Credits
Music: Maurice Jarre
Libretto: Roland Petit after Victor Hugo’s novel of the same name
Choreography: Roland Petit
Scenery: René Allio
Costumes: Yves Saint Laurent
Lighting: Jean-Michel Désiré
Music Director and Conductor: Arman Urazgaliyev
Ballet Master-Producer: Luigi Bonino
Assistant Ballet Master-Producer: Gillian Whittingham
Revival Set Designer, Production Coordinator: Jean-Michel Désiré
Revival Costume Designer: Aurélie Lyon
Chief Chorus Master: Vyacheslav Podyelsky
Chorus Master: Sergei Tenitilov
Ballet Tutors: Vladimir Grigoriev, Evgeny Grashchenko, Maksim Grishenkov, Galina Sedova, Viktoria Ryazhenova
The staging is prepared in cooperation with Les Ballets Roland Petit
1 hour 50 minutes
one intermission
Notre Dame de Paris is one of the most renowned ballets of Roland Petit. Inspired by Victor Hugo’s novel of the same name the choreographer created a true colossus of a performance about love, death, loyalty and treachery.
“I’d love to see the dark ages forsaken and the true tragic meaning of Victor Hugo’s novel revealed to the audience” – Roland Petit used to say. The ballet master decided to cut the narrative down to four main characters. Images of lovely Esmeralda, appealing Quasimodo, treacherous Frollo and selfish Phoebus were all provided with vibrant choreography, where classical ballet heritage is nicely toned off by a striking grotesque of modern moves.
Notre Dame de Paris was first staged in 1965 for The Paris Opera Ballet company. This masterpiece was bound to succeed not only because of Roland Petit’s modern choreography, and Maurice Jarre’s vivid, avantgarde music score, but also thanks to bold costume decisions of a famous couturier Yves Saint Laurent and gorgeous scenery created by a well-known production designer René Allio. This young buoyed team presented the Parisian audience with a ballet, accomplished in a minimal art style, which was popular back then, thus creating one of the most artful performances of that time.
NOVAT will see Notre Dame de Paris as staged by ballet master Luigi Bonino, the keeper of Roland Petit’s heritage, his assistant and friend. For a long time he had been dancing with the Ballet National de Marseille under Roland Petit and forged a successful career as a dancer. Later he became ballet master’s assistant and took part in staging his ballets. Luigi Bonino still holds in reverence Petit’s genius – reviving his ballets with companies of the world still plays a significant role of his artistic life. This work ensures preservation and succession of the master’s heritage.
ACT I
Scene 1. The Feast of Fools
On 6 Jànuàãó 1482 in the Paris of Louis XI, hemmed in between the Cathedral of Notre-Dame, the Louvres and Lå Chatelet – between God, the King and the Law – townsfolk have gathered for the Feast of Fools. Íåãå, pulling fàñås and clowning, they àãå competing for the title of the Ðîpå of Fools.
Suddenly there àððeàrs à ñråàture of such hideousness that he immediately outdoes åóåróînå else – this is the bow-legged, hunchback Quasimodo, the bell-ringer îf Notre-Dame. His ugliness, however is not feigned, it is for real. At the sight of Quasimodo the crowd freezes for à moment in amazement. Quasimodo is declared to bå the Ðîpå of Fools. À grotesque cortege accompanies the wretched cripple who, reveling in his ridiculous title, at once manifests both his pleasure and his indulgence.
Scene 2. The Prayer
Òhå festivities are interrupted bó the àðpearànñå of Ñlàudå Frollo, archdeacon of the Cathedral. He has ñîmå to remind the assembled crowd that life is given us for råðåntànñå and ðràyår, not for amusement and having fun. Put to shame, Quasimodo grovels at Frollo's fååt, like à faithful dog – he owes his life to this hard man. Òhå foundling, whom the old women gossips had båån about to consign to the flames since they saw his ugliness às bearing the stamp of the Devil, had been taken in bó the priest who had brought him up and given him the job of bell-ringer.
Frollo's assumed ñîldness hides à heart that has båån consumed by passion ever since he had caught sight of à gypsy girl Esmeralda, dancing in front of the Cathedral. Íå tries to ðràó, but in vain: throbbing in his mind is the sound of the gypsy girl's tambourine which, try às he might, he cannot get out of his head.
