by kellie abrahamson kabrahamson1@aol.com
Every time I think of Arabian Nights, I always get that song from Disney’s Aladdin stuck in my head. Here’s hoping a night at the ballet will change all of that! On January 11th the FCCJ Artists Series presents the State Theatre of Russia and Orchestra’s performance of One Thousand and One Nights at the Times-Union Center, Moran Theater.
One Thousand and One Nights is based on the Middle Eastern literary epic of the same name. The story has also been called Arabian Nights, The Nightly Entertainments and The Nights. In the book, a Persian king named Shakhriar discovers that his beautiful wife Nurida and her lover are plotting to kill him, so he has the scheming pair executed. Unable to trust another woman, yet unable to live without them, the king orders his servant to get him a new wife every night and have her executed at dawn the next morning. Some time later, a clever young woman named Scheherazade volunteers to be the king’s next bride, knowing that he plans to kill her as he did all the others. After their wedding, the woman begins telling Shakhriar tales of adventure and romance, tragedy and comedy, legends and poems and each morning at dawn the tales end in a cliffhanger. Over the course of Scheherazade’s time with the king, she tells him many stories including Aladdin’s Lamp, Sindbad the Sailor, and the tale of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves. The king, so excited about hearing the end of the stories, postpones the execution. This goes on for one thousand and one nights, when finally, the young bride reveals that she has given birth to three of the king’s sons and asks for a pardon. He grants her this, convinced that Scheherazade is indeed faithful to him, and the pair live happily ever after.
Set to music by Fikret Amirov, the ballet One Thousand and One Nights was first staged at the Baku Theatre of Opera and Ballet in 1979. An outstanding Azerbaijani composer and one of the leading representatives of the country’s musical art, Amirov contributed greatly to the development of its multinational culture. His music has been performed often and successfully beyond his native Azerbaijan. The choreography for this beautiful ballet is by renowned choreographer Nailya Nazirova and the set and costume design are by Tugrul Narimanbekov.
The State Ballet Theatre of Russia is the touring name of the Voronezh State Theatre of Opera and Ballet, established in 1961. The Director of the Voronezh State Theatre of Opera and Ballet is Honored Artist of Russia Igor Nepomnyashchy. The repertoire of the theatre includes work by both classical and modern Russian composers including Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, The Nutcracker, Don Quixote, The Stone Flower and The Fountain of Bakhchisarai. Among the company’s 54 dancers are many distinguished Russian artists and winners of many international ballet competitions. Principal dancers in One Thousand and One Nights include Ekaterina Liubih (as Nurida), People’s Artist of Russia Tatiana Frolova (Scheherazade) and Vladislav Ivanov (Shakhriar)
A full symphony orchestra, intricate sets and beautiful costumes complete the performance. This enchanting ballet will recount magical legends from the land of the Arabian Nights including the legendary character of Sinbad the Sailor, Aladdin and the Magic Lamp, the Slave Girl, Scheherazade and Ali Baba.
The whimsical fairy tale will be performed for one night only at the Times Union Center, Moran Theater on January 11th at 7:30 pm. Tickets range in price from $27.50 to $47.50 plus applicable service and facility charge. Charge by phone (904) 632-3373 or order online at www.artistseries.fccj.org.
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