People's Artist of the USSR Vladimir Vasiliev talks about how to combine painting and ballet, dance Shukshin and instill in choreographers a love of reading.
This year, choreographer and choreographer Vladimir Vasiliev celebrates 60 years of creative activity.
In addition to the stage, there is another passion in his life - painting. TO anniversary date an exhibition of his paintings “Tales of Italy” opened in the Gogol House, and in the Perm art gallery One of these days the exhibition “Dancing Brush” opens.
About how to combine different types of art, not look back at past achievements and love your homeland, People's Artist The USSR told Izvestia.
Vladimir Viktorovich, you have reached all possible heights in ballet. And now we started painting. Do you think it is treated with the same demands as performances?
Probably... I don’t know... The main thing is that I myself am demanding of my own painting. I like the process of work itself, and after - I have huge amount self-claims. This is a normal, completely natural assessment. It seems to me that only amateurs admire the fruits of their creativity. Everything is usually great with them.
Take Chaliapin. He had a constant dissatisfaction, a desire to do better tomorrow than today. And so on ad infinitum. Fyodor Ivanovich, by the way, was unusually talented: he sculpted very well and painted.
- Did you take up drawing because you wanted to keep up everywhere, to prove yourself in everything?
It’s just that I’ve always felt cramped within one profession! This is not to show: “I can do this, I can do that too.” No. I lack creativity, but everything is interesting to me. When I started drawing, I did it twice a year. I occupied my main profession all the time. Now I draw constantly, every day. And this fills me with the joy of creativity.
- What are you writing with?
Mainly in watercolors, because it is easier to take with you on trips. When I go somewhere, I always take paints. They were with me in Italy, and in Brazil, and on the Yenisei, and on the Volga. I also paint in oils, but this is only on Ryzhevka in the Kostroma region. It works there like nowhere else - just me and nature, and nothing interferes with our merging.
- And about achieving recognition major museums, haven't you thought?
Vladimir Vasiliev. Photo – M. Panfilovich No. But I am pleased when artists and art critics say that I can call myself professional artist When they write reviews, they ask if I sell my paintings. Perhaps the time has come for this too. Especially now.
- Is the pension of the People's Artist of the USSR not enough?
Yes. I don't think I'm the only one who would answer that way. But for now, thank God, I can work.
IN recent years you pay a lot of attention to young choreographers. With them you staged a play based on Shukshin’s stories. Is it possible to dance Shukshin?
Can. And Shukshin, and Platonov, and other greats. I decided to gather our domestic contemporary choreographers and give them the opportunity to try themselves in a special project.
As part of various festivals, where there is interest, we organize creative workshops that are necessarily related to literature. In them, our modern choreographers stage mini-ballets on the theme of the work of this or that writer.
So we staged the first performance in Voronezh based on the works of Platonov. Literary critics were perplexed: “How can you make a ballet based on Platonov?” And after the performance one of literary critics told me that, perhaps, he had never seen anything better on stage according to Platonov.
-You don't lead them down the beaten path. Set challenging goals.
Yes, it's not easy. Modern choreographers usually create performances without a plot. I want to show them how to work with the plot, with the dramaturgy of the play. Therefore, in my workshop they must rely on literature and, preferably, on serious music.
It's no secret that young people read little these days. And they often lack this knowledge, this foundation. Thus, they have to read more to create their miniatures.
We have already held several workshops - in addition to Platonov’s, also on Astafiev (at the Asia-Pacific Festival in Krasnoyarsk), on Shukshin (at the Shukshin Festival in Barnaul), on Gogol (at the opening of the Arabesque ballet competition named after Ekaterina Maximova).
And this month the fifteenth anniversary “Arabesque” will open. And there will also be a workshop there - on Tolstoy, for the 190th anniversary of his birth. It’s fortunate that the TV channel “Culture” will film it and even show it online on its website. And we will be able to show the opening of the competition to a larger number of viewers.
I can’t say that the workshop is some kind of lessons from Vladimir Vasiliev. Rather, I try to share with young people my experience and the valuable heritage that I myself received from my great teachers and predecessors.
- Why don’t you give lessons at the Bolshoi Theater School?
I have not yet received an invitation to the Moscow Ballet Academy, but I have already done a lot for the Bolshoi Theater School in Brazil. I am happy to come and work where I am loved and expected. For ten years I headed the choreography department at GITIS. And I was happy there.
Now the number one task in choreography is to captivate a person emotionally, to make him sympathize with the characters on stage. And for this you need to know a lot in all areas of art.
I was shocked by the information that you received the title of People's Artist of the USSR after the Paris Academy of Dance awarded you the Vaslav Nijinsky Prize, calling you “The Best Dancer of the World.” Did that really make a difference?
In the Soviet Union, recognition of the West, if it had any significance, was not to such an extent that for this reason “people’s” was given. This is not why we awarded the title. It took more than one year to seriously prove that you were worthy of this title. And it really was supreme and had enormous weight.
- What could have spurred on the officials?
It was spurred on by the fact that I had leading roles and premieres at the Bolshoi Theater. By that time I had already danced “Spartacus”.
- I wish they wouldn’t give “people’s” after “Spartak”!
For him I received the Lenin Prize. And I have a philosophical attitude towards the definition of “Best Dancer”. What is the best? In this game he may be the best, but in that game he is someone else.
- Some people are not shy about saying on TV that they are the best.
The truly great masters with whom I was fortunate to meet or work rarely uttered the word “I.” And this only added to their greatness and dignity. However, times are different now: advertising and flashing on the screen - important tool promotion.
- If you don’t remind yourself, no one will remember.
Maybe this is important for young people now - I don’t know. But time puts everything in its place. It is the main and, in general, the only judge. Although everything will be forgotten someday. It was recently 20 years since Galina Ulanova passed away. Did someone on TV or radio remember this? And there are not many quantities like it in the world.
In 2020 you will turn 80 years old. They say that you decided to celebrate the anniversary by staging the Requiem on the stage of the opera house in Kazan.
A long time ago I had the idea of staging Mozart's Requiem. My work was already connected with this work - “Oh, Mozart, Mozart” with Evgeny Kolobov. This music is brilliant, using it is, I think, the dream of any choreographer. There have been discussions, but the concept has not yet been finalized.
Vladimir Vasiliev. Photo – M. Panfilovich - Superstitious?
