Sometimes I think. Gallant India Gallant India

Tapestry "New India" (Pecheurs Indiens)
France, Tapestry Atelier (XVIII century) - National Museum (Paris)

Jean-Philippe Rameau - Les Indes galantes - Peaceful Forests (Forêts Paisibles)
Ensemble of early music (baroque orchestra) "Le Concert d’Astrée"
Conductor - Emmanuelle Haim

Natalie Dessay and Stéphane Degout

John Coleman - Dancing Indian

Tapestry "Court Fun" from the series "Gardens of Louis XIV" (France, 18th century)

Baroque (barocco - translated from Italian as “bizarre”, “strange”, “prone to excess”) is a characteristic of European culture of the 17th-18th centuries, the center of which was Italy. The Baroque style appeared in the Late Renaissance, at the end of the 16th - beginning of the 17th centuries in Rome, and then spread throughout many countries of Western Europe.

The Baroque style is characterized by a desire for grandeur and splendor, for the combination of reality and illusion, for the fusion of arts (city and palace and park ensembles, opera, religious music, oratorio).

The foundations of the style - its content - developed as a result of upheavals, such as the Reformation for the church and the teachings of Copernicus for science in the 16th century. The ancient idea of ​​the world as a rational and constant unity and the Renaissance idea of ​​man as the most intelligent being have changed. In the words of the French mathematician, physicist and philosopher Blaise Pascal (1623-1662), man began to perceive himself as “something in between everything and nothing,” “someone who captures only the appearance of phenomena, but is unable to understand either their beginnings or their the end."

Historians consider the end of the Reformation to be the signing of the Peace of Westphalia in 1648, which ended the Thirty Years' War, as a result of which the religious factor ceased to play a significant role in European politics.

As a result, the lifestyle of the ruling classes changed: instead of pilgrimages - trips to the Holy Land and other places of sacred significance for the Christian faith for the purpose of worship and prayer - promenades (walks in the park); instead of knightly tournaments - "carousels" (horse rides) and card games; instead of religious mysteries - secular theater and masquerade balls. New types of entertainment appeared: fireworks and swing rides. In the interiors, portraits and landscapes took the place of icons. The place of spiritual music, which encourages deep inner work of the mind and soul, has been replaced by secular music, which caresses the ear and invites us to dance and have fun.

Tapestry "Masquerade" - France, Atelier Beauvais (XVIII century)
Based on the painting by Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo "Carnival Scene, or Minuet" (1751)

Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo, also Giandomenico Tiepolo (1727, Venice - 1804, Venice), is an Italian artist of the second half of the 18th century. Eldest son of Giovanni Battista Tiepolo (1696-1770).

Jean-Philippe Rameau - Minuet from the opera-ballet "The Gallants of the Indies"

Baroque music is works of European academic music that appeared between approximately 1600 and 1750. The musical ornamentation of works of this period became very sophisticated, the recording of music using written signs (musical notation) changed greatly, and methods of playing instruments developed. The scope of genres expanded, the complexity of performing musical works increased, and a type of composition such as opera appeared.

The term "Baroque" itself as a designation of a musical era is used relatively recently. It was first used by the German and American musicologist Curt Sachs (1881-1959) in 1919, then the term appeared only in 1940 in an article by the American musicologist Manfred Bukofzer (1910-1955). , which marked the time frame of this musical style.

Jean-Philippe Rameau (1683, Dijon - 1764, Paris) was a French composer and music theorist of the Baroque era.

Rameau was the son of an organist and learned to read music before he learned to read.
From the age of eighteen he improved his musical education in Italy - in Milan.

As a composer, Jean-Philippe Rameau became famous, primarily as the author of secular music. He created a new style, presented in his works for the theater, including the opera-ballet - a popular genre at that time - "The Gallant Indies", written in 1735.

