Musical fairy tales. Musical fairy tales Modern musical fairy tales for children for production

Pyotr Tchaikovsky

One of the most famous Russian musical fairy tales is Pyotr Tchaikovsky's ballet The Nutcracker, the composer's last ballet. The libretto for the story of Ernst Theodor Hoffmann's fairy tale “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King” was created by the famous choreographer Marius Petipa. The story of how Clara (or Ma-ri) and the Nutcracker defeat the Mouse King and the Nutcracker transforms into the Prince has become a Christmas classic.

In “The Nutcracker,” two worlds interact: the real one, whose characters are Clara-Marie’s family, and the fantastic one, where the Nutcracker, toys, a doll, the mouse king, the Sugar Plum Fairy and others appear among the characters. The real world is depicted by the composer using musically simple means: transparent orchestration with familiar timbres and classical dances - mazurka, waltz, gallop, polka - predominate here. The fantastic world is depicted completely differently, and it was in its creation that Tchaikovsky’s innovation was manifested.

Godfather Drosselmeyer opens the magical world; his appearance is accompanied by an interesting timbre combination of a melodious viola and two trombones. In the world of a fairy tale, a struggle between good and evil arises, which, of course, is reflected in the music. Ideas of goodness are characterized by soft timbre sounds. The passages of the flute, the soothing play of the harp, the sparkling ringing of the celestial instrument, which was new at that time, predominate here. Celesta- a keyboard and percussion instrument similar to a miniature piano, but with metal or glass plates inside. The sound is similar to the ringing of crystal bells (the name celesta is translated from Italian as “heavenly”).. The ideas of evil are shown with the help of a completely different orchestration, which is characterized by a lower register, with the participation of bass clarinet and tuba. The ominous rustling of the Mouse King's army is shown through a march performed by bassoons and low strings. In the magical world, the dances are different: the Spanish chocolate dance, the Arabic coffee dance, the Chinese tea dance and, of course, the mysterious “Waltz of the Flowers”.

Performed by: Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, conductor Semyon Bychkov

Opera “The Tale of Tsar Saltan” (1900)

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov

“The Tale of Tsar Saltan,” written by Rimsky-Korsakov for the centenary of his birth, is one of the richest operas in terms of variety of orchestral colors. The action takes place in Tmutarakan and in the city of Ledenets on Buyan Island. The story about the city is accompanied by a solemn bell theme. Three miracles from Pushkin's text are shown in the introduction before the last scene of the opera. The squirrel with golden nuts is represented in the orchestra by the theme of the folk song “In the garden, in the vegetable garden” performed by the piccolo flute. The sea heroes and uncle Chernomor are marching: the same motif is repeated in the bass with increasing volume. And the main miracle is the Swan Princess. The enchanting whimsical melody gradually develops into a melodious theme, illustrating the magical transformation of a swan into a beautiful Princess. The Swan Princess helps Prince Guidon in everything: for example, she turns him into a bumblebee so that he can go to Tmutarakan and see his father. It is here that the famous virtuoso melody of the flight of the bumblebee sounds in the opera.

Performed by: Bolshoi Theater Symphony Orchestra and Choir, conductor Vasily Nebolsin, soloists Ivan Petrov, Evgenia Smolenskaya

Opera "The Golden Cockerel" (1907)

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov

The opera “The Golden Cockerel” is also based on the plot of Pushkin’s fairy tale. The fairy tale is opened by the Astrologer, who gives to King Dodon Here and below are spelling variants of Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. golden cockerel The part of the cockerel is performed by a high female voice - soprano. The Shemakhan queen - the source of all the troubles of the greedy Dodon - sings about the wonderful lands where she was born, to the accompaniment of a harp and woodwind instruments. The Queen's theme sounds elegant, stopping at high notes; in general, her aria conveys an oriental flavor. But this fairy tale is not simple. And the kingdom of Dodon is not real. The composer laughs at the unlucky ruler. Thus, at a meeting of the Tsar’s Duma, buffoon themes are heard, and Dodon sings a declaration of love for the She-Makhan queen to the tune of the folk song “Chizhik-Pizhik.”