No. I once wanted to make a play about an artist who lived great life and moving towards its finale. And you can’t find a better musical series for this than Mozart. And now I see completely different pictures. Let's see. But, of course, I would like my work to continue to be connected with the Tatar Academic Opera and Ballet Theater.
- How did your work with the Kazan theater begin?
30 years ago I had the idea to put on big stage performance of Bach's Mass in B minor. This is a grandiose work, incomparable, in my opinion, with anything else in music. It has never been installed anywhere.
But I wanted to do it to make it something spectacular. I dreamed about the Vatican. It was on St. Peter's Square that I wanted to show it and gather an international cast of performers. But in the late 1980s this was difficult to do. Everyone said: “Yes, the idea is wonderful!” - but things didn’t go any further.
Years passed, but the idea haunted me. The Bolshoi Theater or the Mariinsky Theater would be very suitable. They have a huge troupe, a stage, and opportunities. I wanted there to be a choir, a corps de ballet, singers and an orchestra on stage at the same time. But I understood that it was unlikely to work there.
And suddenly, by chance, in a conversation with the director of the opera house in Kazan, Raufal Mukhametzyanov, I shared my dream with him. And he immediately offered to stage Bach’s Mass with them. It didn't occur to me. But when I listened to the theater choir, I realized that God was sending me a gift in the form of this troupe.
- Why is Russian ballet so valued in the world?
Yes because behind him wonderful school and traditions. It has had and continues to influence the West precisely Russian art, Russian breadth, Russian exactingness both to yourself and to what you do. I don’t understand why we admire the Western so much.
Chaliapin was proud that he was Russian and that he brought the light of his art from Russia. Please note: he was not proud of himself, but of what he received in his homeland. In his memoirs, Chaliapin wrote that his soul was filled with joy when he heard good singer, who turned out to be Russian by origin.
You are talking about the Russian ballet school. But everyone knows what sacrifices come with success. Is it possible to achieve results without drill, without being beaten in the legs, without being criticized? Maybe it's better when you are praised?
Who cares. You can probably approach some people with all severity, while others can only be approached in a kind way. I remember my first two years at school. It was very easy for me. The children were just learning to read, but in the first grade I read almost all of Dumas, and at the age of 10 I had already reached “War and Peace.” Nobody forced me. I needed this myself. It was the same in ballet and in everything else, no matter what I did.
Today, the soloist of the Bolshoi and Mikhailovsky theaters, Ivan Vladimirovich Vasiliev, despite his youth, is known throughout the world. Every day there is a new achievement, and all thanks to hard work and determination. However, 2015 was truly a landmark year for him. He married his stage partner, the incredibly beautiful ballerina Maria Vinogradova, and also made his debut as a choreographer, staging his first performance “Ballet No. 1” in the Barvikha Luxury Village hall. In this article we will tell you about early period life, about becoming a ballet dancer and about what kind of person the talented dancer and choreographer Ivan Vasiliev is off the stage.
Biography
The future star of the Bolshoi and St. Petersburg Mikhailovsky Theaters was born in the village of Tavrichanka (Primorsky Territory), in a family that had nothing to do with art. His father, Vladimir Viktorovich Vasiliev, by the way, the full namesake of the famous premiere of the Bolshoi Theater of the 60-70s, was a military officer, and his mother did not work anywhere, remaining his faithful companion, who was everywhere, from one republic to another, from military unit to unit , followed him, ran the household and raised their sons. When Vanya was 4 years old, the family moved to Ukraine, Dnepropetrovsk. Soon after this, the mother decided to send her eldest son to kindergarten folk ensemble. Vanya was still very young, but he liked it so much in the dance hall, and he began to do such things there that the leader of the ensemble became interested in the musical and flexible little one, and decided to make an exception for him, accepting him and his older brother into the group.
Introduction to ballet
It so happened in the life of a dancer that no matter where Ivan Vasiliev studied, he always found himself a couple of years younger than his classmates. At the age of 7, the boy and his mother went to ballet for the first time. Throughout the entire performance, he did not utter a word and only his enthusiastically sparkling eyes spoke better than any words about what was going on in his soul. He left the theater completely in love with this view. high art. At home, he began to ask his parents to send him to ballet school. It was not easy for the military man to get used to the idea that his son wanted to connect his life with such a “non-male” occupation. However, the mother managed to convince the father that their son was probably born just for this, and the father gave in. Soon, Ivan Vasiliev was on the list of those admitted to the first class of the Dnepropetrovsk choreographic school. From that moment on, ballet became an integral part of his life. The boy did not particularly stand out for his physical characteristics; on the contrary, some choreographers thought that with this type of figure, not at all slender and short legs (the main “tool” of a dancer), he would not be able to achieve great heights in this form dance art, however, time has shown that they were wrong. In the meantime, the boy surprised everyone with his efficiency, incredible energy and determination.
Education
Then fate brought the family of the future soloist the best theaters countries to the Republic of Belarus, and here Ivan Vladimirovich Vasiliev enters the Belarusian State Choreographic College, where he begins to study classical ballet under the direction of Honored Worker of the Republic of Belarus, choreographer A. Kolyadenko. By the way, despite his young age (12 years old), Vanya was accepted immediately into the 3rd year, because during the entrance exam he began to perform such complex elements that they began to teach in college only towards the end of the second year. Soon he was sent to a competition, where he performed variations that were part of the program for older dancers and, naturally, surprised the jury members.
External data
The dancer says that some teachers did not want to see the obvious and did not believe that something good would come of him, based on his physical parameters. They could not even imagine that Ivan Vasiliev would bring so many new things. Ballet, the height for which has great value, rather conservative art. Ivan’s height, of course, was far from tall, and the choreographers doubted whether he could look beautiful on stage, and his legs were a bit short, and, as some teachers said, they betrayed his plebeian roots. But, as you can see, they were wrong. Ivan Vasiliev proved that to achieve heights in a dancer’s career, appearance is not the most important thing, although the young man worked on his body to the point of exhaustion, as a result of training, he, the word sculptor, sculpted something perfect out of it. It is impossible not to admire his torso; it is worthy of admiration, resembling an isosceles triangle with its apex turned towards the waist.
