“ANA KARENINA” – Petar Ilyich Tchaikovsky (Ballet)

23.06.2023 – 20:00

Choreographer: Leo Mujich (Croatia)
Costume designer: Aleksandar Noshpal
Transferred scenography: Mihajlo Stojanovski, Saso Stojanovski
Light design: Milcho Alexandrov
Painter: Zoran Kostovski
Graphic Design: Emil Petrov
Stage managers: Dubravka Shopova, Tijana Tarcugovska,
Repetitours: Goran Bozhinov, Vasil Ciciashvili, Lora Tarcugovska, Dafina Daniloska – Kocevska
Assistant costume designer: Emanuela Trajceska

Cast:
Ana Karenina: Mimi Pop Aleksova Atanasovska
Vronsky:  Boban Kovachevski
Karenin: Guilherme Alves
Kitty: Hristina Nacevska
Lidija Ivanovna: Angela Velevska
Dolly: Sasha Evtimova
Betsy: Ilijana Danilov
Sorokina: Biljana Basmacieva Kovacevski
Stiva: Miroslav Mitrasinovic
Levin: Igor Velanoski
Countess Vronska: Olga Pango
Sepuhovski: Andrew Cook (England)

Performing prominent soloists, soloists and the entire ballet ensemble of the National Opera and Ballet

Ballet in 2 acts

Synopsis according to the same novel by L. N. Tolstoy

It is a great challenge to make a work of art, which for the playwright has two Gentlemen of Russian and World Art and Culture, Leo Nikolayevich Tolstoy and Petar Ilyich Tchaikovsky.

One of the world’s most famous literary works, “Anna Karenina” from the end of the 19th and the 20th century, was an inspiration for many theatrical and film creations. Here it is in front of us, as an inspiration for the choreographer Leo Mujic and the ballet ensemble of the Macedonian Opera and Ballet. In his magnificent opus, Tchaikovsky was often inspired by the works of Russian and world classics, but never used the work of Tolstoy. However, for a romantic story such as “Ana Karenina”, his music proved to be the most appropriate. (In our choreographic perspective, the exploits are parts of: D-major concert for violin and orchestra, b-minor symphony, Sentimental Waltz, Fifth symphony in e-minor, Sixth-symphony in b-minor and Elegy in g-minor)

ADULTERY – JEALOUSY – REVENGE = TRAGEDY

Or, as Tolstoy says: Where love ends, hatred begins!

If we try to tell the essence of the story in one sentence, it would be that sentence above, which is also a “cliché” in many other works. But Tolstoy’s grandiose work, written in several hundred pages, could not only be reduced to a cliché.

Anna Karenina, for her love for young Vronsky, will reject wealth and family, will ignore the prejudices of social norms in Tsarist Russia. For Vronsky, however, it is only an adventure. In the end, completely rejected by society, even without the opportunity to see her own son, decides to commit suicide. The deep inner psychological drama of Karenina, the torn between love and old age on one hand, the strict social norms, the family, the husband, the son, the unsuccessful attempt at divorce on the other, lead her into the abyss of her own existence, which will lead to tragedy.

To be a living dead or a dead sinner! This question is posed by Tolstoy himself, and that is the dilemma that tears our main heroine. What is life without love?

In dance there is no opportunity to recount the whole story, therefore in our Anne Karenina, we will emphasize the characters, their personality, internal psychological experiences, emotions and their mutual relations. Our desire is to create a work that through dance will plastically touch us all, not only as static followers of the play, but as living creatures in this modern day. Through dance and movement, we want to convey the feelings, the conditions of the souls and the mutual relations of our heroes. By combining the academic ballet with the modern dance expression, gestures and mimics, with our choreographic manuscript, we will try to “touch” all of you. After all, it is the essence of the drama, to show, not to tell!

Ms. Krsto Skubev, a culturologist