I watched the ballet "Paquita". Since Copenhagen is about four hours away from me, I purchased a ticket for the matinee performance starting at one o'clock in the afternoon. I was very concerned about train tickets in advance, so I got them, one might say, on the cheap, 300 CZK round trip, and the theater ticket itself (Opera on Holmen) cost almost 900 CZK (however, the seats were good, for 1- m tier, in the first row, right next to the stage - directly opposite there were seats for the Queen and Prince Henrik, but they were not at this performance. The trip to Copenhagen went well, although we stood in a couple of places due to road works. less arrived in Copenhagen on time. Finally took a photo of the flowering rapeseed: not a year without rapeseed!
Then we had to wait quite a long time for bus 9a, which goes to the Opera. We rolled around Christianshavn:
In general, I arrived at the Opera at the beginning of the first one and, by the way, there were a lot of people there. This is what the Opera looks like from the outside now:
The audience was mainly from the older age group.
In the cafe I had a snack with salad and coffee, studied the program: I think I was lucky, two etoiles danced, Myriam Ould-Braham (Paquita) and Mathias Heymann (Lucien d'Herville).
The story of Paquita and the ballet's journey to Russia and back to France is almost as complicated as the content of the ballet. It takes place in the Spanish province of Zaragoza during the occupation by the Napoleonic army. Paquita is a young girl who was raised by gypsies from childhood. She saves the elegant French officer Lucien d'Herville from a low conspiracy against him, and after a series of dramatic events, the play ends with a ball scene at Lucien's father, the French general, Comte d'Herville. Those responsible for the conspiracy are arrested, and Paquita, who learns the secret of her origin (she turns out to be the niece of General d'Herville), can marry her lover.
In the 19th century, romantic spirits raved about Spain, which offered fiery passions and exotic local flavor, and the ballet Paquita was partly inspired by the novella La Gitanilla, written by Cervantes in 1613, and partly by the travels of French artists and writers to Spain. Joseph Mazilier's choreography in 1846 was not like the classical "white ballet" with its dreamy themes. With Carlotta Grisi, who a few years earlier had created Giselle and Lucien Petipa in the title roles, as well as many dances inspired by Spain, Paquita was a huge success and remained in the Paris Opera repertoire until 1851. In general, this ballet is a dream classical ballet: there is a plot, good defeats evil, a lot of dancing - both for soloists and for the corps de ballet, beautiful costumes and wonderful music! And the location was chosen perfectly: the Valley of the Bulls not far from Zaragoza." As a person who has visited Zaragoza, I declare that there is nothing similar to the declared landscape there, but if you go to the north, then yes, perhaps, you can find both mountains and valleys.
Especially long stage life received the ballet in Russia. The younger brother of Lucien Petipa, later the so famous Marius Petipa, was engaged as a dancer with the Imperial Ballet in St. Petersburg in 1847, and his first role was Lucien d'Herville in Paquita, where he also helped with the production on stage. The following season, Marius Petipa was sent to Moscow to stage the ballet, and when he later became choreographer of the imperial theaters of Russia, he created in 1882 new version"Paquitas", where he re-choreographed the pas de trois in the first act and turned last scene ballet into a brilliant divertissement, for which the official composer of the imperial theaters, Ludwig Minkus, wrote the music. This late-romantic version lasted on Russian stages until the revolution, after which the Soviet government began to demand a different kind of ballet art.
However, "Paquita" did not fall into oblivion. Petipa's remarkable choreography was remembered in the second half of the twentieth century. Divertimento from last act"Paquita" appeared again in the program. The Kirov Ballet danced it on tour in Paris in 1978, and two years later it appeared in the repertoire of the Paris Opera. Brilliant dances from Paquita also surfaced in other Western companies. George Balanchine choreographed the pas de trois for Grand Ballet du Marquis de Cuevas in 1948, and then for the New York City Ballet in 1951. Rudolf Nureyev danced Paquita at a gala in London in 1964, and Natalia Makarova choreographed these classic treasures at the American Ballet Theater in 1984.
While the divertissement was more or less preserved in its original form, the ballet itself disappeared. But in 2001 Pierre Lacotte reconstructed it for the Paris Opera, and since then it has been an integral part of the repertoire.
Well, now about the ballet itself, as I saw it last Saturday. The first act consists of two scenes: in the first, the action takes place in the center of a Spanish village, i.e. villagers, French soldiers and gypsies are involved. Mathias Heymann as Lucien:
Stand out (in addition to the main heroes and anti-heroes) are General d'Herville (Bruno Bouche), the Spanish governor Don Lopez (Takeru Coste) and his sister Seraphina (Fanny Gorse). But, of course, the whole intrigue begins when Paquita appears on the scene (in theory , her real name is Paquita, or Francisca). How beautifully she was danced and played by Myriam Auld-Braham! She is so charming and created such a wonderful image of a willful beauty who always does as she wants and whom everyone adore!