Performed by: Academic Symphony Orchestra of the Moscow Philharmonic, conductor Dmitry Kitayenko, Academic Big Choir of the All-Union Radio and Central Television, soloists Evgeny Nesterenko, Boris Tarkhov, Elena Ustinova

Opera "The Nightingale" (1908-1914)

Igor Stravinsky

Igor Stravinsky's first opera, The Nightingale, is based on a fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen. As in a fairy tale, in opera the confrontation between a real nightingale and a mechanical one is very important. The part of the living Nightingale was written for a high female voice - coloratura soprano. She enters into an argument with the theme of the mechanical nightingale, which is performed by the orchestra. According to the plot, despite the fact that the emperor preferred a mechanical nightingale to a real one, only the song of a living Nightingale is able to heal the emperor from a fatal illness and restore joy to all his courtiers. The contrast between nature and the porcelain palace of the Chinese emperor is wonderfully conveyed: for example, the orchestra plays a gentle nocturne when the action takes place on the edge of the forest, and a pompous Chinese (more precisely, here Stravinsky imitates the Chinese musical tradition) march when we find ourselves in the magnificent halls of the palace.

Performed by: Washington Opera Orchestra and Chorus, conductor Igor Stravinsky, soloists Laurent Driscol, Reri Grist, Donald Gramm

Opera "The Christmas Tree" (1900)

Vladimir Rebikov

The plot of Vladimir Rebikov’s Christmas opera “The Christmas Tree” is based on two fairy tales about poor children deprived of warmth on a festive evening. These are “The Little Match Girl” by Andersen and the story “The Boy at Christ’s Christmas Tree.” The opera is preceded by the composer's indication that the action may take place “at the present time, in the city where the opera is staged.” The opera is chamber, there are few characters, only the main character (poor Girl) and the ghost of her mother sing. Intonationally, the melodies written for the Girl resemble ordinary speech, and the short plaintive intonations sound like her plea for alms. The abundance of dissonances in the introduction greatly modernizes the sound.

The opera has several leitmotifs. The most tender and reverent is the waltz, which personifies unattainable happiness, an ideal world where it is warm and good. For the first time, the waltz is performed on the piano during a holiday in a house where there is a richly decorated Christmas tree. The waltz is intruded by short musical phrases performed by a Girl looking into the windows of the house. The second time the waltz sounds different: it is a mirage, a Girl’s dream in which she found herself in a luxurious palace. There are many other children around, and the Prince leads the Girl to the throne - the performance of the second waltz involves flutes, violins with subtle echoes of violas and bassoons, accompaniment of celesta, bells and harp.

Performed by: Viktor Ryabchikov.
Unfortunately, the full recording of the opera is not available on streaming services, but we hope that you will find the opportunity to hear it live

Ballet "Cinderella" (1944)

Sergei Prokofiev

Ballet based on the constant plot of Charles Perrault's fairy tale. Exhausted by constant work, Cinderella (even her lyrical theme sounds tired) dreams of going to the ball, her nasty sisters Krivlyaka and Zlyuka quarrel over a shawl (their caricature and harmfulness are emphasized by the dryish orchestration and dissonances); The prince at first behaves arrogantly, but love transforms him: at the ball he appears to the thunder of fanfare, and as soon as he sees Cinderella, the music instantly changes to lyrical. The transformation of Cinderella, as it should be according to the plot, is led by the godmother, but the girl is dressed by a team of fairies of all seasons accompanied by a suite of dances. And, of course, at the ball all kinds of court dances are performed: paspier, bourre, mazurka, minuet. And in the middle of the holiday, when the guests are trying the treats, the orchestra plays a march. It had been composed by Prokofiev earlier for another work, the opera The Love for Three Oranges (1919). The love of Cinderella and the Prince arises to the sounds of the Great Waltz, but the clock strikes midnight: against the backdrop of tremolo violins and passages of clarinets, the xylophone and the knock of a wooden block measure the time. Another reminder of the inexorability of time is the striking of the clock, which accompanies the entire ballet.