To Moscow
Having not yet graduated from college, Ivan Vasiliev, in whose life ballet played the most important role at that time, important role, completed an internship at the Belarusian Bolshoi Theater and performed solo roles in productions of Don Quixote and Corsair. However, all his thoughts were connected with Moscow - this is where he saw himself in the future. And so, having received his diploma, he took a train ticket and, at his own risk, went to the capital of the country, which he considered his homeland. He was, of course, dissuaded, but in Moscow, no matter what you say, true talent is valued.
Premier of the country's main theater
In 2006, the talented dancer was accepted into the Bolshoi Theater, where he made his debut in the play “Don Quixote” in the role of Basil. After 4 years, he already became the premiere of the ballet troupe, bypassing the title of leading soloist, which happened extremely rarely. Here he performed the main roles in the legendary performances: “Giselle”, “Spartacus”, “The Nutcracker”, “Don Quixote”, “Petrushka”. His director and choreographer was Yuri Vladimirov. Before becoming the prime minister, Ivan Vasiliev successfully took part in a magnificent international project. Kings of Dance" (2009). Here he danced on the same stage with such famous dancers as David Hallberg, Jose Manuel Carreno, Joaquin De Luz, and compatriots Nikolai Tsiskaridze, Denis Matvienko and others.
Ivan Vasiliev: Mikhailovsky Theater
It's no secret that being a premier of the Bolshoi Theater is the cherished dream of all ballet dancers, the pinnacle of their career. And imagine the surprise of all the initiates when they learned that Ivan Vasiliev and Natalya Osipova (his partner in many performances and his friend) refused to rehearse “Don Quixote” and decided to leave for St. Petersburg, and not to the Mariinsky, and the Mikhailovsky Theater. Of course, this sounded like a bolt from the blue. The Bolshoi management was at a loss. This is the kind of strange information a professional biography contains. Ivan Vasiliev later explained his decision by saying that he needed a new incentive, a new tough motivation. However, the Bolshoi did not want to completely part with his favorite, and today he is a “guest star” for the theater. By the way, in the same capacity he performs at La Scala, in the Roman opera house, Bavarian Ballet, Mariinsky and Novosibirsk Opera and Ballet Theaters, and also regularly appears on the stage of the American Ballet Theater. He managed to raise the Mikhailovsky Theater to an incredible level. Here he performs leading roles in ballet productions of “Don Quixote”, “The Sleeping Beauty”, “La Bayadère”, “Giselle”, “Flames of Paris”, “Corsair”, “ Swan Lake", "Laurencia", "Halt of the Cavalry", "La Sylphide", "Vain Precaution", etc. Ivan Vasiliev, of course, managed to reach the very top in his career as a dancer. He is one of the highest paid ballet dancers in the whole world. Isn't it everything he strived for?
Choreographer
No. I. Vasiliev says that already at the age of 12, analyzing the work of his choreographers, and in his heart disagreeing with them, he dreamed that the time would come when he himself would be able to create his own production. In 2015, at the end of spring, he managed to fulfill his dream. His debut performance was “Ballet No. 1”, where he used incredible stunts and elements, as if wanting to show where the capabilities of the human body can go, both in solo and duet parts. The premiere took place on the stage of the Barvikha Luxury Village hall and had incredible success. The main thing is that the choreographer himself was pleased with himself, and he said that this was just the beginning, new incredible productions awaited everyone.
Ivan Vasiliev: personal life
After Vasiliev arrived in Moscow and got a job at the Bolshoi Theater, he began a relationship with his colleague, Natalya Osipova. In tandem with her, over the course of 4 years they went to the title of premier and prima of the country's main theater. After this, all the acquaintances expected that the couple would legalize their relationship and have a grand wedding, but suddenly it broke up, and soon Ivan began to be noticed in the company of another Bolshoi Theater ballerina, Maria Vinogradova. They danced in a duet in the ballet “Spartacus”. After this, the young people started dating after rehearsals, and for the first date, I. Vasiliev invited his girlfriend to the Bolshoi Theater, but not to the ballet, but to the opera. Probably, it was funny for them to find themselves, although in a familiar environment, not on their own stage, but in front of it, in the auditorium.
Wedding
Vanya made his marriage proposal to Maria in a very romantic atmosphere. He covered the entire room with rose petals and decorated it balloons. He got down on one knee, like a medieval knight, and handed his beloved a box with an incredibly expensive ring. It turned out that it was a designer’s work from the famous jewelry brand “Graff”, which cost the artist $50,000. Well, what girl could resist such a confession? Maria, naturally, gave her consent, and they began to prepare for the wedding, which took place in the summer of 2015. The wedding ceremony was very beautiful, and the couple looked more than happy. Exactly a year after this, Maria and Ivan had their first child, daughter Anna.
Vladimir Vasiliev was born on April 18, 1940 in Moscow. The father of the future star, Viktor Ivanovich, worked as a driver. Mother, Tatyana Yakovlevna, worked as the head of the sales department at a felt factory. At the age of seven, the boy accidentally got into classes dance club at the House of Pioneers. Choreographer Elena Rosse, who worked with children, immediately drew attention to little Volodya’s talent and invited him to study. So, a year later, Vasiliev first appeared on the stage of the Bolshoi Theater with Ukrainian and Russian dances.
After school in 1958 he graduated from the Moscow Academy of Choreography. Next young man accepted into the Bolshoi Theater ballet troupe. Already during his studies, he amazed me with his virtuoso performance technique, undoubted acting talent, and ability to impersonate. On the stage of the Bolshoi he made his debut in the ballet " Stone flower"Yuri Grigorovich in 1959.
Soon Vasiliev, having won the love and recognition of audiences and critics, became one of the leading soloists of the ballet troupe of this theater for more than thirty years. The artist danced the main roles of modern and classical repertoire in ballets: “Cinderella”, “Pages of Life”, “Don Quixote”, “Paganini”, “Giselle”, “Romeo and Juliet”.
The choreographers not only offered Vasiliev the main roles, but also choreographed them especially for him. The dancer became the first performer of the solo part in “Dance Suite”, in Rodion Shchedrin’s ballet “The Little Humpbacked Horse”, in “Spartacus” by Aram Khachaturian, in “Forest Song” by German Zhukovsky, in “Petrushka” by Igor Stravinsky. Vasiliev also performed abroad a lot and with great success for such directors as Roland Petit, Maurice Bejart, Leonid Massine.