She has an excellent a la gypsy dance accompanied by a tambourine in the first scene. And how well she played together with Inigo (he was danced by Francois Alu (it seems rising star Parisian ballet), and he suffered so passionately and was jealous of Paquita! I hope that Myriam Ould-Braham will please all ballet lovers; she, as I understand it, recently returned to the stage after maternity leave.
Technically everything was perfect, and with my amateurish glance I noted the fifth position, almost all duets and variations ended with it! The group dancing was good, especially the girls, but there were some rough edges and inaccuracies among the boys.
I remember the dance of bullfighters with red cloaks (pas des manteaux), very impressive. Also in the first scene there is a beautiful pas de trois, performed by Ida Viikinkoski (also, apparently, a rising star, of Finnish origin), Alice Catonnet and Marc Moreau.
The action of the second picture takes place in a gypsy house, where the lover Lucien comes. The comic side prevails here: Paquita and Lucien deceive Inigo, as a result of which he falls asleep after drinking a sleeping pill intended for Lucien and his plans to kill Lucien fail.
During the intermission there was something highly spiritual:
Well, the second act is one big divertissement that ends with a wedding. Here you can see quadrille, mazurka, gallop, pas de deux, waltz. But almost most of all I liked the performance of the children from the ballet school of the Paris Opera, who danced the polonaise - and how wonderful! I haven’t seen anything like this here at the Royal Theatre, where children are allowed to run in formation from one corner to another, but here they got a whole dance number. The majority, however, were very tense, only one mulatto and one boy of oriental appearance smiled, but towards the end of the performance other children began to smile.
And here you can watch the dance of Mathias Heyman (Lucien) - however, the video was made about 2 years ago:
And the Grand Pas, of course, was amazing! Again, here is a video of Myriam Ould-Braham dancing it with Nikolai Tsiskaridze:
So I left the building very impressed.
Photos from bows - even with Pierre Lacotte!
The French opened the ballet season at the Bolshoi Theater. This was the second part of the return tour of the Paris Opera ballet troupe. Or, rather, the return of a forgotten debt, which Brigitte Lefebvre remembered before her departure from the post of head of the Paris Opera Ballet.
She had long wanted to bring the Parisian “Paquita” by Pierre Lacotte to the historical stage of the Bolshoi, but the tour visit of the Opera ballet (February 2011) coincided with the height of the renovation, and the Parisians showed small-format ballets on the New Stage: “Suite in White” by Serge Lifar, “La L'Arlesienne” "Roland Petit and "The Park" by Angelin Preljocaj.
Neither Rudolf Nureyev nor Pierre Lacotte, the authors of large staged performances, the so-called Parisian exclusive from the category of classics, were included in the company of “imported” choreographers.
Two years ago Grand Theatre introduced a convenient practice - to open the season with a tour of some serious European theater.
In 2011, the Madrid theater "Real" came with Kurt Weill's opera "The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahogany", in 2012 - La Scala showed its new "Don Giovanni". The Paris Opera Ballet's tour with Paquita fit perfectly into the scheme. And the level of artistic level of visitors is kept high.
However, these are all explanatory formalities. The message of the Paris tour is different.
Anyone who follows events in France knows that the Paris Opera Ballet is on the verge of change.
In 2014, the troupe will be headed by a new artistic director - a choreographer from Bordeaux, husband of Natalie Portman, ex-premier of New York City Balle, Benjamin Millepied.
Yes, of course, Brigitte Lefebvre, the long-time leader of the famous company, was not a guardian of the classical heritage; on the contrary, she did her best to promote modern dance into the repertoire. But she also cared about the local heritage - the ballets of Nureyev and Lacotte. As well as ensuring that priority for new productions in the theater should be given to choreographers or dancers who want to transform into choreographers of French origin.
This again does not mean that racism was promoted. Lefebvre invited Israeli choreographers, Algerian choreographers, and any others who were “in the conversation” to perform. Among such promising invited Frenchmen was Millepied twice - with very average works “Amoveo” and “Triad”, which were raised to the proper level by the brilliant feet of Parisian dancers and the design of fashion designers.
However, xenophobia has historically occurred at the Paris Opera School.
The school accepts a variety of capable children, but after graduation, only holders of a French passport can join the corps de ballet of the country's main ballet theater. It's cruel, but generally fair. Each theater has its own characteristics, and the institution of French ballet, as the oldest in the world, has the right to its eccentricities, the result of which has always been high level skill and, most importantly, stylistic unity.
Wherever a Paris Opera ballet dancer goes, he always carries the French style - this is the manner of performance, technique and special stage culture.
The same can be said about the ballerinas of the Mariinsky Theater, partly about the artists of the Bolshoi Theater, and about the soloists of the Royal Danish Ballet, that is, about representatives of the oldest national companies.
And that's all - just these three or four theaters.
Is this elitism good or bad in the era of globalization?
From the perspective of a balletomane, it is undoubtedly good. Because around these pillar theaters there are other wonderful theaters where a mixture of styles, techniques and nationalities is honored. These are the American Ballet Theater (ABT), La Scala Ballet, New York City Ballet, Covent Garden Ballet, English National Ballet, Berlin State Ballet, Ballet Vienna Opera and a few more. In addition, there are author's theaters such as the Hamburg Ballet (Neumeier's repertoire) or the Stuttgart Ballet (Cranko).
