Gayane

Gayane (sometimes written Gayaneh) is a ballet in 4 acts with music by Aram Khachaturian. Originally composed in 1942, to a libretto by Derzhavin and with choreography by Anisimova, the score was revised in 1952, and then again in 1957 with a new plot.

Related Topics:
Ballet - Aram Khachaturian - 1942

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Khatchaturian's original 'Gayane' concerned the story of a young Armenian woman whose patriotic convictions came into conflict with her personal feelings when she discovered her husband betraying his country. In later years, however, the plot underwent several modifications, whose result was to emphasise romance at the expense of nationalist zeal.

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It is a simple tale of a collective farm in the Soviet Union. The diversity of such farms provided the backdrop for a strong ethnic flavor to each part of the music (with some tunes favoring the slower string quartet arrangements, while others taking on the lively folk instruments of the gypsies of Eastern Europe), and of a compelling tale of love between classes.

Related Topics:
Collective farm - Soviet Union - Gypsies - Eastern Europe

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The ballet was a modest success before Joseph Stalin, and has seen limited rerelease outside of the USSR.

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For concert performance, the composer later arranged no fewer than three suites from music drawn from the ballet score.

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The Sabre Dance, a movement in the final act of the ballet, is perhaps the most famous piece of the music. It is a whirling mazurka, made famous by plate spinners and other human tricks innovators.

Related Topics:
Sabre Dance - Mazurka

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Stanley Kubrick's film ' featured some of the less up-tempo parts of the Gayane music, as did the movies Patriot Games and Aliens.

Related Topics:
Stanley Kubrick - Patriot Games - Aliens

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