Vasiliev created vivid, memorable images, often offering a new interpretation of them. In addition to Ekaterina Maksimova, Vasiliev’s constant partner and wife, whom he always called his Muse, the following danced with him: famous ballerinas as Galina Ulanova, Maya Plisetskaya, Olga Lepeshinskaya, Raisa Struchkova, Natalya Bessmertnova, Irina Kolpakova, Alicia Alonso, Josephine Mendez, Lilian Causey, Carla Fracci.
Being in the prime of his performing skills, Vasiliev even then felt the need for a more complete realization of his creative potential: a craving for choreography. His choreographer debut was the ballet “Icarus” in 1971. As a choreographer, Vladimir Viktorovich also staged: “These enchanting sounds...”, “Macbeth”, “Fragments of a Biography”, “Anyuta”, “Romeo and Juliet”, “Cinderella”, “Don Quixote”, “Giselle” , "Swan Lake". Vasiliev's productions were enthusiastically received by the public, especially those where he and Ekaterina Maksimova performed the central roles.
In 1982, Vasiliev graduated from the choreographic department Russian Institute Theater Arts and from the same year he began teaching there, was the head of the choreography department, and in 1989 received the academic title of professor.
Since 1995, for five years, Vasiliev was the artistic director of the Bolshoi Theater. He also actively collaborated with many theaters in the country and around the world, headed and participated in the work of the jury of various international ballet competitions, gave master classes, and prepared new performances and roles. Heading the Galina Ulanova Foundation, Vasiliev stages and conducts annual gala concerts “Dedicated to Galina Ulanova.”
As of April 2019, ballets staged by him are performed not only on the stage of the Bolshoi Theater, but also in many other theaters in Russia and the world. Vasiliev's creative interests extend to other areas of art. The master starred as a dramatic actor in feature films, in original television ballets, where he performed not only as a performer, but also as a choreographer and stage director.
Vladimir Vasiliev is a People's and Honored Artist of Russia, a laureate of various Russian and international awards, awarded orders and medals. Also honorary professor of Moscow State University, full member of the International Academy of Creativity and the Academy Russian art. Films and books are dedicated to the dancer’s work. He mainly devotes his free time to painting. The main theme of the paintings: landscapes, in which he tries to convey the beauty of Russian nature. He also writes poetry, and even published the collection “Chain of Days.”
Awards and Recognition of Vladimir Vasiliev
Honored Artist of Russia (1964)
People's Artist of Russia (1969)
People's Artist of the USSR (1973)
Lenin Prize (1970) - for the performance of the title role in the ballet performance “Spartacus” by A. I. Khachaturyan
USSR State Prize (1977) - for performing the role of Sergei in the ballet performance “Angara” by A. Ya. Eshpai
State Prize of the RSFSR named after the Vasilyev brothers (1984) - for participation in the creation of the film-ballet “Anyuta” (1981)
State Prize of the RSFSR named after M. I. Glinka (1991, in the field musical art) - for concert programs recent years
Lenin Komsomol Prize (1968) - for excellence and image creation folk hero V ballet performances Bolshoi Theater
Moscow Mayor's Prize in the field of literature and art (1997)
Order of Merit for the Fatherland, IV degree (2000) - for great contribution to the development of the national choreographic art
Order of Merit for the Fatherland, III degree (2008) - for his great contribution to the development of domestic choreographic art, many years of creative and social activity
Order of Lenin (1976)
Order of Friendship of Peoples (1981)
Order of the Red Banner of Labor (1986)
Order of Merit (1999, France)
Order of Rio Branco (2004, Brazil)
Knight of the International Order of Saint Constantine the Great (Union of Saint Constantine, 1998)
Order of the Holy Blessed Prince Daniel of Moscow, III degree (ROC, 1999)
Medal of the Argentine Academy of Arts (1983)
Medal of Honor from the Karina Ari Foundation (1998, Sweden)
Princess Dona Francesca Medal of Merit (2000, Brazil)
Medal named after P. Picasso (2000)
First Prize and gold medal on VII World Festival youth and students in Vienna (1959)
Grand Prix and gold medal at 1st International competition ballet dancers in Varna (1964)
V. Nijinsky Prize - “Best Dancer of the World” (1964, Paris Academy of Dance) (1964)
Special prize and gold medal of the Varna city committee of the Komsomol (1964, Bulgaria)
M. Petipa Prize “Best Duet in the World” (together with E. S. Maksimova, 1972, Paris Academy of Dance)
Prize of the Municipality of Rome "Europe 1972" (Italy)
Intervision Prize at International festival TV films “Golden Prague” (Prague, 1982, for the TV ballet “Anyuta”)
Grand prize in the musical film competition at the X All-Union TV Film Festival (Alma-Ata, 1983, for the TV ballet “Anyuta”)
Simba Academy Award (1984, Italy)
Intervision Prize and Prize for best performance male role at the International Film Festival "Golden Prague" (Prague, 1985, for the TV ballet "Road House")
Prize for best performance season - ballet “Anyuta” at the San Carlo Theater (Naples, 1986)
Prize for the best Chekhov play at the Chekhov Festival (Taganrog, 1986)
Together for Peace Award (1989, Italy)
J. Tanya Awards - “Best Choreographer” and “Best Duet” (together with E. S. Maksimova, 1989, Italy)
UNESCO Prize (1990)
S. P. Diaghilev Prize (1990)