Time makes adjustments. In both Denmark and Paris, the problem of a shortage of talented students with the “correct” passport for the theater arose at the same time. There are two ways out of this situation - either change the charter and take foreigners from among the best graduates, or take all the French in a row.
Denmark is already accepting everyone, since the country is small, and the problem begins not at graduation, but right at admission - there is a shortage of Danish children.
And now a girl of any origin with the appropriate data can enter the School of the Royal Danish Ballet, but boys are accepted even without data, as long as they go. But the Danes didn’t have xenophobia before; there were simply enough Danish children to fill ballet classes.
France is still at the school level, because there, like in Russia, where, in addition to the Moscow State Academy of Arts and the ARB (Vaganovka), there are a dozen more ballet schools, with the help of which two schools in the capital can be nourished, not just one school, but several. And still, personnel problem the French are just around the corner, and it will have to be resolved somehow, and, most likely, at the expense of the “non-French”.
Meanwhile, the future artistic director of the Paris Opera Ballet, Benjamin Millepied, does not see a threat in the fact that strangers will enter the theater.
Moreover. He has already managed to arouse the indignation of etoile people with his statements in the press. In his enlightened Americanized view, the refined company lacks African Americans with their extraordinary plasticity and techniques. A normal statement from a man who has never danced at the Paris Opera and did not even study at the famous school.
Moreover, it will not be difficult for him to recruit plastic non-Europeans into the troupe at the beginning of the next season. Four etouiles are retiring at once - Nureyev’s “chickens” Nicolas Leriche (he says goodbye in the summer of 2014 in the “Cathedral Notre Dame of Paris"Roland Petit) and Agnès Letestu (her farewell performance - "The Lady of the Camellias" by John Neumeier will take place on October 10 this year), as well as Aurélie Dupont (in the ballet "Manon" in the fall of 2014) and Isabelle Ciaravola in March 2014 in the role of Tatiana in " Onegin” by J. Cranko.
According to the law, a dancer of the Paris Opera Ballet retires at forty-two and a half years old!
But in the group of first dancers, from where future stars are supposed to be nominated for vacant positions, there are no suitable candidates in such numbers. It is clear that in a year you can manage to promote someone from the lower ranks to the first dancer, but these people will then have to “pull” the most difficult roles in classical ballets. Therefore, Millepied’s idea of “diluting” the troupe with outside professionals, no matter how mediocre and tasteless it may seem, will most likely be realized. And everything, everything will change.
But while Brigitte Lefebvre is at the helm, there are no vacant positions in her troupe; on the contrary, there are excellent dancers with whom she fought side by side for 20 years for the purity and identity of the French style.
She was and remains a friend of the Bolshoi Theater - at her instigation, Moscow artists were invited to one-time performances: Nikolai Tsiskaridze danced “La Bayadère” and “The Nutcracker”, Maria Alexandrova - “Raymonda”, Svetlana Lunkina - “The Nutcracker” and “ A futile precaution", Natalia Opipova - "The Nutcracker". And secondly, thanks to the agreements between Lefevre and Iksanov, the Bolshoi Theater ballet troupe began to tour regularly in Paris.
“Paquita” brought to Moscow is a farewell photograph of the Paris Opera Ballet of the era of Brigitte Lefebvre.
A beautiful gesture by the avant-garde queen, who wants to be remembered in Russia not only as a promoter of existential wallowing on the floor.
This version of Paquita premiered in 2001. The French were then a little worried that the Bolshoi Theater, where the year before the premiere of Pierre Lacotte’s ballet “The Pharaoh’s Daughter” based on Petipa had taken place with resounding success, would take over from the Paris Opera its main expert and reenactor of romantic antiquity. By this time, the theater's repertoire included its regularly renewed La Sylphide and the rare Marco Spada.
Lacotte's version of Paquita dates back to the premiere performance in 1846, with choreography by Joseph Mazilier that has not survived.
The choreographer relied on unique documents that he discovered in Germany, representing Full description mise-en-scene, the first edition of the pantomime and two variations by Mazilier, marked and written by the choreographer’s hand, plus a description of the design of the performance.
All this was needed to turn into a full-fledged performance of “The Grand Classical Pas” - a masterpiece excerpt from Marius Petipa’s “Paquita” that has survived time. These are the well-known children's mazurka, pas de trois, virtuosic female variations, the pathetic pas de deux of Paquita and Lucien and the general entre, which happily existed for a hundred years in a plotless mode.
The first French “Paquita” of 1846 arose in the wake of the fascination of the then choreographers with the legends of the Iberian Peninsula.
Spain, on the one hand, was seen as a country in which incredible stories with the kidnapping of children by gypsies and robber raids - these kinds of plots actively fed the French romantic ballet. On the other hand, Spain was famous as the birthplace of all kinds folk character dances- gypsy, bolero, cachuchi. Tambourines, tambourines, castanets, cloaks - these accessories became an integral part of the ballets of that time.