Performed by: Russian National Orchestra, conductor Mikhail Pletnev

Ballet “The Little Humpbacked Horse” (1955)

Rodion Shchedrin

The first ballet by composer Rodion Shchedrin was written based on the fairy tale “The Little Humpbacked Horse” by Pyotr Ershov. From the opening bars, the music has an atmosphere of a national holiday. The trumpets and horns take turns leading the action through a fast opening theme that captures the endless hubbub of the crowd. The melody of a dance sounds with a typical Russian stomp. The ditty genre is widely represented in the fairy tale-ballet: here are the energetic melodies in the scene of Ivan with his brothers, and the choruses composed by Shchedrin in the “Girls’ Round Dance”. The composer included a large number of percussion instruments in the orchestra: bells, bells, bells, triangle, drums, timpani, and rattles.

Three scenes of the first act introduce us to the main characters of the ballet. Under the “balalaika” accompaniment of bassoons and low string instruments, the leitmotif of Ivan’s brothers appears. The brothers have the same theme, since Danila and Gavrila are alike in everything. This is a heavy, angular theme with precise rhythm, accents and repetitions: the brothers are stubborn and arrogant.

Little Horse is not so much magical as he is savvy and has his own mind. The Horse's Theme is played by the piccolo flute and bells. It is similar to the leitmotif of Ivan himself, whom Konek helps in everything. The Tsar Maiden is characterized by several themes. Her first leitmotif is a call theme with incredibly colorful orchestration; this melody connects the heroine with the fantastic world of this ballet. And the second leitmotif of the Tsar Maiden appears after the meeting with Ivan. She becomes a Russian heroine - a lullaby sounds, borrowed by the composer from Lyadov’s collection “Songs of the Russian People”.

The ballet ends with a merry celebration with the ringing of bells. The young people are called Ivan and the Tsar Maiden. Young people lead round dances: the smooth Russian dance of the bride is replaced by the youthful dance of the groom. The theme of the Little Humpbacked Horse accompanies the general fun.

Performed by: Orchestra of the Moscow Academic Musical Theater named after. K. S. Stanislavsky and Vl. I. Nemirovich-Danchenko, conductor Georgy Zhemchuzhin

Opera-ballet “The Child and the Magic” (1919-1925)

Maurice Ravel

The libretto of Maurice Ravel's "The Child and Enchantments" is based on several literary works: fairy tales by Perrault, the Brothers Grimm, Andersen and Maeterlinck. In the story, a naughty boy is rehabilitated by animals and animated objects: a Couch, a Chinese Cup, a Fire, a Cat, an Armchair, a Bat - these are just a few of them. This opera-ballet, so all the characters not only sing melodic arias, but also dance the foxtrot, boston waltz, minuet, gallop, cancan and other dances.

An unusual orchestra creates an atmosphere of magic. Along with traditional symphonic instruments, it contains special fantastic timbres: a wind machine (aeoliphon), a luteal (a modification of a forte piano), a jazz flute with a wing, and even a cheese grater! Music is often based on onomatopoeia: the orchestra and performers imitate the meowing of a cat and a frog, the striking of a clock and the sound of a breaking cup. The arithmetic teacher, crawling out of a torn book, sings either in a ringing falsetto or in a deliberately nasal voice, holding his nose. Thus, in this humorous scene, a whirlwind of incoherent movement arises, from which the boy begins to feel dizzy. In another scene, Fire's vocal part conveys the free movement of flames: its winding, virtuoso melody, reaching extremely high notes, is more instrumental than vocal.

Performed by: National Orchestra of the French Radio, conductor Laurin Maazel, soloists Françoise Auger, Michel Seneschal

Symphonic tale “Peter and the Wolf” (1936)

Sergei Prokofiev

Sergei Prokofiev wrote a musical symphonic fairy tale especially for the Moscow Children's Theater. The main character of the fairy tale is ten-year-old Petya, a brave pioneer - the winner of the Wolf, who defeated him before the Hunters appeared. Usually a fairy tale is performed like this: the narrator reads the text, and the orchestra voices everything that happens in it.

