The Flames of Paris
The Flames of Paris
Ballet in three acts
Composer Boris Asafiev
Choreographer Mikhail Messerer after the original choreography by Vasily Vainonen
The increasingly loud calls for freedom and the abolition of unjust monarchical absolutism that echoed through the streets of Paris and other French cities in 1789 often found their way into artistic creations due to their strong appeal and numerous ideological undertones that various political regimes could (mis)use as part of their political propaganda. Among them, the dramatic ballet The Flames of Paris, created by choreographer Vasily Vainonen in 1932 to music by Boris Asafiev, occupies a special place. In creating this virtuoso ballet, Vainonen was inspired by the novel Li Rouge dou Miejour (literally: The Red from the South) by the Provençal writer Felix Gras, which paved the way for the presentation of the athletic power of Soviet ballet. Gras’ novel criticised the injustice of the socio-political system of the time and the arbitrary and even sadistic oppression of the peasants by the nobility in the run-up to the outbreak of the Revolution. The artistic recalibration of the original choreography in Mikhail Messerer’s vision, which is being shown to Slovenian audiences for the first time, also draws its strength from the rebellious stance against oppression, which promotes the Enlightenment ideals of freedom, equality and brotherhood among people and gives us a glimpse of hope, even or especially in a time of crisis for democracy.
Ondina Otta Klasinc Hall
Cast
Choreograph
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