The literary basis of “Paquita” was the short story “Gypsy Girl” by M. Cervantes.
Late 30's - 40's. The century before last, in general, passed under the sign of ballet gypsies. In St. Petersburg in 1838, Philippe Taglioni staged the ballet “La Gitana” for Maria Taglioni. Joseph Mazilier, even before Paquita, staged La Gipsy for Fanny Elsler. The first performer of Paquita was the no less eminent French ballerina Carlotta Grisi. At the same time, the premiere of Jules Perrot's ballet Esmeralda, the main gypsy ballet hit of the 19th century, took place in London.
But the gypsy theme in Paquita is revealed somewhat differently than in Esmeralda.
The word "gypsies" in romantic ballet was understood in some sense as an epithet for "theater robbers." So the libretto of “Paquita” tells about the extraordinary fate of a girl who lives in a gypsy camp according to its laws - by dancing, she earns her living. However, her origins are shrouded in mystery - the girl has a medallion with the image of a French aristocrat, hinting at her noble parent.
And in “Esmeralda” the word “gypsy” means “beggar woman”, “persecuted”, “homeless”, and the gypsy life in the ballet is not shrouded in any romance. In this sense, the first Parisian “Paquita” is closer to “Catherine, the Robber’s Daughter” by J. Perrault. “Paquita” is a late romantic ballet, the plot of which is based on the melodrama beloved by visitors to theaters on the Grand Boulevards.
As a result, Lacotte, whom we know as a first-class dance director in the style of the Romantic era, restores in his “Paquita” - from records, engravings, sketches, reviews and articles of poets and literary critics level of Théophile Gautier - all pantomime mise-en-scène.
The play contains an entire scene, “Gypsy Camp,” which contains practically no dancing, but is full of the most dramatic pantomime, which Gautier was once delighted with.
It is difficult to compare the acting abilities of the first performer of Paquita, Carlotta Grisi, and today's ballerinas Ludmila Pagliero and Alice Renavan, but this picture itself, which is a revived engraving, looks harmonious, partly reminiscent of a dramatic intermission.
Paquita, in love with the French officer Lucien d'Hervilly, overhears a conversation between the gypsy Inigo and the Spanish governor, who are going to give sleeping pills to drink and then kill Lucien - the first out of jealousy, and the second because of hatred of the French and reluctance to marry his daughter Serafina to the hated son general Paquita warns Lucien about the danger, swaps the glasses of Lucien and Inigo, he falls asleep before committing the crime, and the couple safely escapes through a secret door in the fireplace.
In the previous film, the content was told mainly through dance. This is the Spanish dance with tambourines, and the gypsy dance of Paquita, and variations of Lucien and the notorious Dance with cloaks (Danse de capes), which was once performed by travesty dancers, which Lacotte gave to men, and the pas de trois, transcribed in a different way than in Petipa's manner.
Therefore, the “pedestrian” picture serves as a transition to the next entirely dance act - the ball at General d’Hervilly’s,
to which Paquita and Lucien, out of breath from the chase, run in belatedly. The girl exposes the evil governor and at the same time discovers on the wall a portrait of a man with features familiar from her medallion. This is her father, the general's brother, killed many years ago. Paquita immediately accepts Lucien’s proposal, which she had previously delicately rejected, considering herself an unworthy commoner, puts on a beautiful wedding tutu, and the ball continues in the mode of that “grand pas” beloved by balletomanes of all times and peoples to the music of Minkus, complicated by Lacotte in the French manner.
In an interview, Lacotte repeatedly said that “the technique of Paquita requires more liveliness than lyricism.”
And “ballerinas need to conform to the old allegro technique, which is gradually disappearing.” Paquita’s exits are a chain of small steps, jumps, “skids” and pas de sha. The soloist's variation in the pas de trois and the Lucien variations are almost a continuous flight without landings.
The line-ups of soloists that the Parisians brought to Paquita are unequal, if only because
Matthias Eyman - Lucien's performer - exists in the world in a single copy.
All the other Luciens are good, but they don’t live up to Matthias. He made his debut in Paquita in December 2007 in all parts at once. While senior colleagues were working out their star status in the premier role, Eyman, newly elevated to the rank of first dancer, jumped into the pas de trois and saluted spanish dance, parallel to Lucien's flights in the rep hall.
And when he went out leading role the replacement - a boy with a pronounced Arabic note in his facial features and an absolutely incredible effortless jump - the name of the future etiquette was clearly determined (at that time, however, there was no vacancy for a long time, and the appointment had to wait at least a year).
Eyman established a completely different style of dance and behavior on stage - fearless, a little unceremonious, a little insensitive, but extremely interesting and innovative.
Today he is a venerable prime minister, whose performances are watched by Paris, and who is passionately loved by Muscovites. It was not presented on the previous tour, citing the artist’s employment in the current repertoire of the opera, thereby aggravating the shock of the discovery. Florian Magnenet, the second Lucien, is not inferior to Eyman in gallant manners, but Lacotte's variations are not yet up to his strength.