Theater award “Crystal Turandot” (1991 (together with E. S. Maksimova), 2001 - “For honor and dignity”)
Terracina City Prize (1997, Italy)
Awards "For highest achievements in the field of choreography" (USA, 2003, Italy 2005)
Award for Life in Dance (Italy, 2001)
Prize of the magazine "Ballet" "Soul of Dance" in the category "Legend of Ballet" (2005)
Russian L. E. Nobel Prize (2007, Ludwig Nobel Foundation, St. Petersburg)
Freedom Award for outstanding contributions to the development of Russian-American cultural relations(New York, 2010)
International Stanislavsky Prize (International K. S. Stanislavsky Foundation, 2010)
International Prize "For the Art of Dance named after L. Massine"
Works of Vladimir Vasiliev
Ballet parts
Bolshoi Theater
1958 - “Rusalka” by A. Dargomyzhsky, choreography by E. Dolinskaya, B. Kholfin - gypsy dance
1958 - “Demon” by A. Rubinstein - dance “Lezginka”
1958 - choreographic picture “Walpurgis Night” in the opera “Faust” by C. Gounod, choreography by L. Lavrovsky - Pan
1958 - “Chopiniana” to music by F. Chopin, choreography by M. Fokine - Soloist
1959 - “The Stone Flower” by S. Prokofiev, staged by Y. Grigorovich - Danila
1959 - “Cinderella” by S. Prokofiev, choreography by R. Zakharov - Prince
1959 - “Dance Suite” to the music of D. Shostakovich, staged by A. Varlamov - Soloist - first performer
1960 - choreographic miniature “Narcissus” to music by N. Cherepnin, choreography by K. Goleizovsky - Narcissus - first performer (“Evening of new choreographic miniatures”)
1960 - “Romeo and Juliet” by S. Prokofiev, choreography by L. Lavrovsky - Benvolio
1960 - “Shurale” by F. Yarullin, staged by L. Yakobson - Batyr
1960 - “The Little Humpbacked Horse” by R. Shchedrin, staged by A. Radunsky - Ivanushka - first performer
1961 - “Forest Song” by M. Skorulsky, choreographers O. Tarasova, A. Lapauri - Lukash - first performer
1961 - “Pages of Life” by A. Balanchivadze, choreography by L. Lavrovsky - Andrey
1962 - “Paganini” by S. Rachmaninov, staged by L. Lavrovsky - Paganini
1962 - “Spartacus” by A. Khachaturian, staged by L. Yakobson - Slave - first performer
1962 - “Don Quixote” by L. Minkus, choreography by A. Gorsky - Basil
1963 - “Class Concert” to the music of A. Glazunov, A. Lyadov, A. Rubinstein, D. Shostakovich, staged by A. Messerer - Soloist - was among the first performers of this ballet
1963 - “Laurencia” by A. Crane, choreography by V. Chabukiani - Frondoso
1963 - “The Sleeping Beauty” by P. I. Tchaikovsky, choreography by M. Petipa, revised by Yu. Grigorovich - Blue Bird
1964 - “Giselle” by A. Adam, choreography by J. Coralli, J. Perrot and M. Petipa, revised by L. Lavrovsky - Albert
1964 - “Petrushka” by I. Stravinsky, choreography by M. Fokin - Petrushka
1964 - “Leyli and Majnun” by S. Balasanyan, choreography by K. Goleizovsky - Majnun - first performer
1966 - “The Nutcracker” by P. I. Tchaikovsky, staged by Yu. Grigorovich - The Nutcracker Prince - first performer
1968 - “Spartacus” by A. Khachaturian, staged by Y. Grigorovich - Spartacus - first performer
1971 - “Icarus” by S. Slonimsky in his own production - Icarus
1973 - “Romeo and Juliet” by S. Prokofiev, choreography by L. Lavrovsky - Romeo
1973 - “The Sleeping Beauty” by P. I. Tchaikovsky, choreography by M. Petipa in the second edition by Yu. Grigorovich - Prince Désiré - first performer
1975 - “Ivan the Terrible” to the music of S. Prokofiev, staged by Y. Grigorovich - Ivan the Terrible
1976 - “Angara” by A. Eshpai, staged by Y. Grigorovich - Sergei - first performer
1976 - “Icarus” by S. Slonimsky in his own production (second edition) - Icarus - first performer
1979 - large adagio from the ballet “Romeo and Julia” by G. Berlioz, choreography and production by M. Bejart - Romeo - the first performer in the USSR
1980 - “Macbeth” by K. Molchanov in his own production - Macbeth - first performer
1986 - “Anyuta” to the music of V. Gavrilin after A. Chekhov in his own production - Pyotr Leontyevich - first performer
1988 - concert number “Elegy” to the music of S. Rachmaninov - Soloist
“The Golden Age” by D. Shostakovich, choreography by Yu. Grigorovich - Boris
On the stages of other theaters (first performer)
1977 - “Petrushka” by I. Stravinsky, choreography by M. Bejart - Youth (Twentieth Century Ballet Theater, Brussels)
1987 - “The Blue Angel” to the music of M. Constant, choreography by R. Petit - Professor Unrath (Marseille Ballet, France)
1988 - “Zorba the Greek” to music by M. Theodorakis, choreography by Lorca Massine - Zorba (“Arena di Verona”, Italy)
1988 - “Parisian Fun” to the music of J. Offenbach, choreography by L. Massine - Baron (Teatro San Carlo, Naples, Italy)
1988 - “Pulcinella” to the music of I. Stravinsky, choreography by L. Massine - Pulcinella (Teatro San Carlo)
1989 - “Nijinsky”, directed by B. Menegatti - Nijinsky (Teatro San Carlo)
1994 - “Cinderella” by S. Prokofiev - choreographer and role of Cinderella’s stepmother (Kremlin Ballet)
2000 - “The Long Journey into Christmas Night” to the music of P. Tchaikovsky and I. Stravinsky, directed by B. Menegatti - Maestro (Roman Opera)
2009 - “Diaghilev Musaget. Venice, August 1929" to composite music, directed by B. Menegatti - Diaghilev (Roman Opera on the stage of the Municipal Theater)
Tour
While on tour, he performed after 1988 as a guest soloist in the largest theaters in the world: La Scala (Italy), Arena di Verona (Italy), Teatro San Carlo (Naples, Italy), Roman Opera, Teatro Colon (Argentina), American ballet theater, Kremlin Ballet Theater (Moscow), took part in tours of the Leningrad Opera and Ballet Theater. S. M. Kirov (now - Mariinsky Theater) in Paris, etc.