Aved Jacques Andre Joseph (1702-1766)
Portrait of Jean-Philippe Rameau

The customers of works of high art and, as a consequence, their style and orientation, are always the ruling classes. Therefore, the overwhelming majority of works of art reflect the life and interests of precisely these classes in a certain era.

Tapestry "Salon" (France, 18th century)

The Gallant Indians (Les Indes galantes) is an opera-ballet by the French Baroque composer Jean-Philippe Rameau, written to a libretto by the French playwright, Rameau's contemporary, Louis Fuzelier (1672-1752).
The opera-ballet "Gallant India" (1735) is the most famous stage work of its time. The premiere of the opera took place on August 23, 1735 in Paris, at the Royal Academy of Music.

The libretto of "The Gallant Indies" is based on love stories, the events of which unfold in distant overseas lands, which were then conventionally called the Indies.
The opera-ballet consists of a Prologue and four entres (exits or scenes). The geography of the plot is very exotic - in each action the viewer is transported to a new part of the world:

in the First Exit "The Generous Turk" - to Turkey,
in the Second Outing "Peruvian Incas" - in Peru,
in the Third Exit "Persian Flower Festival" (or "Flowers") - to Persia.
The fourth release, “Savages,” was added by the composer only in 1736. This picture takes the viewer to the Indians of North America.

John Coleman - North American Indians

Old Indian wisdom: "The Great Spirit is imperfect. He has a light side and a dark side."

John Coleman (born 1949 in southern California) is an American artist and sculptor. He began his early artistic explorations at the Los Angeles Center for the Arts.

"I am fascinated by how music can convey a mood and have often thought that sculpture serves the same purpose. I have always loved history and mythology and feel that they are the lyrics in my sculpture; a musical interpretation that touches emotions. Just like Music has a beginning, middle and end, and so does sculpture."

John Coleman

Orchestra and choir of the ensemble "Flourishing Arts" (Les Arts Florissants)
Conductor - William Lincoln Christie

National Paris Opera and TFI TV channel

Frederic Soulacroix - Spring

Charles Joseph Frederic Soulacroix (1858, Rome - 1933, Cesena, Italy) - Italian artist.

It would seem, what does this painting by Soulacroix have to do with the opera-ballet “The Gallants of the Indies”? To the opera itself - nothing, but to the production of the opera below, carried out by choreographer from Italy Laura Scozzi - the most direct. At the very beginning of the performance there are ballet scenes in which all the ballet dancers dance in what their mother gave birth to. Both women and men. Apparently, Senora Scozzi wanted to emphasize the natural connection with nature of the inhabitants of all these Indies. At the end of the production there is also a bare scene. Fortunately, the artists come out to bow in bathrobes. Thank them very much for this. And special thanks to Senora Scozzi.)))

Jean-Philippe Rameau - opera-ballet "The Gallants of India"
Conductor - Christophe Rousset
Choreographer - Laura Scozzi

John Coleman - North American Indian

Tapestry "Concert of the Month of June" (Le Concert ‘Mois Davril)
France, Tapestry Atelier (XVIII century) - Tapestry Museum (Paris)

Jean-Philippe Rameau - Two dances from the opera-ballet "The Gallants of India"
Orchestra of the Joseph Haydn Children's Music School (Moscow)

Jean-Philippe Rameau / Jean-Philippe Rameau
Les Indes Galantes / The Gallants of India

Jean-Philippe Rameau(fr. Jean-Philippe Rameau; September 25, 1683, Dijon - September 12, 1764, Paris) - French composer and music theorist of the Baroque era.

The son of an organist, he knew music before he could read. He studied at a Jesuit school. At the age of 18, his father sent him to Italy to improve his musical education in Milan. Returning, he performed as a violinist in the Montpellier orchestra and served as an organist in Dijon, Clermont-Ferrand, and Lyon. From 1722 he settled in Paris. He wrote for Parisian theaters, composed sacred and secular music, and from 1745 became a court composer.