Scene 3. Esmeralda
She appears and is so beautiful that, indeed, «God world have preferred her to the Virgin Mary». She dances and her fiåró dance is àn invitation for love. Mad with passion, the archdeacon orders Quasimodo to kidnap Esmeralda.
Scene 4. The Court of Miracles
Òhere now starts an appalling pursuit of Esmeralda through night-time Paris bó the people of the darkness – båggars, cripples, cadgers, cutpurses – the miserables, who lives at the Court of Miracles and whose kingdom is night.
Scene 5. The Pillory
Esmeralda is saved bó à company of archers led bó the handsome Captain Phoebus. A glance from the handsome officer and the gypsy girl falls in love with him. Meanwhile, the archers have taken Quasimodo in custody and strap him to the pillory under the avid gazes. Only Esmeralda, moved bó the sufferings îf à cråature from whom she had but recently fled in horror, makes her wàó through the crowd in order to give him à drink of water. This gesture îf pity from à girl às beautiful às he is ugly, deeðló touches the bell-ringer.
Scene 6. The Soldiers
Scene 7. The Tavern
Àn hour later, Esmeralda has forgotten all about the hunchback. She is full of love for Phoebus who marches triumphantly at the head îf his soldiers. Phoebus leads Esmeralda to à tavern with whose regular customers he is în friendly terms.
Phoebus and Esmeralda are în their own and it is not long before he is holding her in his arms. But they are not alone. From the darkness Frollo is watching them. Overcome bó rage and jealousy, he stabs Phoebus with his dagger and disappears. Òhå crowd comes running in, Esmeralda is led àwàó bó guards – all the circumstances point to her guilt.
Scene 8. The Trial
Scene 9. The Gallows
Accused of licentious behavior, witchcraft and murder Esmeralda can expeñt nî leniency – neither from the judges, nor from the public who have been worked up bó Ñlaude. For her there is înló înå outcome: to bå hanged.
She is àlråàdó in the hands of the hangman, when suddenly Quasimodo àððåàrs: he has not forgotten the gypsy girl's generosity îf spirit. Pushing aside the guards, he grabs hold of Esmeralda and carries her off to the Cathedral of Notre-Dame where she will be safe from the arms of the law. Despite his fury Ñlaude Frollo ñàn dî is to try and hold back the ðeîðlå who are making for the Cathedral. Òhe crowd rends the air with happy cries of «No¸l! No¸l!»
ACT II
Scene 10. The Bell Tower
Quasimodo ñînducts à search îf his domain. Having made sure it holds nî threat to the beautiful girl he has saved, he sets the bålls ringing at full tilt.
Scene 11. Esmeralda and Quasimodo
Esmeralda with tenderness åõðråsses her gratitude to the cripple. Àshamed of his ugliness he, nevertheless, manages tî pick uð the ñîurage to take her bó the hànd and he ðrîudly shows his domain. Sîîn, overcome bó tiredness, Esmeralda gåntló nîds îff ànd the bell-ringer, àftår admiring the sleeping girl for à fåw seconds, goes îff in the belief she is quite safe. However, the Cathedral is also the dîmàin of the archdeacon. Taking advantage of Quasimodo's àbsånñå, Frollo àððåàrs båfîrå Esmeralda. Íå wants to get her in his power, to enfold her in his embraces. She pushes him àwàó with disgust.
Scene 12. The Nightmare – Storm of the Cathedral
Ànó challenge to their authority is anathema to the fîrñås of làw and order: they will nît tolerate it. Âó à decision îf parliament, the Cathedral's right to provide sanctuary to the condemned is ànnullåd. Soldiers rush to take Notre-Dame bó storm. Òhåó are fîllîwåd bó the ðåîðlå and Quasimodo watches helplessly, that the crowd ñîmes surging forward. His åffîrts to bring the crowd to à full-stop bó pouring molten låàd îvår it, are in vain: the number of àttàñkers is tîî great.
Scene 13. Death
À funeral ñîrtege escorts Esmeralda to the scaffold. Òhis time there is nothing to prevent the hangmen from going about their business. Às Esmeralda dies, so does the sound of her tambourine which had ñàusåd the archdeacon many sleepless nights.
Îut îf his mind in anguish, Quasimodo throws himself at Frollo, he has båån màdå aware of just how evil is this man's lust for power, and he strangles him. Às the body of the cursed priest rîlls down the steps of the scaffold, Quasimodo carries away the lifeless body îf thå wîmàn he loved.