Door: Stalin and Prokofiev". eMusic.com Inc. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
  10. ↑ The Recordings of Peter and The Wolf (part 1)
  11. ↑ The Recordings of Peter and The Wolf (part 1)
  12. ↑ Театр им. Сац
  13. 1 2 Natalya Sats Theater Documentary Film. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Llkz8SmtTRc
  14. 1 2 Richardson, Dan. "The Rough Guide to Moscow." Rough Guides, 2001.

Coordinates: 55°41′47″N37°32′38″E / 55.6963°N 37.5440°E / 55.6963; 37.5440

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.