Productions
1969 - “The Princess and the Woodcutter”, a fairy tale-comedy by G. Volchek and M. Mikaelyan (Sovremennik Theater)
1971 - “Icarus”, ballet by S. Slonimsky (Bolshoi Theater, 1976 - second edition)
1977 - “Tahir and Zukhra”, opera-ballet by T. Jalilov (Bolshoi Theater named after Alisher Navoi, Tashkent)
1978 - “These enchanting sounds...”, ballet to the music of A. Corelli, G. Torelli, V.-A. Mozart, J.-F. Ramo (Bolshoi Theater)
1980 - “Macbeth”, ballet by K. Molchanov (Bolshoi Theater; 1981 - Novosibirsk Opera and Ballet Theater; 1984 - German state opera, Berlin; 1986 - Budapest Opera, Hungary; 1990 - Kremlin Ballet Theater)
1981 - “Juno and Avos”, rock opera by A. Rybnikov, director M. Zakharov (Lenkom)
1981 - memorial evening “In honor of Galina Ulanova” / Hommage d’Oulanova (director and one of the performers, Pleyel concert hall, Paris)
1981 - “I want to dance” to the music of Russian composers (State Central Concert Hall “Russia”; 1990 - Bolshoi Theater)
1981 - “Fragments of a Biography” to the music of Argentine composers (Russia Concert Hall; 1990 - Bolshoi Theater)
1983 - choreographic composition to the music of P. Tchaikovsky (Ballet of the Champs-Elysees, Paris; 1990 - Bolshoi Theater)
1986 - “Anyuta”, ballet to the music of V. Gavrilin based on the story by A. Chekhov (Bolshoi Theater, San Carlo Theater, Riga Opera and Ballet Theater; 1987 - Chelyabinsk Opera and Ballet Theater named after M. I. Glinka; 1990 - Tatar Theater Opera and Ballet named after Musa Jalil, Kazan; 1993 - Perm Opera and Ballet Theater named after P. I. Tchaikovsky; 2008 - Omsk musical theater; Voronezh Opera and Ballet Theater; 2009 - Krasnoyarsk Opera and Ballet Theater; 2011 - Samara Opera and Ballet Theater)
1988 - “Elegy”, concert number to the music of S. Rachmaninov (Bolshoi Theater)
1988 - “Paganini”, a new edition of the ballet by L. Lavrovsky to the music of S. Rachmaninov (San Carlo Theater; 1995 - Bolshoi Theater)
1989 - “The Tale of the Pope and his worker Balda”, musical and dramatic composition to the music of D. Shostakovich ( Concert hall them. P. I. Tchaikovsky, stage director and co-director Yu. Borisov; first performer of the role of Balda)
1990 - “Romeo and Juliet”, ballet by S. Prokofiev (Moscow Musical Theater named after K. S. Stanislavsky and Vl. I. Nemirovich-Danchenko; 1993 - Lithuanian National Opera, Vilnius; 1999 - Latvian National Opera, Riga; 2002 - Municipal Theater Rio de Janeiro)
1991 - “Don Quixote”, ballet by L. Minkus (American Ballet Theatre; 1994 - Kremlin Ballet; 1995 - Lithuanian National Opera; 2001 - Tokyo Ballet, Japan; 2007 - National Theater, Belgrade)
1993 - “Aida” by G. Verdi, choreographic scenes in the opera (directed by F. Zeffirelli (Roman Opera; 2004 - Arena di Verona; 2006 - La Scala Theater)
1994 - “Cinderella”, ballet by S. Prokofiev (Kremlin Ballet, director and first performer in the role of Cinderella’s stepmother; 2002 - Chelyabinsk Opera and Ballet Theater; 2006 - Voronezh Opera and Ballet Theater)
1994 - “Giselle”, ballet by A. Adam, new choreographic version based on the choreography of J. Coralli, J. Perrot, M. Petipa (Roman Opera; 1997 - Bolshoi Theater)
1994 - “Nostalgia” to the music of Russian composers (Kremlin Ballet Theater, director and first performer of the main role)
1994 - “The Artist Reads the Bible”, musical and dramatic composition (Museum fine arts them. A. S. Pushkin)
1995 - “Oh, Mozart! Mozart…”, requiem to the music of V.-A. Mozart, N. Rimsky-Korsakov, A. Salieri (New Opera, Moscow)
1995 - “Khovanshchina” by M. Mussorgsky, choreographic scenes in the opera (director B. Pokrovsky, Bolshoi Theater)
1996 - “Swan Lake”, ballet by P. I. Tchaikovsky, choreographic version using fragments of L. Ivanov’s choreography (Bolshoi Theater)
1996 - “La Traviata” by G. Verdi (Bolshoi Theater)
1997 - choreographic composition to the music of the overture to M. Glinka’s opera “Ruslan and Lyudmila” (Bolshoi Theater)
1999 - “Balda”, ballet to the music of D. Shostakovich (Bolshoi Theater; 2006 - Opera and Ballet Theater of the St. Petersburg Conservatory)
2009 - “The Spell of the Escher Family”, ballet to the music of G. Getty (Bolshoi Theater, new stage)
2015 - “Give us peace”, ballet to the music of the Mass in B minor by J. S. Bach (Tatar Opera and Ballet Theater named after Musa Jalil)
In addition, he staged over 20 choreographic numbers and compositions on different stages of the world (“Two”, “Classical pas de deux”, “Russian”, “Two German Dances” and “Six German Dances”, “Aria”, “Minuet” "", "Waltz", "Caruso", "Jester", "Petrushka", "Elegy", "Overture on Jewish Themes" to the music of the work of the same name by S. S. Prokofiev (1992), "Syncopations"), as well as choreographic compositions in numerous feature films.