On the first evening, Paquita was danced by Lyudmila Pagliero, the main virtuoso of the Paris Opera.
Etoile is beautiful, resilient, with a good jump, brilliant rotation and an extraordinary sense of adagio.
Like any hostage to technology, Lyudmila has a certain dramatic cliché, but not critical.
The other Paquita is Alice Renavan. She is also resilient, also with a jump, but she is too exotic for classical ballet. Renavan stagnated in supporting roles, which she often plays more brilliantly than other leading roles, but the mentality of a good adjutant prevents her from becoming a general.
However, the beauty Alice has every chance of soon becoming an etiquette for her achievements in modern dance- in this area she is unrivaled.
In addition to the delights of the etoile dance, the French gave the joy of neat fifth positions, restrained manners and the elegance of each artist individually.
Photo by D. Yusupov
Again, a subjective, belated critical review.
In general, the production did not live up to such long expectations.
Partly because my perception of ballet and attitude towards it has changed, but nevertheless “Paquita” is an ordinary ballet for our time.
And what difference does it make what success he had 150 years ago. I don’t understand this commitment to the past, especially since everyone writes as they want, at the Mariinsky they wrote it differently.
Yes, it is full of traditional ballet elements, jumps... but... this music, libretto, design (yes, especially the design) and that's it, the fairy tale becomes cloying...
There are no complaints about the performers; the lineup during the premiere was good.
Diana Kosyreva is brilliant, so graceful, what relaxed, soft movements! I always like Zurab Mikeladze. Valery Tselishchev - will start to like it))).
But when will this farce end in the world of ballet: admiration for the same thing for centuries.
It seems to me that classics should already occupy a maximum of 50% of the repertoire.
We need to move on, and the old - the best - needs to be preserved, but as much as possible!
There is contemporary choreography that is no less interesting and effective, more emotional. For now, the truth is that all this can only be seen in the capitals or on YouTube.
Petipa and all these Minkus - Adana are the same “Pugachevs” of ballet and music. I wonder how long this will continue?...
Diaghilev would definitely turn over in his grave if he learned about this.
I want something new, “Ida” is excellent, the music and design are also at the same level, I wish there were more performances like this...
I don’t know who is missing the ballet complexity, in my opinion everything is very spectacular. (yes, Ida Rubinstein herself is an interesting figure, in the ballet Salome she danced naked (covered with a layer of beads) with the head of John the Baptist... no matter how many years she and the whole troupe would have received now, but then they simply took her head away)
I just can’t understand the constancy of loyalty to Minkus.... Why is he so good? I only like his music in Don Quixote.
Why not stage Russian ballets "The Golden Age" ... or The Rite of Spring, "The Fountain of Bakhchissaray" (I would really like a ballet based on literary work), what else happens there.. some one-act ballets... In general, someone Russian or not Russian doesn’t matter.. but not so typical ((((
And finally, the main thing is that I really don’t like the artist D. Cherbadzhi! Well, someone somewhere should write this. It's just bad taste and decorative.
In general, I no longer liked its design, starting with Lebediny (it seemed like this was his first collaboration with the theater) - but there it was 50/50: some scenes were a complete failure, some were not bad, the same with everything that it designed , but "Paquita" is simply his worst work.
When everyone is on stage: the soloists, the card de ballet and other participants (the colors of the costumes are almost never repeated) and these decorations - the mind explodes. Does he even have any idea about color harmony or does he choose colors at random and is too lazy to mix them with white.
Thank you for at least sometimes choosing monotonous lighting and making everything more watchable.
It seems that he is inspired by goggle-eyed Chinese posters and silk-screen prints from the 90s.
Still, human perception is limited and subject to certain laws that must first be known and, second, taken into account.
We cannot perceive everything with equal attention and are involuntarily distracted by the visual noise of the scenery and elaborate costumes, yet we came to watch the dance, and not this riot of color.
Design skills are all a subordinate genre, the main thing in it is the ability to convey the atmosphere and place accents in accordance with the libretto and music.
Good decorations are those that you don’t notice, that only emphasize, but do not distract! The main thing in ballet is ballet!
By the way, judging by the photo, for example, by this one, everything doesn’t seem so bad, but when you see it with your own eyes, you’ll understand what I mean. Well, the photographer, of course, caught the best moments.
Specifically in this scene there was too much orange, a very dubious color in general - but this artist has one of his favorites.
the photo and angle harmonize the colors and here it is not noticeable. But, you see how bright everything is, and this is not a fairy tale for preschoolers!
By the way, operas are always adequately designed, and there is also something that I subjectively like or dislike, but compared to the design of ballets, these are such trifles.
Friends, write your opinion.
Act one
Scene 1.
Valley in the vicinity of Zaragoza. Large, crudely sculptured stone bulls can be seen on the hills in the distance. To the right are huge rocks with a natural staircase. There is a gypsy tent right there.