The theme of each character is played by one instrument or a group of similar timbre instruments of a symphony orchestra. For example, Grandfather, dissatisfied with the fact that his grandson left the gate without permission, is depicted by a low woodwind instrument - a bassoon; the fearless Petya is a string quartet (two parts of violins, violas and cellos), and his friend and assistant Ptichka is a flute, which best conveys the flutter of small wings and ringing trills.

The character of Petya’s main enemy, the Wolf, is conveyed by brass instruments, the most powerful and loudest in the orchestra. In the low register, three horns play heavy chords in a minor key. The Bird also has ill-wishers: the Cat, whose creeping gait is conveyed by the clarinet, and the arrogant and arrogant Duck. At the moment of the argument between the Duck and the Bird about who is the real bird, two themes are heard simultaneously in the orchestra: the whistling passages of the flute depict the Bird’s singing, and the Duck’s quack is conveyed by another woodwind instrument - the oboe. Although the Duck boasted, it ran too slowly, and the fast Wolf swallowed it as it went. But the Wolf could not escape from Petya: the boy caught him and, with the help of the Hunters, sent him to the Zoological Museum. The tale ends with a solemn procession of the winners, in which the themes of all the heroes are heard in turn.

Performed by: State Academic Symphony Orchestra of the USSR, conductor Evgeny Svetlanov, text read by Natalia Sats

Opera "The Snow Maiden" (1881)

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov

The opera's libretto was written by Rimsky-Korsakov himself, based on Ostrovsky's play The Snow Maiden. The Snow Maiden comes to the magical kingdom of the Berendeys to find a warm feeling of love, but, having achieved this, tragically melts away. Listeners of the opera should not be sad, because only thanks to the appearance and death of the Snow Maiden, a warm summer comes again in the kingdom of Berendey, bestowed by the rays of the god Yarila.

Rimsky-Korsakov divided the numerous characters of the opera into three groups: mythological (Father Frost, Vesna-Krasna, Leshy), semi-mythological (Snow Maiden, Lel, Tsar Berendey) and real (Kupava, Mizgir, Bobyl and Bobylikha, Bermyata, Biryuchi). Each group has its own musical characteristics, each character has its own leitmotif. For example, the appearance of Spring is accompanied by the warm timbre of the horns, and the appearance of Frost is accompanied by frozen “cold” music in a low register. The image of the folk singer Lelya consists of three songs - a drawn-out song, a round dance, and a dance song, and the image of the Snow Maiden combines a strict flute part with lyrical melodies in the vocal part. The appearance of the “real” man Mizgir is accompanied by the thick timbre of the bass clarinet. Choirs play a big role in the opera: for example, the Berendey people participate in the plot, for example, in the scene “Seeing off Maslenitsa” and in the finale: the sound of the choir increases - like the brightness of the sun, which again shines over the Berendey kingdom.

Performed by: Bolshoi Theater Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, conductor Evgeny Svetlanov, soloists Ivan Kozlovsky, Vera Firsova, Alexey Krivchenya

Ballet "Firebird" (1909-1910)

Igor Stravinsky

Igor Stravinsky wrote “The Firebird” commissioned by Sergei Diaghilev for the Russian Seasons. The libretto, created by the outstanding choreographer Mikhail Fokin, is based on the plots of several folk tales (about Tsar Ivan, the Firebird and the Gray Wolf, about Koshchei the Immortal and the Princess Beloved Beauty) and one author’s - “Night Dances” by Sologub. In pursuit of the Firebird, Ivan Tsarevich ends up in a wonderful garden. There he sees the heroes whom Koschey the Immortal turned to stone because they tried to save the brides he had stolen. Now the princess brides live in Koshchei’s castle and go out to the garden to play. With them is the Beloved Beauty, with whom Ivan Tsarevich falls in love. Koshchei's enraged servants grab Ivan, who ran after the princesses, but he manages to escape thanks to the dazzling light from the Firebird's feather. So the spell of the evil kingdom is broken, and a Christian city arises in its place. The enchanted heroes come to life and find their brides, and Ivan Tsarevich - now the ruler of the new city - marries Beloved Beauty.