Filmography
Video recordings of ballet performances
1970 - “Spartacus” - Spartacus (performance of the Bolshoi Theater of the USSR, composer A. I. Khachaturyan, choreographer Yu. N. Grigorovich, conductor A. Zhuraitis)
1974 - “Romeo and Juliet” - Romeo (performance at the Bolshoi Theater of the USSR, composer S. S. Prokofiev, choreographer L. M. Lavrovsky, conductor A. Zhiuraitis)
1978 - “The Nutcracker” - The Nutcracker Prince (performance at the Bolshoi Theater of the USSR, composer P. I. Tchaikovsky, choreographer Yu. N. Grigorovich, conductor A. Kopylov)
1978 - “Stone Flower” - Danila (performance at the Bolshoi Theater of the USSR, composer S. S. Prokofiev, choreographer Yu. N. Grigorovich, conductor A. Kopylov)
1994 - “Cinderella” - Cinderella’s stepmother (performance by the State Kremlin Palace Ballet Theater, composer S. S. Prokofiev, choreographer V. V. Vasiliev, conductor M. Pletnev)
Feature films, ballet films
1961 - “USSR with an open heart” (concert film), directors V. Katanyan, L. Christie) - soloist
1962 - “The Tale of the Little Humpbacked Horse” (directed by A. Radunsky and Z. Tulubyeva) - Ivanushka
1969 - “Moscow in notes” ( musical film)
1969 - “Abduction” (musical film) - artist Vasiliev
1970 - “Trapezia” (directors F. Slidovker, V. Smirnov-Golovanov) - Harlequin
1975 - “Spartak” - Spartak
1980 - “Bolshoi Ballet” (concert film)
1980 - “Gigolo and Gigoletta” (choreographer and co-director A. Belinsky) (short film) - Sid Cotman
1981 - “50 years of Sergei Obraztsov’s puppet theater” (film-play)
1982 - “Anyuta” (choreographer and co-director A. Belinsky) - Pyotr Leontievich
1983 - “La Traviata” (directed by F. Zeffirelli) - matador
1984 - “Nostalgia” to the music of Russian composers, choreography by V. Vasiliev - soloist
1985 - “Fragments of a Biography” to the music of Argentine composers, choreography by V. Vasiliev - soloist
1985 - “House by the Road” to the music of V. Gavrilin based on the poem by A. Tvardovsky (choreographer, co-director of A. Belinsky and performer leading role Andrey)
1986 - “Fouette” (choreographer and co-director B.V. Ermolaeva) - Andrey Novikov / Master
1988 - “Grand Pas in white night"(musical film)
1992 - “The Gospel for the Evil One” (oratorio film) - central roles
Documentary films
1973 - “Duet” - film, dedicated to creativity E. Maksimova and V. Vasilyeva
1981 - “The World of Ulanova” (documentary) (director)
1989 - “Katya and Volodya” (directed by D. Delouche, produced in France) - a film dedicated to the work of E. Maksimova and V. Vasiliev
1990 - “And, as always, something left unsaid...” - a film dedicated to the work of E. Maksimova and V. Vasiliev
2000 - “Reflections” - a film about the work of V. Vasiliev - 2000, 52 min., director N. Tikhonov
2005 - “Vladimir Vasiliev. Bolshoi Ballet" - film, 2005, 4 episodes of 26 min., director N. Tikhonov
Participation in films
1970 - Amusement Parade (documentary)
1985 - Anna Pavlova (documentary) - comments on the film
1987 - Ballet in the first person (documentary)
1991 - Revelations of choreographer Fyodor Lopukhov (documentary)
1999 - Katya (documentary)
2005 - The Rise and Fall of Maris Liepa (documentary)
2006 - Aram Khachaturyan (from the series of programs on the DTV channel “How the idols left”) (documentary)
2007 - Maris Liepa (from the series of programs on the DTV channel “How the idols left”) (documentary)
2007 - Nerijus (Lithuania, documentary)
2009 - Savely Yamshchikov. I am listed in Russia (documentary)
2009 - Blue sea...white ship...Valeria Gavrilin (documentary)
2009 - Lifelong Fouette... (documentary)
2010 - Tatiana Vecheslova. I am a ballerina (documentary)
2011 - Iya Savvina. Explosive mixture with bell (documentary)
Painting
Paints pictures. Ten personal exhibitions of his paintings took place in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Perm and other cities.
Vladimir Vasiliev - teacher, choreographer, choreographer, People's Artist of the USSR, winner of the Nijinsky Prize as "the best dancer in the world."
Having left the stage, as befits a ballet dancer, at the age of about 40, Vladimir Vasiliev continued to dance and was in demand on the best stages of the world. And not only as a dancer, but also as a wonderful choreographer. Over the years, his multifaceted personality has revealed itself from other, most unexpected sides.
"No matter what work the artist does, he lets everything pass through himself", - this is how Vladimir Vasiliev speaks about the creations of all creative people different professions. His production of Bach's B minor Mass on the stage of the Tatar Academic Opera and Ballet Theater named after. M. Jalil - this grandiose performance, in which ballet and opera troupes participate, became the implementation of a long-standing cherished dream Vasilyeva.
"Stage" roleVladimir VasilievThe one that had the greatest influence on the viewer, on the generation, on ballet art as a whole, was Spartacus. As portrayed by Vasiliev, he was not a lump, a legend; Spartak was a vulnerable, doubting man. Talking about his experience as a choreographer and choreographer.
“I only want to do something when I see music: its real plastic embodiment, its expression in light, in color, in people’s relationships. After I heard the first waltz, I immediately realized: this is absolutely hit the mark ! Gavrilin and Chekhov merged for me in a single chord,”- so VladimirViktorovichrecalls working on the ballet "Anyuta", which won many prizes at international film festivals.
A huge part is connected with Leningrad television and with director Alexander Belinsky - the man who invented the genre of television ballet. creative biography Vasilyeva. Right here in the salon historical photography them. Karl Bulla hosted the first exhibition of Vasiliev the painter, and every time he comes here,t memories of people he has met and who are dear to him. One of them is Savely Yamshchikov. Thanks to him, Vasiliev fell in love with painting, and it has long occupied a special place in his life.
“You have to love what you do, and then the place in which you put your efforts doesn’t matter at all.”.
Vladimir Vasiliev can be called a “man of peace.” He remembers his first trips to America, Japan, a trip to France, which became a real honeymoon him and Ekaterina Maximova. Coincidentally, on the second day after the wedding, they went to Paris to present the Soviet-French film “USSR with an Open Heart,” in which they played the main roles.
When asked what country he could live in, if not in Russia, Vasiliev always answers - in Italy, in Rome. Vladimir Viktorovich’s first meeting with Italy took place in 1968, when the famous ballet couple was invited to a production of “Giselle” on the stage of the Rome Opera famous choreographer Hot Prebil. Vasiliev still remembers funny incident, how, before the premiere, the chairman of the local claquer society came into his dressing room and tried to “negotiate”, for which he was kicked out of the dressing room. And without collusionMaksimovAndVasiliev was waiting for a phenomenalsuccess. Roman opera is the beginning of their love for Italy.
“Monotony scares me. I can’t constantly play the same roles, constantly do only one thing.”, - this is how Vladimir Vasiliev explains the craving for different types classes: painting, poetry. In recent years, Vladimir Viktorovich has been actively involved in social activities, and there is a special position that he values - the position of president of the Galina Ulanova Foundation. WITH great love Vasiliev talks about the legendary ballerina. For him, she is an example of those great people whose inner fullness is much higher than external expression. Vladimir Viktorovich recalls the Bolshoi Theater, which was his home for more than fifty years, his dismissal... And his forced departure from the theater after five years of service as director and artistic director he responded with a poem:
I thought about my love
Hatred cannot answer
And the enemy’s conscience will devour him,
And he won't spoil my blood.