The sculptor carves an inscription on a marble board. Spanish peasants lie and stand in groups. The French general appears, accompanied by the governor of the Spanish province and his sister Serafina. Lucien supports his grandmother. The general orders to show the inscription that the sculptor carved. It is as follows:
"In memory of my brother Charles d'Hervilly, killed with his wife and daughter on May 25, 1795."
Examining the inscription, he recalls in a mimic story this sad event that happened in his last trip in Spain. As a Frenchman and a winner in this country, and therefore having the right to command, he demands that this inscription be carved on the rock in the very place where his brother died from the dagger of robbers. Lucien and his grandmother share his grief. The governor, wanting to somehow dispel the gloomy mood, announces to them a big village holiday, which is scheduled right there and on the same day, and after the holiday he promises to fulfill his brother’s will regarding the monument. Don Lopez takes care of visiting guests, especially since he has in mind to connect with them.
The general is not against this union and, taking Seraphina’s hand, connects it with Lucien’s hand, with the consent of the first. It is noticeable that although outwardly the governor agrees to this alliance, forced by political circumstances and the superior strength of the victors, internally he is far from this. The governor, as a Spaniard, harbors in his soul a hatred of the French - a hatred that was more than once the cause of so many murders in the last Spanish war.
Meanwhile, the grandmother quietly asks her grandson if he loves the bride. “No,” the grandson answers, “and my heart is still free.” - “You’ll make it!” You will have time to fall in love, time has not passed,” says the old woman, and all three, at the invitation of Don Lopez, go for a walk and admire the picturesque surroundings of Zaragoza.
Lively and cheerful music heralds the arrival of the gypsy camp. They come down from the mountains. Wagons, stretchers with belongings and other belongings slowly stretch across the plain. Everyone is having fun in anticipation of the upcoming holiday, but Inigo, the head of the camp, looking around him, notices that Paquita, his first, most beautiful and skillful dancer, is not there.
By his order, some return to the road for her, but at this time she appears on the mountain. Without taking her sad gaze off the bouquet in her hands, Paquita slowly descends. Approaching her friends, she gives them flowers that she collected along the way. Inigo is angry and angry that she was late. It's hard to hold him. He gives various orders regarding the holiday, and everyone enters the tent.
Left alone with Paquita, Inigo tells her about his feelings, that it is in her hands to make him her most obedient slave from a proud and indomitable master. Paquita is burdened by her slavery, but still prefers it to Inigo’s love. She bounces away from him, runs, dances in some kind of oblivion, as if trying to drown out both Inigo’s proposals and the sad feelings that they inspired. Inigo thinks in vain to stop her: Paquita holds him back with one look, in which there is obvious indignation. Confused, Inigo leaves.
Left alone, Paquita takes out the portrait hidden on her chest, which she has not parted with since childhood. It shows neither the clan nor the homeland of the person it depicts. But Paquita imagines that it depicts the sweet features of the one to whom she owes her life - the one with whom all the joys and pleasures of quiet family happiness are associated. Getting ready to go to her friends and looking around the surrounding area, she suddenly stops, recognizing with horror the place where a bloody event took place before her eyes, of which only a vague memory remains. Here, in this very place, the officer who was carrying her in his arms fell dead, then she was grabbed and carried away strangers, then... But the noise and gathering crowds of spectators and participants interfere with Paquita's memories and remind her of the sad reality. She goes into the gypsy tent.
The stage is filling up. The general, his mother, Serafina, and the governor return and take the places prepared for them. Gypsies in elegant costumes come out of the tent. Dancing. After them, Inigo, counting on Paquita’s beauty, orders her to go around the audience and collect money from them. Paquita obeys, but shyly, sadly, reluctantly. Passing by Lucien, she makes a strong impression on him. The collection is over. But despite the generosity of the young officer, the greedy Inigo is unhappy. He wants to replenish the collected amount and, again counting on Paquita, orders her to start dancing. Is Paquita up to that? She is less inclined to dance than ever, she is sad, she is bored, she refuses. Inigo loses his temper and wants to force her, but Lucien stands up for the unfortunate woman. Calming Paquita, he peers at her carefully. The tenderness of her face, whiteness, nobility amazes him. Everything suggests that she is not a gypsy, that there is some fatal secret that hides both her life and origin. Lucien takes Paquita to his grandmother, who is equally amazed by the girl’s beauty and expresses her concern for her. Lucien asks Inigo who this girl is. Inigo replies that she is his relative. Lucien doesn’t believe it and asks Paquita herself. Paquita says that she has one thing that can explain who she is and where she comes from - this is a portrait, and begins to look for it, but alas... The portrait has disappeared. Inigo, seeing the turn this explanation was taking, and fearful of its consequences, secretly stole the medallion from her pocket. Paquita blames Inigo for her grief and despair. Lucien orders his detention, but the governor intervenes and frees the gypsy. Lucien insists that Paquita should not be forced to dance. Jealous Inigo is far from insisting otherwise. But Paquita, wanting to somehow express her gratitude for the participation and intercession of the young man, involuntarily responding to his feelings and driven by an irresistible instinct of the most innocent and natural coquetry, she herself wanted to dance. Now Inigo is preventing this. Here the governor intervenes and orders not to interfere with Paquita to do what she wants.
