Alexander Gradsky - Unofficial site



Just advertisingBy working with blank verse, rhymed in the absence of the usual completeness, there is enought to confusion - but it is rather Gradsky even encourages, gives an opportunity to play with non-standard «Neshlyagernymi» melodic solutions... Read more - uadreams.wordpress.com . essay typer New records remastered CD and the music!


"Stadium"

Opera Alexander Gradsky In two acts, four paintings
(libretto and verses by M. Pushkin and A. Gradsky)

Recording 1983 - 85 гг.
2 LP 1985 г. "Melody"
CD 1996 г. MTKMO
Singer - Alexander Gradsky
Lucia, the Singer's wife - Alla Pugacheva
The Woman - Elena Kamburova
Priest - Andrei Makarevich
Captain - Vladimir Mozenkov
Lieutenant - Alexander Losev
Sergeant - Joseph Kobzon
A lemonade dealer, A small man - Alexander Minkov
"Echidny" - Alexander Kutikov
"Coward" - Andrei Mironov
"Ham" - Mikhail Boyarsky
"Progressive" - ​​Taras Kalinichenko
"Levak" - Vladimir Kuzmin
Fish merchant - Alexander Kataev
The baker - Evgeni Shershnev
Flower Girls - Irina and Elena Bazykiny
Newspapers - Yuri Shakhnazarov, Leonid Yarmolnik, Vsevolod Abdulov, Alexander Kazakov.

Alexander Gradsky (guitar, piano, synthesizers, piano-rodes, honker-clavier, bass-synth, celesta, percussion), Sergei Zenko (flute, saxophone), Vladimir Vasilkov (drums), choir and Alexander Symphonic Orchestra Petukhova. (2 plates).

What is described in this work is strong and meaningful. What is happening is concretized in the word that lives in music. Listening to the opera, we can not escape the impression that everything is subject to the principles of theatrical spectacle. When recording a record, a happy meeting took place between well-known masters and talented performers. Beautiful choirs, amazing orchestra, unique soloists - all worked with full dedication, understanding the importance and musical value of this work and in solidarity with the struggle of peoples for their freedom and independence. Eleven years of writing the opera ... After the night comes the day. This is confirmed by the "Stadium" - a magnificent fruit of the human spirit and talent.

Volodya Teitelboim


LIBRETTO

Act I

Picture 1

Morning. The city wakes up. The voice of the Woman is the voice of the people ... This Priest echoes the Priest and the stevedores, the traders and the shoemaker, the flower girls, all who rise at this early hour, the hour of tranquility and joy. And here is the Singer - a favorite of people: what a morning without a song and dance! Incendiary samba, hot samba, sharp as folk sayings, burning like the sun's rays. Singer's wife is unhappy with him - always busy Singer: then the meeting, then the theatrical affairs, but ... Samba! Samba! .. Suddenly, the alarming cries of newsmen burst into the dance rhythm. Each of them represents a political party - hence the advertising character of their cries: it is necessary after all to shout over another !!! The Singer's calls are in vain ... The rally on the square, conceived as supporting the Revolution, turns into a verbal skirmish of representatives of different parties, opinions, judgments, rumors, rumors ... The singer's calls are vain .... "Progressive" throws beautiful slogans, "Yahidy" Scoffs at them, "Coward" is tired of the heat and does not understand what is happening, "Ham" anyway to whom and as whom to serve, the leader of the left for extreme measures - then "Ham" calls for insubordination! The singer's calls are in vain, he already anticipates the tragedy, but can not prevent it. Here it is, the ominous knock of soldiers' boots!

Picture 2

The military surround the crowd. Now they dictate the rules of "discussion". To all the objections of the Priest, to all the cries of the Leader of the Lefts and the "Progressive" they have one answer - strength, weapons, death ... To grasp suspicious! Who is this! "No, I'm not guilty of anything," screams "Little Man" - Here's the Singer, that's the main culprit. "Betrayal - that's it, next ... The military grab Singer and the other" suspicious "and take them to prison at the Stadium. In the square people appear - headed by their "Little Man" and "Echidny." They rejoice in everything that happens, believing that a tightly stuffed purse has always been a guarantee against trouble.The crowd supports them, champagne, toasts ... How does the song Women ... She lost all her loved ones at that hour, but what's the business of the townspeople? Be merry and sing! Have fun and sing! In the cell, all those who were captured at the rally, the priest philosophizes, "Progressive" is still naive: " Let's start from scratch! "," Coward "is afraid," Ham "Hamit is also afraid, even the Singer is afraid, although he hides it ... The military enter, with them" Little Man. "He betrays everyone and everyone he knows. The captain "distributes" those arrested: to the stands, to the basement, the singer remains alone. "Remember, Mama, our mountains!" ...