Rameau is the author of three collections of pieces for harpsichord (1706, 1724, 1727) and five “concerts” for harpsichord, violin and viol da gamba (the collection was published in 1741), containing suites and bright character pieces. Among them, the most famous are Tambourine, La Poule, La Dauphine, Les petits marteaux, and Le Rappel des oiseaux. Pieces for the harpsichord are the creative laboratory of Rameau the composer, a place for experiments in the field of harmony, rhythm, and texture. For example, the plays “The Savages” (Les sauvages) and “The Cyclopes” (Les Cyclopes) are unusually inventive in terms of the deployment of the tonal mode, and the piece “Enharmonic” (L’Enharmonique) is one of the first examples of enharmonic modulation in the history of music.

Rameau created a new operatic style, the masterpieces of which were his lyrical tragedies “Hippolytus and Arisia” (1733), “Castor and Pollux” (1737), Zoroaster (en: Zoroastre, 1749). The opera-ballet “The Gallants of India” is recognized as the pinnacle of Rameau’s musical and stage creativity Les Indians galantes) (premiere: 1735, Paris Opera, choreographer M. Blondie), enjoying success with directors, performers and the public to this day.

Gallant India, Also Gallant India(fr. Les Indians galantes) is an opera-ballet by the French Baroque composer Jean-Philippe Rameau, written to a libretto by the French playwright, Rameau's contemporary, Louis Fuzelier. The opera-ballet consists of Prologue and four entre(exits or pictures).

"Gallant India" (1735) is the first of Ramoi's six great opera-ballets and is the most famous stage work of its time. The premiere of the First Edition of the opera took place on August 23, 1735 in Paris, at the Royal Academy of Music.

When Rameau began work on "India gallant", the genre of "opera-ballet" was a choreographic divertissement (from the French French. divertissement, literally - amusement, entertainment), consisting of several heterogeneous scenes with different plots, which, nevertheless, were united by a common concept. The dramatic element in the opera was minimal and was localized in small ensembles, recitatives and arias.

The composer’s choice of such a “fashionable” theme for his first opera-ballet cannot be called accidental. The theme of the plot - an outlandish fiction or exotic fantasy - had to be decoratively designed as magnificently, elegantly, elegantly, dazzlingly as possible, in a word - to correspond to the gallant spirit and manners of court life of the era of Louis XV. It was precisely such plots that fully corresponded to the dominant style of the time - rococo, and, as a rule, were the basis of opera-ballet.

The libretto of “Gallant India” is based on a fictional amorous story, the events of which unfold in distant overseas lands. The geography of the plot is very exotic - in each action the viewer is transported to a new part of the world: in the First Output "The Generous Turk" - to Turkey, in the Second Output "Peruvian Incas" - in Peru and in the Third Output "The Persian Flower Festival" (or "Flowers" ) - to Persia. The fourth release, “Savages,” was added by the composer only in 1736. This picture takes the viewer to the Indians of North America.

The true hero of opera-ballet - "natural man" in the spirit of J.-J. Rousseau or Claude Helvetius. Turks, Persians, Peruvian Incas and American savages, dancing gallant rigaudons and gavottes to charmingly idyllic music, are bearers of the higher moral virtue that Diderot spoke about: "I'm ready to bet, that their barbarism is less vicious than our urban civilization". “Savages” seem to set an example of gallantry for Europe, expressed in nobility of feelings, fearlessness, generosity - those qualities that determine “gallance” in human behavior.

“Gallant India” did not immediately acquire its final name. Original title "Gallant Victories", can be seen on a manuscript kept in the archives of the Paris Opera. Later, Rameau renamed “Gallant Victories” to be more suitable for the occasion. "India". At that time, the word “India” (that’s right, in the plural) was customary to refer to any distant overseas lands and exotic unknown countries that seemed to Europeans to be inexhaustible sources of wealth, luxury and pleasure.