Encouraged by Llucien's presence, she dances. His love inflames more and more, and Mendoza, having conceived some evil, joyfully watches the emerging passion. He invites the general and his family to dinner, which the servants who enter let him know about. The guests leave, but the governor remains for some time under the pretext of the need for his presence at the end of the celebration.
Left alone with Inigo, the governor asks him if he is angry with Lucien. "Still would!" - Inigo answers. “And if I promise not to pursue you, will you kill him?” - "His? Your future son-in-law? - “Yes, the future son-in-law... But I don’t want him to be my son-in-law and therefore I’m persuading you to kill him...” - “But aren’t you helping him get closer to Paquita?” “And this is not without purpose,” Mendoza replies. “Let Paquita be an involuntary instrument of our revenge.”
Paquita returns. Mendoza goes to his guests. Inigo tells Paquita that he wants to go, and retires to the tent to raise his entire camp immediately on a hike.
Paquita is alone, but not even a moment has passed when Lucien comes running. The young people fell passionately in love with each other at first sight. Lucien, still taking her for a simple and, therefore, corrupt gypsy, offers her money, but the offended Paquita refuses it with dignity. Lucien promises her to arrange her fate differently, vows to free her from the captivity in which she is, and asks her to follow him, but Pa-hita, seeing the difference in their positions - Lucien’s nobility and her insignificance own origin– does not agree. Lucien begs her to at least allow him to see her sometimes and, as a pledge of this permission, asks for a bouquet of flowers, which she has in her hands, but Paquita refuses him this too. Distressed Lussien leaves. Paquita feels sorry for him, she repents of her cruelty and rushes after him... And then Paquita meets Inigo’s mocking and jealous gaze. He was here, he saw everything, he heard last words their explanations. Paquita stops; Having a presentiment that Lucien is in danger of death, and not wanting to be her instrument, she rejoices at her intransigence in the previous scene.
Inigo comes to the governor and tells him about the meeting of the young people and about the bouquet that Paquita did not agree to give to Lucien. The governor immediately comes up with a sure plan for Lucien’s death. Meanwhile, the departure of the French general is announced. As if concerned only with seeing off, the governor makes various orders on this occasion and, among other things, orders all the peasants to collect flowers and bouquets and bring them to his guests as a sign of special respect for such worthy allies of Spain. However, he does not put Paquita’s bouquet in a common basket, but quietly gives it to one young gypsy, having previously taught her what and how to do.
The general and the old countess arrive, accompanied by Lucien and Serafina. During the offering of bouquets, a young gypsy woman approaches Lucien and secretly hands him a bouquet. Lucien is delighted to recognize Paquita's bouquet. He questions the gypsy, who confirms his guess and shows where Paquita lives, adding that Lucien can see her at any time. Without delay, Lucien immediately wants to ride into the city alone on horseback and announces this to his relatives. The general and the old countess do not hold him back, but only ask that he not be late for the upcoming ball, at which his wedding with Seraphina is to be celebrated. Lucien hurries, puts on his traveling cloak, says goodbye and leaves. Peasant women surround the governor's guests, while the gypsy camp, led by Inigo and Paquita, also sets off on a hike. Lucien follows them from afar.
Scene 2.
Interior decoration small gypsy dwelling.
Paquita enters, sad and thoughtful. She dreams of Lucien. Will she ever see him?... Suddenly a noise is heard. Paquita opens the shutters, a masked stranger walks towards the house and climbs the stairs. Paquita, suspecting something evil, hides behind the closet.
The disguised Governor and Inigo enter. The governor arranges for the death of their intended victim, who will not be late to appear in a few minutes. Inigo does not need any advice or incitement: he has already stocked up on a narcotic drug that he will mix into the drink of the expected traveler, and then Lucien will inevitably die. Inigo hides the drink in the closet and locks it, unaware that Paquita is watching his every move. The Governor leaves, presenting Inigo with a purse for his future service. After this, Inigo calls four comrades through the window, who should be his assistants in the bloody plan, and gives them part of the payment he received. At midnight a crime must be committed. Inigo, meanwhile, hides two of his accomplices behind the fireplace wall, which moves and rotates on its own, facing the door on the other side. Suddenly, at this very time, Paquita, wanting to leave and warn the unfortunate victim, touches the chair and thereby involuntarily reveals herself. Inigo turns around, sees Paquita and grabs her hand - ruin for her if she overheard the secret... But Paquita assures that she just entered, and the reassured Inigo leaves her. At this moment there is a knock on the door. There is no longer any hope of salvation - Lucien enters.
Lucien's joy at meeting Paquita - and Paquita's horror, realizing that the person facing death is Lucien...