Act II

Picture 3

The military enter the chamber of the Singer. No, it's not an execution, it's not a physical death. This is an attempt to kill the spirit of the Singer, to break it, and for this all means are good. You can try to convince by words, it is possible to show by the example of mockery of the "Little Man" all possible depth of moral fall. He's all ready to save his little life. We can finally say straight out how the refusal to "cooperate" will end for Singer. To all this, the Singer answers: "No!" "Until tomorrow," says the Captain ... In Lucia Square, the Singer's wife, and the Woman. The sad song of Lucia, the Woman tries to comfort her, but she herself gives in to the mood of sadness. Where is the Singer, what with him! That's the military. Not noticing women, they are arguing about the correctness of their road. After all, everyone loved the songs of the Singer .... The lieutenant hesitates, he can not make the right decision; Soldiers burning books - this is what his conscience is pursuing ... The captain reproaches the Lieutenant for his softness: only by force one can achieve everything. After the lieutenant remains alone, Lucia rushes to him, accusing him of the death of people. The lieutenant is frightened: "No, I did not kill ..." "Where is my Singer!" - "The singer at the stadium." - "I must see him ..." The lieutenant informs Lucia that from the window of the Chamber of the Singer, And if you stand on this corner, the Singer will see Lucia.) Night: The singer is thinking about his fate, Yes, he is dreadful to die, but he can not change his people, himself. He is calm at his last hour. The street corner of Lucia! Lucia! They can not speak, but they hear each other ...

Picture 4

And again in the Chamber of the Singer the military. This is the end. The Singer angrily throws the answer to threats to them, foretells their death and the people's curse. The captain and the sergeant beat the Singer with rifle butts ... The singer dies ... In the square, women are waiting for news of their loved ones. Goresten weeps for them. Lucia accuses the congregation of long-suffering, in inactivity and obedience. Suddenly appears "Little Man", selling lemonade ... The Lieutenant appears, he brings news of the death of Singer and the betrayal of "Little Man". He accuses the Lieutenant of lying, this Lieutenant answers the song of Singer and Lucia, which is known only to them. Lucia realizes that the lieutenant is telling the truth. Women surround the traitor, but the patrol that comes on is helping him out. The "little man" betrays the Lieutenant who divulged the secret. The soldiers take the Lieutenant away, and the "Little Man" disappears. Lucia, the Woman and the Priest, who were compelled to be released, begin the sermon of commemoration and hope, and call for struggle. From the loudspeaker the last song of the Singer sounds, a song about faith and the Motherland, about the Bird of Freedom. "Our land will be free again!" - people pick up the song.


(с) "МЕЛОДИЯ" 1985 Всесоюзная студия грамзаписи. Запись 1983-1985 гг.



"Full text..."

Alexander Gradsky. Stadium. Foreword, fifteen years later

Listening to this magnificent piece of music you have a double feeling. On the one hand, this rock opera, namely "rock opera", although on the disc it is called simply an opera, has a bright red, pro-communist context in its ideological content. What, in general, is not surprising if you take into account the time of its creation and the historical events that served as the impetus for its creation. The word "rock" was omitted for a very simple reason. In the heyday of communist ideology in our country, rock music was regarded as an attribute of bourgeois culture, and therefore ideology, by this was forbidden. However, according to music, this production is the rock opera. On the other hand, taking into account all the changes that took place in our country over the past fifteen years: the collapse of communist ideology in the late 80's; The disintegration of the state, both economic and political; Putch GKChP in 1991, as a mediocre attempt to establish a communist junta and the restoration of the recently fallen down system (would have learned from Pinochet, in other, about this a little later), the text of the rock opera is perceived in a completely different color: the word, Hero - captain, cause no longer rejection, but vice versa acceptance:

Marxism is eaten by the state,

As rust is a rifle muzzle.

And crowds of rascals

The country was brought to impoverishment! </ I>

History has repeatedly confirmed these words.

The basis of the rock opera was the events that took place in Chile in the early 70's. There, in 1970, the candidate for the left bloc, Salvador Allende, won the presidential election. In the next 3 years, the left-leaning economy of the country was "most skilfully" ruined almost to the ground. Riots began in the country. The logical conclusion of all this was the military coup of September 11, 1973. As a result of the coup in the camp, the power of the military junta, led by General Augusto Pinochet, was established. It is worth to pay tribute to Pinochet and his junta, in a very short time they established order in the camp and later very quickly revived the economy. However, the methods used in this process can not but cause resentment: mass shootings, torture, the creation of DINA, secret intelligence, an analogue of the Nazi Gestapo and Stalin's NKVD. "Democracy needs to bathe in the blood from time to time" - Pinochet. Has got to all without analysis, both left, and right. The country was in fact depoliticized in all possible ways. During these repressions in Santiago, a prison was created from the stadium, where all the suspicious were taken. One of the prisoners of the stadium was the singer Viktor Khara, who was arrested at the University of Santiago on September 12, 1973, as he adhered to communist ideas and promoted them. In the aftermath, he was brutally murdered - he was shattered with rifle butts and rifles. Those of us who have found socialist times remember the annual political song festivals dedicated to his memory.

The name of Viktor Khar in the rock opera is not mentioned, as the country of action is not mentioned there, but there appear: the complete mess in the country that arose as a result of pro-communist rule, the coming to power of the military, Stadium in prison, a wrestling singer who enters the stadium as a result of treachery, who is brutally beaten up and killed. In general, the connection with real historical events is recognized without much difficulty.

To hell with politics! In addition to politics, there are human values ​​to which the rock opera is dedicated in the first place: courage, honesty, courage, nobility, duty, loyalty, love. All that makes us people with a capital letter. These human qualities exist outside politics. Ideologies fail, politics changes, music remains. Listen to music!

(The annotation from the discs is completely preserved in order to convey the "spirit of the era.")

Volodya is not TAYTELBOYM

Публикации:

Alexander Gradsky - Unofficial site
© Web Site: Vladimir Timinsky 1999-2016


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