Three fairy-tale worlds coexist in the ballet: the dark kingdom of Koshchei, a wonderful garden with golden apples and a Christian city with domes. Koshcheevo’s army begins the “Filthy Dance” with characteristic rhythmic interruptions and bright whistles of the piccolo flute; The appearance of the Firebird is accompanied by the gentle melodies of a lullaby performed by woodwind and string instruments. In the round dance of the princesses, Stravinsky uses a quote from the Russian folk song “Like in a kindergarten, a kindergarten”, and in the joyful finale - from the song “It was not the pine tree that swayed at the gate”.

Performed by: Columbia Symphony Orchestra, conductor Igor Stravinsky

Ballet "The Sleeping Beauty" (1889)

Pyotr Tchaikovsky

In the ballet “The Sleeping Beauty” by Tchaikovsky, written based on the fairy tale by Charles Perrault, as is usually the case in fairy tales, two worlds collide: the world of good, for which the fairy Lilac is responsible, and the world of evil, personified by the fairy Carabosse. Each fairy has its own leitmotif: the Lilac fairy has a gentle lyrical waltz, and the Carabosse fairy has unstable and harsh, constantly changing music.

The themes collide already in the prologue, and good wins there. But at the moment when the main character of the ballet, Aurora, pricks herself with a spindle received from Carabosse, the theme of the evil fairy sounds all-conquering. The leitmotif of Aurora’s dream at the beginning melodically echoes the leitmotif of the fairy Carabosse, but already in the second act of the ballet it is close to the theme of goodness. The complete victory of good occurs in the third act, filled with jubilant melodies. Numerous onomatopoeic devices play a big role in the finale. To the sounds of a polonaise at the wedding of Prince Désiré and Princess Aurora, guests appear - characters from other fairy tales of Charles Perrault: Cinderella and Prince Fortune, Beauty and the Beast, Bluebeard and his wife and others. Each pair of characters is presented individually, both musically and choreographically. For example, the pas de deux of Princess Florine and the Blue Bird, thanks to the fluttering waves of the arms, light jumps and circles, resembles the free and easy flight of birds. Musically, this image is conveyed with the help of winding melodies performed by flutes and clarinets, which imitate the singing of fantastic birds. In the episode “Puss in Boots and the White Kitty,” the sound of oboes and bassoons imitates the meow of a cat, and the episode “Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf” rhythmically conveys the small hasty steps of a girl.

Performed by: London Symphony Orchestra, conductor André Previn

Ballet "Cipollino" (1974)

Karen Khachaturyan

The plot of the ballet is based on the famous fairy tale “The Adventures of Cipollino” by Gianni Rodari about a brave onion boy fighting with the rich rulers Lemon and Tomato, and the musical basis is the wonderful cartoon “Cipollino” from 1961. The ballet also contains music from other cartoon films where Khachaturian was the composer: “When the Christmas Trees Light Up” (1950), “Forest Travelers” (1951), “Sweet Tale” (1970), “An Extraordinary Match” (1955) , “Old Acquaintances” (1956).

In this ballet there are no leitmotifs assigned to the characters; the music follows the plot, and not specific characters. For example, the chase for Cipollino is very accurately conveyed with the help of perky music with a bouncing rhythm, hinting to the audience that there is no need to fear for the hero. The childish simplicity and accessibility of the ballet is emphasized by the predominance in the score of effective numbers (for example, the release of Cipollino and the meeting with friends, the appearance of Prince Lemon with the guard) over traditional ballet ones (like the Magnolia and Cherry pas de deux, the guard's variation, the variation Magnolias). Simple choreography allows even young dancers to participate in the performances. And based on the ballet, Khachaturian created a children’s suite for piano four hands.

Performed by: Bolshoi Theater Symphony Orchestra, conductor Alexander Kopylov

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