Inigo thanks him for this honor with feigned servility. Something completely different is noticeable in all movements, in all signs of Paquita - she seems to be asking: “Why are you here? Why are you going to your death? In response, Lucien shows her a bouquet supposedly sent by her. Paquita denies - but in vain: Lucien does not believe and does not understand her. Inigo orders Paquita to serve the guest. Lucien gives the saber to Inigo and Paquita the cloak. Paquita, as if accidentally, throws it over Inigo’s head and explains to Lucien what danger threatens him, but Lucien does not believe her: he looks at her and thinks only about her, alien to any fears. Meanwhile, Inigo offers dinner to Lucien and, leaving, gives orders for it, then takes Paquita with him, who, as she leaves, never ceases to make signs for Lucien to be careful and ready for danger.
Lucien is left alone and notices that there is indeed something strange and suspicious both in the home itself and in its owner; he goes to the window - it is locked, to the doors - the same thing. Here he remembers that they took his saber; he looks for it, but it is hidden. While he is thinking about means of protection, they enter the room again.
Paquita enters first with cutlery and plates. Behind her is Inigo. Dinner is being served. Inigo wants to leave, Paquita signals to Lucien to hold him and not lose sight of him for a minute. Lucien forces Inigo to stay and have dinner with him. After much ceremony, Inigo agrees. Inigo pours a glass of wine for Lucien, Paquita makes a sign that he can drink - Lucien obeys. Meanwhile, Paquita, while serving, manages to steal Inigo’s pistols and pour gunpowder from the shelves. Inigo, not noticing this and seeing only Paquita’s caresses and helpful treatment, invites her to dance in front of Lucien. While he goes to get the castanets, the young people manage to give each other several warning signs. Returning, Inigo pours the rest of the bottle into Lucien's glass, while it is still full, and, as if remembering something, hits himself on the forehead, goes to the closet and takes out a poisoned bottle from there, allegedly from himself. best wine, which he wants to treat the young officer with. Paquita signals to Lucien that this bottle is poisoned. Inigo, having poured it, invites him to drink, but Lucien refuses. At this time, Paquita drops the plates. Inigo turns around and angrily goes to see what is broken, while Paquita manages to move the glasses. Everything calms down, but the roles change. Now Lucien invites Inigo to drink with him in one gulp. Inigo, suspecting nothing, agrees. After which, fully confident that his plan was a success, he invites Paquita to dance and dances a gypsy dance with her. During the dance, Paquita manages to let Lucien know both the number of killers and the hour appointed for the murder. Moreover, she orders him to pretend to fall asleep. Lucien obeys, and Inigo triumphs, believing that the opponent is in his hands, but suddenly he himself stops, yawns and involuntarily closes his eyes. In vain he tries to resist the effect of the sleeping potion - he unbuttons his dress and drops the medallion, which Paquita immediately picks up. Inigo staggers to the table, falls onto a chair and falls asleep. Then Paquita lets Lucien know that there is not a minute to waste and explains the current situation to him in detail. Lucien grabs the pistols, but - alas - there is no gunpowder on the shelves. Lucien is looking for his saber, finds it, but what can he do against four killers armed with pistols! Meanwhile, midnight strikes and the fireplace door begins to turn. Paquita grabs Lucien by the hand and runs with him to the door; they lean against her and with her turn they disappear from the room - they are saved. Meanwhile, assassins appear and, mistaking Inigo for Lucien, kill him.
Act two
A magnificent hall in the house of the French commandant of Zaragoza. The architecture is Moorish, with decorations from the imperial era. A large portrait with a full-length figure in an officer's uniform in the foreground of the hall. Ball in the traditions of that time. Military men of all ranks and years, courtiers of all classes and both sexes, in the most brilliant uniforms and costumes of the imperial era. In addition to the French, you can also see several Spaniards in national clothes.
Count d'Hervilly comes out with his future daughter-in-law and her father, the governor. The old countess is surprised by Lucien's absence. The count calms her down and persuades her not to worry. At his request, the quadrille begins. The old woman is worried, and this time the count shares her fears. But suddenly the crowd steps aside, Lucien appears, leading Paquita by the hand. Lucien's story about the danger he escaped arouses not only everyone's surprise and joy, but also the horror of the governor. Meanwhile, Lucien announces to whom he owes his salvation and what feelings they are filled with for each other. Lucien asks not to interfere with their connection, but Paquita herself does not want this, understanding the difference in their position in society. She is glad that she managed to save Lucien, and Lucien wants to leave, but if she objects, he is ready to follow her everywhere. The count and the old countess are trying to persuade Lucien, especially since the governor is here and is ready to demand the fulfillment of his word to marry Lucien to his sister Seraphina. But horror! Paquita peers at the governor and clearly recognizes him as the stranger who incited Inigo to murder. The governor's embarrassment further convinces everyone of this, and he is arrested and taken away. Serafina follows him. Paquita still does not agree to the happiness offered to her, but, wanting to leave again, she notices a portrait on the wall, peers at it, takes out her medallion, compares it with the portrait, and - oh joy! - this portrait is a portrait of her father, the brother of Count d'Hervilly, and she herself is the same child who was saved during terrible crime 1795 and was raised in the gypsy camp of Inigo. The general kisses Paquita. The old lady takes her away. Paquita changes clothes. The general gives a sign, and the ball continues.