The genre and style of this score largely determined the development of French ballet theater. According to Debussy, in the works of Rameau a tradition was born, woven “from enchanting fragile tenderness, clarity of expression of feelings, precision and composure of form - qualities inherent in the French spirit”. With the help of Rameau, the orientalism of “Gallant India” becomes one of the characteristic stylistic differences of French ballet music. In the 19th century, vivid examples of “oriental ballet” were created by F. Burgmuller (“Peri”), J. Offenbach (“Butterfly”) and E. Lalo (“Namuna”). In the 20th century, “oriental ballets” were written by P. Dukas (“Peri”), A. Roussel (“Padmavati”) and C. Debussy (“Kamma”).

Premiere First edition The opera-ballet “Gallant India” - in two performances with a Prologue - took place in Paris, at the Royal Academy of Music and Dance on August 23, 1735. And just five days later, on August 28, 1735, the premiere took place Second edition- V three outputs with Prolog. The first performances of the brilliant opera by J.-F. Ramo passed, however, with more than modest results - without obvious success. “Shortcomings” in the plot led viewers to bewilderment and confusion. In turn, critics accused the author of the libretto, Louis Fuselier, of the lack of an ornate love affair and the unpretentious development of the plot. Rameau, unlike Fuselier, was reproached for the extreme difficulty of his music and, as a consequence, for its difficulty in perceiving it. However, despite this mixed reception, the audience was greatly impressed by Giovanni Niccolò Servandoni's sets. Luxurious costumes, extraordinary landscapes and unprecedented mechanical devices largely “saved” the first production of “The Gallant Indies”. According to one of his contemporaries, it was "the most magnificent spectacle that has ever appeared on the theater stage...".

March 10, 1736 took place third premiere of the play - in Third edition: The fourth release “Savages” was added, which was immediately warmly received by the audience. For this release J.-F. Rameau borrowed music from his previously written and very popular composition - the rondo “Les Sauvages” from the Suite for Harpsichord (1726-27) (fr. Nouvelles suites de pièces de clavecin - Suite in G minor ).

Over time, the public's attitude towards opera and ballet has changed dramatically. In the surviving notes of Louis de Cahusac, librettist of most of J.-F.'s operas. Ramo, it is directly stated that at first "..."Gallant India" seemed irresistibly complex; most of the audience left the theater with exclamations of protest, rejection of the music overloaded with sixteenth notes, among which the ear had nothing to rely on... Six months later, all the arias from the overture to the last gavotte were sung and known by everyone..."

The composition and brilliance of the acting troupe played a vital role for the audience, more important, in some cases, than the performance itself and was, in its way, a guarantor of the success of the composition being performed.

Since in opera-ballet a more significant and important function - spectacular and entertaining - was performed by the choreographic part, J.-F. Rameau meticulously followed the instructions and wishes of his librettist. From the very first bars of the Prologue, he alternates and contrasts two types of melodies, corresponding in ballet to paired stage play. As, for example, in one of the scenes of the Prologue: the theme of young men in love following Bellona, ​​who has called everyone under her banner, intertwines and alternates with the theme of girls trying to keep and return their lovers .

The dance group consisted of artists of different ages, usually from thirteen to eighteen years old. The appearance and participation in the scene of dancers of one age or another depended on the dramatic solution of the plot .

The first productions of “Gallant India,” which became known from sources that have come down to us, featured famous, popular artists widely known outside France, favorites of the public:

• Pierre de Jélyotte is a recent debutant; he quickly rose to the top of the singing Olympus, becoming overnight an idol of the public and one of the most famous singers of the century. In the opera-ballet “Gallant India” P. Geliott was engaged in three roles at once - Valéra (The Generous Turk), Don Carlos (Peru) and Damon (The Savages).
• Mlle Marie Pelisier (French)Marie Pélissier) is an outstanding singer and at the same time an enthusiastic fan, ardently devoted to the music of J.-F. Rameau, who became famous for her unique interpretation of the roles of Winter (The Savages) and Emily (The Generous Turk);
• Monsieur Jean Doun (French)Jean Dun "fils") - was inimitable in the roles of Osman Pasha (“The Generous Turk”) and Don Alvar (“The Savages”).
• Mlle Marie Sallé is an outstanding dancer who rightfully received the nickname Terpsichore of France. Every time the audience waited with bated breath for the appearance of their favorite. In the Third Outing of "Gallant India" ("Persian Flower Festival") Mlle Salle's number was greeted and seen off with applause. It was one of the most spectacular numbers in the opera, winning recognition and love from the public. Marie Salle became famous for her innovative approach to dance performance as a “dance act.” ''action dancing''), in which the plot and content played no less a role than the beauty and grace of movements. Marie Salle also actively contributed to the dissemination and wider introduction of ballet into theatrical performances pantomimes(both dramatic, expressing affects and desires, and eccentric, enlivening the mise-en-scène).
• Louis Dupré was an outstanding dancer, choreographer and teacher of his time.

Musette en Rondea

Danse des Sauvages

When Rameau began working on “Gallant India,” the “opera-ballet” genre was a choreographic divertissement (from the French divertissement, literally - amusement, entertainment), consisting of several heterogeneous scenes with different plots, which were united by a common concept. The dramatic element in the opera was minimal and was localized in small ensembles, recitatives and arias.
The composer’s choice of such a “fashionable” theme for his first opera-ballet cannot be called accidental. The theme of the plot - an outlandish fiction or exotic fantasy - had to be decoratively designed as magnificently, elegantly, elegantly, dazzlingly as possible, in a word - to correspond to the gallant spirit and manners of court life of the era of Louis XV. It was precisely such plots that fully corresponded to the dominant style of the time - rococo, and, as a rule, were the basis of opera-ballet.

The libretto of “Gallant India” is based on a fictional amorous story, the events of which unfold in distant overseas lands. The geography of the plot is very exotic - in each action the viewer is transported to a new part of the world: in the First Output "The Generous Turk" - to Turkey, in the Second Output "Peruvian Incas" - in Peru and in the Third Output "The Persian Flower Festival" (or "Flowers" ) - to Persia. The fourth release, “Savages,” was added by the composer only in 1736. This picture takes the viewer to the Indians of North America.
The true hero of the opera-ballet is a “natural man” in the spirit of J.-J. Rousseau or Claude Helvetius. Turks, Persians, Peruvian Incas and American savages dancing gallant rigaudons and gavottes to charmingly idyllic music are bearers of the higher moral virtue about which Diderot spoke: “I am ready to bet that their barbarism is less vicious than our urban civilization.” . “Savages” seem to set an example of gallantry for Europe, expressed in nobility of feelings, fearlessness, generosity - those qualities that determine “gallance” in human behavior.
“Gallant India” did not immediately acquire its final name. The original title, "Gallant Victories", can be seen on a manuscript kept in the archives of the Paris Opera. Later, Rameau renamed “Gallant Victories” to the more appropriate “India” for the occasion. At that time, the word “India” (that’s right, in the plural) was customary to refer to any distant overseas lands and exotic unknown countries that seemed to Europeans to be inexhaustible sources of wealth, luxury and pleasure.
The genre and style of this score largely determined the development of French ballet theater. According to Debussy, a tradition was born in Rameau's works, woven "of enchanting fragile tenderness, clarity of expression of feelings, precision and composure of form - qualities inherent in the French spirit."

Libretto.

Palace and Garden of Hebe.