Yes, that's what I thought...But in reality
Love and hate merged
And they began with gusto
Torment my soul and body.
Press service of the TV channel "Russia K"
Today marks the 76th anniversary Vladimir Viktorovich Vasiliev - Soviet and Russian artist ballet master, choreographer, theater director, artist and actor, teacher.
Vladimir Viktorovich was born on April 18, 1940 in a family of felt factory workers. When the war began, he was barely one year old. The war separated the family: Vladimir Viktorovich’s father went to the front, and his mother worked at her native factory in 3 shifts, torn between her one-year-old son and work. My mother’s six older sisters, my aunts, became my salvation, for whom little boy was the point not to lose your mind during that terrible and difficult time.
This family was incredibly lucky - in 1945, the father returned from the front, and they were all together again. While the adults were reviving the country from the ashes, the future choreographer Vasiliev played ball, deftly jumped on the roofs and was not inferior in courage and fearlessness to his older comrades, which earned him the respect of the entire court. One of the friends invited little Vladimir with him to a dance club located in the Kirov House of Pioneers. At first glance, a sensitive teacher Elena Romanovna Rosse I saw in the blond tomboy a love of dance. Eight-year-old Vladimir Vasiliev was a born choreographer. He reproduced it the first time new material. They learned movements from his example and considered him the best student. In 1949 Vasiliev entered the choreographic school of the Bolshoi Theater, and a year later achieve championship among classmates.
In 1958, Vasiliev was accepted into the troupe Bolshoi Theater, where he immediately established himself as a dancer characteristic images. The future choreographer Vladimir Viktorovich Vasiliev began by performing bright, colorful characters in the operas “Rusalka” and “Demon”. The solo part in Walpurgis Night became his lucky ticket. It was in the role of Pan that he attracted attention Galina Ulanova , a meeting with which influenced the rest of his life. Her teaching talent, friendship and faith in Vasiliev’s professional future helped shape the personality of a great director, stage director and dancer. Working together in “Chopinian” became an invaluable experience and revealed Vladimir Viktorovich as an excellent performer of classical roles.
After joining the Bolshoi Theater Yu.N. Grigorovich, the young dancer took part in his production of “The Stone Flower”, which won the favor of not only the choreographer, but also the love of the most fastidious critic - the viewer. After such a triumph, Vladimir Viktorovich was cast in the leading roles of the entire diverse repertoire of the Bolshoi Theater: “Cinderella”, “Pages of Life”, “Don Quixote”, Paganini in the production of the same name, “Laurencia”, “Giselle”, “Romeo and Juliet”.
Cinderella
Don Quixote
Giselle - Irina Kolpakova, Albert - Vladimir Vasiliev
Juliet - Ekaterina Sergeevna Maksimova, Romeo - Vladimir Viktorovich Vasiliev
Vasiliev was not yet 25 years old when the solo part in “Dance Suite” (staged by A. A. Varlamov) and Ivanushka in R. K. Shchedrin’s ballet “The Little Humpbacked Horse” (staged by A. I. Radunsky, 1960) were performed on stage. ), Slave in “Spartacus” by A. I. Khachaturian (staged by L. V. Yakobson), Lukash in “Forest Song” by G. L. Zhukovsky (staged by O. G. Tarasova and A. A. Lapauri). It is not an easy task to prove after yet another success that you are the best, and this is not the limit of your capabilities.
Sparktak
Lukash "Forest Song"
Beautiful and touching story was also in Vasiliev’s personal life. While still studying, he met Ekaterina Maximova, who was distinguished by her special adherence to principles, sometimes turning into stubbornness, which hindered her in subject training, but was decisive in mastering dance. The strength contained in such a fragile girl attracted and at the same time frightened Vladimir Vasiliev.
In the summer of 1961 they got married and spent their honeymoon in the most romantic city on the planet - Paris. This is a unique case, because in the Soviet Union spouses were not allowed to go abroad together. A film was presented there in which, by a mystical coincidence, Maksimova and Vasiliev played lovers. “The USSR with an open heart” allowed the newlyweds to enjoy such a vacation. Together they lived a long and happy life.
Over time, she came to Vasiliev and world fame. Maurice Bejart, Franco Zeffirelli, Roland Petit, Lorca Massine invited him to play the main roles in their productions. The public's love knew no bounds - the French idolized the Russian legend, the Argentines proclaimed national hero, and in the USA, despite the difficult political situation, Vasiliev became an honorary citizen of one of the cities. A special relationship has developed with hospitable Italy. The Roman Opera, La Scala, and San Carlo more than once hosted the choreographer on their stages, where the audience enjoyed his virtuoso performance and perfect plasticity.
Film-opera "La Traviata", directed by F. Zeffirelli, 1982.
They say that talented person talented in everything, and this is entirely about Vasiliev. It was not enough for him to dance on stage himself - he became a great choreographer! First own work choreographer Vasiliev staged the ballet “Icarus” in 1971. The master also embodied his worldview in “Fragments of a Biography,” “Nostalgia,” “Swan Lake” and many other works.
Swan Lake
The whole country watched with delight opening ceremony Olympic Games in Sochi in 2014! Natasha Rostova’s First Ball was a particularly touching moment for me. Vladimir Viktorovich took part in this production! I invite you to remember these wonderful moments. Svetlana Zakharova and Vladimir Vasiliev are dancing!
Yours 75th anniversary Last year, the legendary dancer and choreographer celebrated at the Bolshoi Theater, where a performance based on Bach's Mass in B minor entitled Dona Nobis Pacem ("Give us peace") , which Vasiliev staged in Tatarsky academic theater Opera and Ballet named after. Musa Jalil. This is an opera, a ballet, and a 3D installation. A philosophical parable about the fate of humanity and each person individually. The Mass is about love and joys, about losses, insults and bitterness.
Vasiliev at the final rehearsal of the play
Congratulations from Ilze Liepa, co-chairman of the Strategic Council of the Union of Women's Forces
It is an incredible joy to write such posts; it fills you with a sense of pride in your country, which is so rich in talented people!
