Carmen, Paquita

CARMEN

A one-act ballet to the music of J. Bizet, arranged by R. K. Shchedrin, based on the story of the short story of the same name by Prosper Merimee, first staged back in 1845 under the title Carmen and the Bullfighter by choreographer Marius Petipa in Madrid. But after the appearance of the music of Georges Bizet in 1875, it was impossible to refuse it, and all subsequent performances were staged precisely to his music for the opera Carmen.

The basis of the storyline is free, unrestrained and sacrificial love on the part of the young soldier Jose, who became a deserter and smuggler for the sake of the beautiful gypsy Carmen, who values her own freedom above all else. Infatuated with the Toreador, Carmen dies at the hands of her beloved, who stabbed her in a fit of jealousy.

PAQUITA

One-act ballet to music by Ludwig Minkus, staged by Marius Petipa. The first ballet with this name was staged in Paris in 1846. The composers of the music and choreography were Joseph Mazilier and Edouard Deldevez. The performance enjoyed great success in Paris and London, and therefore it is not surprising that "Paquita" was the first performance that the 29-year-old Marius Petipa staged in St. Petersburg. The image of the main character and the main storylines of the performance are borrowed from Miguel Cervantes' novel "Gypsy Girl".

Paquita is an abbreviation for Francis: this is the name of the heroine of the ballet, a gypsy orphan. As a result of melodramatic intrigues and bizarre criminal twists, Paquita learns of her noble lineage and becomes the bride of Officer Lucien.