Tender Hebe, the goddess of youth, calls lovers to her... Hebe invites them to have fun among games and music - they, responding to her call, dance. These are the youth of four nations: France, Italy, Spain and Poland. But the battle goddess Bellona, ​​sister of Mars, appears amid the celebration, accompanied by trumpets and drums. She calls young warriors to military exploits. Hebe is defeated and asks Cupid for help, who with his retinue descends from the sky. Hebe and Cupid are convinced that they are unable to return the young men who left their “peaceful havens”; their spell is weakening in Europe. And then Cupid decides to send his servants to the “most remote countries” of the Indies in order to establish his new possessions there.

First entre.

Pasha Osman's garden, with the sea in the background. The Frenchwoman Emilia is at the mercy of Osman, who is passionately in love with her. She explains to him the reasons for her refusal: from the holiday in honor of her engagement, she was kidnapped by sea pirates and some time later sold to Osman. Emilia decided to remain faithful to her chosen one until death, who considers her missing. Disappointed Osman leaves Emilia. A storm arises at sea and washes a ship ashore, from which the slaves disembark. Hoping to meet a fellow countryman, Emilia approaches one of the men, who turns out to be her beloved Valer. He says that with the permission of his owner, whom he, however, had never seen, he traveled all the banks to find her. Emilia and Valera find out that Osman is this owner. While Valer sees himself on the verge of fulfilling his desires, Emilia reveals to him that she, too, is Osman's slave and he insists on fulfilling his desires. However, Osman surprises both lovers, because instead of the expected punishment, he joins the hands of Emilia and Valera, in which both Frenchmen at first see only a game of oriental cruelty. However, Osman dispels this misconception: he himself was at one time a slave, but then ransomed and freed by Valer, whom he had not seen in person. Now he finally has the opportunity to repay the good deed. The lovers, showered with gifts, are preparing to set sail for their homeland.

Second entre.

Desert in Peru, with a volcano in the background. Peruvian royalty Fani loves the Spanish conquistador Carlos, who is trying to convince her to leave her tribe with him. But Fani hesitates, unable to break with the customs of her ancestors. Guaskar, the high priest of the Sun, secretly in love with Fani, appears and reports that the Sun God has ordered him to choose a husband for Fani. But for Fani, Guascar’s plan is clear, and she resists him. The Sun Festival (divertimento) opens. Suddenly an earthquake begins and fire and smoke rise from the volcano. The crowd disperses in horror. Fani also wants to run away, but Guascar stops her. He tells her that this natural phenomenon is a divine sign. But Fani is not convinced by this either. Carlos appears and threatens Guask-ru with a dagger. He explains to Fani that the earthquake was staged: on the orders of Guascar, a piece of rock was thrown into the crater of the volcano. While Carlos and Fani swear their eternal love to each other, a volcano erupts and a huge stone buries Guascar.

Third entre.

Gardens at Ali's Palace. The Persian prince Takmas, disguised as a merchant, entered the garden of his favorite Ali, who has a slave, Zaira. Takmas is in love with her and would like to find out her true feelings. From Zaira's overheard monologue, Takmas learns that she is open to love feelings. The imaginary trader offers herself as an attorney. Ali, for his part, is in love with Takmas' slave Fatima, who, dressed as a Polish slave, entered the garden for the same purposes as Takmas. Takmas, seeing her, takes her for a rival and in a rage attacks the “Polish slave” with a dagger. At the same time, the “trader’s” veil reveals her face for a moment: Fatima recognizes the master and rushes to his feet. Takmas opens. Ali begs for mercy for his beloved, to which Takmas readily agrees, as at this moment Zaira confesses her secret love for him. The Flower Festival begins: Boreas creates a thunderstorm, during which only Rose remains unbroken. Boreas flies away. Zephyr appears and picks up flowers bent by the thunderstorm.

Fourth entre.

Forest near French and Spanish possessions in North America. Indian Adario is preparing for the Peace Festival. When the Frenchman Damon and the Spaniard Alvar, both in love with the chief's daughter Winter, approach, Adario hides and watches what is happening. Alvar is considering whether to take Winter with him to Europe. Damon, having a low opinion of the constancy of love of savages, in turn counts on Winter’s favor. Winter appears, and the Europeans offer her to choose one of them. Winter extols the benefits of a culture of love based on etiquette and gallant games, which each of the Europeans takes personally. Each of them sings the virtues of love inherent in their nation. However, Winter refuses both: in her opinion, the Spaniard loves too much, and the Frenchman, on the contrary, too little. At this point, Adario leaves his hiding place, and Winter introduces him as the man she would prefer to any European. Damon and Alvar are hurt. Adario and Winter celebrate their triumph over the "civilized people". The Peace Festival begins, in which the Indians and the French participate. The performance ends with a chaconne, danced by all the peoples of India.

The Europeans' idea of ​​savages is perfectly reflected and at the same time easily and cheerfully parodied by Jean-Philippe Rameau's baroque opera-ballet "The Gallants of the Indies." And what a delight this is, ladies and gentlemen, an opera from the time of Louis, Louis XV the Beloved! We immediately remember the wonderful one, which I already wrote about with delight, and I would like to say no less about this opera.
However, watch the fragment of the dance for yourself - no, not with sabers, but with pipes of peace!

A few words about Rameau’s opera and the actors probably still need to be said. They are very beautiful, witty and talented.

The opera-ballet was created by composer Jean-Philippe Rameau in 1735. When they talk about it, three names are usually remembered - Rousseau, Helvetius and Voltaire with his “Simple-minded”, which connect the idea of ​​​​an ideal person with the concept of a natural person, who is settled in non-European countries, in the East and in America. It was these non-European places and countries that were called in the author's time "the Indies" - in the plural: Les Indes galantes.

Just the fourth act of “Savages”, added by the author a year after the creation of the opera-ballet, a fragment of which we can watch on video, takes place in the forests of North America, where three rivals meet, in love with the daughter of the leader Zima (Princess Zima) - an Indian Adario, commander of the army of a savage nation who is preparing for the Festival of Peace, the Frenchman Damon and the Spaniard Alvar.
Moreover, each of them is a funny and witty caricature of the idea of ​​an Indian, a Spaniard and a Frenchman.
Adario hides and watches what is happening.
The Spaniard Alvar is wondering whether he should take Winter with him to Europe.
The Frenchman Damon, having a low opinion of the constancy of love among savages, in turn counts on Winter’s favor. Winter appears, and the Europeans offer her to choose one of them.
Winter extols the benefits of a culture of love based on etiquette and gallant games, which each of the Europeans takes personally. Each of them sings the virtues of love inherent in their nation. However, Winter refuses both, because she believes that the Spaniard loves too much, and the Frenchman, on the contrary, not enough.
At this point, Adario leaves his hiding place, and Winter introduces him as the man she would prefer to any European. Damon and Alvar are hurt. Adario and Winter celebrate their triumph over the "civilized people".
This is how the Festival of Peace begins, in which all the characters take part.
In honor of the friendship of peoples, "Savages" ends with the dance of the "Big Peace Tube".
The performance ends with the chaconne, which is danced by all the peoples of India.

The wonderful conductor William Christie leads the action for 3.5 hours, in which it is difficult to describe in words what is happening. It’s such a feast for the eyes, ears and sense of humor when the French dress up as Turks, Poles, Spaniards, Indians and put on a magnificent performance, it feels like it’s not for the audience, but, above all, for themselves.

What an amazing singer Patricia Petibon is - a magnificent voice and complete charm, as they say now, sexuality: the language changes, but something remains the same. And how nice it is to talk about such beautiful and talented women: probably my comparisons are naive, but for me she is. You know, looking at them, I thought that a woman without a sense of humor probably loses most of her sexuality.

Her partner, baritone Nicolas Rivenq, also admires her with her courageous Indian appearance.
And what is the comedian-drummer Marie-Ange Petit like at the very beginning?!

History of creation

When Rameau began work on “Gallant India,” the “opera-ballet” genre was a choreographic divertissement (from the French French. divertissement, literally - amusement, entertainment), consisting of several heterogeneous scenes with different plots, which, nevertheless, were united by a common concept. The dramatic element in the opera was minimal and was localized in small ensembles, recitatives and arias.

The composer’s choice of such a “fashionable” theme for his first opera-ballet cannot be called accidental. The theme of the plot - an outlandish fiction or exotic fantasy - had to be decoratively designed as magnificently, elegantly, elegantly, dazzlingly as possible, in a word - to correspond to the gallant spirit and manners of court life of the era of Louis XV. It was precisely such plots that fully corresponded to the dominant style of the time - rococo, and, as a rule, were the basis of opera-ballet.

The libretto of “Gallant India” is based on a fictional amorous story, the events of which unfold in distant overseas lands. The geography of the plot is very exotic - in each action the viewer is transported to a new part of the world: in the First Exit “The Generous Turk” - to Turkey, in the Second Exit “Peruvian Incas” - in Peru and in the Third Exit “The Persian Flower Festival” (or “Flowers” ) – to Persia. The fourth release, “Savages,” was added by the composer only in 1736. This picture takes the viewer to the Indians of North America.

“Gallant India” did not immediately acquire its final name. Original title "Gallant Victories", can be seen on a manuscript kept in the archives of the Paris Opera. Later, Rameau renamed “Gallant Victories” to be more suitable for the occasion. "India". At that time, the word “India” (that’s right, in the plural) was customary to refer to any distant overseas lands and exotic unknown countries that seemed to Europeans to be inexhaustible sources of wealth, luxury and pleasure.

Premiere performances

Title page of the opera-ballet by J.-F. Rameau "Gallant India", 1735

Over time, the public's attitude towards the opera-ballet "Gallant India" has changed dramatically. In the surviving notes of Louis de Cahusac, librettist of most of J.-F.'s operas. Ramo, it is directly stated that at first “...“Gallant India” seemed irresistibly complex; Most of the audience left the theater with exclamations of protest, rejection of the music overloaded with sixteenth notes, among which the ear had nothing to rely on... Six months later, all the arias from the overture to the last gavotte were sung and known by everyone...” .

First performers

The dance group consisted of artists of different ages, usually from thirteen to eighteen years old. The appearance and participation of dancers of one age or another in the scene depended on the dramatic solution of the plot.

The first productions of "Gallant India", which became known from sources that have come down to us, featured famous, popular artists widely known outside France, favorites of the public:

Characters

Libretto

Tender Hebe, the goddess of youth and beauty, invites lovers to her groves for joy and pleasure. The dancing begins. But then drumming and trumpets are heard: in the midst of the holiday, Bellona, ​​the goddess of war and sister of Mars, appears, accompanied by warriors. She calls everyone under her banner, promising the warriors glory and honor. Young people, succumbing to Bellona's promises, go over to her side. Hebe is defeated, she asks Cupid for help. He descends on the clouds, accompanied by a retinue of cupids armed with arrows, like himself. Some of them hold torches, others raise banners of love. Hebe and Cupid are convinced that in Europe their spell has weakened: they are unable to return the young men who left their “peaceful havens.” And then Cupid decides to send his faithful servants to all directions of the world, beyond Europe - to the most remote countries of the “Indies”, in order to establish his new possessions there.

Exit one: “The Generous Turk.” Gardens of Osman Pasha overlooking the seashore.

The young Frenchwoman Emilia languishes in captivity of Osman Pasha. He is passionately in love with her and persuades her to accept his love. She rejects his proposal, explaining the reason for her refusal: it turns out that she was kidnapped by corsairs right from the holiday in honor of her engagement and sold into slavery to Osman. Emilia vowed to remain faithful to her chosen one Valera, who considers her missing and whom she considers dead, to remain faithful until her death. Osman, saddened by the refusal, leaves Emilia.